"Wait, have you not looked in the closet yet?" She glances at my old clothes that I've had packed for five years. "That's a hard no. He bought clothes for you; said he wasn't sure if you left with any."
I gape at her. "He did what? Why? I mean, I appreciate it because I obviously didn't think this through but... wow."
"Yeah, he had a little help, but Ridge did all of this, even cleaned the bathrooms himself." She raises her brows, leaving me gaping. A man that cleans. Is that even real?
"I'm going to grab a banana and go back upstairs to find a fresh set of clothes before One gets here. I can't hardly wait to comb my hair again without it hurting like I'm ripping it out." I snatch the yellow fruit from the counter and take my glass back to my room.
Sure enough, I'm standing in the middle of a walk-in big enough to be a bedroom and it’s half filled with clothes, even the chest has underwear.
I settle on a pair of black leggings and a hoodie. I figure if he's going to leave his clothes in here too, they're fair game. I drag the Wolf covered red cloth over my head and fashion a messy bun.
"This is as good as it's gonna get for a while." I stare at my blue, black, purple, and green face in the mirror. I swear, it never hurts this bad in the heat of the moment. I relive every blow and each thump but never imagine it being this bad.
"Says the woman who's changed her job a million times because I couldn't work with a busted-up face and a ragged life." I turn to the door when there's a tap on it.
Emerson tilts her head, smirking. "Like the hoodie and One's here."
"Thank you." I curtsey. "You don't think I clash?"
She frowns. "Clash, how so?"
"My body says Wolfpack, but my face says Pirates." I attempt to cock my hip, but my body has other plans and protests. "Ugh, okay. No more playing, I'll be good."
"Oh, gosh no! That looked painful." Emerson covers her mouth with a gasp.
I hold my hand up, needing to catch my breath. "I'm good, let's get this over with and find a vat of ice cream with a wonderful movie we can drink to."
"Deal!" I follow her out of the closet and downstairs to my waiting visitors.
One stands, opening his arms for me just like he did when I was little. "Harper, it's been a while."
"One, it's good to see you again." I step into his welcome and am encased in his love. His warm and tender love comes at just the right time. "I hear, your life is crazy good right now."
"You heard right, I'm a blessed man." He leans away, looking me over. "You know, you didn't have to get all dressed up for me."
"This ole thing," I tug at the material. "it's nothing, but I did spend a little extra time on my make-up."
His brow cocks. "You missed a spot."
"Thanks for noticing." I wink to his chagrin. "One, it's okay. I'm home and everything will be fine, eventually."
"Yes, it will but..." he pauses and my breath hitches. "not yet."
I sit down gingerly and stare at him. "I'm all ears."
"Weston is still missing but we have every reason to believe he's here, I know you're not surprised but I want you to be aware. Ridge did a good thing here. As long as you stay out of sight, you should be safe. Reese is running a little behind, there's no problem, just a little more work than we expected.
"He apparently filed a missing person report and in doing so, he lead us those that are helping him on the inside in Charleston. Ed..." One points to the guy sitting across from me. "is our PI, he has eyes out and we're waiting to spot him."
"Weston's best friend from college is a detective in Charleston, he's always made everything disappear. It's another reason I gave up for so long." I startle when there's a knock on the door.
One reaches for me to hold his hand; I gladly take it. "Sorry about that but no one will get in here without us knowing, that's why we didn't jump."
"Hey, y'all. Sorry I'm late." A fiery red head comes charging into the room. "Weston's been spotted. Ed, you need to call Walker. Harper, I'm Reese and I'll be representing you. I've filed for divorce and contacted a colleague to assist on our end in Charleston."
I shift in my seat, hearing he's here is more than I was ready for although I didn't doubt, he would be, it's still overwhelming. "I don't know what to say, thank you. It sounds as though you're all on top of everything."
"We're hoping so. I also filed for a protection order; they usually only last a few days with the first one." Reese checks her phone, cutting her eyes toward One after. "Ed's coming back."
Like clockwork, the private investigator strolls through the door. "I'm glad you're all sitting down; this is getting complicated quickly."
"Harper, I hate to say this, but I think we all need to hear what he has to say. Is it Alright if we all stay?" One asks, even though it's of no use.
"Of course, I have nothing, so there's nothing to hide." I shrug, incapable of more with the weight of the world riding my shoulders.
Ed looks from me to One, and with a nod, he continues. "Weston in some trouble, he's bankrupt and from what we can find out, someone's looking for him. It appears he's been moving accounts and filtering money from him to you.
I'm not sure you understand what this may mean, but I can assure you we'll do whatever is necessary to protect you. Now, our first step is contacting the FBI and letting them know where you stand. They could be instrumental in helping to catch him and bring him to justice, but that's only if the others don't catch him first."
"Who's... 'they'?" I'm wary but I know who it is before he said it.
Ed's brows knit. "The FBI, it's wire fraud among other things."
"Wonderful." I rub the crease in my forehead. "Set the meeting up, the sooner the better."
Emerson leans into my shoulder. "You'd be risking him finding you."
"But it could help apprehend him and right now, that's what needs to be done."
Reese quirks her brow. "I like you, you're strong and feisty."
"We'll make sure you're protected at all times." One reassures me. "It might mean a change in how we do that though."
I tilt my head, trying to read him. "How so?"
"We'll wait and see. First, we need to reach out with the FBI and get things rolling." Ed types quickly on his phone.
"Are you alright?" One scoots closer to me. "I can sneak Aunt Blaine over if you need me too."
I pat his hand, forcing a relaxing smile. "As if you've never met my mother. Seriously though, let's wait and see how this goes over the next few days and then you can send for the calvary."
"Sounds like a plan." One returns my smile, it doesn't meet his eyes, mirroring mine in every way.
"I don't want them in harm's way." My chest tightens as the words fall from my lips, my heart breaking for what could happen to my family. What's worse, I've brought it on them.
One wraps me in his arms, filling me with hope and love. "I'll be back but until then, Emerson will give you a list of numbers. Call anytime, day or night."