Chapter 143 HARPER

Chapter 143 HARPER
I didn’t even realize I had fallen asleep until my phone started ringing.

The sound dragged me out of it slowly, like I was being pulled up through something thick and heavy. My head hurt, my eyes felt swollen, and when I shifted, I realized I was still on the floor of my room. I must have cried myself to sleep at some point.

The phone kept ringing.

I reached for it blindly, squinting at the screen until the name registered.

Tyler.

I picked up immediately, pressing the phone to my ear. “Hello?”

“Harper.” His voice came through quickly, almost like he’d been impatiently waiting for me to answer. “Where are you?”

I frowned, pushing myself up into a sitting position. “At home,” I said, confused. “Where else would I be this late?”

There was a pause on his end. Not silence, but something quieter than usual. Then I heard him exhale.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked.

That made me sit up a little straighter. “Tyler… what’s wrong?”

Another pause.

This one felt different.

“I just… left you earlier,” he said, his voice softer now. “You were crying. I wanted to check on you.”

Some of the tension in my chest eased, but not all of it. There was still something in his tone that didn’t sit right.

“I’m fine,” I said, even though that wasn’t entirely true. “Just tired.”

“I would’ve come over,” he added, “but my parents aren’t letting me out of their sight right now.”

I let out a small breath, leaning my head back against the wall. “I actually would’ve liked that,” I admitted. “I think I’ve already slept enough though. I doubt I’ll be able to sleep again tonight.”

The line went quiet for a second.

Not empty quiet. I could hear movement on his side, like people talking in the background. Voices overlapped faintly, and I caught one clearly enough to recognize it. Peter.

I frowned slightly. “Is Peter there?”

“Sadly, yes,” Tyler said, and then there was a dull sound followed by him muttering, “Ow.”

I couldn’t help it. A small smile slipped out. “Did he just throw something at you?”

“He’s being annoying,” Tyler said.

“Shocking,” I murmured, shaking my head.

For a second, I just listened to the noise on his end. It felt… full. Messy. Loud in a way that made my room feel even quieter.

I missed Megan.

The thought came out of nowhere, hitting me harder than I expected. If things were normal, I would’ve just gone over to her place without thinking about it. We would’ve stayed up talking about nothing until everything felt lighter.

Now I was sitting on my bedroom floor alone, talking through a phone.

“Are you alone?” Tyler asked suddenly.

I blinked. “I… don’t know,” I admitted. “I’ve been in my room all day.”

“Can you check?” he asked.

Something in the way he said it made me pause, but I pushed myself to my feet anyway. “Hold on.”

I stepped out into the hallway, the house quiet around me. “Dad?” I called out. “Claire?”

No answer.

I walked down the stairs slowly, my bare feet barely making a sound against the floor. The silence stretched the further I went, settling into something that made the house feel bigger than usual.

“Dad?” I called again, louder this time.

Still nothing.

By the time I got to the kitchen, I already knew.

There was a note stuck to the fridge.

I walked over and pulled it down, scanning it quickly: Out for dinner. Don’t wait up. Call if you need anything.

I stared at it for a second longer than I should have, then crumpled it slightly in my hand before tossing it into the trash.

“Tyler?” I said, bringing the phone back to my ear. “You still there?”

“Yeah,” he answered, but there was a small delay this time.

I frowned. “I’m home alone.”

“Do you know where they went?”

“Out,” I said, moving to sit on one of the kitchen stools. “Left a note. Date night or something.”

There was another pause.

“Harper,” he said slowly, “how would you feel if I came over?”

I blinked, pulling the phone away to check the time. 9:30 PM.

I raised a brow even though he couldn’t see me. “I think it’s way past your curfew.”

“Just say the word,” he said. “We’ll figure the rest out.”

I rolled my eyes, a small smile forming despite everything. “Okay, Tyler Mercer,” I said, my voice light with sarcasm. “I would obviously love for you to come spend the night.”

I paused, then added, “There. I said it. But I don’t see you magically appearing in my—”

The doorbell rang.

I froze.

A slow smile spread across my face as a thought clicked into place.

“You didn’t,” I said, already sliding off the stool.

“Go check,” Tyler said into my ear.

I walked to the door, my heartbeat picking up for an entirely different reason now. “Who’s there?” I called out.

“Take a guess,” Tyler replied through the phone.

I didn’t bother asking again.

I pulled the door open.

Tyler didn’t give me time to react. He stepped forward immediately, one hand catching my waist as he pulled me into him and kissed me.

“Hey mama,” he murmured against my lips.

For a second, everything else disappeared the way it usually did.

Then I grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him back down, kissing him again before I even thought about it. The doors of a car slammed somewhere behind him.

I pulled back slightly, my attention shifting past his shoulder.

Peter, Mark, Jax, and Kane stood a few steps away, watching us.

I blinked. “Oh.”

They all lifted a hand in some version of a greeting.

“Hi,” Peter said, grinning like he had just walked into a show he paid for.

Tyler leaned closer to me, lowering his voice. “I tried to come alone,” he said. “They refused.”

“Refused?” I repeated, amused.

“They’re attached,” he said. “Like parasites.”

“I heard that,” Peter called out.

I laughed, stepping back and opening the door wider. “Come in, I guess. Since it’s already a group thing.”

They filed in one by one, each greeting me in their own way. Peter gave me a quick hug, Kane lifted a hand in a wave, Jax nodded like he always did, and Mark paused just long enough to give me a small, quiet “Hey” before stepping inside.

I closed the door behind them, turning back toward the group.

“I know I should probably ask what you guys want to drink,” I started, “but—”

I stopped.

Because none of them were acting normal.

Peter had already moved further into the house, glancing around like he was mapping the place. Kane was by the dining window, looking out like he expected something to be out there. Jax stood near the hallway, his eyes flicking toward the stairs. Even Tyler wasn’t looking at me properly. He was scanning the house in a way that made my stomach tighten.

I folded my arms slowly. “Is this a visit,” I asked, “or a search party?”

All of them turned to me at once. And then they started talking.

“Just checking the vibe—”

“Making sure everything’s good—”

“Nice house, by the way—”

“Yeah, we’ve never really—”

“Guys.” I raised my hand, cutting them off.

Silence dropped between us.

I walked up to Tyler, stopping right in front of him. “What’s going on?”

He looked at me, and whatever I saw in his face made my chest tighten.

“Babe,” I said, softer now, “what is it?”

He swallowed, like he was trying to figure out how to say something he didn’t want to say.

“I’m handling it,” he said finally. “Okay? You don’t need to worry.”

That didn’t help.

“What does that even mean?” I asked. “Handling what?”

He hesitated again.

Behind him, I could see the others watching, like they were waiting to see what he would say.

And that was enough to confirm my suspicion that something was definitely up.

“Tyler,” I said, my voice dropping slightly, “you’re starting to scare me.”

He exhaled, running a hand through his hair before looking back at me.

“Racquel is still in town,” he said finally.

The name alone made something in my stomach drop.

“Oh,” I breathed.

He didn’t stop there.

“She broke into my house.”

Everything inside me went cold.