Silent Scars (Surviving #4) (28 page)

“I agree, sir.” Dad appeared to stumble at the pure honesty in Ryan’s tone.

I snatched the envelope from Dad’s hand and pulled out more photographs. How I wish I’d thought about those consequences first.

I watched as Aloura grabbed the offending envelope and pulled out the contents. I’d never felt this deep possessiveness towards a woman before, the need to gouge anyone’s eyes out that saw her like that. I glanced down at the photograph in my hand. She looked phenomenal, the moonlight casting an ethereal quality over the photograph. Her skin looked almost luminescent. Her head was thrown back, her graceful throat arched and exposed as I feasted on her ample breasts. The image didn’t show much of what our hands were doing, but I knew. Those long feminine fingers were wrapped around my cock, holding me firmly. God, she had tasted so fucking amazing, touching her. Hearing her call my name.

“Ahem.” A throat cleared nearby. I pulled my shoulders back, trying hard not to adjust my cock pushing insistently against my sweatpants. I glanced up into eyes so similar to Aloura’s it was freaky. Her mom had a sly grin on her face as if she could read my freaking mind. And was I blushing?

Fuck that shit.

I averted my gaze, catching sight of Aloura, who was standing stock still, staring at a print. Her cheeks were speckled pink, her neck and chest flush and rising and falling rapidly. Was she remembering? I stepped to her and stood directly behind her to glance over her shoulder. The breath I was taking stalled in my throat at the pure erotic beauty before me. It was of Aloura lying across the table, her lips parted, her legs wrapped around my waist as I kissed my way down her stomach. I had my hand around her throat, and the other was gripping the delicate silk of her camisole.

Lust, and something I didn’t quite understand, raced through my blood. I wanted to take her back to our room, lay her on the soft sheets, and put my mouth and hands all over that creamy skin. Without thought, like I was magnetised to her, my hand rested on her hip and guided her back against me. The unidentifiable feeling grew stronger when she didn’t even try to resist. I was lying to myself. I knew what the feeling was I just couldn’t give it credence yet. It was too soon and far too fucking frightening. Terrorists, psycho stalkers, and shithead fathers I could go up against. The emotion welling inside me scared me more than any of those.

“Aloura,” I whispered against her ear.

“Did you look through these?” She threw the question at her father, like an accusation. Graham was sitting on the back of the couch. His arms crossed over his chest. Alec was making coffee in the kitchen.

“No, the first was bad enough to see,” he snapped at her. I felt her flinch and push further into me, silently seeking my support. Sally went to him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, pressing a kiss to his forehead. She whispered something I wasn’t close enough to hear. Graham nodded his head and released a weary sigh.

“I’m sorry Aloura. I’m not handling this well at all. How is this person evading us? Ryan, money is no object, you know that. Why is she still a target? How is she still accessible?” The words were sharp and accusatory, but the pleading and total fear in his eyes softened them. He was a man desperate to protect his family and was feeling completely out of control. If there was one emotion I could grasp onto and understand, it was that. The feeling of total and utter fear. The fear of not being good enough to protect the ones most precious to you.

I could even understand the man snapping at his daughter. I didn’t like it, but I understood. His fear was manifesting. I had done it last night with Aloura when my shirt had tangled with my sweater. The entire thing had come away, and fear clawed into my rational brain. I would never physically attack her, but words could be just as brutal. Graham was doing the same. He was lost and feeling out of control.

“It’s someone close to you. This guy has had this planned a long time. They know these grounds. They know the layout and her routine.” I felt Aloura stiffened against me. She knew my suspicions.

“We don’t have enough staff. I mean you gave chase last night, and there is no way anyone who we employ is fit enough to outrun you. Geoff, the grounds man, struggles to push his wheelbarrow let alone out run an ex-marine,” Graham mused, looking at me like I had gone insane.

“Harry,” I said simply.

Aloura stepped away from me. She refused to look at me. Alec paused the working of the coffee machine and turned to watch me.

“Harry, what?” Graham asked. I didn’t take my eyes from the man in the kitchen. He was likely to be the more volatile aspect of this conversation.

“He has access, unobserved at any time of the day. He knows Aloura better than most.”

“He wouldn’t do this,” Aloura stated adamantly.

“I agree,” Graham interjected. Interestingly, there wasn’t any argument from Alec. I remained silent, waiting on the man’s input.

“My son is too lazy, self-absorbed, and stupid to do anything this well thought out. I do believe his loyalty to Aloura is the only honest thing he has done in his life.”

My jaw locked, and my fists curled into tight balls. The disgust in Alec’s voice was an echo of a father’s voice I had lived with for years.

You will fail them.

I inhaled a deep breath through my nose and glared at the fucker in the kitchen. He glared back.

“Alec, you and Harry may not get along, but even you can’t believe this?” Sally asked, derision evident in her voice.

“I just said that. My son is too lazy to even try. He lasted what, nine months in the electrical engineering course, six months on the chemical engineering course. He has zero staying power. The only reason the club has lasted this long is the endless array of women at his door.”

“That isn’t true. He’s made a very successful business for himself,” Aloura argued.

They were still arguing the point when the man himself entered the house, a smug grin plastered over his cocky face. He had a warm smile and hug for Sally and a nod at Graham. Interestingly, he totally ignored his own father and headed for Aloura, who explained what had happened.

“Wow, some images in there for the spank bank. Didn’t know you had it in you.” He winked and tugged one of the photos free. “I may borrow this one for those cold lonely nights.”

“You are disgusting,” shouted Alec, storming from the kitchen over to Aloura and Harry. He snatched the photo and handed it to Aloura without even glancing at it. “You think this is funny?”

“What? No. Bloody hell, chill out.”

“They are stalking her
every
movement? They have been
inside
this house, you idiot. So which part of this is funny? Hmm? Tell me Harrison which part is amusing to you?”

“I didn’t mean it like that.”

“You never do. Because you never think. Your mouth opens, and idiotic comments pour out as usual. Why can’t you be more like her, someone I could be proud to call my own.” Alec pointed at Aloura. It was a split second reaction, but I caught t Harry’s flinch, the pained flash in his eyes. I’d been on the receiving end of such cutting comments a time or two in my life, and I knew the hardened shell that fell over his features was the product of many years of verbal blows. Harry’s enigmatic smirk curled his lips, but there was little humour in his eyes. Those were dead.

“Because I much prefer being a disappointment.” Harry’s voice dripped with sarcasm.

“You succeeded, trust me.”

“Alec, enough,” Graham snapped. He lifted his hand and placed it on the other man’s arm, but it was quickly and violently shrugged away.

“No, I want to hear this.” The cocky bastard said with a bored tone. I glanced at Aloura and found her clutching the photographs to her chest with tears in her eyes. She looked absolutely devastated.

“I am so glad your mother isn’t here to see you. Because if she was –”

“I’d be dead,” Harry deadpanned, causing Sally and Aloura to gasp. Finally tears escaped her eyes, and she covered her mouth with her hand. “We know. She lived. I died...blah blah fucking blah. Do you ever get bored of that shit?” Harry said tightly. “She died. Get over it.”

The pain permeating from Harry was a palpable thing everyone but his own father could feel. And for the first time since meeting the cocky bastard I had utter sympathy for him.

“You never deserved to breathe when she had to die.
You
are a waste of a life.”

Harry jerked back as if slapped. I stepped forward to put myself between the men as Graham pushed Alec’s shoulder and called out for him to apologise. But as the last word passed his lips, Alec wasn’t seeing or hearing anyone but the man before him. He straightened and pushed passed Harry and left the house. His departure left a deafening silence. A few tense moments passed before Harry composed himself, and the mask of cocky bastard was back. He turned to Aloura, and the facade slipped for a second. I regarded him as true remorse and pain entered his gaze as he looked at her.

“Pretty girl, don’t get upset. You know what an utter twat he can be.” He stepped over to her and pulled her into his arms. She pressed her face into his chest and wrapped her arms around his back.

“How could he say those things?”

“Forget it. I have,” he croaked. Harry pushed her away slightly by the shoulders and cupped her face. He stroked his fingers under her eyes, and a gentle smile curled the corners of his mouth. He was looking at my woman like she was his next breath, gazing at her the same way I did. Like she was everything.

My heart beat faster. My palms sweating because I would fight for her. But true fear clawed inside me that it was possible I could lose.

“Promise me you will take them to the police.” My head snapped up at his words. “I know it’s embarrassing, but they need to see this crap. Makes sense now why Lurch at the gate was a total prick and made me supply everything apart from the size of my cock.”

Aloura snorted a laugh and covered her mouth quickly.

“Promise.”

She bobbed her head against his chest. He glanced at me, making a concerted effort to avoid eye contact with either Sally or Graham.

“Take care of my girl, okay?”

I gritted my teeth because she wasn’t
his
in any fucking sense. The cocky fucker pressed a kiss to the top of her head and left the house. Graham called out to him and followed him out of the door.

Aloura lifted her gaze to her mom. “Alec was out of line there, Mum.”

“I’m still in shock, baby. I’ve never known him to act that way.”

“He really hurt Harry.”

“I know, sweetheart. I have no excuse or even reasoning for his outburst. I’m at a loss I truly am.”

***

I’d been upstairs a matter of moments when I caught sight of Aloura fleeing the house on one of the monitors. Without thought I raced out of the room and down the stairs.

“They have Hercules,” her mom shouted as I dashed out of the house. I didn’t give a flying fuck what they had as long as it wasn’t Aloura.

“Aloura,” I bellowed as I ran at full speed in pursuit of her. Her legs were pumping at full speed as she raced through the trees. Luckily there was a clear path, because at the rate she was going she would have broken her neck had she tripped on the branches. I was closing in, but she was fucking fast. My senses were on overload. I could smell smoke as we neared a clearing in the trees. I glanced around trying to determine if there were any threats nearby. In this part of the woods the trees were scare, so harder for the fucker to hide. But I was still a distance away from her, and he had the opportunity to get to her before I did.

“Aloura,” I screamed again. She never even paused. Her arms were grasping at air, her movements weren’t with her usual grace, which gave me the opportunity to close the gap. Her bare feet were luckily slowing her down. Her dressing gown was flapping open in the wind I reached out trying to grab at the flailing cotton, but came up grabbing air.

“Fucking stop.”

As we hit a clearing, the smell of smoke intensified. Then the air fogged around us as plumes bellowed into the sky. A gut wrenching scream tore from Aloura. The trees dissipated, and we were running towards an open paved area. She was heading straight towards the smoke. That’s when I spotted the fucker. A figure dressed all in black stood at the far end of the paving with a lighted torch. I risked a glance at the paving and noticed it was wet. Hercules was laid in the centre drenched.

I dove at her. I stretched out my arms and grasped at her thighs, wrapping my arms tightly around them and taking her down to the ground. I knew it would fucking hurt her. But I had to stop her.