baby [h.s.]

forty five

            That night I had a nightmare. I saw Harry, tied to a chair, unconscious. He couldn't hear me, and I couldn't get to him. I awoke as someone lifted a gun to his head. When I jolted up in bed, I grabbed my chest. I was sweating. I glanced at the clock, shook my head when it read two. I reached for my phone to check for any update.

There was a message from Perkins. Not urgent. Call when you're awake. It had been sent just before midnight. I typed his number in and held the phone to my ear.

"Caine."

"What do you know?" I breathed out. "Tell me you've got something."

He sighed. "Not much. One of ours met with one of Abramo's, offered him cash for any information he could give. They've set up another meeting for the morning, we'll know more then."

I bit my lip. "Sounds hopeful."

"It is." He said. "Look, I've got to go. I'll be in touch when I know more." The line went dead and I dropped the phone on the bed next to me. I shifted on the mattress and it squeaked. The bed was miserable. I stared at the ceiling, willing myself to wake up from the nightmare this felt like.

I tossed in the bed for a few hours, feeling nauseous and numb. I had cried for so long the night before that I couldn't bring myself to do it anymore. Finally, I got up and snuck into the kitchen to make some tea. Riddle was asleep on the couch, his arm tossed over the side. I was glad to see him getting some rest. I filled the kettle with water and placed it on the tiny stove. There wasn't much in the cupboards besides a couple of canned goods and a box of earl grey tea. Just as the kettle was ready, I pulled it off so it wouldn't wake Riddle.

I poured myself a mug and walked towards the window, shielded by a curtain. Riddle had told me not to open it; we couldn't take any risks. It was nearly five thirty. Just as I finished my mug, my phone went off, indicating a text message. I tiptoed back into the bedroom and picked it up from the nightstand. The message was from a blocked number.

When I opened the message, it read an address. I scrunched my eyebrows, assuming it was from someone in the company. Just as I went to type the address in to my map, a photo came through from the same number. It was Harry, in the corner of a cinderblock room. There was a strip of tight fabric tied around his eyes and his skin was pale. He still wore his tuxedo, stained with blood. There was a puddle of blood beside his leg.

I immediately stood and ran to the restroom. I leaned over the edge of the toilet and emptied my stomach, and croaked Riddle's name. As I pulled myself away from the toilet, I heard shuffling, and a moment later Riddle appeared in the doorway. I pointed to my phone, laying on the floor of the restroom.

He was groggy from sleep, but he leaned and squinted his eyes as he read. His expression quickly changed.

"Shit." He said. "Fuck." He disappeared into the other room.

I flushed the toilet and moved to the sink to wash my face with cold water. As I did, I felt tears well in my eyes. I could hear Riddle in the other room, already on the phone. I pushed myself off of the sink and into the bedroom. I dug through the bag of clothing and yanked an outfit out. As I got dressed, there was no question. I knew what I was going to do.

"I'm going." I said to Riddle, through the doorway, as I tucked a gun into the waistband of my bands. He looked up at me from his phone call and shook his head.

"Hold on just a second," he spoke into the phone. "No, you're not."

I shook my head at him. "I am. I'm going to that address." I walked forward and took my phone from his hands. I leaned forward and gathered my hair into a ponytail, tied it, and stood back up.

As I tugged on the pair of boots that had been left in my bag, Riddle tugged on his hair. He ended his phone call and stepped in front of me.

"You're not going anywhere, Tilly." He said. "Be professional. Let the guys up top handle it."

I shook my head again, tears pricking the back of my eyes. "No. I can't keep sitting back and leaving it to procedure."

Riddle grabbed my arms and scowled. "You don't even know who the message was from. It could be fake."

I tugged back from him. "I won't know unless I try. You're not changing my mind."

Riddle shouted at me as I gathered a bit of cash and my identification from the counter, where I had left it the night before. I ignored him, breezed through the kitchen, and exited the back door. The air was cool and the sun had barely begun coming up.

I didn't have a plan past getting to the address. I didn't know how many men would be there, but I knew, eventually, Riddle would have them send people to back me up. I refused to sit and wait, though, because I knew, if the roles were reversed, there was not a damn thing in the world that would keep Harry from doing the same thing.

I jogged down the alley, dialed a cab service number into my phone. Just as I turned the corner of the block, I heard my name being shouted from behind me. I turned around to see Riddle, hair a mess, tugging on a shirt, turning the corner.

"Wait up for me, you stubborn bird." He hissed.

"You're not going to stop me." I said.

"I know." He said. "And if you're going to go, you're not fucking going it alone."

I sighed and let my shoulders sink. "Thank you. Now let's fucking find him."

--

another short chapter, but I'm trying not to rush it. let me know your thoughts and thank you again for all the support! as always, I love reading your guys' comments. you guys are so funny, I will literally just sit in my bed reading these and fully laughing out loud.

 baby will be over in just a few chapters :) it's crazy, because I started this story over five years ago. and I should've had it finished long ago, too. but, in a way, I'm happy it's taken this long and I am at the skill-level now where I feel confident in the story that I'm writing. I know the ending will be bittersweet.

again, I hope you enjoyed the excerpt I posted in the last update, and check out my new fanfic on my page if you do feel so inclined! again, it's stranger things/Billy Hargrove.

becca xx