But no Harry.
He didn’t come. Dammit.
Even though he said he wasn’t coming, it’s still a blow. But it’s fine. I can do this myself. Okay, I don’t have any money. That part isn’t good. But I bet Graham has a twenty stashed away somewhere in the car. Or I could sell the car and trade it in for something much cheaper. Although I’m not sure how easy that will be if I don’t have the title. But at least, I could try to—
“Tess?”
I turn around. Oh my God. It’s him. It’s Harry.
He came.
This morning, when I saw him through the gate, I couldn’t touch him. But now he’s here in the flesh. Inches away from me. And I can’t help myself. I propel myself at him.
And then we’re kissing. And it’s not a church kiss, that’s for sure. I melt against him like it’s been a decade since we’ve kissed, which it almost has been. He pulls me closer, his fingers strong and warm. This morning, I wasn’t sure if this would ever happen again for the rest of my life. And now here he is. And we’re going to leave here together.
When we finally separate, we’re both breathing hard. I rub my chin with my finger and it feels tender. “Your beard is scratchy,” I whisper.
He manages to smile, but there’s a worried crease between his eyebrows. “Tess,” he says. “Did you get my last message?”
I nod. “About not coming? Yes. But you came anyway. Thank you.”
There’s a panicked look on his face. “No, not that message. The one after.”
I reach into my pocket and pull out my phone. There’s one final message from Harry on the screen, which I never saw before I left the house:
Leave your phone behind.
Harry’s face falls. “You’ve got your phone.”
“I had to bring it. So I could be in contact with you…”
He tugs on the collar of his shirt. “But he can track you through your phone. That’s the only reason he ever let you have it in the first place.”
I get a sinking feeling in my stomach. “Oh…”
“It’ll be okay.” His Adam’s apple bobs. “But we need to get out of here right now. We’ll ditch your phone.”
“He may not have even noticed I’m gone yet…”
“I think he has.” Harry shakes his head. “I think he gets an alert if you leave the house. But we’ve got a head start. And you took his car. But we have to go right now.”
Harry leads me to the exit of the McDonald’s. We’ve got time. Even if we just have ten minutes, we can take off in Harry’s car and he’ll never know where we went. This will be fine.
Except the second we get out of McDonald’s, I see him. Graham. Standing there, a dark look in his eyes.
And in the distance, I can hear the police sirens.
Chapter 37
“Harrison Finch.”
Graham has his arms folded across his chest. There’s a smile curling his lips, and I want to punch him in his smug face. He thinks I’m going to come with him, but I’m not. No way. He can’t make me. Not while Harry is here.
“That was a beautiful kiss you gave my wife,” Graham continues. “Very passionate. I enjoyed watching that. Thank you.” He adds, “It’ll give you something to remember when you’re sitting in prison, Harry.”
I look up at Harry, who has turned pale. I try to reach for his hand, but he won’t take it.
“He’s not going to prison,” I speak up. “I came here willingly. And I want to go with him.”
Graham scoffs. “Right. I’m sure you do. But here’s the thing, Tess. It’s not up to you. You have severe cognitive deficits. I am your guardian. And Harry here is breaking the law. Aren’t you, Harry?”
“No, he’s not,” I shoot back. I look over at Harry, who still has not said a word. “He didn’t do anything wrong.”
“He did plenty wrong.” Graham bares his teeth like a feral animal. “First off, he cheated on you with your best friend—”
“That’s total bullshit!” Harry breaks his silence to shout. “You and Lucy set me up, you asshole! You made her believe—”
“The truth,” Graham finishes. “And she doesn’t know the truth now either, does she?” He lifts an eyebrow. “Do you want to tell her, Harry, or should I?”
The sirens are getting louder. Harry looks like he’s going to be sick.
“It’s not what you think, Tess.” His brown eyes are darting around the parking lot. “I swear. I didn’t—”