Assault With a Deadly Weapon || N.H / 1D

15.

My head snapped up when I heard my name.

"Can you come in here for a minute?" He requested.

"Yeah, just give me a sec." I closed some tabs on my computer.

As I walked past Horan we made brief eye contact. Of course it was eating me up inside that I've been confusing him, but nobody could be more confused than I was.

I walked into Malik's office where he had set up screens and microphones. He had full surveillance over Styles.

"I just thought you should come in and talk to him." Malik suggested.

"Thanks." I sat down at the desk and put on the headphones. I moved the camera that was planted in Styles' earring. I could rotate it and look around. He was currently in what looked like a bedroom. He was alone. I leaned into the microphone and spoke calmly. "Styles, this is Carter."

"Oh hey!" He sounded excited.

"Not too loud." I scolded him.

"I'm alone." He protested. "Those bastards went out to commit some crimes."

"You sound too happy about that."

"Well I can't do anything to prevent it so I might as well make it a joke." He sighed.

"What have you found out?" I asked impatiently.

"The Hidalgo's aren't the only family involved." He told me.

"Please tell me it's not the Reilly's too." I felt nerves creep up on me.

"Do you think I'd still be alive right now if the Reilly's were involved?"

"Good point."

"There's four families. They call themselves the Court of Four Thorns. Except they speak in Latin."

"You speak Latin?" I was impressed.

"I live part time in Italy of course I know Latin." He scoffed.

"That's helpful." I laughed. "Have you found out what their deal is?"

"Con artists." He said simply. "Ever heard of the robber barons? Andrew Carnegie? John Rockefeller?"

"I'm familiar." I nodded.

"They're like gods to these guys." He scoffed. "They're doing all this sketchy stuff like-"

There was a knock on his door. I froze up.

"Alex, who are you talking to?" A familiar face walked through the bedroom door. It was the waitress from the pub with the hairclip.

"Oh hey." Styles covered up quickly with his phone in his hand. "I was just talking to my sister."

"Your sister?" She sat at the edge of his bed.

"Your sister?" I repeated through his earpiece.

"I thought your family was in prison." She flipped onto her stomach, lifting her feet in the air.

"My sister is currently in France. She wasn't involved in the business much." He explained.

"You're a travelling family." She noted.

"You could say that."

"Are you coming down for lunch? Father made Zoodles."

"Like the soup with animal noodles?" Styles laughed.

"No, like Zucchini noodles silly." She playfully hit his arm.

"I'm a man of many cuisines Daniella." He specified. "Who made it? Rupert or Henri?"