♕Harley Anderson♕

When I manage to open my eyes, I feel exhaustion take over my body as well as fear.

Am I dead yet?

I move my arms and take note of the cushioned surface before lifting my head up and looking around. I feel relief that I'm no longer in a basement but I still feel fearful due to not knowing where I am. I glance around the room until I notice the familiarity.

"Cameron?" I croak out. My voice is hoarse and I can't make out if I'm dreaming. Perhaps this is some sick joke from my imagination. I look at my clothing to see me in a pair of long tracksuit pants and a hoodie that smells exactly like Cameron.

"Harley." I hear a voice say and I look up to Cameron who is watching me intently.

I'm not dead. I'm still alive and I'm no longer stuck in the basement of some sick psycho. I feel a sob rise up in my throat. "Cameron." I choke out, the tears slipping out of my eyes. He's by my side in a second, pulling me into his side. His presence provides me with comfort and security and I revel in the feeling.

"You're okay. I've got you." He whispers soothingly and I cry out, the memories of the basement haunting me. His firm hold of me makes me cry harder. I thought I'd never see him again.

When I pull back from his embrace, I press a hand to my forehead, feeling a pounding headache coming along. Cameron helps me lay down and he watches me intently.

"How'd you find me?" I ask. I thought Cameron would never find me in the basement.

"Mason saw you being taken. I was able to find out which basement you were in." He says and I nod.

"Do you know who it was?" He asks me and I shake my head.

"No. But I recognized the voice. I was drugged though so I couldn't tell who it was." I respond. "He also knows about you Cameron. Someone else knows you're not really Cameron."

He averts his gaze and clenches his jaw. "I know. I'm going to find out who he is. For now, you need to rest hermosa."

I nod and lean further into my seat. "Please don't go." I beg. "He... he locked me in a basement and switched off the lights. Just like my father used to. I- I" I burst into sobs again and Cameron wraps his arms around me. I cry into his chest until I feel myself fall asleep.

Only it isn't a peaceful one because it's filled with monsters of the dark again.

****

My body is still sore when I wake up the next morning and my mind is still exhausted from the never ending memories. I feel uncomfortable, constantly on edge and wary.

I don't even know how it happened. One second I was sitting outside of the club and the next I was being drugged. And the thing that scares me is that this is because someone is mad at Cameron- I'm the pawn in this equation. I know that things were bad in Colombia for Cameron but I didn't think we'd have some lunatic kidnapping me.

What's even more frightening is the fact that the psycho knows how much I hate the dark and basements. I haven't told anyone other than Olivia and Cameron so how the hell does he know? Did I slip up to someone maybe? Accidentally leave a too obvious clue?

Damnit. I just have so many questions running through my mind.

Like who it was, why they sounded so familiar and how they even know about Cameron and I. It's like a never ending loop of questions with absolutely zero answers.

I feel a presence behind me and I look over my shoulder to Cameron who leans against his doorframe. He gives me a soft smile and I return to gesture despite my exhaustion.

"How are you feeling?" He asks and I notice the dark bags under his eyes and his disheveled hair. I shrug, standing up and running a hand through my knotty hair. Having a shower sounds like a good idea.

"Like I've being hit by a bus." I respond and he nods, making his way over to me and handing me a packet he's retrieved from his cupboard. I dig through it and when I pull out a familiar red shirt and jeans, I look at him in questioning.

"Audrey brought some clothes for you earlier." He says and I smile at the thought of my best friend. "She's worried about you, you know. You should call her."

I nod. "I will."

Cameron watches me intently before taking a seat beside me. "Are you okay with talking to Frank about it? He wants to know what happened so he can help."

I purse my lips before nodding meekly. "Yeah. I just... I just don't feel comfortable leaving the house yet Cameron." I reply honestly. My body is ridden with anxiety and I'd have a fit if I had to go out now. I'm so nervous and on edge. I just want to be somewhere I know I'm safe and secure.

Cameron cups my cheek. "I already told him to come here. You need to relax."

I smile at him, kissing his hand softly. "Thank you for caring for me Cameron. I can't explain how much it means to me."

He smiles at me although I sense something behind it. He kisses my forehead and stands up. "Frank will be here in the next thirty minutes. You can get ready. Shout if you need me, okay?"

I smile with a nod. Cameron leaves his room and I'm up and in the shower in no time. I wash off the griminess, from the basement, on my body and use Cameron's shampoo. Once I'm out of the shower and finally fresh and clean with the clothes Audrey brought me, I pull Cameron's hoodie over and leave my hair down to dry. I walk back into his room to his bed neatly made and then into the kitchen where he's standing making waffles.

He smiles at me when I enter. "You look better."

"I feel better." I respond and he nods before putting waffles on a plate and putting it on the center of the table. I take a seat and take one, chewing on it slowly before Cameron joins me. We eat in silence and I swallow down the dough with a glass of orange juice.

"If you don't want to answer what Frank asks, you don't have to okay? He'll understand."

"Okay."

We finish the rest of our waffles off in silence before a knock at Cameron's door alerts us. He walks over and opens it to reveal Frank standing in a simple blue button up shirt and kakis with a notebook in hand.

"Frank." Cameron shakes his hand before welcoming him inside. Frank smiles at him before looking over at me. His eyes trace the length of my body before he smiles sympathetically.

"Hello Harley. How ya' doing?" He asks with concern and I mange to smile.

"I'm alright Frank."

He nods before gesturing to the couches. "You wanna sit there so I can ask you a few things?"

I nod, getting up from off the barstool and taking a seat on the couch. I take note of his minty cologne when I walk by him and wonder if the drug has made my senses more sensitive. Frank sits opposite me, observing my actions before flipping the lid of his notebook off and uncapping his pen.

"Alright. What time did you go to the club?" He asks. I frown to myself.

"Around nine thirty."

Frank scribbles it down. "Did you notice any suspicious behavior earlier on in the day?"

I frown. "No."

"Where were you grabbed?"

I gulp. "Outside of the club, near the alley."

He raises s brow. "Were you alone?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

Is this question necessary? "I was dancing and needed some air."

He purses his lips before writing it down.

"How did your attacker manage to get you into the vehicle?"

"I just remember this cloth being placed over my nose and mouth and making me fall asleep."

"Ah. So you were drugged." Frank mutters, writing in his notebook before asking me more questions. The more he asks, the more difficult the questions become to answer without my hands trembling. Soon enough, Frank is closing his notebook with a smile.

"Thank you Harley. I think I've got all I need. I'll definitely be looking into it."

I nod with relief. "Thanks Frank. Am I going to be okay despite being drugged?"

"Absolutely. If your attacker used a drug to harm you, you wouldn't be sitting here right now. Your attacker knows what he's doing."

I gulp.

Cameron, who stands behind the couch I'm sat on, pipes up. "How do you think the psycho knows that Harley hates basements?" Cameron inquires and I glance at Frank who thinks hard.

"Perhaps Harley told someone she shouldn't have."

My eyebrows draw together. "I've never told anyone other than Cameron that."

Frank purses his lips. "I'll have to look into that. For now, you stay home and rest Harley."

"Do you think we're going to keep getting targeted?" Cameron asks tensely and Frank sighs.

"I can't guarantee anything but chances are? Yes. Stay wary y'all. Snakes like long grass."

I frown at his words before Frank smiles at Cameron and I, showing himself out a few minutes later. When we're alone in Cameron's apartment, I run a hand through my hair.

"I sure hope Frank gets the motherfucker." Cameron hisses under his breath and I nod in agreement.

"Yeah." I try to ignore my thoughts that run around haphazardly and decide to give Audrey a much needed call. She answers on the second ring.

"Harley?"

"Hey Auds." I respond and I hear a sigh before a sniffle. I frown. "Audrey... are you... crying?"

"Fuck, Harley. I was so worried about you. I thought I lost you."

Hearing the guilt and sorrow in her voice makes me feel emotional and I shake my head to myself. "I'm alright, just a little shaken."

"I'm so sorry I didn't go with you. I'm such an idiot. What kind of best friend let's their best friend go outside by themselves at a club? How could I be so stupid? If I was there, it wouldn't have happened. Maybe you wouldn't have being a targ-"

"Audrey."

She's quiet for a second. "Yeah?"

"It's not your fault. What happened is part of something a lot bigger..." I answer vaguely.

"What do you mean?" She responds.

"It doesn't matter, all I'm saying is that whether you were there or not, it was going to happen."

She sighs. "I'm sorry though Harley. You're like a sister to me and things wouldn't be the same without you."

I smile softly, playing with the edge of my t-shirt. "Thank you for the clothing."

"Anything girl. Have you spoken to a cop or anything yet?"

"Yeah, I just finished up actually."

"Oh." Audrey replies. We talk a little more, me having to reassure her that I'm not mad at her countless times before we end the call and I look up to see Cameron holding a mug of tea out to me. I take it from him with a grateful smile, settling into his side as he wraps an arm around me.

"I'm sorry this happened."

"It's okay."

"I was so worried about you. You have no idea." He comments softly and I look up to him before kissing the side of his jaw.

"Thank you for looking for me."

It falls silent again.

"I think you should move in with me."

I freeze, the tea in my mouth nearly going down the wrong pipe and resulting with me in a spluttering fit. I move away from Cameron, looking at him with wide eyes. I love spending time with him and I really want to spend forever with him but moving in? That's a step I feel we're taking too soon.

"What? Why?" I ask and he runs a hand through his hair.

"You heard Frank- the sicko won't stop. Like this, we'll be together more and I won't have to worry myself to death."

I purse my lips, understanding where he's coming from. It would probably help us deal with this situation better, but moving in...

"What difference would it make? We're always together anyway." Cameron glances at me carefully as I kiss my teeth and mill over the idea. "Unless you're scared to do it... because you think something is going to happen."

I look back up at him immediately, catching his suggestive drift and blushing. "I'm not scared. It's just a big step."

He nods. "It'll only be until Frank gets this whole thing sorted out."

A nagging thought in my head tells me that this might not ever end, that Frank will never be able to help us, but I ignore it, the thought too much to bare. I purse my lips. I enjoy being with Cameron and I can definitely admit that I feel safe and secure in his presence and space but am I really willing to move in?

Would it stop my attacker from coming again? Would it help?

I don't know. All I do know is that I don't want to accidentally drag Audrey into this or live in any more fear than I already am. I'm the only other one who knows about Cameron's past and what happened with him and I'm not going to sit here and pretend like that hasn't put me in danger- it has.

And even though I told Cameron I'm not scared, I am. Even if only a little. I don't want to take things too far in our relationship too quickly. We were both making out shirtless the other day, what's next? However, despite my worries I know it's not something to actually be concerned about. That's something unimportant and minuscule at this point.

"Okay. As long as you promise to make me waffles every morning." I joke, trying to lighten the mood.

He chuckles, kissing my nose. "Anything for you."

I nestle back into his side and no more words are exchanged, our presence of one another being enough for just a moment.

•••
Please do the most <3
G&R hit 1k and I am extremely grateful so thank you to all of you have read it and continue to do so.
This books hasn't gotten nearly as much support as Game Changer and so I'm truly grateful for this small milestone.
I hope you guys continue to love the story and stick with me to the end!
Thank you so much!

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