RED ROOM [H.S]

42.

I felt my heart rattle against my chest at the sight of Smurf. In the pitiful world I had created with Harry, I had all but forgotten about this mans existence. In which, made me forget about the ever-growing debt I still had with him.

Out of instinct, I flinched back at the sight of him, knocking into Harry in the process. Warm hands fell to my shoulders to steady me, holding me in place.

"You're okay," he murmured in my ear, ignoring Smurf completely as he pressed a soft kiss against my head. "Nothings going to happen."

Though my brain relaxed at his soft words, my body was still frozen in place. Smurf was grinning from where he sat on the couch, his face twisting in a sadistic look of amusement. God, there wasn't a single time I had ever felt comfortable in this mans presence, though right now, he was making my stomach turn worse than ever before.

I had never been late with a payment, only because I knew what would happen if I did. Smurf was very clear in his warnings, and I was never one that wanted to get on his bad side. Not now, not ever, not even under the fierce protection of Harry.

"You know," Smurf spoke in a slow drawl, a side effect of his many years of abusing drugs. It had made him have a slur of his words, though his mind was completely and utterly active with crazed thoughts and cruel intentions. "I don' usually do business me'self, but someone's a bit hard to get a hold of."

I swallowed nervously, my whole body shaking underneath Harry's touch. He was silent as he stared at Smurf, staring at him like he was a strange entity and not like a vicious drug dealer.

"You shouldn't be here," Harry spoke for me. His voice is was clear and full of authority, it made my eyes squeeze shut. "Sophia's debt has been paid to you long ago, you know that, Simon."

If it was possible for your heart to literally stop out of nothing but pure shock, I was sure I would have died at least ten times today. My brain rattled with unanswered questions, ones that I couldn't voice because I momentarily forgot how to operate my mouth.

How did Harry know about my debt?

How did he know that it was supposedly already paid off?

Why the hell was he calling Smurf that name?

Clearly it was his legal name, but how did Harry know that?

So many questions ran wild in my brain, I thought I was about to faint with how they seemed to be filtering through behind my eyelids.

Smurf's grin faded slowly, and he turned to stare at Harry, a sneer twitching at his lips. "Don't call me that," he hissed, baring his teeth like a rapid dog.

Harry's hand squeezed my shoulder once more before he manoeuvred his way around to stand in front of me, keeping me out of view from Smurf. "I'll give you one chance to leave and not bother her again."

"You don't scare me, kid. I hear things. You don't work for The Boss no more. You're nothing."

"One chance," Harry repeated, his voice sending an wave of uneasiness through my body. It triggered the memory of being trapped in his arms in the Red Room at Midnight Blues, and how I felt my life flash before my eyes.

Nobody could ever prepare you for how it feels to think you are about to meet death. Though I was not at the end of Harry's wrath, I could still feel the  anxiety prickle my skin at the very sound of his soft voice turning cold.

Maybe it was sudden trauma from the event. Maybe the way Harry spoke was going to be a trigger for me going forward, and I couldn't help but worry for that reason. I swallowed at the very thought. How was I suppose to have Harry involved in my life if that was how I was going to react to certain things he did?