Pelican » Zarry ✅

🕵 T h r e e

"Yes."

"Good. And don't bother tracking his phone. It'll be in the lake when you find it. And far from Zayn."

"What?"

The phone made a beeping noise that indicated the call was ended and Harry gasped and put a hand to his forehead. He wanted to say something. But he was too much in shock to get out a word. The only thing he could do was cry.

He recognized his husband's life was in danger and the kidnappers put it in his hands now. But he was scared. What was he supposed to do? How was he supposed to get his husband back alive? How was he supposed to find the kidnappers? The first thing he wanted to do was tell the police. But if he did, Zayn was a dead man. And the thought of losing the only person he ever loved and then having to raise their children alone terrified him.

That's when he looked back towards the garage door. His children. What was he supposed to tell them? How was he supposed to pretend everything was normal? They knew who their father was. They were surely going to ask about him.

Now he felt sick to the stomach. He was going to have to lie to his children and tell them daddy was alright when he was in danger of being killed. This wasn't going to be easy at all. But his feeling was that if he ever wanted to see Zayn alive again, he didn't have a choice. He had to do it.

He quickly pocketed his phone and got up and went to the bathroom. Once he dried his eyes and wiped his face, he went back out into the garage, where Charlie and Nema were still in the car waiting.

"There's been a change of plans. We're not leaving after all."

"We're not?"

"No."

"So what are we going to do, Pa?"

"Eat dinner and watch a movie."

"Oh."

First Harry unbuckled Charlie. Then he unbuckled Nema next. "Take your brother inside and help him take his shoes off and put them up in the correct spot. You too. Then get both his and your hands washed for dinner and wait at the table."

"Okay." She came around the car and took her brother's hand. "Come on, Chip."

When he came back inside the house, he went straight to the kitchen and washed his own hands, then he put the food on plates, warmed them up and brought them to the table where his children were already waiting.

"Pa." Nema said. "Where's Daddy's plate?"

"I haven't made it yet."

"Where is he?"

"He's not here."

"Why not? Daddy is always at dinner."

"Yes. I know. But not tonight."

"Why?"

"He... " Harry looked around for an idea. But there was nothing nearby to give him one. So he had to stick to a familiar lie. "He's on a business trip."

"He is?"

"Yes."

"Why did he go without you?"

Harry frowned. If Nema were Charlie's age, this might be a little different. But she wasn't three anymore. She was six. She'd been around them long enough to know how they did certain things. And eating dinner without the other there or going on a business trip without the other parent was something her parents just did not do.

Although, there was that one time late last year when Zayn left Harry temporarily and took Charlie with him after weeks of arguing. Harry told Nema that Zayn went on a business trip to help Charlie learn to go potty. But now that he learned to use the toilet on his own, that excuse was long gone.