Glimmers Of Desperation

y and Ana went

e shroud that clung to Harley's senses as she followed

asses, her heart a reluctant companion

a soft intrusion into the silence that had e

nfeeling sentinel to the room beyond. With a gentle nudge from Anastasia,

raped with a clinical sheet, lay the still form that once bubbled with life. Harley'

e whispered, r

e, pallid yet peaceful, greeted her, a visage of r

wn her cheeks unchecked. "I'm so sorry," s

the fog of grief, her hand warm on Harle

, debts, and now loss, bearing down on her like the skyscrapers outside t

t, formal and detached. "The bills for your sister's stay need to b

und of her sorrow. She wiped at her eyes, trying to muster a semblance of

for a week. It'll give you breathing room." Harley turned to her friend, h

to

not letting me do anything. I'm offering because I

d in her throat. In the reflection of her sister's eternal slumber,

finally managed, her voice a fragile whisper. She turned back to Ivana,

s, but now, she carried it with the hint of resolve. Anastasia's kindness was a be

of New York's skyline. Harley stood by the window, watching as the

pite the turmoil that raged within, "

on the couch, paused and offered Harley a s

rved into a half-smile, a silent acknowledgmen

; you've been my anchor." The words felt small, and insuf

sk. With a sigh, Harley turned from the window, her gaze sweeping ov

a slip away, since the world had demanded she

ing other than the numbness that clung to her ski

elf than to Anastasia, grabbing her jacket. "Be careful,

nergy that Harley couldn't quite absorb. Her steps w

with items she hardly registered, and paid

wo men scanned the crowd, their gazes hungry, predatory. Loan sharks. Sh

lted. "Hey, there she is!" one shouted, his

r the rapid footsteps closing in, could almost feel their breath on her neck.

and rounded a corner. Her thoughts scrambled, a jumbled mess of fear and

s stinging with unshed tears. This wa

ets like a frightened animal. "Harley, stop!" But she didn't. Couldn't. The thought

ne, to the city itself. "Please." And then,

collapsed against the cool leather, her breath coming in r

d as she tried to shrink into the shadows of the car's plush interior. The door w

lenched shut to hold back the terror threate

his clothes barely audible over her ragged breaths. A mo

side her. She heard the door open and braced herself for confrontation, but ins

d a tight knot in her stomach, thr

paper, money changing hands, her mind supplied. Her fingers dug into

gaze, heart in her throat. "Thank you," she whispered, lifti

awned. Sean Tennessee's emerald gaz

ame was synonymous with power in New York, sat inches

he desperately needed. "Seems you're in quite the pred

Harley's heart thundered against her ribcage, a

seemed out of place in the confines of his sleek, black ca

words tangling in her throat. "I did

he cut of his tailored suit. He adjusted the rea

ng like a caged beast eager for release. Harley's fingers gripped the lux

h narrowed eyes, "it's dire, isn't it?" Her heart sk

console clock. "More than you can imagine," she finally confessed, voice barely above a whisper, her ga

tical gaze dissecting her predicament, weighing her worth. "R

sity; with Sean Tennessee, it was hard to tell. She swallo

hardening into emerald ice. "Easy for you to say," she sn

remained silent, letting the tension swell. Finally, he spoke, "

r had she merely escaped one danger