Homepage › Stories › Aimless › Chapter 26

Aimless

Chapter 26

Harry's P.O.V.

“FUCK,” I roared and stormed out of the kitchen and started running. I had to find her.

“It was Josiah Burton who arrested her,” Danny called out behind me.

I was going after Burton first. I’d gone to school with Josiah and it wouldn’t be the first time I’d beaten the shit out of him. It would however be the first time I got charged with assaulting an officer.

“If you hear anything, call me,” I replied and opened the door to go to the police station and the sorry ass police in this town that could be bought.

I’d go see my father last. He wasn’t going to be as easy to threaten.
I didn’t check in at the front desk when I got to the station.

“You have to check in Mr. Styles,” Margaret Fritz called out as I stalked past her without a word.
Deputy Sheriff Josiah Burton was in his office when I reached it and I walked into without knocking and slammed the door closed behind me. I locked it just in case I needed time to kill him. I turned to glare at the man I knew had been paid off to do my father’s bidding.

“You better start talking you sorry motherfucker, or the last thing I do before they lock me up is blow your sorry ass head off,” I growled.

Josiah jumped up from his desk his beady eyes going round in surprise.

“I did just what your dad had me do. I covered everything. The paper work is done and filed; she can’t come back to town. I secured it. Calm down. It’s done. No reason to get so damn demanding.”

He thought I knew about this. I forced the raging need to rip his head off down and stared at him deciding exactly how to play this. I needed more information.

“What time did you arrest her?”

Josiah shook his head. “I didn’t. Like your dad told me I just cuffed her and threw her in the back of the squad car. Scared her a bit. Then took her to him.”

My chest was about toexplode. They had purposely scared her. My father would pay for this.
Every minute she was terrified he would pay tenfold.

“Where was my father? Where did you take her?

Josiah frowned. “Your house.”

He had taken her to my house.

“Is she still there?”

“No man. I told you I did all the paperwork. She was warned not to come back or I’d arrest her and then she was shipped off to wherever the hell he had Leo take her.”

“Why can’t she come back?” I asked ballingmy handsinto fists.

Josiah started to answer and stopped. He studied me a minute and then his jaw went slack.

“You don’t know. He did this and you didn’t know. Fuck me,” he said, sinking back down into his chair. “Oh man, Harry. I thought you knew. I thought she was crazy and you were scared of what she might do. I was getting rid of her for you. Your dad said she was dangerous. A mental case. I even roughed her up a bit. I didn’t know… please tell me that girl is screwed inthe headand what I did was good.”

I closed my eyes tightly trying not to think about the part where he said he’d roughed her up a bit. I needed to beat the shit out of someone.

“How did you rough her up?” I asked in a slow even voice.

“Just jerked her around unnecessarily by the arm and put the cuffs on a little too tight.”
I grabbed the front of his uniform and jerked him up out of his seat.

“Even if she had been crazy, she’s a woman. No woman needs to be handled like that. Ever.” I took a deep breath.

“She’s the woman I love.The woman my sick fucker of a father doesn’t want me to love.” I threw him back in his chair and he rolled back and slammed into the wall. I didn’t apologize or wait to see if I was going to deal with charges ofmy own. I jerked open his door and made my way back out to my truck ignoring questions as I went.

Leo. I had to find fucking Leo.

*****
Leo wasn’t in town. My parents had left on a plane for New York City after I left their house today. No one knew anything. I stood on my porch staring out at the ocean and dialed Abby’s phone for the hundredth time just to hear her voicemail.

“It’s Abby. Can’t answer my phone right now but leave me a message and I’ll get back to you.”
Beep.

“It’s me again. You’re gone. I wasn’t there and you were hurt. God baby, knowing how scared you must have been and I wasn’t there. I just need to find you. Where ever you are. I need to find you, Abby. Call me. Let me know you’re okay.”
Beep.
Then a dial tone.

I dropped my phone on the table and gripped the railing in front of me. She was going to have to sleep without me tonight. Her bad dreams would come back and I wouldn’t be there. Would someone be there? Was she alone?

Abby’s P.O.V.

My phone was gone. I’d unpacked all my things and my phone wasn’t there. Harry couldn’t call me. Maybe that was best.Tellinghim that I wasn’t good for him hadn’t worked before. His father was forcing my hand and proving to Harry the truth. I wasn’t worth it.

The idea that his father had lied to Harry to make him believe I had left voluntarily or that I actually had stolen something hurt. I didn’t want him to think I would do either of those things. I hadn’t been able to goback to sleepafter waking myself and Lana and Brian up screaming last night. I’d sat up and thought about what I needed to do next. Where I needed to go. How I should live my life. Would I ever see Harry again? It had kept me from falling back to sleep and letting another bad dream come haunt me. It was all too fresh right now.

A swift knock on the door broke into my thoughts and Lana opened the door and stepped in carrying acup of coffee.

“I thought you might be awake,” she said smiling and handing me the cup in her hands.

“Thank you,” I said and took the cup. After taking a sip, I looked over at Lana.

“I’m sorry about last night.”

Lana frowned. “You have no reason to be sorry. I’m sorry that you have those damn dreams. I’m sorry that I can’t make them go away. I’m sorry that you found someone to love and it all fell apart. I’m sorry about all of the shit you’ve been dealt. But you have nothing to be sorry about Abby. You never have.”

Having Lana had saved me. No one cared until Lana. Somehow I’d won theloyaltyof this bighearted person who I could never thank enough.

“Do you think I’ll end up like my mother?” I asked because it was my biggest fear. Especially now.

“No. Idon’t. I think your mother suffered a trauma while she had a newborn and that mixed with the post-partum depression she was suffering at the time. Remember that was found in her records. She had issues and then she lost her husband and son so tragically. No one was there for her. No family. Nothing. She just had this little baby and yes she snapped. Most humans would in her position. If there had been family to check on her and see her spiraling out of control then I believe she would’ve gotten better. That your life would have been much different. But it didn’t happen that way. She was alone and she got lost. That won’t happen to you. Because you have me and I won’t ever leave you alone. You have family.”

I wanted to believe her. I wanted there to be a reason my mother hadn’t been able to come back to me. That it hadn’t just been inevitable.

“What about my grandmother? She was in amental home,” I reminded her. That fact haunted me.

“Do you even know why? Have you ever researched that? You don’t know why or if this is even true. Your mother told you this and she wasn’t mentally there, Abby. I think you’ve lived believing some things that aren’t true. They terrify you. But in all honesty Abby, if you were gonna snap sweetie, you would have when we walked in on your mother with the razor in her hand and the slits on her wrists. You didn’t snap. You made it through that and you were brave enough tolearn to live. You can do this Abby. You can live a happy full life. One that your mother deserved but was cheated out of. Don’t let your fears keep you from it. Please.”

I wanted that. I wanted to live. For the father and brother who I never knew and for my mother who was cheated of a life of happiness. I wanted to live for them. And I wanted to live for me.

“Why don’t you call him?”

I didn’t have to ask her who “him” was. I knew who she meant. She wanted me to call Harry. I wanted a life with him. I loved him. But how could I come between him and his father? His father hated me. I would stand between him and his family. If Harry wanted me more than the life he’d been born to have then he’d find me. I wasn’t going to confuse him by calling him. He needed time to decide if losing his family to have me was worth it.

“I think I’ll wait. He knows where I’m from and he knows your name. If he really wanted to find me, he could easily enough. There is a lot at stake for Harry. I’m not sure I’m worth all that.”

Lana put her arm around my shoulders and rested her head against mine. “How many times do I have to tell you that you’re special? Anyone who meets you and doesn’t want toget to knowyou and be a part of your life is stupid. I saw it when I was just akid.”

I smiled. “No. You thought I was a vampire and you wanted to be my friend so I wouldn’t eat you.”

Lana chuckled. “Well, that too. But I found out soon enough you weren’t a blood sucker and I still liked you.”

We sat in silence for a few minutes lost in our thoughts.

“I took off work today. Let’s go shopping,” Lana finally said.

“Okay. That sounds good.” Anything to get me out of this house and my mind off London… and Harry.