shift

ten

HARRY'S POV

"I'm sorry we have to meet under these circumstances." Desiree begins when Max is sat in the booth across from both Desiree and I.

"Unfortunately this is the business." Max answered with his dark brown eyes matching his chocolate colored hair.

Max had a muscular build with his arms exposed from his grey short sleeves t shirt. His leather jacket he had on previously  was taken off and thrown into the booth before he slid into the seated area. Max reminded me vaguely of the popular jocks in school, from the nicely sculpted body to his cool fashion choices.

"We just have a few questions about Calum." I informed him although he probably already knew what this was about.

"What do you want to know?" Max took his shot that was brought to the table. Flipping his head back while he downed the small shot of Tequila.

"How do you know Calum?" I asked beginning the question session of the meeting.

"We were great friends, I had one more year of experience on him and was there the first day he was introduced to the team. We have been friends ever since." Max answered folding his arms across his chest and settling against the booth.

"Did Calum tell you about Malik?" Desiree jumped into questioning.

I knew this would be somewhat difficult for Desiree only because she was so attached to this case. She had lost the love of her life to this underground deal. When she had opened up to me about Ashton there weren't many details about their relationship. What I knew about him was slim, I knew that they had been together three years and that Zayn had brought them together. The Ashton topic was seldom something we ever talked about. Mostly because we had other things to talk about and Desiree usually chose not to bring her past lover up.

"Yeah, told me the night of the race. He told me that Malik was offering him a hundred grand to run Ashton of the track. He at fist said he wasn't sure about the whole thing but I guess he ended up following through." Max engaged into the conversation speaking freely of the details regarding what he knew about the deal between Zayn and Calum.

"Why did he follow through with all of it?" Desiree asked begging for more information behind why someone would intentionally hurt another.

"Calum at the time was in a hard spot. He needed any money he could get his hands on and he would do anything for it. He was offered a hundred grand and that was what he needed and more." Max began to bring Calum's motives to light and I could briefly relate.

I knew what it was like to be hard up for money. Although I would never hurt someone or even go as far as kill someone like Calum had boldly chose I knew what he was going through times two. I had no money to support Gabrielle and I back then, and was struggling to get along and pay my own debts to others. I knew what the struggle felt like to have no money in your bank account. This however didn't give him a free pass to do what he did, he injured and killed another man.

I could see Desiree's eyes glass over in attempts to hold back her fresh tears that so badly battled with her to fall. It was all too much for her to take in and despite getting Max to open up the truth of the tragic event I could tell her heart was aching. It was breaking inside of her knowing that Ashton's death was no accident but rather planned out in exchanged for money.

"Umm.." She stumbled to find anything else to say. Max looked at her while Desiree hid away her eyes from him.

"Did you know Calum?" Max asked a question assuming she was involved somehow given her emotions shinning though.

"No." She answered pulling herself together for the sake of her surroundings and company. "Ashton."

"Oh." Max recoiled feeling sympathy for Dez as she looked him in the eyes with her answer. "I'm sorry, I wish it could have all been avoided for both Ashton and Calum's sake."