Sparks and Shadows

‼️‼️‼️‼️ VIOLENCE AND BLOOD, NOT TOO MUCH BUT IF IT MAKES YOU UNCOMFORTABLE IN ANY WAY, SKIP TO THE ASTERISKS PART. A VERY BRIEF SUMMARY WILL BE IN THE Author's thought ‼️‼️‼️‼️ HOPE YOU ENJOY

Hola," Harry whispered into Mateo's ear, his voice low as he twisted the knife deeper. Mateo's scream pierced the night, echoing through Harry's bones — but he just smiled. 

From the corner of his eye, Harry saw Jonas — who had been frozen in place — shift and reach under the table. Harry let go and Mateo crumbled to the floor, his hands wrapping around the hilt of the knife lodged deep in his thigh. He vaulted over the table, his matte black boots slamming into Jonas face with a sickening crunch. He stumbled back, hands over his face and Harry reached under the table, retrieving the pistol strapped to it. 

"Great foresight." He turned slowly, his back to a writhing and grunting Mateo. "But not enough. Now tell me — why shouldn't I put a bullet in your brain?" 

Jonas scoffed, wiping the blood trickling from his nose with his sleeve. 

"You really think you're in control here?" 

He took a threatening step towards Harry, who arched an eyebrow, eyes on the pistol. "You know nothing. The release is already scheduled — videos, dirt, evidence. Everything. And trust me, there's plenty on the Montez empire. Go ahead then. Shoot me!" 

Harry chuckled. "Careful what you ask for. You're meticulous, I'll give you that." He leaned on the table. "But you still have one thing wrong — I'm not here for the Montez empire." 

I don't give two shits about it. 

Jonas blinked once, too slow to hide the flicker of surprise in his eyes. He pressed his lips into a defiant line, forcing steel into his voice. "Who the bloody hell are you then?" 

"Good question." Harry pushed off the table with that terrifying stillness of his. "Sit." The word landed like a gavel. 

Jonas sat, the legs of the chair scraping against the floor as he obeyed, eyes locked on the gun, too aware of what disobedience would cost. Harry glanced around the space once again. "Where is your station? I'd hate to waste a bullet looking." 

Jonas subtly reached behind him, his eyes never leaving Harry's frame as his fingers wrapped around the hilt of a knife. 

"Harry, he is..." 

A gun went off. 

"Fuck! Fuck you!" Jonas howled, cradling his right hand. Blood seeped through his cushioned hand, trickling down his arms. 

"Of course, you knew what he was doing. Why did I even bother. I'm sure everyone heard that," Luca pointed out. 

Harry's gaze flicked from the apartment door to the cursing man. 

Pussy.

Luca's voice filled the earpiece again. "Door to the right — I see computers. That's his station." 

"That should be the least of your worries right now." Harry came to stand in front of him, bending over so they were at eye level. "I don't have time and when I'm in a hurry, I get impulsive. And crazy."

Jonas stared into calm, piercing charcoal eyes and resisted the urge to squirm away from the gaze. He gulped, the weight of his situation finally settling in. 

"Now, I need a favor from you," Harry continued. "Remove the video yourself. Make up an explanation. Or I do it for you — and trust me, my way is permanent."

Xander's voice, full of glee, floated in through the comms. "I'm in. I'm back in! I got in contact with the other boys and we were able to set a bug that—"

Silence. 

"—Bloody hell! I'm gonna kill that bastard myself. Fucker! Son of a hoe!—"

Luca growled into the piece. "There. Is. No. Time. For. Your. Dramatics, Xander."

Xander took a deep breath on the other end — then began to talk. 

Jonas watched as a murderous glint flashed in Harry's otherwise calm gaze. His gaze landed on the in-ear piece attached to Harry's right ear and he pushed back, raising bloody hands in front of him. 

"It— it wasn't me. I swear. It was all— Yes. Him!" He pointed towards Mateo, who was lying in his pool of blood. "It was all his idea!" 

Harry grabbed him by the collar. "You. Piece. Of. Shit." He cursed through clenched teeth. 

"No no no no no no. It has nothing to do with me. I— Ahh!" 

The chair toppled with a crash as Harry's pistol hit him across the face. Jonas hit the floor, the taste of blood filling his mouth. 

He scrambled off the floor, making a run for the door. Harry caught him by the back of his sweatshirt and flung him hard — his body slammed into the table with a hollow thud. 

Harry's tensed form followed after him, a pocket knife making its way out of his slacks. His voice was chillingly low. "Let's see how much pain you can really take." 

Luca's voice sounded like it was drowned in water. "Harry, get the password and let's go. You are drawing attention." 

A beat. Another. 

Screams bounced off the apartments walls like ricocheting bullets — sharp, relentless and impossible to tune out. 

"Shit! He's going to kill them. Xander, get in there, dumbass!" 

*****

The screams still echoed in his head — Sharp, animalistic — but even their pain did nothing to douse the fury boiling through Harry's veins. He slammed his palms to the wall of the bathroom, then clenched his fists as he watched the red-tinged water spiral down the drain. 

It had been years — a lifetime, it felt — since he lost control like that. He would have killed them in the slowest, painful way possible if Xander hadn't rushed into the scene. 

Thankfully, Luca had thrown together a fast distraction — they were seconds away from being caught. 

I should acknowledge his quick thinking later. 

Xander's voice looped again in his mind, a jagged whisper that had torn through the comms just minutes ago.

"There are photos in the folder... of Ms. Montez. Younger. Maybe fifteen. She's either in lingerie or— naked. She looks drugged. Or maybe not. I can't tell. But she doesn't seem to know she's being photographed."

He had instructed Xander as they drove back to delete every damn thing and make sure they never turned up again. Still. His rage wouldn't subside. He knew the damage those images had caused. 

The faucet squeaked as Harry twisted it harder, red water swirling faster down the drain. His jaw clenched, muscle ticking as a violence he couldn't shake bloomed beneath his ribs.

He had seen monsters before. Hard not to, in his line of business. He'd been fathered by one. 

But this? This was filth. 

Men who toyed with and disrespected women should be torn to pieces, bit by bloody bit and fed to vultures. 

He shut the faucet, grabbed a towel from the rack and wrapped it around his waist. Flexing his shoulders, he stepped into the large, near-empty room, its silence pressing against the walls. 

I need a drink. 

This wasn't home — just the suite he used in the mansion behind it. A hidden door at the back fence linked the two buildings. This was where the boys lived. It was convenient. 

It was called the business wing; the other, the private wing. He travelled a lot and having the boys this close to home, he felt more secure of his family's safety. 

He spent more time here — or at his condo — than the private wing. It was safer that way, kept business away from home. He couldn't imagine walking in, covered in blood. 

Mami would have a heart attack if I ever did that. 

Harry threw on a pair of joggers, the thought of his mother bringing the ghost of a smile to his lips. He dumped the blood-soaked dress shirt and slacks in the laundry basket. 

He tugged a t-shirt over his head and padded barefoot down the long, quiet hallway, the soft hum of the mansion's central cooling system barely audible.

As he descended the stairs, he spotted them — Xander leaning casually against the banister and the Newbie, standing stiffly beside him, spine too straight, eyes too eager.

Newbie stepped forward immediately. "Don — I was just coming to give you an update –"

A hand yanked him back mid-sentence. Xander didn't even look at him. "You tryna die, kid?"

The Newbie blinked, confused.

Xander finally turned his head, his voice low and warning. "Rule one. Stay out of Harry's way when he's fresh off a job and hasn't had a drink yet. More so when he looks that furious."

"But—"

"He's not your friend. He's not your boss. He's a storm. You stay out of his fucking path unless you want to get swept away. Got it?"

The Newbie swallowed hard. "Got it."

There are so many rules: one can easily wind up dead here. 

Harry brushed past them, saying nothing. The scent of blood and soap still clung faintly to his skin. He walked into the kitchen, opened the bar cabinet, and grabbed the decanter. Whiskey. A dark, 25-year-old bottle.

He poured it straight into a glass and downed it in one long, burning gulp.

Xander followed him into the kitchen, now silent. "I had the boys send the files to the off-grid storage. Triple firewalls. The originals are already fried."

Harry poured himself another glass, but slower this time.

"Good."

Xander watched him carefully, then added. "I also told them to trace where Jonas got the footage from and just like you thought, Duarte transferred the images of Ms. Montez. As for the dirt on senor Alejandro Montez, dead-end."

Harry's grip on the glass tightened, jaw clenching again. 

"Are you going to talk to her about this?" Xander asked, leaning on the counter. 

"I will talk to María." 

She wouldn't want to talk to me about this. Hell. I don't want to talk to her about this, either. 

Harry's eyes lifted. "The posts?" 

"Deleted — we're working on the accounts too. The new kid did an excellent work: a few people are beginning to call the company bluff for not being able to ensure security as they should have. It would affect our clients though, not that we need them." 

Harry nodded, taking a sip from the glass. "Bad publicity but still Publicity regardless. We need the coverage still, so we will use the press to our advantage. Draft up an alleged contract with Ms. Montez. We will talk to the press...Together."

Xander nodded. "Let the public know we handle not just their security but also any mishaps that occur?" 

"I just need to speak to Ms. Montez about it. Tomorrow. It's late." 

How much will be too much? But then, she SHOULD know. 

"You should get some rest too," Xander suggested, a concerned look on his face. 

Harry's voice was gruff. "I'm fine." 

Xander scoffed. "We both know you're not. Just get a full night's sleep, bro, you deserve it." He reached across the counter and slapped Harry's back. "See you tomorrow." 

"Xan?" Harry called, stopping Xander at the kitchen's door. He turned around. 

"Contact Altura Media, and make sure those bastards are ready to take a public fall." Harry instructed.

"I will see to that personally," Xander assured. "Anything else?" 

Harry stared into the amber swirl, as if the answer lay inside. "Keep the dirt on Senor Montez." 

Xander gave a whoop. "I was hoping you would say that. You read my mind, Bro. "

Harry gave him a look. "I know you would have kept it regardless. Don't bullshit me." 

Xander shrugged. "It's my job to enjoy keeping those kinds of things." 

Harry frowned. "Whatever man, just get to work." He shaked his head. "Sometimes I just can't flow with your logic." 

Xander grinned as if he had received a compliment. "I know. That's why I complement you so nicely. When you get tired of your one night stands, you can always put a ring on this finger." He stretched forward his left hand. 

Harry's eyes went from Xander's hands to his gleeful face, his nose turning up in disgust. "Get to work for fuck's sake. And see a doctor while you're at it." 

Xander chuckled as he made for the door. He paused, glancing behind him at Harry. "You know the photos might be edited, right?"

"No point. They are all gone." 

"Yeah. But it clearly still bothers you. I mean, you nearly killed them." 

Harry pinched the bridge of his nose. "And you wouldn't have?"

"That's not the point and you know it."

Harry gulped the remnant of his drink, dropped the glass on the counter and pushed past Xander. "You have no point. I'm going to bed." 

"I'm standing guard by the basement to make sure you don't sneak in there and kill them while we all sleep," Xander called after him. 

Like you can stop me.