You will always be my person

Chapter 8

Harry's POV

I stare at the new face. He's shorter than me but he's got more muscle. Black hair. Cocky smile. Lame rock band t-shirt. Basketball shorts. Converse.

"Nate I presume?"

He nods once. His mouth opens but he doesn't get to speak.

"You called Harry?!" Louis is angry. Good. If my suspicion is correct he will need that anger.

Something has been off about Lou. He's different and not just because he's gotten older. It's like he's a different person completely and no one just changes that much. I've known him most of my life and most of his I've been through a lifetime of change with him.

BUZZ. BUZZ.

I glance at my phone as a text comes through.

Z: Headed to the hospital. Meet in your car? I've got something.

Finally. He's been digging for over a month.

"Lou. I forgot I have a meeting." His worried blue eyes look up at me. "We can finish this later yeah?"

"Leaving so soon Harry?" I roll my eyes at the man but ignore him as I walk past him. He grabs my arm and I look at him pulling it from his grasp.

"Nate what is going on?" Louis soft voice asks.

He doesn't answer I don't even know if he heard Lou's question because he whispered something in my ear. It made a cold shiver go down my spine. "Don't trip down the stairs Styles."

I've only tripped down one set of stairs...the ones at Lou's house. Only 3 people know about that. Liam. Niall. Me. My eyes don't leave his as I open and close the door. I pass the nurse in the hallway and sigh in relief when she walks in the room. Normally I hate it when they check his vitals and shit periodically but right now I am grateful she will be in that room.

I walk through the lobby and pull my hood up and put my sunglasses on. No one is waiting but I know there's probably someone taking pictures. I walk through the parking garage and get in the driver's seat of my rover.

"You may want to think about having body guards at least a couple. It was too easy to get into your car mate."

I smile at my long time friend. Zayne. "I'll keep that in mind." I hold out my hand and he puts a piece of paper in it. "This is it?"

It's blank.

"Yeah. Are you sure you got his name right?"

I nod. "Nate."

He shakes his head. "Look I went to the bar. Shady place even for me. I talked to some people who have seen em around. Nothing stuck out until they all said the slender one always seemed to leave more messed up than the muscular one. I went to the bartender and bribed him. It took a couple hundreds but he started talking. Nate always showed up first and ordered then waited...always the same booth. I asked who paid the tab and he said always Louis. That was a red flag because he said he had a card left of file so he could come and go as he wanted but Tommo never does that. I even checked the booth it seemed like a regular booth."

I pinch the bridge of my nose and take a deep breath. "It seems too odd Z. I mean you know more about drugs than any of us and I showed you what the doctor said was in Lou's tox screen."

"I know. I went back again a few days later...as a customer. I found a girl Valerie. Nice blonde one who remembered Tommo."

I look at him in disbelief. "How did she know it was him?"

He shrugged. "She's a fan H. She said he seemed lonely and sad but then as he kept drinking he got more...open. She said he danced with his male companion but then just snapped and left. She said that the man tried to get him to stay but then pulled out his phone to make a call. Now are you sure 100% that his name is Nate?"