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Chapter 7: Louis

Louis leaned over the table, Anne and Gemma standing beside him. He wondered if he stared long enough a plan would materialize in front of him, but it had been ten minutes of silence and he hadn't the faintest idea what to do.

He sighed, leaning back and flinching as a knife of pain shot up his foot. Harry's call had proved his theory right, and now he even knew what ship they were on. Gemma's friend had been able to spot it walking by and had seen a couple burly men standing on deck. It matched Harry's description, after all there weren't many boats like that around anymore, and the extra muscle was enough evidence for him. Surely they would have increased security after his boyfriend's escape.

His lips turned up at the thought. Despite everything, Harry had managed to make it out, even if it was only for a little while. He had no idea what had happened which was frustrating as that might have helped him plan this break in, but if there was someone on that ship who had helped him...he could defiantly use that to his advantage. He'd have to find a way to ask Harry the next time they called.

"What if we..." he dragged his finger across the map Gemma had brought. The gas station Harry had called from and the coffee house right across from it were circled in red, as well as the ship. There were lines tracing every possible route to the dock. And...that was it. That was all they knew. "We could possibly go in through this street...but that might be too obvious...or this side road and we could..." he kept trailing off. He was really just thinking aloud, and everyone knew it. Still, no one complained. Their gazes were far away, trying to solve the problem themselves.

"I think our main problem is being seen," Gemma finally spoke, starling Louis. "It seems that no matter what way we go, we can't make it in and out unseen."

"But..." Gemma gave him a look, and he closed his mouth. He didn't really have an argument anyway, and she seemed to have an idea.

"So what if we just don't focus on being discrete? What's the point trying so hard to do the impossible?" She spread her arms as if the solved everything.

"The problem is that we are seriously out manned," Louis explained. Anne shrugged.

"So let's just create a distraction." She said it simply and they both turned to her.

"That's too dangerous. We don't want to hurt anyone, and it's not like we have anything cause a distraction..." Louis tuned out Gemma's argument, a plan forming in his head. Ignoring them he leaned back over the map, running calculations through his head. He hadn't even noticed they had stopped talking until someone asked hesitantly, "Louis?"

"I think...I know how you're going to get it." He said vaguely, circling another place on the map.

"You're? What about you?"

He looked up and gave Anne a grim look. He didn't even get a chance to say anything before she started shaking her head.

"No, I am not going to allow that-"

"Anne," he reasoned softly. "You can't stop me. Either this is a waste, or you make it worth it."

"No, I am not going to let you risk your life like that!"

Gemma caught on and paled. "You want to be the distraction, don't you." It was more of a statement than a question.

He ignored his partners' misgivings and gestured with the marker. "I come in here," he dragged the red ink across the paper, create a path to the ship. It was the most unassuming way possible without being out of sight of their target. "I get to there and cause a little mayhem, make sure they see me coming. I'm sure they all know what I look like and will have been alerted to deal with me before anything else. That will draw their attention away from-"

"Louis." The words were sharp and he looked up at Anne. She looked worried and he put his hand on top of hers.

"At least hear me out," he pleaded, and she sighed and looked away.

"Fine."

"Okay," he shook off her concern. "Anyway, I'll draw their attention from here." He made another line, this time starting on the opposite side. "You two will come up this way. All we know is that Harry is somewhere below deck, but that will have to be enough." His eyes burned with intensity as he looked up and Anne and Gemma. "As soon as you have Harry radio your mom. Anne, that's your cue to leave. Run down the pier, we'll have Gemma's friend stash a car behind the nearest boat. You come by and pick up Gemma and Harry. If you can, find me, but if not...I mean I've always been a decent runner. If you can't get me, we'll meet two miles down the road from the coffee shop."

Gemma pursed her lips and considered the idea, but Anne was already arguing. "How am I supposed to know whether to get you or not? I'll-"

"Trust me, you'll know," he replied solemnly. She shook her head.

"Fine, but Gemma can't go in alone-"

"Mom, I'll be fine. And besides, I'm not going in alone. You'll be keeping watch until my signal, then you're getting us out." She walked forward and gave her mom a hug. "We're a team, remember?"

Anne sighed. There was nothing else she could say.

Of course that didn't stop her from trying.

"Louis...these people, they're savages. They've already threatened to kill-" she lost her voice for a moment and blinked back tears. "You have no idea what they'll do if they catch you."

"Guess I can't let them catch me," he replied, offering a weak smile. She didn't look convinced, so he played his last card.

"I know you want him back, and you're willing to give everything. But so am I." He turned away, limping back to the counter where he had left Harry's borrowed sweatshirt. He fingered the cuff. "Everything."

There was a sigh behind him, then Anne joined him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. "I know. I guess it's not fair to try and stop you. Just...come back. Harry can't...I want him to hear from you what you wanted to..." Louis nodded, a lump forming in his throat as the ring in his pocket burned like a brand against his thigh.

"I will. I promise."

Gemma cleared her throat behind them, and the both spun around. "Louis...thank you. I know you're not doing this for us, but thank you." She trembled and Anne rushed over to comfort her. He nodded back.

"It's really not that bad you know. All I have to do it pretend to break in. As soon as it fails I'll bail, but you two are going to have to be quick." He gave them stern looks, but they both had dropped their vulnerability and stared back at him with determined eyes.

"We better pack up then. It's going to be a long day."