Separately Together

Chapter Thirteen: Used Goods? 1/2

Harley's P.O.V

I can't keep my eyes off of her, the way her fingers skimmed the racks of gender reveal decorations or the way she stops every few minutes to look behind her to make sure I'm still there. She founds the decorations but claims that we would have to go into the actual city to find the fireworks. I didn't like the idea of her being outside these gates, but I knew she would be safe with me with her.

Not even the leader of The Forefathers would dare cross Ben and as far as they know this tattoo ranks me as his second in command. they didn't need to know that I hadn't seen the bastard in years now.

I knew the time was ticking before I would have to go to him for help. The idea made my skin crawl but anything for Maddie, not just because of my newfound obsession but because her brother by blood was my brother by choice.

No one was going to mess with her or hurt her ever again because I know what was going on now, I can prevent it for hers and Finnic's sake.

Her nightmare the other night confirmed that whatever Vickers did traumatize her, I mean what else could it be? As far as I know, she has had a decently mild life. Some bullying but nothing to draw out those kinds of screams.

Curiosity has me wondering what my father is going to ask of me. Would he demand me back to his side to take over his illegal doings, and his club members? I grimace at the thought, maybe he would just ask me to do a task of some sort.

I took off work today and the look on my employee's faces was pure shock. I was known for working my life away. There was no way to stay later than the boss t Walker Co. because I was always the last one out of the building. I will say that this week it's been hard to stay as late as I normally do because I know that she's at home waiting on me. She thinks I haven't noticed the smile that spreads a crossed her face every time I walk through the door.

I've come to cherish them because I knew after I took care of the problem that she would want to move out, part of me has thought about lying even after The Forefathers are taken care of just to see those smiles every night.

Does she know she has me wrapped around her finger?

"You ready?" She looks over her shoulder and asks me.

"Finally." I pick at her, and she rolls her eyes. We hadn't been in here more than fifteen minutes, but it was amusing watching her put one thing back to get something that looked the same just slightly different.

I pay for the decorations, and we head out to my car when I suddenly feel wet dirt smear all over my cheek. I turn to see Maddie with her index and middle finger covered in mud. She bit her lip holding in her laughter until I bend down and coax my fingers in the dirt intending to smear the tarnish on her beautiful face.

Fake fear turns her expression into one of pleading. "I'm sorry!" She yells as she starts to run from me, it doesn't take her long to grow tired and I gain distance from her. She shrieks as I grab her upper arm and pull her to me. She covers her face with her hands trying to protect her face from the slaughter of mud. She doesn't notice that she's opened up an opportunity for me to smother her somewhere else in the mud. I grab her chin between my thumb and forefinger, pulling her face to the side and giving me access to her slim neck.

I take the dirt-coaxed fingers and drag them down her jugular vein feeling her racing heart rate beat against them. "Harley ..." It came out as a plea, but I can't unhear the willingness in them, the way they sounded what I would imagine her moaning my name would sound.

Snap out of it! Finnic's sister. Sweets. Platonic. Friends.

"Harley?" This time it wasn't her sweet submissive voice it was one of shock. I let her go and glanced behind her to see a business partner, Mr. Ivory, and his wife Elizabeth. They look like they saw a ghost. They were in shock from seeing me in anything other than a suit and scowl. I wipe my face free of the mud. I harden my expression immediately; I didn't like people from work seeing my and Maddie's interactions. They were meant for us only.

"Is this your wife?" His wife asked politely smiling kindly at sweets. She seemed innocent enough, but I knew that these two threw some of the wildest parties in this community. I've been to one before and it was not a college party, it was rated R. Women dancing on tables, but the decoration was completely mesmerizing. It would make you feel like you were in a different world. I suddenly had an image of Maddie walking under their blue balloon ceiling. Blushing at the naked woman.

"No, just a friend." I correct the term and their faces freeze for a moment before they both giggle at each other.

"Not for long." Elizabeth coos at Maddie, causing her to laugh at the crazed woman.

Could she see my not-so-platonic thoughts that were clearly on my face? Maybe I wasn't that easy to read.

"Maybe we should invite her to the next business meeting. It might go in my favor then." Mr. Ivory jokes and I chuckle good-heartedly. He was referring to our last business deal that I had turned down because the risk factor was higher than I liked.

"She would be bored out of her mind," Elizabeth exclaims, she had sat in on a couple of our meetings. "Maybe we can just plan a get-together when the next meeting comes about." Her energy was akin to Liz's but slightly more energetic.

She had black hair that was down to her waist, Mr. Ivory was slightly shorter than her, but it didn't seem to affect her.

If I'm not mistaken, they have been married for around nine years now. They were a good bit older than me.

Maddie smiles politely at the woman but I can feel her inching slightly closer to me, her anxiety bothers her, I presume. She acted so carefree around me that I almost forget that she has any social impairment.

"Well, it was good seeing you two." I try to cut them off so that she can return to being the Maddie I know all to myself.

"Wait." Mr. Ivory stops me from walking off. "We are throwing a party at our place next week. You two should come. Lots of fun." He says trying to finesse me into coming to another one of his scandalized parties. I think about the downfall and the upside.

Maddie has social anxiety, but she would be fine with me right beside her, I wanted to see what she thought of the decorations. I loved them.

I look between the couple and sweets and decide to agree. "Okay. We'll see you there." Elizabeth looks shocked that I agreed. After all, I have turned down multiple invitations, because I didn't have a reason to go. Now I do.

"Okay great." She exclaims. "Keep doing whatever you're doing." She fake whispers to Maddie and she chuckles awkwardly, and I grin at how much she changes when in front of people. it makes me feel like I have my own Maddie, while everyone else has an outside image.

I liked it. We went our separate ways and Maddie tugged at my arms to get me t slow down. "What was that? I can't go to that party." Her brows pull together in confusion at my motives.

"Why not?" I ask as seriously as I can even though I feel a grin growing from seeing her cute, puzzling look. It made her look so much younger than she was.

"Don't be jaded, you know about my social anxiety, Harley. You just didn't see how awkward that was." I blew out air feeling an argument coming alone.

"You did fine." Sure, it was a little monotone, but she didn't say anything embarrassing.

"Sure." She says simply, with a lot more attitude than I thought she could muster.

"You did."

"Whatever. I'm not going." She crosses her arms in determination.

"We will see about that, sweets." There was no point in arguing with her because I knew that when the time came the next weekend, she would be wherever I was.

"We'll see." She met me head-on. She was going to lose.

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