Unwanted Blood (Harper) novel Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Harper’s POV

“Let go of me.” My voice shook as the words barely made it out.

The man looked down at me, didn’t let me go. His fingers tightened around my arm, digging harder into my flesh, nails pressing through my sleeve.

“Don’t be like that,” he said softly. His head tilted, the shadow of his cap shifting just enough for me to see the yellowed enamel of his teeth. “I just want to talk.”

My heartbeat slammed so hard against my ribs it hurt.

No no no-

I never expect that I would meet him in this place. This was the man my brothers had blamed for everything-the rapist who raped my mother and was never caught. The reason my existence became something ugly inside that house.

When I was younger, Logan had left his police file photos on the dining table on purpose, forcing me to look at his face so I would know exactly what kind of blood ran through my veins.

And now he was here. In front of me.

My knees weakened. My thigh muscles trembled so violently I had to lean my hip against the wood paneling of the hallway to keep from falling.

A slow smile pulled across his mouth beneath the shadow of the cap.

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“You look just like your mother,” he murmured.

I stopped breathing.

His eyes dragged over my face, tracing my hairline, my nose, and my chin slowly enough to make my stomach turn.

“Especially the eyes.” His thumb brushed against my sleeve. “Your mother used to look at me like that too.”

I jerked backward immediately.

He held tighter.

“I wonder…” he continued quietly, “if you’re as delicious as she was.”

My blood ran cold.

He licked his dry lips, the tip of his tongue gray under the dim bulb.

Panic shot through my chest so violently my vision blurred.

I shoved at his chest hard with my free hand.

“Get off me!”

He yanked me forward instead. Pain shot through my shoulder.

I struggled harder now, twisting violently, but the hallway suddenly felt too narrow, too dark, too small to breathe in.

“Stop moving,” he snapped

I stumbled, shoulder slamming into the wall.

“Arrghhh…”

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His other hand came up fast as a sharp slap across my face.

The hit snapped my head sideways.

For a second all I heard was ringing. The sting burned hot.

“You little bitch,” he hissed.

The second slap came faster.

Hot pain bloomed across my cheek.

My body froze.

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It seemed like I was fourteen again. Standing in the kitchen while glass shattered somewhere behind me. Learning very quickly that fighting back only made things worse.

The hallway tilted slightly.

My fingers went numb around my phone. I couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t scream. All I could do was shrink, the way I used to.

Then-

“Take your hand off her.” The voice cut through the hallway sharply enough to split the moment apart.

Everything stopped.

The man turned first. Then I did.

Ryder stood at the far end of the corridor. His suit jacket hung half-open. His tie had been loosened carelessly like he had run the whole way, breathing hard, with furious expression.

He walked toward us slowly, eyes locked on the man’s hand around my

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arm.

“I said,” Ryder repeated quietly, “take it off.”

Even the music from the bar suddenly felt distant.

The man narrowed his eyes, studying Ryder for a long second. A faint ugly smile tugged at his mouth. “You her brother?”

Ryder didn’t answer.

“You look like one,” the man continued casually. “I know all the Wilsons.”

That made Ryder stop walking. Something flickered across his face so quickly.

He released my arm. My arm snapped back instantly. I stumbled hard into the wall behind me, pain shooting through my shoulder blade.

Ryder stepped in front of me completely, his body blocking mine from view. “You bastard,” he cursed under his breath.

I had never heard his voice sound like that before.

“How dare you show your face here!”

The man lifted both hands mockingly as he stepped backward toward the emergency exit.

“Relax,” he said. “I was just passing through.”

His gaze slid past Ryder and landed on me again.

I immediately felt sick.

“After all…” he added slowly, “I’ve got history with her mother. Don’t I?”

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That was all it took.

Ryder lunged forward. But I grabbed his arm hard before he could reach the man.

My fingers dug into his sleeve. “Don’t.” I didn’t trust what Ryder would do if he touched him. If he lost control.

Ryder stopped so abruptly his body jerked slightly beneath my grip.

The hallway froze.

For a split second everything froze.

Then the man shoved the emergency door open and disappeared into the alley outside.

The metal door slammed behind him.

My pulse roared in my ears.

Ryder turned around instantly.

“Harper.”

His hands came up to grip my shoulders, bending slightly so his eyes could meet mine. “Look at me.”

I couldn’t.

My body wouldn’t stop shaking.

“Did he hurt you?” Ryder asked sharply. “Did he touch you anywhere else?”

I pushed his hands off immediately. My arms felt too heavy. My face burned where he had hit me.

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He went still at once. Then his expression changed.

Guilt hit his face so hard it almost looked physical.

“I thought he disappeared years ago,” he said quietly. “We were told he was dead.”

His jaw tightened. “It’s my fault you ran into him.”

I shook my head automatically.

But I still couldn’t speak. My throat felt locked shut.

Ryder looked like he wanted to say more.

Then footsteps suddenly pounded down the hallway fast.

“Harper!” Lily appeared first around the corner.

Ethan right behind her.

The second Lily saw Ryder standing close to me, her face hardened instantly.

“What happened?”

She moved toward me immediately while Ethan stepped halfway in front of Ryder on instinct, shoulders squared.

grabbed Lily’s wrist lightly before things could spiral.

“It’s not his fault,” I said softly.

The words surprised all three of them. Especially Ryder.

“What happened?” Ethan’s eyes narrowed slightly.