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caramello-styles · 2 years ago

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WHAT IS THISSSS I wouldn’t say I was surprised BUT SERIOUSLY?? HER FATHER 😭😭😭 F him and DSS we’re getting out of this hellhole and move to england 😭 away from her narcissistic monster father 😵‍💫 I felt like I was on a rollercoaster ride sam!! you might as well just push me into the water 😵‍💫😀 I��m ready to join forces with H for killingspree after he rescued our wildflower 😌 just count me in 🤞🏼

Protection IX

Read the rest here: Protection

Sorry about the drama, wish I could say it's over. However...

Warnings: angst, hurt/comfort probably, some gooey stuff, some sad stuff.

Hope you'll all forgive me eventually <3

Just over 7k words.

Another big thank you to @freedomfireflies for pre-reading this part too to check for obvious awfulness.

The only solace he had was knowing she was the strongest wildflower he had ever met.

Groggy was an understatement. There was nothing she could compare to the feeling she had of waking up in a hospital bed again for the second time within three months. She blinked a few times and swore the beeps sounded almost like they were in her peripheral hearing if that were possible. But really, the most important sight and sound had nothing to do with the beeps or the hospital room at all.

Harry’s head was hung low. He seemed to be scrolling through his phone aimlessly. One of his warm hands was wrapped in hers so tightly, it made her palm sweaty, and it was so very perfect. He sighed softly—like he was in pain, and almost in response to the rhythmic beeping from the machine next to him. It took her a moment to realize the gravity of the situation. She only had a vague memory of what happened and how she got here because the only thing she remembered was Harry saying I love you before she fell asleep.

Of course, she didn’t have a concept of how much time had passed, but she was alive. So that was something.

When she first got her protection detail, one of the agents told her he thought spite alone would keep her alive long past her expiration date. At the time she snarled at him or something, but truthfully, she believed it. A little blood loss was nothing for her. It would mean more to her to outlive every one of the security agents. It would make her happy to make them cringe a bit more.

Plus, she had Harry to look at. She wanted him to touch her and kiss her. Harry was finally something she could look forward to. There was no way she could lose that—not for anything. She cleared her dry throat, gave his hand a squeeze as she spoke. “Feel like this’ll be more paperwork for you. Just shoulda died,” she whispered with humor dripping in her voice. Her throat was scratchy and broken with disuse. Her words slurred a little more than normal from the medicine swimming in her veins and having just woken up from a long nap.

Harry slowly turned his head toward her hearing her perfect, beautiful voice. Near black circles were painted on the skin below his eyes. His green irises contrasted sharply against the bloodshot whites. The stubble on his cheeks was approaching nothing like what she had ever seen on him. Harry was always clean shaven. Professional and proper. She smirked so cutely. Sleepy looking. Like Harry woke her up from one of her study naps. “Harry Styles,” she said softly. “Have you been sleeping?” She asked.

Harry stood up silently. His facial expression contorting into pain as he did. He pressed his free hand on her cheek before leaning down and pressing a long kiss to her forehead. It made her insides turn to liquid. There was no other way to describe it. Harry had been aching for the last few days waiting for her to wake up and it had been painful. But the relief his lips felt touching her skin was unmatched. His mouth ached in a whole new, perfect way.

Then he broke her heart. “I had t’see y’open your eyes, kitten. I have t’go now,” he squeezed her hand before he slowly began to release it. With his other hand touching her face, he stroked his thumb along her cheekbone.

The heart monitor betrayed her immediately because it skyrocketed. But she didn’t care. “Harry, no,” she croaked. “Please don’t leave me,” the monitor panicking like that caused an onslaught of nurses running to her room because they hadn’t seen it move above resting pace in nearly three days. But she didn’t know that.

“Oh, she’s awake,” a nurse said in surprise.

“Kitten. I have to go,” he repeated trying to pull his hand from her grip. “M’not supposed t’be here.” Her breathing turned to almost panting and she shook her head holding his hand as if her life depended on it. It certainly felt like it was. Harry outwardly presented a forlorn expression, but there was something in his eyes...

Was Harry smiling? She thought to herself. Smug bastard. Harry was wearing a plain black T-shirt and a pair of jeans. Inconspicuous. Normal. Utterly hot for no reason at all even with the dark circles and what she assumed was a severe lack of sleep. The nurses were fluttering all around her, but she waved her free hand at them paying no mind to their worry or cares. Her gaze didn’t move from those pretty green eyes that she loved with every bit of herself. “Love,” Harry said gently. “You have t’listen.”

“Don’t leave me,” she begged again ignoring his smugness. “Everyone leaves me.” He looked pained by her request. Completely conflicted by what he wanted and needed to do. Which of course she had no idea what that entailed. Again, she still hadn’t a clue how long she had been out. There was so much she didn’t know, and her brain was fogged over.

But the one thing she did know was that Harry was here and she wasn’t going to push him away or let him get away—or she would die trying. Especially now that she knew a thing or two about that. That much was certain.

“Sweetie, we have to do a few things; he promised he would leave once you woke up. Your father was insistent that you—”

The sound of her father made her eyes narrow while her heart rate shot off higher. She glared at the nurse that said it, all while keeping hold of Harry’s hand. As much as he said he had to leave she couldn’t help but notice he wasn’t protesting the death grip she had on his hand. Even with the fatigue and weakness she felt surprised she didn’t break one of his knuckles or fingers. Or maybe she did, and Harry couldn’t bring himself to care right now. He looked like he was beating himself up brutally both inwardly and outwardly.

She shook her head slowly at the mention of Mr. Secretary. “I will rip this IV out and I’ll rip my catheter out and walk out the door after him,” she growled out her threat.

“Sweetheart,” another nurse said already exasperated with her attitude. That had to be a new record. She wondered if Harry would ever laugh again because she thought about telling him such a statistic and hoped he would find it funny. Part of her thought he looked too distraught to care.

At the same time, she reached for the IV with her free hand to follow through on her threat. Harry quickly grabbed for it, pressing it above her head on the fluffy pillow with the hand that wasn't holding her wired arm. The nurses gasped at her reaction, and she imagined they were probably a little grateful for Harry stopping her. “Don’t,” he whispered gently to her. If he watched her bleed ever again, he would probably throw up.

It wasn’t the time, but it was quite hot the way he held her trapped against her bed. His voice was low and sultry without even meaning to be. The simple command of “don’t” would have set her heartrate higher if it wasn’t already thudding with anger at the mention of her dad. Moreover, the idea of him leaving didn’t give her much time to think about how nice it would be to be trapped under Harry’s body. She glared at him now, feeling betrayed by his diffidence to support her. “Don’t leave me,” she said evenly but Harry could tell she was mad...maybe even sad.

“He can stay.”

He closed his eyes and she saw his shoulders sink just barely. She knew he was relieved, and she would blame the dark circles on Harry’s lack of sleep. Obviously, he wasn’t thinking clearly, wasn’t understanding that they were just saying that. She glared at the nurses. “I swear to God, if I come back from whatever room you take me to and he’s not here I will throw the biggest fit you have ever seen you’ll have to sedate me again and then I will wake up even angrier and I will rip out every needle or tube you stick in me. I’ll refuse to eat. Don’t make him leave.”

They all looked at one another awkwardly, because clearly, that was the plan. “He shot you.”

Harry visibly flinched with his whole body. Oh, he’s going to hate himself forever.

“He saved my life.”

"He almost killed you."

Harry sighed, wincing and turning his face away from her, so he didn’t have to look her in the eye as they talked about him like he wasn’t there. He was never going to get over this. "There was no other way. I was dead no matter what. I trust him with my life. The second you let me out of here, I'm going straight to him. So, it's either you let him stay here and I do everything you ask, or I fight you on everything until I escape and go find him. Your call."

They were silent. Harry was still holding her hand above her head so she wouldn't reach for her IV. He turned back to look at her once she started her negotiation again. All while she argued he stared at her, like he was unsure that she was really alive. His face scanned for signs that something was wrong, that her eyes would flutter, or she’d seize or something from the cause of his stupid, terrible shot that left her without blood and oxygen in her brilliant, beautiful brain for so long.

But with each passing second and scanning every inch of her perfect face he was starting to believe she maybe, really, was okay.

He wanted to argue with her on behalf of the nurses that so kindly cared for her the last few days. Even when they wanted to kill Harry for hurting this perfect gorgeous girl and still being able to sit by her side. Frankly, he agreed with them—he didn’t deserve to be by her side. He should have been kicked out. He should have been fired.

Or they should have let her shoot him in the leg as well—something to ease his guilt.

But the idea of leaving her was going to break him. He wouldn't—couldn’t—have gone far. He already planned on stationing himself outside the main entrance so he could find her as soon as she was released.

"He can stay."

Harry exhaled all the air in his body. He was too tired to be skeptical, but apparently a three-day coma left her rested, skeptical, and feistier than ever. "Seriously?" She asked.

"Seriously. Please let us take you to get some tests."

She looked at Harry again; her expression was gentle. Harry adored her. "Please don't leave."

"I'll stay right here, love," he promised sitting back in the chair by her bedside. "Don't give them too much a fight."

She smiled. “Someone told me I’m so stubborn, so don’t hold your breath.”

He smirked and sat still in the chair. As if to say he wasn’t moving at all.

Harry intertwined his hands behind the back of his head as he tried pressing on some hidden pressure point that would ease the anxiety and headache he was getting. She’s awake. He had been texting his mum updates.

Oh, thank goodness! That’s great news, honey bun!! Send her my love.

Harry didn’t know how to reply so he didn’t. He would send another update when it was needed. Harry felt like pure shit. He was so glad—maybe ecstatic was the right word—that she was awake, but at what cost? The only reason he was here was because he was still listed as her emergency medical contact. Niall took his gun away from him almost immediately, but Harry was grateful because he didn’t even want to see it ever again.

“It’s protocol,” Niall said gently. Harry was going to jump out a window. He finally understood why she hated that word so much. “She asked you to,” he murmured quietly. Like Niall didn’t want anyone else to hear—and he probably didn’t. Harry gave the rundown while they sat in the waiting room...hoping and praying the surgeon would be able to fix her pretty, perfect leg. Harry grimaced at his words. “Harry, she’s...” he smiled shaking his head. “She might be the smartest person I’ve ever met; she wouldn’t have asked you to do that unless she was sure of it. It was an impossible situation. She has better chances of surviving a leg wound than a shot to the head and what very little I know of her, she probably calculated those odds herself,” Niall reminded him. “M’gonna have to tell them all but...” he shook his head. “If she could have shot herself, I bet she would have,” he smirked. Harry was too depressed to agree but the one little part of his brain that was waiting for her to be okay was still telling him that she was stubborn and lovely. Inwardly, he smiled at the thought of her shooting her own foot, literally because maybe Niall was right.

Once Niall did tell the others in the department, Harry was looked at like he was absolutely crazy. “Styles is probably the only one of us that didn’t want to shoot her,” one of them grumbled.

“Not the time, thank you,” Niall rolled his eyes.

“You’re suspended,” his supervisor said immediately. Harry nodded solemnly. Of course, he was. But everyone was forced to sit in the awkwardness that Harry was still her emergency contact. “Mr. Secretary doesn’t want you here.”

“Someone has to make medical decisions for her,” the surgeon appeared behind the wall of black suits of the men responsible for her safety.

“He’s the one—”

“He’s not even—”

“For fuck’s sake—”

“Is she okay?” Harry interrupted quickly. None of that other stuff mattered. She was the only thing that mattered. The woman that saved her life might be the only one that had any importance to Harry aside from her.

She smiled and nodded. “She’ll be fine. Definitely a lot of blood loss. We’ve kept her sedated... she... she’s a trooper,” she smirked. “She didn’t want to give up.”

Harry nodded, swallowing the lump in his throat, and tried not to cry in front of all his colleagues. He stared at the floor. “Yeah...that sounds like her.”

“The point is, that kind of blood loss...we worry about how it may have affected the brain, so we’ve induced a coma and we’ll wean her off as her body focuses on healing and feels ready to come out of it.”

Harry thought he might die. “Can I see her?” He asked.

“You are not allowed—”

“Listen, I don’t really care about any of your protocols,” Harry thought she would love her surgeon. “He’s the emergency contact. Is there anyone that she would trust more than him who is here right now?” She asked. “Anyone of you married to her?”

One snorted. “I don’t know if she trusts anyone,” someone muttered.

“Harry’s the one,” Niall said confidently.

He felt sick to his stomach. Because even if she, Niall, and honestly probably the rest of his colleagues, were right to agree he was the one to make decisions for her, Harry felt like he didn’t deserve her forgiveness. What kind of person tells someone he adores her, invites her to Christmas, and then shoots her in the leg?

Harry and Niall exchanged a look before Harry followed behind the surgeon. There was so much they had to discuss and figure out. But mainly, that look meant the most important thing that had to be discussed. The elephant in the room: which agents were corrupt enough to kidnap her and why?

She looked at her wrists; wires and tubes were protruding from her arms every which way. Not to mention the bruises wrapping the circumference of them—a reminder of the zip tie that held her in place. Harry was watching her with a pained expression. She glanced at him after looking at her side table in hopeful search. “This is not your fault,” she had so much to tell Harry now that the major source of danger had passed. She couldn’t wait to tell him she was right about DSS. Nothing made her happier than the thought of telling him all the awful stuff she found out.

“Love,” he shook his head. “Who’s fault—”

She checked her wrists again as if what she wanted would suddenly appear. “Can you find me my scrunchie?” She interrupted. “My hair is bothering me.”

He was on his feet instantly. Turned to look through the box and bag situated on the mini sofa below the window of the room. It was all her belongings from the past few days. Niall had taken it upon himself and went to grab a slew of things for her (and Harry as well). “For when she wakes up,” Niall said patting his friend on the back who wouldn’t move from seat. “Go shower, I won’t move,” he promised and situated himself beside her as he looked her over. There wasn’t much. But some of it was found in the warehouse she was kept in. He found the scrunchie. “Is it not in there?” She asked quietly. “It’s really pretty—all flowery and glittery,” she pouted. Harry smiled as he fiddled with it making sure there was no blood on it because he couldn’t remember if it was the one in her hair from the warehouse. He didn’t want her to see any reminders of that awful day. He didn’t want to see any of those awful reminders either.

“S’here, love. Jus’ a second,” he promised. “Jus’...don’t want any blood on it.”

She sighed. “I want to shower so bad. I must look disgusting.”

He shook his head, turning to her. Gently, he coaxed her to shift forward so he could gather her hair into a ponytail and wrapped the scrunchie twice around her hair. “You’re alive,” he reminded her. As if she forgot. “You’re beautiful, Miss Wildflower.”

She wrinkled her nose at his compliment feeling her face warm at his appraisal. She didn’t feel beautiful. She felt like she had six days’ worth of grime on her. Her shower at home seemed like a paradise. “When can I leave?” She asked. She needed to tell Harry that his supervisor was a dick when there weren’t witnesses who may also be corrupt. Part of her was a little surprised that neither she nor Harry figured it out sooner.

But between the lack of privacy and her mind slightly unfocused between the medicine and the coma, it was hard to keep track of the pressing issue. Plus, Harry looking so unbelievably pretty didn’t help her attention to detail either.

He snorted. “Love,” he rolled his eyes. Harry didn’t want her to leave until her leg was completely healed. But that would be weeks. So, that was a bit unreasonable on his part, but his intention was clear.

“Harry, I want to go home. I want to take a five-hour shower, watch a rom-com, fill out our spreadsheet, and make out with you until I think I might actually die.” He smirked immediately at her idea. Despite how crummy he felt about everything else it was nice to hear her cute thoughts.

That dimple of his, (the one that previously drove her mad because it always came with the word protocol) was now the most delightful thing she had ever seen. “Yeah?” He murmured. “Y’want t’make out?” He asked a tad smugly.

She nodded eagerly, allowing his smugness because she really wanted to kiss him so very badly. “Yes, and maybe we don’t even have to watch a movie,” she sounded pretty seductive for someone that hadn’t showered in six days and Harry thought that maybe she was sexier than she had ever been without even trying.

He chuckled and dropped a kiss on her forehead again. “I’ll find out when y’can go,” he skimmed the back of his finger over her cheek softly.

“Harry?” She asked quietly.

“Yes, kitten?” He would do anything for her. That much was clear. He would probably learn to tie balloon animals if she asked. He traced his fingertip over her lips, and she thought she might have a heatstroke. “What d’you need?”

“What’s your favorite song?” She asked so innocently Harry could have cried.

He sighed and smiled at her, shaking his head. “Free Falling the John Mayer version,” he told her.

“I like the Tom Petty one more,” she said knowingly, “But it’s a good song either way...Favorite movie?”

He rolled his eyes amazed she didn’t give one ounce of care to how she was feeling or the fact she had woken up from a coma less than six hours ago. “The Notebook.”

“Favorite TV show?”

He snorted. “Er...Family Guy,” he admitted shyly. She giggled. He waited as she thought of her next question. He wouldn’t leave the room without her okay.

“Can we still go to England?” She asked so quietly. There were security agents outside. She needed Harry alone before she could tell him all the stuff he knew. She hadn’t seen his supervisor since she woke up. She had to keep calm until they were alone.

Harry thought his heart would break. All alone. Just the two of them. Away from protocol, corrupt agents, and as far away from that awful building and memories as he could possibly get. He would take such good care of her and dote on her. He had no idea she was thinking the same things but for very different reasons. He nodded immediately, a pretty, perfect grin stretching across his face that made her briefly forget about why she wanted and needed to be alone with him. “Yes, honey. Whatever y’want. Mum and Gem are looking forward t’meeting you.”

She nodded with a smile, her expression seemed relieved, and he felt bad she was relieved by the notion. There wasn’t a place on earth where he wouldn’t find her nor take her if she wanted it. “Harry?” She whispered softly again.

“Yes, kitten?”

“Will you kiss me?” She asked, like he would reject her.

Never, in any universe, any lifetime, any dream, would he reject such a request. But he was too busy doing as she asked, to explain that to her.

But somehow, he thought she got it.

When she opened her eyes again, Harry wasn’t there. She could see two people standing in the hall just outside her door. More security. She finally got her shower, a nurse had to sit with her the whole time, so, it was awkward and uncomfortable. She almost would have preferred Harry had helped her. At least he would have accepted the discomfort she felt. (And maybe she could have snuck a few more not-so-subtle kisses.)

A small plastic cup sat on the table in front of her. Inside was a little bouquet of what could only be described as wildflowers: small little petals of violet, red, and yellow. She never had a combination of them on her walls or really thought about wildflowers ever. But right now, she wanted to. Her mind spinning with the need to purchase hundreds of fake flowers of this exact bouquet to remind her of this very arrangement every day. To remind her that Harry was still here despite how cranky and annoying she had been. Despite almost dying. She picked up the notecard propped against the cup.

The door opened but she was too busy admiring the flowers and reading the I adore you over and over to bother looking up for him. If August-Harry told her he was putting a tracking device in her clothes she would have killed him with her bare hands. But now she was comforted by the fact. She honestly would encourage it. “They’re really pretty,” she said softly.

“I’m glad to see you’re awake.”

Her heart monitor once more betrayed her. The sound of her dad’s voice wreaked havoc on her, but it was worse letting him know that she was distraught by his company. Her brain started screaming for Harry’s name.

“Dad,” she blinked. He sat beside her where Harry had been keeping vigil for the last few days. She wanted to kick him out of that seat. It was Harry’s seat. Her dad didn’t once try to find her. He hadn’t so much as acknowledged the fact she was missing nor cared about her well-being and seeing him right now... she knew why.

He eyed her curiously. “You know, honey. You have thwarted every one of my plans. Every single one. Ever since you were little.”

She prided herself on being intelligent. It was how she often evaded her security detail, including Harry. It was how she was so successful in school and how she managed to balance all the things in her life up to this point. But nothing prepared her for her dad at that moment. And really, she should have known. The driver told her in so many words that it was him.

“What do you mean?” She asked calmly the heart monitor not sensing the anxiety coursing through her.

For as much as she had no idea of what was about to happen—what her father was about to say—not one bit of her was surprised when he did speak.

She was fuming in her seat. Zip ties around her wrists again. Part of her hoped that her father never released her because she was going to kill him herself. She wasn’t wearing shoes so there was no way Harry could find her now. If she wasn’t so angry, she would cry. Harry probably thought she was gone for good because there was just nothing—no note, no goodbye, no notice. Nothing. It broke her heart to think about leaving him; moreover, that he would think she left without saying goodbye. Her leg was aching without pain medication, and she didn’t trust herself that she could even run from the car fast enough even if she was brave enough to roll out in the middle of traffic. Which she strongly contemplated.

She looked at the man in the front seat. He didn’t speak as he drove. It made her so mad. Harry’s supervisor. She knew DSS was awful. She hoped Niall would leave the business. She hoped Harry would too. She hadn’t seen her phone in almost a week (even if for her it was only three days), and she wanted it so badly that she could send her location to Harry. The only solace she had was that Harry would probably search every house in the city, door by door, looking for her. If she could stay alive and not pass out from the pain in her leg, she might live long enough to see Harry again.

That was if this man didn’t kill her first.

Harry nearly dropped her coffee in the doorway, seeing her empty bed. The flowers and note were still on the table. All her belongings were still neatly piled on the mini sofa under the window. He checked the bathroom, nothing. “She was just checked out by her father,” the nurse said behind Harry. “He had an event or something; they had to leave in a hurry,” she explained the remnants of his favorite person left behind.

No shoes. Harry groaned. At least she was with her father.

He texted Niall. What event does The Secretary have?

??? Niall responded.

Harry felt his stomach drop, seeing the question marks, but did his best to ignore it. Maybe Niall wasn’t privy. It would just make things more complicated. He could always go back to her place and wait for her. Maybe he’d make her those California burritos she kept showing him—the ones with French Fries in it.

She’s checked out of the hospital. The nurse said they have an event.

Niall called him almost instantly. “You’re off the detail still,” he reminded him in a hushed whisper.

“Whatever,” he grumbled. “She doesn’t have her phone back because she was kidnapped if you recall. M’also the one that found her. Do me a favor.”

Sighing, Niall muttered curses under his breath. “There’s nothing on his calendar, Harry.”

He shook his head. “She wouldn’t just leave without me,” he said. “Not after that.”

“Harry, you know she does this. I know it’s different for you...but this isn’t uncommon for her. Plus, if she’s with her dad then...I mean...he’s probably mad despite,” Niall sighed heavily. “Look, I know what you did and why you did it but—”

“Niall, shut up,” he nearly groaned dropping his head back in annoyance.

The anxiety was increasing. His hand started to shake holding the phone to his ear, feeling something ominous before it fully registered. “M’not even supposed to be talking to you—especially when I’m at work,” he muttered. “There’s nothing on the schedule—oh...oh my God.”

“What, Niall?” Harry spit, seething already.

“She’s with her dad?” He asked tentatively.

“Yes, thankfully,” even if Harry didn’t like him and she hated him, at least he was her family.

Niall was silent. “No...” he shook his head. Harry could sense it. “Not thankfully Harry.”

Harry did drop the coffee cup then, struggled a bit as he grabbed her box and bag of belongings. He was only vaguely aware of Niall’s voice and the sound of the nurse shouting after him as he sprinted for the exit. Harry was all but public enemy number one at the hospital and for DSS. Without her defense, he had no leads, no help. Niall was listing the main points. Her dad paid someone. Her mom wasn’t supposed to die. But of course, her mom wouldn’t let her daughter die. It would bring a sympathetic vote.

He was going to kill her for more power, pity. A broken family man who would do anything to bring the people responsible for his family, his lovely wife and his beautiful daughter to justice.

Harry had a lot to make up for, given that he shot her no less than four days ago. It was a miracle she didn’t bleed out. He was never going to forgive himself, even if she already had. But he felt so totally helpless. There were no leads. No one knew where she was.

Part of him believed the division didn’t even care if she died because she was a pain in the ass. Harry was without a weapon, without resources. He made it to his car, dumped her bag of everything she had on the back seat and sifted through it all looking for a clue, the biggest clue he hoped could be there. Her dead phone, her jeans with the blood soaked through and through, her sweatshirt with her college’s name across the front also soaked with blood—he had to get her another one...why did he keep thinking about that!—a pair of Christmas earrings, and those perfect shoes with the little AirTag in them that saved her life once, but wouldn’t be able to save her again.

The only solace he had was knowing she was the strongest wildflower he had ever met.

And the tracking device he put in her scrunchie wasn’t in her belongings that he had spread out across his backseat.

“Why did he even have me?” She grumbled out the window. She was somehow calm. Probably because it was her father. All along. Someone she knew well...someone she should have realized was at the source of all this craziness. At least it wasn’t like the driver who held her at gunpoint.

“Your mother wanted you,” he stated simply.

“And his plan was to kill me?” She rolled her eyes. No wonder mom died. She would never let that happen to me. “Why didn’t he just...not be with Mom? Why did he have to ruin both our lives...all of our lives?”

“Love makes you do weird things. You should know that. Look what happened to you with Harry. Never thought I’d see the day you like an agent and here you are falling in love with one.”

She didn’t like the way he brought up Harry. She glared out the window trying to think of an escape. Something Harry told her when they went over her fail-safe ideas, it had to be somewhere in the back of her mind. Even the general safety tips from DSS that she hated so much, they had to come in handy now.

Would their loyalty to her father mean they couldn’t stop him from killing her? It was quite a humble moment for her. All those years of torturing agents and creating mountains of paperwork, building walls up so she didn’t even need protection...now they would probably let her die as the opportunity had presented itself.

Once more, she thought if she wasn’t so mad, she would probably just cry and cry and cry.

She wished Harry would suddenly appear and fix it.

She really wished he got to put tracking devices in her clothes before she was kidnapped.

Again.

Harry was trying to keep calm because the last thing he needed was a car accident on his way to her blinking little dot on his map. He impatiently watched it blip keeping a safe distance but not so far that he couldn’t get to her quicker if need be.

Where was he taking her now?

Niall informed Harry that the driver that he placed two bullet holes in, caved for a deal immediately. He told them exactly who he was hired by and even if her father got out of this situation, there was no way it wasn’t shady.

She’s never going to forgive me for tracking her.He thought to himself. Where on earth were they going? She’s never going to let me live it down that DSS is actual Hell.He thought. That’s good. Keep thinking about never’s. She’ll live just to say I told you so.

That, Harry was certain.

Mom liked the water. Her stories of growing up on the coast were one of the main reasons she wanted to go to school in a city by the water. There were tons of great schools of course, but it kept her close to her mom as well. She remembered her mom taking her for college visits nearby like it were yesterday and how she showed her all her old haunts and some of the best and most lovely places to get away for a bit and just be in nature.

It was poetic, in a way. Dying where one of her happiest memories with her mom would be. A nice overlook with some rough waves—especially when it was windy and winter.

Which of course it was.

“You don’t have to do this.”

“Your father pays me,” he reminded her.

She stared at him. “You’re a coward,” she stated simply then looked out the window to keep from crying. She was not going to give him the satisfaction. “Why here?” She asked.

“A visit for old time’s sake; you and Dad just want to remember Mom...” He explained.

Other than the sound of the tires rolling on the road, it was silent in the car. She wished she could move her hands. Wished she could escape. Wished she wasn’t a sitting duck and could just do something, anything! Even if it was wrong. “Did you kill my mom, too?” She had to know.

“Your mom chose—”

She shook her head, this time the tears filled her eyes. “No, if you’re going to kill me, you’re going to tell me the truth. Did you kill her?”

He didn’t answer. But it was the only answer she needed.

Swallowing thickly, she silently prayed to every god she could think of, every spirit, every entity, every power in the universe. But mostly she thought so very hard about her mom. Like she told Harry, she believed she was out there, somewhere. Her spirit was too strong and stubborn to just fizzle out.

If her spirit was out there, there wasn’t a chance she would let something happen to her nor Harry if she asked.

“That driver you got is going to turn on you,” she said knowingly.

“Why do you think I’m here?” He parked at the little spot, pulled her out of the car, the icy wind chilled her immediately. With just socks on her feet, it felt like her toes went numb immediately. Her leg ached and she grimaced and groaned in pain as he pulled on her arm toward the edge of the cliff where she could hear the waves crashing against the rocky side. “He was just a pawn.”

“So are you...Dad will sell you out too.”

“Once your dad gets what he wants, anything I could be blamed for will simply be pardoned,” he told her.

Her heart was so loud in her ears. It was so cold tears were now in her eyes and she had no control over it. It was bad.

What was the last thing she said to Harry before she took a nap? She wished it was I love you. She wished so very badly that it was something of worth because this was horrific. Harry was never going to know she loved him. He had to know, right? She told him all of those personal things, how she asked him questions about his favorites, and all those things they did together even though they weren’t quite a couple but not quite the typical protector-protectee relationship. She needed him to know.

She hoped he knew.

“So th-this is it?” She asked, her teeth chattering. She couldn’t even wrap her arms around herself for warmth because of the stupid zip ties. It wasn’t fair. “You’re going t-to push m-me off the cliff? S-someone,” Harry for certain would never believe the lie he told. Whatever that was going to be, “is going to sus-spect—”

“No,” he smiled wryly. “It was an accident,” he explained. “You fell into the water looking too closely. Slipped. Banged your head. Tragic. After all your fighting to get better, too,” he shrugged. “It’s a real shame,” he said pulling her toward the edge.

She was unbalanced as it was; her leg was probably aching, and her hands couldn’t outstretch to support the awkward angle he was holding her.

Harry could practically smell her floral scented shampoo even from his cover of the trees. He had to park over half a mile away, in a turn off hidden by a bunch of trees. It was a miracle he wasn’t gasping for breath loud enough to be heard from how fast he sprinted to get to her little blinking dot. From his standpoint, he could almost see the determined look on her face. He had never admired her as much as he did as he watched her then.

If there was one thing she hated more than DSS, it was being underestimated. And more than anything, Harry knew that she was going to fight, as she always did, to her very last stubborn breath. He was only slightly less worried because at least she wasn’t bleeding profusely. He could get to her if he needed to in a graver situation. But he wanted his supervisor gone. Harry was also without a weapon and therefore at a severe disadvantage. The pocketknife he had on him wouldn’t do much against the gun he could see in his holster.

But he could see that beautiful glittering scrunchie twisted in her hair. Her favorite. His favorite. He was strongly considering (and hoping) asking her if they could just put a chip in her.

He hurried down along the side of the cliff. The drama of this setup was too much for Harry. There was so much history behind it. It was all plotted and planned perfectly—if that was the sort of goal someone terrible wanted to accomplish; Harry could admit that. He kept cover behind some rocks to make sure if anything went awry, they wouldn’t notice him—he couldn’t notice Harry.

Harry hoped she knew he would find her again. He wished she wasn’t scared because he knew behind that strong façade, she was probably terrified. With no way of communicating to her that he would never let anything happen to her ever again, bodyguard or not, she had to be more scared than she ever had been.

Harry could vaguely hear him still talking to her, taunting her. The words didn’t reach his ears because of the wind and the sound of the waves. He was desperate for him to shut up. But he couldn’t look. If he saw her fall...

The moment he heard a splash his heart nearly gave out. Within seconds the sound of an engine disappearing was enough for Harry to finally turn around to see her struggling to get her bearings between the waves and only one functioning extremity. Diving into the chilly winter water, he hoped it wasn’t too late to save her again.

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#a dimple that came with the word protocol WELL AT LEAST SOMETHING MADE ME SMILE 😭😭😭😌#and the wildflowers :( before she got abducted AGAIN :(((#hfics

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riotatthemovies · 5 years ago

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Today we have a true wildman, maverick of low budget film Joel D Wynkoop. Let's get in the mindset of an actor, an actor's actor. An American Brian Blessed without the beard you could say (imagine Joe D Wynkoop as Hawkman and let that sink in) . To you regulars here at Riot at the movies you will remember Joel from 2019s Terrible Two Day fest where he closed the weekends events by appearing in Clownado as the cowboy pilot. Then just before screenings shut down in the first week for March 2020 we saw him again in the first film of this year Terrible Two Day Fest with a small but high energy cameo at the very end of Dinogore.

Let's pretend we are a live audience talk show and give a round of applause for Joel D Wynkoop.

Riot: Joel you are known as a high energy guy, what do you think or even what do you hope are people's first impressions of you?

WYNKOOP: Well I hope they like my performances. There are some that just flat out say "He yells too much!" I even had an actress tell me "Stop yelling at me, you're always yelling at me" but what she didn't get is that was the idea in the movie, the Sheriff(Played by me was yelling) but she got her feelings hurt and asked me not to yell at her. "But....I'm supposed too." I told her...anyway the director pulled her aside and explained to her "...this is not real life and we were pretending" and she still didn't get it, so the director told me "don't yell at her too much." Aside from the yelling and the out of control antics of a lot of my characters, I also want to be known as the actor that can do serious stuff too. I have done parts that when they were done or in the middle of where the audience was crying because I was going for that emotional touch. I have done things that scare the audience, not to mention my co stars. My wife, before I knew her, we had just met and we did a very emotional scene when I was in her face yelling at her, later the director said to her "You were great you really looked scared." and she said "I was scared, he is a scary guy when he yells... I thought he was going to hit me." But I can also do comedy where people may say "Man Wynkoop was so funny in that" or "Mannnn Wynkoop was so annoying in that" in each case that is what I was going for. In my latest movie "THE CRAIGLON INCIDENT" I think people are going to say the latter because the character I do is annoying....but funny...I hope. If they don't like me right away or there's someone out there going "Wynkoop sucks, his movie's suck" I hope people make their own decisions if they like me or not.

Riot: Let's look back at your early break into low budget films. Which character do you relate to the most, Steve Nekoda the religious, confused martial arts man of action from Lost Faith or do you deep down feel a little more fucked up like Dan Hess from Wicked Games or maybe even worse the officer in Dirty Cop No Donut? Or is that just crazy ? If you don't feel you personally relate to them, who was your favorite character to play?

WYNKOOP: Just doing Steve Nekoda, Dan Hess or Gus Kimble I think I am a little of all of them in real life. One time... well more then once in my life...real life...I have had to step in and protect someone like Steve Nekoda would, other times I have been the smart ass like Gus Kimble and his brand of justice where I have said things like (When someone is too close to me, I mean right on my ass) I turn to them and say "Are you gonna propose?" and they say "No" then I say "Then get off my ass!" More than once I have stood up for somebody... one time I told two guys to leave the premises because the girl inside the store was scared of them. The one guy then said to me. "You got a problem with me?" I said "No, I don't have a problem with you, but you're gonna have a problem with me if you don't leave now!" He started to move towards me. I went into a striking stance and his buddy grabbed him and said "Let's go man." and they left. The cops told me later "Don't be the hero just call us next time, we have guns." Dan Hess pushed in his Truth or Dare world, is me when I get annoyed in traffic. Someone cut me off I exploded in rage, he saw me in his mirror cursing him, he stopped his car and jumped out and came after me, I jumped out of my car and yelled at the top of my lungs "Don't FUCK with me man!!" He got back in his car and left and I did the same. Hey, I'm not perfect!

Again Steve Nekoda. I am a Christian yes, I swear, I'm sorry, were all human. I will stop and pray with someone at the drop of a hat. I have ran charity events for people struggling with medical bills. I will offer you some money if they are hard up...not scammers! So I guess I am a little of all of my characters. Nick Hazzard, Dan Hess, Steve Nekoda, Parsons Cooper, Angus Lynch, Tie-Ree, Cope Ransom and a lot more. Favorite character? I think all of them. I loved Steve Nekoda cause he is like a superhero, Parsons Cooper is turned into a sci-fi superhero. Dan Hess is fun because he is an average guy with a messed up life. Angus Lynch was fun to play because he was just psycho! Same with Gus Kimble from the Dirty Cop movies. They are all fun to play, I just can't lock one particular one down. They're all fun...CLOWNADO? I loved playing that character "HAWK" for Todd Sheets!! It was a fun role to play and Todd really let me run with it. Little easter eggs too in one line almost under my breath you here my character HAWK say "I'm just about to watch a Todd Sheets Joel Wynkoop double feature, those guys kill me." Yeah I love them all!

Riot: I am honestly imagining you doing a remake of Falling Down (the Micheal Douglas movie) just so I can see you super red faced getting angry in your car and flipping out at the traffic. You have like a dozen, if not more projects on the go at any time. How's Covid treating you? Are you going stir crazy or getting some stuff done on the side? I hope the conventions come back and people can get copies of all these movies as well.

WYNKOOP: Covid? We are dealing with it. If the law, Government or whatever wants you to wear masks just wear the mask. It's not that big a deal. Yes it annoys me but I wear it because it is the law and you're keeping people and yourself safe. You know what? I knew a guy that was a nudist and he told me "Joe, I don't know why we have to wear these, these clothes, I should be able to walk around unencumbered and free, there's nothing wrong with my body, I should be allowed to walk around nude, go into the store, go to the movies, I feel like I am being persecuted against because I cannot be free and naked." Well guess what? That is what everyone is saying about wearing their masks...are you comfortable with people walking around naked in your grocery store, pet store, church, movie theater, everywhere you go? I'm not. I think if we are told to wear masks then wear them. It's "NOT" being sheep, you're being smart. If you don't believe in it... go up to a stranger and say (With your mask on) "Please hack up all over me because I don't believe in the Corona Virus... try and let spit come out of your mouth too cause I don't believe in it so I won't get it!" Then pull your mask down so you can inhale all that virus you think is "NOT" there. People say more people die from the flu then Corona? Really? Personally I don't know any of my friends that have died from the flu...BUT I Have had at least 10 friends die of the CoronaVirus in the last two months. As of writing this tonight I just found out two more of my friends caught the Corona Virus because they let someone in their home and now they have it. If you don't believe in it then you don't believe the Earth is round. Stir Crazy? Nah! If we need to get out it is because of the news. The world is really messed up now and it is all the same stories over and over again. The riots were terrible!!!!!! Anyway when it gets too much we go for a ride in the van. I just want to make movies. I can't change anything, I'm not magic. I'll just continue to make movies. Also I am editing my new movie now called THE CRAIGLON INCIDENT which never would have happened if it were NOT for the Corona Virus, I started this movie cause everyone was told to stay home, it was mandatory here! Curfew was enforced. So I asked my wife Cathy, "Hey just shoot me talking to the camera." Now spin it around so it looks like I am talking to myself as my counterpart and THAT is how The Craiglon Incident originated. It is now like two hours long in my timeline waiting to be completed. If there was no virus there would have been no CRAIGLON INCIDENT". But just editing the movie keeps me plenty busy! PLUS I ask people if they are interested in being a producer or executive producer of either or both my movies "THE CRAIGLON INCIDENT" or "BEAST MODE"(A movie we started with Debbie Rochon and Lloyd Kaufman but was shut down because of Covid) people can contact me and become producers and executive producers just by purchasing some of my movies...It's a great way to get some entertainment and build your IMDB!!!! Conventions YES!!! Me too. So many have been shut down at the last moment. We even had Tampa Bay Screams here that was slated in August but it has been moved to March 2021 and we don't even know if that will happen. Yes I miss it!! More than selling the flicks I like meeting everyone that comes to the shows. That's why I continue to do things on Facebook and make movies and sell online to keep my name out there so folks don't forget about me. I don't think I would be comfortable doing a show right now anyway, not the way things are. I have had two shoots lately, one a TV show and one a rap video and I was nervous the whole time hoping I didn't get anything from anyone. But yes it would be nice to get the world back to normal, well, not even normal... BETTER THAN NORMAL...hey that's a good name for a TV show..."Hey brother what are you doing next Wednesday night?" "Me, oh not much I'm gonna check out that new TV show...what's it called, oh yeah...BETTER THAN NORMAL".

Riot: Let this be a reminder to my regular Canadian viewers and readers of just how freaking lucky we are up here. I love America for many things but for my health situation I wouldn't trade places with you Joel for the world. Thanks for being so open with us. Ok, How do you feel your films have dated over the years? The projects you've done with Tim Ritter seem to have just as strong a twisted fan base as always if not more these days.

WYNKOOP: I think they hold up fine. You have to remember when Tim Ritter and I started there was no CGI in indie movies. It was all practical effects, if you wanted blood you made it and threw it on the actor you couldn't say "Hey put a blood splat there and make it look real with your CGI effects." Nothing wrong with CGI it is just we didn't have that then. Also editing wasn't on your home computer with Movie Maker and Premiere... (They didn't exist when Tim and I broke into this, in fact some places have credited Tim and I have been credited with the whole direct to video happening.)... it was rent an edit bay with big 3/4 machines and shuttle the tape back and forth... In the beginning for Tim and myself, Tim and I use to edit on cutting boards with splicing tape. You scratched your effects into the actual film. I remember putting "The Eight Million Dollar Boy Meets The Invisible Transport Boy" together, splicing it all together, it was an hourlong and it was hard to do that 50 feet at a time. But yeah a lot of people are like "Yeah I remember TRUTH OR DARE man that was cool!" Even Elijah Wood on all the late night shows was talking about how much he loved "TRUTH OR DARE"! "LOST FAITH" has got that same kind of attention, a lot of people really love it. BUT like all our movies... some hate them, some love them. I'll take the love over the hate... but you have to accept it all. Believe it or not I learned this philosophy from Marvel Team Up. Spiderman had just stopped the Basilik and was handing him over to the cops and Spidey said "Here you go officer, although I don't know why you would want him?" and the cop said "All part of the job wall crawler, you take the bad with the good." And that is how I take everything, especially reviews. You take the bad with the good. So yeah I think they hold up...I had a friend when STAR TREK THE NEXT GENERATION came out and he was like "Oh the original sucked the effects are much better in NEXT GENERATION" Well "No Duh" I told him... it's like 30 some years later but STAR TREK is still a classic show!! It still holds up today, the stories are great and I love the effects... yes the upgrades are awesome but always classic "Star Trek". There is always gonna be a better format... pretty soon movies will be like holograms and we'll be being punched in the face by the characters in the movies. Technology changes everything so you have to give them credit for the era they were made. The people that love Twisted Illusions movies and my movies are AWESOME. I divide the two because Tim and I have done alot together as Twisted Illusions and I in turn have done a lot under Wynkoop Productions and joined the two over the years. I am still a part of Twisted Illusions with Tim and he with me in Wynkoop Productions it is two small companies just trying to entertain people. We are BOTH very fortunate to have the nice people we do enjoying all of our movies and we will never forget that. I get Facebook requests all the time and I ask them "What made you want me as a friend?" and they 90% always say "I saw your movies in High School" or "I saw you in Truth Or Dare"or "I loved you in Dirty Cop No Donut" and they all say "What are you doing now?". In fact every time I think I am going to quit I get a Facebook from someone saying "I love your movies please don't stop making them." and I never will until GOD calls me home. Even then when I am gone, I hope people keep watching all my movies I have done with Tim and the ones I have done and the ones we have collaborated on. To the ones out there that watch our stuff I hope we are entertaining you because that is all we want to do, 'cause we sure arn't getting rich from it.

Joel Getting Tough in The Other Side

Riot: You do the whole package, acting, directing, producing. What makes low budget filmmaking still a passion for you and what are some of the things these days that frustrate you the most?

WYNKOOP: Frustrate me the most? Editing. I will have a whole scene in my timeline and the power goes out, I hit the wrong key and delete stuff, lightning hit the house and fries it, lightning turns out our power and I lose it. It freezes up as I am editing and I have to wait an hour for it to fix itself. When it says "SAVE" I hit no. I make mistakes when I am tired while I am editing and boom I do something wrong and it is gone and I have to start all over again. There have been problems when I was editing my TV show I was putting in the last minute touches and lost the whole thing and had to start over from the beginning again. Frustrating! I keep working at it no matter what. I like to act in all I can. When I don't have anything that is when I say it's time to make my own movie, although in this case of "THE CRAIGLON INCIDENT" it was because of Covid 19. I'd like to make more money at it but doesn't everyone?

So as you can tell I sneak more then one question in at a time and I'm glad you took the time to shoot the shit with us. I hope 2021 means we get to go crazy and make all the weirdest and wildest movies we all can think of and I look forward to seeing what you got to throw at us. Thanks again. Stay Awesome.

Also Check out Joel in Lycanimator made by our Ontario buddy Seb Godin (also of Dinogore), get the vhs horror boobs made for Wild Eye Releasing , its better then the dvd.

WYNKOOP: Thank you all for taking the time and showing some interest in this old guy!!!! It is appreciated, thank you to everyone on your staff and everyone reading this article... thank you all so much and to see what I am doing please seek me out on Facebook under Joel D. Wynkoop. Thank you!

#joel d wynkoop #bmovies #lowbudget film making #wicked games #killingspree #lost faith #clownado #lycanimator #the other side #dirty cop no donut #wildman

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