Xander's POV

"Where is Harley?" We jogged through smoke down to the bottom floor. Huncho was laid out in his office along with all his guards. They tried to shoot us down, but like Huncho, they aren't shit.

"She should be outside with Emilio. Last I saw, she went to help a girl we found in the basement." Henry relayed to me.

"What the fuck does that mean?" I sighed.

"It means she went rogue." He answered. I knew Harley was self-less, but I didn't realize to the extent. She'd get herself killed like that.

"Wasn't it your job to prevent that?" I hissed at him.

"Come on, man, you know she doesn't take direction well. I told her to wait outside like you said, but." Henry started, "she said since when do I listen to him?"

I chuckled at that. I could picture her sweet little lips twist while she said that. Gosh, the things I'd do to her. Just the thought sent a powerful sensation to my groin. Fuck. My pretty princess was getting bolder by the day. I'd have to teach her a lesson after this.

"Let's finish up quickly; we have to find her," I admitted.

"I didn't think you were serious, boss. That thing looks like it weighs a ton." Henry pointed it once we made it to the courtyard. This is why I don't fuck with religion. "Even we can't push this thing." He sighed and rubbed his face dramatically.

"We can, and we will," I said. "Come on. Start pushing." I planted my feet in place and pushing my hands against one side of the cold metal. This thing was as big as Huncho's ego. Henry planted his feet next to me and began pushing as well. Henry, Ralph, and I were the largest out of the whole cartel. Even with both of our strengths, it was difficult to more this shit even an inch.

"Motherfucker." Henry cursed out. "We don't have time, boss. The smoke is already too much to handle." Henry grunted as he pushed. He was right, but we didn't have a choice. We needed to hit Daniel hard, harder than just killing his new business partner.

Even in this tense situation, my mind stayed on Harley. I was worried she'd buckle under the pressure, but it was the total opposite. Her downfall is the fact that she excels at helping others. I never wanted Harley involved in this messy shit; in fact, I never wanted to be involved with her at all, but it was too late.

"It's moving." Henry strained. With every push, the veins in his arms bulged out even further. The statue shifted sideways. The trap door peeked out from under. All we needed to do was open the door, and the blazing fire Ralph set will take care of the rest.

"Sir." A voice squealed out of nowhere. I know that voice. That deep velvety smooth voice was enough to send a rush through my body. I whipped my head to her, dropping my arms to the side. Flames had engulfed every side of the house, including where she just emerged from. She was barefoot, her hair was dropped down to her shoulders, and she no longer held the do she had earlier. She was out of breath, and ash was smudged all over her. Even with all the chaos she said shown so beautifully. She was breathing heavy and coughing from the smoke, which woke me up from my trance. This place was going to come down in any second. Henry and I were already pushing our luck. She can't be in here.

"Harley?" My mind replayed the same announcement. Why the fuck was she in here? What was she thinking? My eyes moved to her blistered feet and scrapped arm. She got fucking hurt. What the fuck was she doing? How could she be so careless to walk in here? "What the fuck are you doing in here?!" I said louder than intended. I could see her jump from the sound of my voice. Fuck. I didn't want to scare her nor be angry at her. But I couldn't stop my frustration from rising. The chances of her hurting herself increased every second.

"I-I c-came to find you." Her lips quivered. Fuck, that's not what I needed to hear right now. My heart had already been beating fast, but now it felt like it was about to fly out of my chest. I wanted to scream at her and scold her, but at the same time, I wanted to grab her and smash my lips on her.

"Why," barked. I moved as close to her as possible. Her arms stayed to her side, but her eyes kept up with mine. Never leaving mine. "I told you to stay outside! Why don't you ever fucking listen!" I could see her body physically droop down and face morph into disdain.

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay! Why was that so wrong?! I wanted to make sure you both didn't fucking die! Because unlike you, I care about people!" She screamed. Her cheeks turned a bright shade of pink even under her tan skin. Her chest heaved in and out as she narrowed her eyes at me. I knew Harley had a big heart, but it'd get her killed. It'd get her hurt. She was worried about cruel men like me. She was worried about her kidnappers, her abductors, her keepers. Still, all I could manage out was, "Leave. Now, Harley." I whipped the sweat that had compiled on top of my forehead.

Her eyes widened, and her pouty lips twisted. She bit the inside of her cheek as tears escaped her eyes. My heart squeezed in response. I moved to wipe away the stray tears from her face, but she turned away from me quickly. Could this day get any fucking worse....it could. "Fuck you." She spat like venom. I'd never seen Harley angry, but I knew it'd be bitter and sour. Normally I'd never let her get away speaking to me, but I couldn't bring myself to scold her or even answer back. She took a couple of steps back and immediately walked off into the clouds of smoke that filled the house. The flames were more intense now, and the heat was becoming unbearable.

"Finish it!" I growled to Henry. Without hesitation, his arms were back on the statue, pushing it. Veins popped out of every exposed part of his body. I hadn't stayed long enough to see it fall, but I trusted Henry to finish the job. I had to go after Harley. There was no way she made it outside with this smoke. I could barely see in front of me, and she was barefoot. What the fuck was I thinking? Why didn't I pick her up and take her out of here myself? I could feel myself getting dizzy, but I didn't stop.

"Harley!" I yelled after her. "Harley!" She didn't respond, but I could hear the beat of her footsteps against the tiled floor. I followed it till I saw the silhouette of her body drop to her knees and onto the floor. She collapsed. No. No. Fuck. "Harley." I breathed out once I made it to her body. Without any thoughts, I lifted her softly, trying to see if she was conscious. "Harley, get up, baby" I cupped her face softly. Panic spread through my body. "Come on, Princesa. I'm going to get you out of here." I grunted, picking up her body in a bridal position and pressing her to my chest. Sweat beads swelled on my forehead as I moved her into a better position. Damn, it was impossible to see now. I had never been to Huncho's estate, but I managed to memorize all the exits while we were here. With that, I surged forward until I felt a breeze of heat hit my face. Flames, including the exit, surrounded us. There was a door leading to Huncho's garage close to us.

A whimper left Harley's lips as I began kicking at the garage door. My body jerked as I sent powerful drives into the wood. "I know, baby. I'm so sorry. I'm going to get you out of here." I repeated to assure her. She was surely unconscious, but by the small chance that she heard me, I wanted her to know. Flames fought at my leg, but I didn't stop till I heard the cracks of the wooden door breaking. Soon the flames climbed up my thick slacks to my shirt. The sting of the flames against my skin made me clench my teeth together but also made me kick harder. The pain of the heat was so intense that the heat began feeling cold. With one last kick, the door swung open. Without hesitation, I walked through the door, hissing as the flames devoured my legs.

"Boss!" I heard a voice followed by heavy footsteps smacking against the pavement. It was Ralph followed by everyone else.

"Damn, what the fuck happened?" Felipe asked, walking up to us. My eyes went down to Harley. Her breathing was consistent yet shallow and her body was limp in my arms. I was going insane looking at her like this. I've never been so effected, so consumed by someone.

"Why would you let her go back in the house?" I growled at Emilio as he walked over to us. I couldn't stop my legs from walking up to him.

"I tried to stop her." Emilio replied "It was either tell her you were trying to destroy 32 kilos of Daniel's Miller's cocaine or let her go inside. What was I supposed to do?" He explained. Damnit, She asked what we were doing before she went in. Both outcomes were bad, but at least if Emilio told her, I could have at least cleaned it up with another lie. This wasn't necessary. She was hurt because of me and my sick intentions. She was involved in this messy shit because of me, and it made me sick. If Harley knew what was really going on, she'd think the same thing.

"Call the Doc, have him meet us at the house," I commanded, walking down the driveway to the car we rode herein. I swung the car door open, carefully laying Harley down on the seat. She shuffled briefly before settling down. I ran my hand over her warm skin before closing the door behind me and moving to hop in the front seat.

"Boss, your bleeding." Felipe pointed to my waist. Spots of blood were leaking through my dress shirt. The pools of blood laid above my belt buckle. I hadn't felt the sting of the air brushing against my burns til now. At the rate that I was bleeding, I'd need stitches.

"I'm fine. Make sure Henry gets out of the house. Don't come home without him. I'm leaving first." I shook my head of the thoughts. I felt like a dick for leaving Henry, but he knew the job, he knew the sacrifices I made. Most of all, he knew why I needed to leave him.

"Okay," Felipe muttered his face sketched with concern.

"I'm fine." I cupped the back of his head, giving him a gentle tap, before jumping into the driver's seat and pulling out of the yard with a new sense of urgency. As I sped down the road pushing 120 mph, my eyes flickered to Harley every couple of seconds. Her face calm and serene as I zoomed down the highway bleeding out on the seat. —————————-

Wassup bishesssss!!! I've been getting a lot of love recently and I LOVE IT AND APPRECIATE IT! I'm Fr gay for every one of u. Anyways enjoy this chapter new update Tuesday!

KISSES XOXOXO

*this chapter lowkey very much ass and I'm very sorry😭 the next chapter will be better