Stay With Me || H.S

36

[Harry]

I jog the few feet to my car that to no surprise isn't running, I rush into the drivers seat and find my mother with my phone in hand.

“Mum” I shift my body completely to face her, and I eye the name on my screen.

Lana.

“Mum what is it? Is that Lana?” I begin to panic, she merely looks at me with worry etched across her face and a finger to her lips. Tapping at my phone with her thumb she puts it on speaker.

“Well those men were my employees” James' voice echoes in the small space of my car, and instantly my anger towards him resurfaces. Why is he with Lana? Didn't I tell her to lock the door?

“And those men had come to an agreement with your dad and with me of course – see in order to save his own skin he offered us something in return. Something I could make money off of” he continues, in a sing song version of his voice.

Fuck. It's his house of course he must have keys to every damn keyhole in the place. How could I be so stupid? Regardless I never expected him to be home yet – he usually works all night.

“W-what did he offer?” Lana's voice breaks my self loathing of the stupid decisions I've made tonight and it relaxes the fear bubbling in my chest, at least she's okay ….thank God.

But the apprehension is evident in her words, I look back and forth between my mother and my phone trying to piece some of the things James and Lana are talking about. But my mothers expression looks about the same as mine i'm sure – clueless.

“You” James' voice breaks the silence again and grab the phone from my mother.

What the fuck?!

“Lana! What's going on?” I call to her on my end but she doesn't seem to hear me. She must have dialed me and left the phone somewhere so I could hear everything.

“Harry” my mums voice is shallow, her face pale she hands me the keys to the car and I waste no time in revving up the engine.

“W-what? He can't – I'm not an object to sell!”

Lana's voice fills the space again and I grip the steering wheel harder than I should as I back out of the spot recklessly. My mother rushes to get her seat belt on before holding the phone as I speed out of the lot and towards the house. All kinds of images flash through my mind as we keep listening to their conversation. James knew Lana's father? Two sickos... makes perfect sense.

“Oh but you are to me Lana” James hums and I can practically hear the sick grin on his face as he speaks.

“God – what is he talking about?” My mother covers her mouth with her hand, tears on the brim of falling. I can't find anything comforting to say to her through the thoughts of bashing James' face in. In a way this saves me the trouble of having to tell my mother everything. She get's to find out on her own..

“See the merchandise I was talking about earlier happens to be women – what is it they call it? - oh yeah, human trafficking”

I hit the brakes as his voice plays on a loop the second they fill the tiny space between my mum and I. What?!

My car skids on the wet tarmac and luckily I don't lose control of the car as I pull over on the side of the road. Just long enough to process what the hell we've just heard.

“My god – Harry” my mother is full on sobbing now, and i'm left speechless. This doesn't surprise me though, I knew James was capable of something so sick. I just never knew Lana's father could one up him – yes he was a sick, abusive drunk, who could care less of his wife and daughter. But to go to the extent in selling his daughter to save his own ass? That's just inhumane.