The most valuable woman in England. Garrett's words replayed in my head for the thousandth time. Dipping down into the warm water, I let my nose stay out to breathe, savoring the scent of jasmine and the feel of my own bathtub. My excuse for coming back to my apartment had been to get clothes. Being home gave me a reprieve from everyone at the wharf. Lila. Arthur. Garrett. Here I could think.

Still, it was difficult, knowing Kael was on the other side of that door, bringing with him the terrible reality of my situation. My fingers curled around the edges of my tub to pull me up. I leaned back against a rolled towel, wedged between the wall and the tub. Slowly, my eyes closed.

He hadn't said he intended to take me back to England. In fact, he hadn't said much at all since this morning. The silence had something to do with his argument with Ava. Knowing Kael, some plan was brewing, though I didn't have an inkling what it was. For some reason, he'd told Ava he wasn't returning to England for a while.

Wet hair stuck to my neck and shoulders as I slid out of the water. Reaching for my robe, I tried to quiet the voice in my head. Garrett, repeating his warning, begged me to check Kael's motives. And he wasn't the only one. If everyone in my life didn't trust him, should that warrant the concerns in darkest corner of my mind?

Painful to remember that Maria found Kael suspicious. And Garrett was unrelenting in his disapproval, insisting that he was using me to become Arias. Arthur seemed to find his intentions dubious even though he was his blood relative. Ava hadn't earned the right to an opinion, but I couldn't forget what she said. Something about him being different with me and playing both sides while doing a bloody good job of it.

"Great," I muttered sarcastically to the empty bathroom.

On the way to the door, I studied my initials embroidered in gold across the front of the bathrobe. Maria spared no expense when it came to me. I didn't deserve her, but she had picked me anyway. Maria wouldn't want me to be this aching shell of a woman. She'd want me to protect myself and know the truth. She'd want me to be safe.

When I exited the bathroom, Kael was sitting forward on my couch, working on his laptop on my coffee table. A small black gun lay on the glass beside the keyboard. At one time the sight would have startled me, but now I only wondered if he expected trouble.

Kael's eyes flicked up to me, then back to the screen. Dark rings reappeared under his eyes and there were new creases of worry in his brow. Every few seconds he would type then wait. I wondered if he chatted with someone.

"What?" he asked, glancing up again.

I pulled the robe tightly around me, feeling self-conscious caught staring. Despite my angst, Garrett's words nagged at me. Deep down, I knew that Garrett was right in one regard. Kael was hiding something.

"Nothing," I said, twisting Kiley's necklace around my finger in indecision. I didn't want to do this. Trusting him was easier than succumbing to the mounting paranoia. My voice sounded tired, even to me, but I tried to speak with urgency. "Actually, can you grab some dinner? Takeout, anything," I added quickly in case he thought we'd both go out.

When he looked up again, I feared he could see my heart beating in my chest through my robe.

"Of course," Kael said, lowering the lid of the laptop. "You alright?"

I nodded, scared to speak and give away something more in my countenance. His eyes locked on mine and I feared what he would see.

Looking away, I pulled at the robe again, hating myself for deceiving him.

"I'll be back in ten."

I was on my way to my room when the front door closed. Just in case he was waiting, I slammed my door as well and threw on the clothes strewn across my dresser, a straight black dress usually reserved for work.

Back in my living room, I slid onto the couch, hitting my knee on the coffee table in my rush. With a glance at the gun left beside it, I raised the laptop's lid. If he had closed it fully, there probably would have been a password. But he'd missed by a few centimeters and it flickered to life, showing me what he'd been doing. As suspected, he'd been in a chat with someone. It wasn't a chat room I recognized. The contact called themselves G13. The last line of text was from Kael.

He wants me to kill Harper.

Horrified, I caught myself before slamming the lid closed. I had to read on, but part of me didn't want to know more. My chest felt tight. I couldn't breathe.

Calm down, I coached my inner self. Think.

I scrolled back a little, looking at what G13 said to provoke Kael's statement.

G13: You don't know. Arias prob wants to see if you'll even bring her.

Glancing at my door, I scrolled further back, through a conversation that had extended over the last 24 hours. My name was mentioned repeatedly. To read every entry would take hours. I only had minutes. There was chinese take out at the base of my building that could make cashew chicken in less than three minutes. Something made me stop in the middle of my scrolling.

G13: Not coming back? ever???

Kael: I'm needed here.

My teeth sunk into the side of my nail. The conversation continued with G13 arguing that Kael should come back and finish it, whatever "it" was. G13 accused Kael of undoing everything, of missing a small window of opportunity.

Kael's responses to each point raised were similar. I'm needed here.

Tears stung the back of my eyes. Garrett was wrong. The only thing Kael was hiding was how resolved he was to protect me and not to use me to become Arias. Maria's death had taken so much from me and Kael saw it. He knew I was close to breaking. Satisfied with my search, I scrolled back to the place where the conversation had left off to hide my prying.

But G13 was typing. Three dots flashed at the bottom of the window. Responding was out of the question, but I could wait to see what he said. Another quick look at the door told me I was alone. Still, waiting for the next message was excruciating. My hand found the locket and twisted it through my fingers.

G13: She'll never be free of this until you finish it. You becoming Arias ends it. You said so yourself. The facts haven't changed.

G13 waited a couple seconds for a response that wasn't coming. He continued.

G13: But don't destroy all we've done and come back alone. If I don't kill you he will. Bring Harper.

There was a brief pause, then the small little dots returned. My breath caught as I waited, intrigued by the person who was so insistent on my return. Before my loss, Kael had a plan to finish this. Perhaps Maria's death stalled his good judgment and ruined something that could have rid us both of the criminal underworld that haunted us.

The sound my of door rattling made me jump. I slammed the lid closed and dropped the laptop back on the coffee table. There was no hiding my flustered state. Flinging myself down on my side, I did the first thing to come to my head and pretended to be asleep.

It took conscious effort to keep my breathing easy as I heard footsteps enter my flat and bags drop onto the counter. The spicy, oily smell of chinese cuisine filled the space. He was getting out plates, cups, and cutlery. Something from the fridge. The noises stopped.

After a few seconds of silence, my afghan fell over me. I couldn't keep pretending. My eyes fluttered open. Kael had his hand behind his back, stashing the gun in the back of his waistband.

His hazel eyes widened in surprise to see me awake. "You still hungry?"

Stuck on the conversation I read, his words wouldn't process. The person said I'd never be rid of this. We'd never be free of this until he became Arias. The thought made me nauseated. Between Maria's loss and the feeling of being a wanted woman, there was no end in sight until now. In a year, perhaps even six months, these criminals could all be behind me.

Slowly, I slid to sit, considering my next words. Rubbing at my eyes, I would look tired, but in reality, they were aching as I tried to think.

"Can I ask you something?" I mumbled and dropped my hand from my face.

Kael sat down next to me on the couch. Angled toward me with a knee against the back cushions, he kept just far enough to keep our arms from brushing as he shifted.

Inferring that was a yes, I went on. "Do you need to go home?"

Kael's frowned deepened. Worried about his train of thought, I clarified. "Something you said to Ava this morning... you said you're staying for a while?"

Kael lifted his head a little. "Yes."

It was his typically short answer, but I wouldn't relent. "Why?"

"I told you I wouldn't leave, Harper."

"Oh, that's right."

On the bridge when I was insane with grief over Maria's death, he'd promised not to leave me alone. A lump filled my throat and I looked down to study my hands. At that moment, I had to be smart, not emotional. If what he told this G13 was true, we needed to go back to England. Though it was terrifying, we had to end this. A foggy plan in my head began to take shape.

Clearing some of the thickness from my throat, I went on. "What if we..." I stopped. Finding some volume, I took a deep breath and tried again. "This has to end. I can't live with these criminals on my back."

I didn't look for his response. Instead, I studied my hands and waited. When he said nothing, I decided to be strong, speaking again without looking at him. "If we stay here we'll never be rid of them, will we? You can fix this if we go home."

Please say something.

Silence. I looked up.

Kael was looking down at his own clasped hands, poised between his legs. Without moving his head, he looked up at me. There were questions in his eyes, even an element of accusation. It was enough to make me recoil with guilt. I looked away.

"You still don't trust me." Kael's voice was quiet and slow, the emphasis on the last few words confirming the accusation in his eyes.

"Yes I do. That's why we should go back. You'll stop this. You were planning to until..." I stopped because the thought was too painful to finish, but it had confirmed my actions as well.

"No." Kael sat straight and reached for his laptop. I cringed when he brought it to his lap, his steely gaze locked onto my wavering one. "Leaving this without a second thought," he lifted the black rectangle a little, "that's trust." His jaw tightened. "You had no rea-"

"Gar scared me, alright? I thought you wanted to take me back," I glanced up at as his smoldering expression only to look back at my lap again. "For the wrong reasons."

"But because I want to keep you here for the right ones, now you want to go." Kael stood up suddenly, ruffling a hand through his hair. "You make no sense!"

"You hardly speak, then wonder why I'm confused? And why won't you fix this? If taking me back ends this nightmare, let's go!" I didn't care about the risks. I just wanted this to be over. He should understand that.

Kael leaned toward me, narrowing his eyes. "Arias wants me to kill you, Harper. Or did you miss that part?"

"N-no, he doesn't." I stumbled back. He was scary when he was angry. Even if it was a small measure, his wrath wasn't usually directed at me. "It doesn't make sense. Anyone could kill me. Why would he want you to bring me in just to kill me?"

"The minute you step into that meeting, I can't protect you anymore." Kael's hand swiped the air with finality.

"What does that mean? You'll do it?"

"I won't have the choice."

Spinning, I wouldn't let him see how his cold words upset me. "Get out." My voice shook and betrayed my state. Nevertheless, I pushed on. "You told this," I waved my hand in the general direction of the laptop without turning, "person you would fix this. But who knows what you're doing. You certainly haven't told me."

Holding my breath, I expected him to leave. Part of me dreaded the sound of the door closing behind him. I'd become too dependent, too easily broken.

"The person is Garrison." Kael's sigh was directly behind me. I hadn't heard him approach. If I turned, I'd probably run into him. "He and I... there's this mission. It was before you..." his hand brushed my shoulder. He was trying to open up, tell me his plans.

Garrison worked for Interpol. This mission must be in some way legal or at least sanctioned. Despite the good news, my hands twisted together in front of me. Anxious, I didn't turn.

"It's ok, Harper. I'll do it. But not with you. It has to be me alone."

My shoulders slumped in relief. Still, I suspected he underestimated the seriousness of Arias' demands.

Looking back over my shoulder at him, my voice faulted as I asked, "They won't kill you?"

Something passed through his eyes that I couldn't read. Another secret was suppressed and tucked away where I would never see it. Kael gave me a shadow of a wink and a smile. "Everything will go according to plan. I promise."

Returning his smile, I tried to ignore the nagging voices in my head. Kael was going to end this for us. Evading my question didn't mean anything. He always came at things from another angle. Besides, whatever his plan, it would include an escape for him.

*****

Harper's done being chased, but at what cost? Do you think everything will work out as she's planned or is facing Arias too dangerous? Thanks for reading folks and do let me know your thoughts. You know I love them :)

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