Getaway Car [HS]

Chapter Twenty

"Ow!" Harley yanks her face from her best friend's reach as she cleans her bloodied face.

Every time the large cotton swab stick soaked through with povidone-iodine makes contact with her wounds, under the careful guidance of Alanis's hand, she tries to ignore the urge to flinch. This time, she couldn't resist. The pressure put on the cut splitting open her left brow was too much, and her face twists up into a grimace in response to the stinging sensation of the pain.

"Sorry," Alanis says through a wince, "I'm just trying to get it over with as quickly as I can. I promise it's almost done."

"Yeah, yeah, torture me and be done with it," she murmurs, half kidding, half not.

A soft chuckle escapes Alanis at this, and she makes good on the request. This time, however, the pressure of the swab stick cleaning her cut is much softer and more considerate. An apology in the physical form.

Harley unashamedly studies her best friend's face in the meantime. With her hair, a curly mane braided around her head like a crown, she looks beautiful. No wonder her brother had fallen in love. The same can be said for Zayn and his fondness for her. Anyone with eyes can understand her allure, but, as she looks closer at those symmetrical features, she realizes that she is one of the few who can understand the woman beneath the beauty.

Harley finally says, "Just spit it out. I know you're dying to ask me."

The gentle caress of the swab on her skin slows in reaction to this.

To her credit, Alanis shrugs, feigning ignorance, and says, "Whatever it is, it's none of my business."

So, she did pick up on her and Harry's strange relationship.

The reason Harley didn't add that into the story she told in front of him and Zayn is because, first of all, he'd likely kill her for exposing them. Second of all, she didn't want Zayn to know. Being embarrassed by Harry's cruel words in the car was one thing, but to endure that embarrassment a second time over in front of one of his friends would've been another. Plus, the fewer of Leo's men that know about their previous sexual intimacy, the better.

If everyone knew how Harry acted with her, not just about the sex yet about his desperation to protect her, it would put a target on her back. What fascinates everyone about Leo's ruthless hitman is his lack of humanity. He has never been known to care about anyone. Though she would argue he doesn't truly care for her after tonight, his actions tell a different story, and to the men populating this world of crime, there would be no greater asset to ascertain than a powerful man's sole weak spot. Like it or not, she is his Achilles heel. For her safety, that fact must remain a secret.

There's a dip of silence, and Harley can't help but think to herself, Wait for it, wait for it, then—

"Okay, here's the thing."

Alanis pulls back and drops the swab stick into the trash to exchange it for the bandage sitting on her crossed legs. The whole time, she doesn't let her stare stray from Harley's expectant face.

"I kind of got a you-guys-are-totally-fucking vibe, even though you seemed like you wanted to put his head on a stick, and as your best friend I feel like I've been incredibly chill so far tonight about you dipping your toes into a life of crime, so just be straight with me," she says. Her shoulders sink with a heavy exhale. "Please tell me you aren't fucking that douchebag."

She considers lying to her. Recently, it's been getting easier and easier to deceive people with the amount of practice she's been forced to have with the art of lying about everything that's happened to her. But, she doesn't want to. For the first time since Leo forced her into this, she doesn't fear letting her friend in. She already knows about Leo, and Zayn swore to keep her safe when she asked to speak with him shortly before they left.

"I'm not," Harley says, then averts her eyes in hopes to avoid her friend's potential judgment, "...anymore."

It takes a second for her to process the information before she falls back onto the couch with every ounce of drama she can summon and groans. A hand flattens over her heart as though a knife has been pushed through it.

"If he had any other job or personality, I would be so happy for you putting yourself out there again, but..." Alanis looks at her from where she's laying back, one arm thrown over her head and the other still resting over her heart, with a disappointed expression on her face. "He's not good for you. He's a killer, Harley, you couldn't be any more different from each other than you already are. He goes against everything I know you stand for. You deserve better than that, babe."

She cannot find it within herself to disagree with what she said about them being wholly different from each other. She isn't sure she can say it with confidence anymore. Before he turned on her tonight, she liked where things were going. It may kill her to admit it to herself, but she relished in torturing Tate over the phone earlier. It turned her on, even. And knowing that she was capable of sending Harry into some kind of murderous frenzy last night...she hates to even think it, but it's true—she had fun doing it. And that made her as bad as him. Maybe even worse.

The lines between them, those rigid morals she stuck to for as long as she could, have begun to blur. He may pull the trigger on every job, but she is the one aiding him. She might as well load the gun. How much longer can she claim innocence? How much longer can she pretend she didn't enjoy being the hitman's plaything?

She says, "You're right. You're absolutely right, and that's why I'm not fucking him anymore. He was acting like an idiot on the drive back here tonight, so I told him it was over. The only time I'll see him is when I have to for work."

Alanis sits back up and starts to apply bandages to the cuts littered across her face.

"Good. While you're at it, I know a nice guy I can set you up with. Someone who actually deserves a woman like you, not some scowling, brooding asshat who kills people for a living."

But she can't help but wonder, what if Harry is what she deserves? She almost let him drag her into the complicated mess of his personal life, and if she felt compassion for someone as evil as him, where does that leave her? Does she even deserve a nice man? The words Harry said to her tonight linger and fester within her. He said he could never be her friend, and if someone like him doesn't even want her, why would a better man?

For the rest of the night, she indulges in Alanis's questions and pretends to feel better. She pretends to fully immerse herself in the moment, to not be reminded of the beating she took every time she forces herself to laugh or smile harder, but it comes back to her no matter how many times she redirects her mind.

The worst part about it, what she thinks makes her undeserving of a nice man, is that when she thought she was getting closer to Harry and becoming his partner in some way today...she liked it.