Stealing Hearts (Zayn Malik Fanfiction)

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

Zayn POV

It was quiet.

No complete silence, because Stefan was still mocking in the background to Niall and Nathan about how Louis and me ruined our chance on more money. But it was still quiet… between Louis and I. We hadn’t said a word from the moment we jumped in Niall’s car. I want so say so much but somehow I’m at loss for words, because how the heck did all of this happen? One moment I’m preparing for a new job, the other moment I’m standing in front of the girl I so want to avoid in situations like this.

I chose her to be my priority. Grabbing her was only logic to me, and I couldn’t be more relieved she was standing on my side instead of Stefan’s or Nathan’s. I don’t even want to think about what could’ve happened if those roles were reversed.

And the fact me and Louis were the ones with the guns close to the two girls, gave me the idea everything would go fine. Even when Stefan turned around to Louis, telling him he should shoot the girl... I knew he wasn’t going to shoot her. But then he pointed the gun at Harry and it took me off guard. Because I did not expect that.

Maybe I didn’t think about Harry because he’s a man and he can take care of himself. Maybe I didn’t think of him because he was standing alone and nobody was aiming at him. Or maybe my focus was just too drawn to Evelyn that I wasn’t able to think properly anymore, knowing very well that those two ‘heroic’ lads are in far more danger from the moment they decide to make a move.

Harry moved.

Louis shot.

And I don’t know which one of them made the worst mistake. 

Sitting next to Louis during the car ride feels like ages compared to other times where we chat quietly in the back. He doesn’t even look at me now. He’s staring outside his window, just like I am, preparing all the things we were going to say from the moment we would be alone together.

And when that time arrives, I don’t hold back.

‘WHY the fuck did you shoot?’ I yell at Louis from the moment we enter his room and I know Stefan is downstairs.

‘What was I supposed to do, Zayn?’ He bites back. ‘Shoot the girl? Like Nathan warned him? I’m not killing a pregnant lady.’

‘You could’ve killed him!’

But he rolls his eyes at me. ‘I knew what I was doing! Shoulder isn’t that bad.’

I scoff at those words. ‘You sound like Stefan.’

Louis suddenly turns around on his heel and walks back to me with such an angry expression, I’m almost afraid of him. ‘You sound like someone who doesn’t even know how this game works!’ He yells at me. ‘Because seeing a girl is not how this thing works, Zayn. Getting conflicted with people who know or don’t know about the stuff we do is not how this game works. And when you play wrong, things happen and people get fucking hurt!’

‘Don’t y-…’

But he interrupts me straight away. ‘You need to be happy it wasn’t Evelyn. Because this could’ve been the end, you realize that?’ Louis is raging on and on and my mind is barely able to keep track. ‘If Nathan was the one with the pregnant chick, he would’ve killed her. Evelyn would’ve reacted. You would’ve protected her. And I would probably be dead right now.’

The last bit confuses me.

‘Why you?’ I ask, feeling stupid for even going along with his hypothetic story.

We are standing two feet away from each other, but it feels like a mile at least. 

‘Because we have each other’s back.’ He just says, with an expression like he wants to tell me something else but it just doesn’t make any sense.