Hidden [h.s]

SIXTY-THREE (EDITED)

Fear engulfs me as I read the message five, then ten times over.

"Games? What does he mean?" My voice shakes.

"Come inside." Harry says, his voice surprisingly calm as he ushers me into my apartment.

He shuts the door behind him as I go into panic mode.

"How could he have known? Oh my God. he's going to find us, and he's going to-"

"Rose, calm down so I can think." Harry begins to pace.

I close my mouth, my bottom lip trembling slightly. The silver pistol from my dream flashes through my mind.

"He knows we talked to Crystal, somehow. And he wants to find us-you, more specifically," He says, his brow furrowed in thought.

Anxiety rips through my like a knife and my breathing accelerates.

I shake my head. "I can't stay here," I say, walking briskly past Harry and into my bedroom.

"What are you talking about?" Harry follows me, watching confusedly as I pull my suitcase from under my bed.

"I'm going to fly back to New York," I decide suddenly.

Something about the text we received made me finally snap.

"Are you insane?"

"Yes, maybe." I walk to my closet to pull out clothes. I don't know why I've decided to go home, but I know I'll be a paranoid wreck if I stay here much longer.

"How long will you stay there?" Harry asks, observing me as I carelessly throw shirts and jeans into my suitcase.

I sigh, running a hand through my hair. "for good," I say finally. "Yeah, for good. I should have never moved here, all it's brought is fear and paranoia."

"Rose, think about what you're saying."

"I am, I am thinking about it. Crystal has minor offices in New York, I could work there and live at home until I find a new place. I'll sell this one and everything will be okay again." My heart beats fast as I make spur of the moment decisions.

"What about Wolfe? What about the alliance?"

"You guys are obviously better off without me, when I'm not here to fuck things up," I say, grabbing a pair of jeans from my closet.

"That's not true."

"Oh, really? You've made it clear before that before I came into your life, everything was fine and normal and routine." I toss a blouse onto my bed. "If I go, everything will be restored in your life, it'll be like I was never even here."

"No, it won't." Harry furrows his brow.

"Look, I don't know why you're trying to stop me from leaving, it's not like you give a shit about me." I throw socks onto the growing pile of clothes on my bed.

Harry doesn't respond, and I turn to look at him. He stares at me, his eyes ablaze, his cheeks flushed.

"You know what, Rose? Leave. Go. Leave, and don't come back," He spits.

"I won't," I say, swallowing. "There's nothing for me here that I can't have in New York."

"You're right. I obviously don't care about you, so just go and forget everything that happened here." He crosses his arms over his chest.

I shake my head. "That's what this is about, isn't it? You don't want me to go because you know I love you, and you thrive off of it."

He clenches his jaw. "No."