Killer Love

Chapter Eighteen

"Yeah," I whisper in response, even though it wasn't a question. "I had to kill you."

"And you want to know why," he states.

I nod. Of course I want to know.

He searches my face. "Like I said earlier. I worked for the same people you did. My own father died when I was young and my mother wasn't in the picture."

"What happened then? Why do you have a target on your back?" I ask quietly.

"Because I ran away. Liam and I did, actually."

My eyes widen. "You left? How?"

"It is complicated and difficult to explain everything now, but I can see that we didn't try hard enough to stay hidden."

"So they sent me to kill you because you left?" I breathe. It is possible.

"But why didn't you?" Harry inquires.

"I needed to get close to you first. They gave me specific instructions. I am sure you know how that goes."

"That can't be the only reason. Why not make it quick and easy?"

I don't say anything, choosing instead to focus on something else beside him.

"I want to hear you say it, Y/N," he says in a low voice.

I swallow hard and decide to act dumb. This could still be some elaborate plan. "I don't know what you are taking about."

He sighs, tugging at his hair. He stands up, wiping his hands on his pants. He grabs something off the table and sets it on my lap. It's a plane ticket and a passport.

"I am leaving first thing tomorrow morning. I need to get out of this town and you should too. I assume you have more than enough emergency money stashed somewhere."

I nod, swallowing hard and staring at the two items. "Yeah," I whisper. I run my fingers over them, almost to make sure they are real.

"I thought so." He runs his fingers through his hair. "You don't have to come with me," Harry abruptly comments. "I just thought you should get the option to live your own life without killing others. I saw how much you disliked the killing. You were trapped with no way out. I am just glad I was able to give you one. But you can take this ticket with me or go someplace else. It is your choice."

Tears spring to my eyes. I try to discreetly wipe them away.

"Why are you crying? Are you in pain? What's wrong?" Harry worriedly questions me.

I sniffle a little. God, I'm such a baby. "I just never thought this would ever be possible. I am expecting to wake up or for someone to come through the door and kill me."

"There won't be any killing on my watch," Harry replies. "This is as real as it gets."

I shift to get comfortable and wince.

Harry notices and a look of guilt crosses his face. "I shot you with a drug. I needed to knock you out and lower your heartbeat slow enough that it seemed like you were dead. The needle might leave some bruising so I'm sorry about that."

"You see, I still understand something," I comment, standing up. "Why show up in the first place? Why risk this? How did you know I wasn't going to kill you?" I'm shaking my head as I pace around the room.

"I could ask you the same thing."

I shrug. "It's not like I have anything or anyone left to lose." No one but you, I don't say.

"You have me," Harry says so quietly I almost don't hear him.

Surprise pierces my mind. My heart beats faster and I hold my breath. "What do you mean?"

He strides over to me. "Come on, Y/N. Just admit it."

There must be something screwing with my vocal cords because no sound comes out of my mouth.

"Dammit, Y/N!" Harry is in front of me in a flash, his mouth covering mine, and the breath I have been holding comes out as a sigh. Harry tenderly caresses the back of my neck. His other hand, in contrast, rests just about my hip, squeezing me so hard I think I might bruise. I hope I do. Just so I can have something to remember him by.

I pull his hips tighter against mine, ignoring the pain in my side. Harry tries to suppress a groan. I slide my hands under his shirt, feeling the taunt muscles shiver with goosebumps.

"I'm so fucking in love with you," he mumbles against my lips.

A feeling I can't describe pulses through my veins when he says that. I freeze. I pull back and stare into his green eyes to make sure I heard him correctly.

"You what?" I whisper in disbelief.

"I love you," he repeats earnestly.

I step back. "How?"

His eyebrows furrow in disbelief. "What do you mean how?"

"How can you love someone like me?" I don't deserve him.

"How can I not? If anything, I am the one who does not deserve you."

I didn't realize I said that out loud. I turn my back on him. "The things I have done, Harry- you can't even begin to imagine."

"Don't forget that we are in the same line of work, Y/N. At least, we were." His voice is much closer, right behind me now. Harry's fingers trail across my shoulders. "I wish you could see yourself the way that I do," he whispers. "Maybe you would begin to understand."

I look off to the side. "My whole life I have been a person who thought she was too far gone to be saved. To have a normal life. I knew that no matter how hard I tried, I would never be worthy of anything good in my life, and as I result I excused myself not wanting to change. That is... until I met you."

His hands still.

"Maybe it's time for me to take a leap and be better. To make the most of the good I have been given." I turn around. My eyes slowly travel up to his eyes. I tentatively hold the sides of his face. "I love you, too," I reply quietly.

He lets out a breath and a small grin appears on his lips. "Really?"

I give him a small smile, nodding. "Really."

There is pure joy and relief on his face before he pulls me back in for another kiss. I forget about everything. About the fact that we are on the run from people who will probably try to kill us. How we need to basically start our lives from scratch. That we still do not know where we are going. Because this moment right here, this moment is everything.

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