Something About Harry(100)

She didn’t think.

She ran with only one thing on her mind.

Leah has the kids.

She didn’t think about anything but killing Leah. Making her suffer for creating a situation that was no mere accident, but done purposely in some mad bid to win a love that didn’t even know she’d existed until just a few days ago.

She wanted to rip Leah’s limbs from her body and beat her bloody for giving Harry no choice when it came to Mimi and Fletcher and the fact that someday, they would leave this earth before him.

And when she was done tearing her limb from limb, she was going to choke her with her entrails.

Mara cleared a cluster of rocks, jumping over them and landing with a hard grunt. She knew these woods like she knew the back of her hand. She’d hidden here as a child. Come here to study and read endless books. Dreamt up foolish scenarios about Harry, with her back leaning against a big oak tree. Taken long walks as she pondered motherhood and what she was about to do.

Ignoring the screams of Harry and the rest of the gang, her focus on nothing else but wrapping her fingers around Leah’s neck and squeezing the very life out of her, she moved in closer to Leah, pushing her way past a thick pine into a clearing where there was nowhere to hide.

Sharp rocks lined the far side of the clearing—rocks she’d hidden behind when she and the other children of the pack played hide-and-seek.

There was nowhere for Leah to go, though surely she smelled Mara. There was no way to sneak attack her. No way to fool her into dropping her only defense.

Mara approached her, her chest heaving from the run. She didn’t put her hands up in defeat. Instead she stalked toward her prey. “You have Mimi and Fletcher, don’t you, Leah?”

Leah’s hair was drenched in sweat, her upper lip dotted with perspiration. She swung around, aiming the gun at Mara and laughed—girlish, almost giddy. “I do! I have them somewhere you’ll never, ever find them, pretty, precious Mara!”

Mara pushed her hair from her mouth, clearing her eyes of the heavy strands, sniffing the air. It would do no one any good if she attacked. As much as she didn’t want to play Leah’s game, whatever it was, she didn’t want to provoke her into doing something foolish. She had the kids.

She sniffed again. But if Leah had them, why couldn’t she pick up their scent on her? “Why—why didn’t you just tell me, Leah? Why didn’t you tell me you loved Harry, too?”

Now her laughter turned maniacal, scraping from her throat in a harsh wheeze, as she, too, tried to catch her breath. “You knew, Mara. You knew!”

Mara shook her head, her heart racing. Guido hadn’t been far off the mark when he’d said she was fifty shades of lunatic. Speaking of Guido, where was everyone? It was damn quiet behind her. “No, Leah! You never said a word!”

“I told you the night of the Christmas party, Mara—I told youuu,” she wailed, heartsick and long. “I told you when I drove you home because you were too drunk to do it yourself. I told you, and you ignored me!”

Mara’s head swirled. There wasn’t a lot she could remember after she’d made a fool of herself in front of Harry and her coworkers. She’d chosen to forget by drowning her rejection in spiked punch. Yet, she didn’t recall a single word about Leah’s love for Harry. In fact, in all the time she’d gushed, fantasized, spoken her daydreams aloud, Leah hadn’t even twitched, making her the consummate nut. Clever, and totally insane.

Leah used the heel of her hand to press her temple, banging it hard. “I told you, and you said it was okay because you said Harry didn’t want you anyway. I asked before I took, Mara.” Her features changed with her words, becoming wide-eyed and passive. “Just like I was always taught. Always ask before you take something, Leah. Always ask!” It was almost as if Leah was confessing to a parent rather than her longtime friend.

Mara shook her head, her cold lips forcing the words out. “I don’t remember, Leah. I was drunk. It’s my fault. I’m sorry. But we’re good friends, Leah. Let’s start over, okay? You can have Harry. All yours. No backsies.”

“No!” she roared as though being given what she finally wanted was pure agony. Her hand clenched around the gun, her free fingers tightening into a fist she pressed to her chest. “I don’t want your sloppy seconds, you dirty girl! You know that can’t happen anyway. The council knows it was me who turned Harry now. They’ll punish me just the way they were going to punish you.”

There was madness here. So much madness, Mara almost couldn’t breathe from it. Her chest tightened with each word she attempted to speak. Her feet froze in place, her heart crashed so hard, she wondered if it would push its way out of her chest.