"Who is she?" Louis asked.
"The head boss. From what we can tell she runs the entire operation. She was hard as hell to get information on. We don't know much about her, but we have an address. Every Thursday she has coffee at a small cafe around ten."
"Wait, this is-what is this?" Louis asked confused. Zayn was glancing over at the folder but staying silent.
"This is our chance to get our boys back. This woman runs the show. And we have a location. This could be the end of Headquarters, boys.
"How do you-"
"We've known about Headquarters for years. I'm in charge of defense, Louis. I'm charged with the protection of millions of people. Headquarters is the most lethal private killing organization in the world. Our paths were due to cross."
Anne took the folder back from Louis and looked it over. "We found her a couple months ago. Knew we were onto something. Leslie, Home Secretary? I believe you may have met." Louis had the decency to look away at that. "Yes, well, she and I were building a file on her. I knew we'd really found something when she came up dead."
Anne closed the folder and moved forward to place a hand on the back of Louis' chair, hovering over him. "She was my best friend. An amazing woman; Harry's Godmom, actually." Anne looked like she might growl, "I'll never forgive you for what you've done. But this," she held up the folder, "will surely help you earn my tolerance."
Louis nodded numbly, "Of course, I'm sor-"
"I don't want your apology. I want your help. Period."
"Tell me what to do."
Anne stood back up, "Well we're going to have to find another way into the cafe. You killed the man that ran the entire chain."
"Alfred? I won't apologize for that."
Anne chuckled darkly, "I wouldn't expect you to. He was an awful person. But he was also going to let us have complete control of the store. Cameras, electricity, security. Now we need to find another way in."
"Zayn can do all that," Louis thumbed towards his silent partner. Zayn looked at Louis like he'd been disturbed from a trance.
"Mr. Malik, can you do all that?"
"I, um..."
Louis tried to get up to go to Zayn, but his guard pushed him back down. Louis huffed and looked to Anne, "Can you please tell your goon to lay off? I'm not going anywhere."
Anne nodded to the man and he released Louis. Louis went and knelt in front of Zayn's still frame. "Hey, Zee, what's up? What's wrong?"
Zayn was shaking his head minutely. "They always told us we were good," he whispered, but in the quiet room it carried. "They told us these people were bad. How many families have we ended? Mother's have we killed?"
Louis took both of Zayn's hands in his and kissed the knuckles, "Hey, no, none of that. I brought you into this life, I'm getting you out. You were always good to me; there for me."Louis brought Zayn's hand up to cup his face. "Help me get Liam and Harry back, make up for a piece of what we've done."
Zayn searched Louis' eyes for the answer before nodding and looking to Anne, "I can do all that."
"Great. We have to be mindful who we involve. No one can know."
Louis stood up, still holding on of Zayn's hands. "We get it. Just tell us what to do."
***
"Here they come," Liam whispered. "Showtime."
"I don't know-" Harry started.
"Haz, this is our only choice. I need you to help us get out of here. I can't by myself."
Harry put a hand to the wall between them. Over the last two weeks Liam had become like Harry's rock, holding him strong through all of this. Harry had only been taken out once since the last time, and it was because he was throwing a fit and couldn't be calmed. They beat him until he passed out and threw him back in here. Now Liam's turn had come again. The time for his daily beatings was here again.
"You trust me, right?"
"Of course," Harry placated, "I just don't want to be beaten again.
"I know, I won't let that happen."
The door at the end of the hall creaked open. Keys jingling in the air as their guard stomped down the corridor to Liam's cell. "Ready big guy?"
"Fuck off," Liam spat.
"Rowdy today. Alright, I think we can take care of you."
Liam snarled at the man as he opened the door. The guard rolled his eyes at what was left of the once strong man. As soon as Liam was pulled to his feet he used what little strength he had to push the man against the wall while holding onto the ring of keys. The belt loop on the guards jeans ripped at the seam and the keys went flying back out of Liam's hand, scooting across the floor.
The guard recovered and took out his taser. Liam whimpered, knowing what was coming. The electric shot through his body and he fell to the ground. The guard dropped the taser next to himself and swung back and forth at Liam's face with his fists. "Think you can beat me?" he outraged. "Fucking nobody!" he yelled and kept swinging. Liam's face was covered in blood, making his features almost indiscernible.
Harry reached his arm through the bars, his fingertips outstretched. The keys were right there, just beyond his reach. Harry made a frustrated sound and pressed harder into the bars. Right there. He could almost...
A snapping sound sent a sharp pain shooting up Harry's arm and down his body. But now he could reach the keys. He dragged them back with weak, numb fingers and used his good hand to find the right one. Harry unlocked his cell and dove for the guard outside Liam's cell. They fell to the ground beside Liam. The guard quickly overtook Harry, who wasn't much of a fighter in the first place.
Liam's eyelids opened heavily, his vision obscured by red. He spotted the taser and reached for it weakly. His finger grasped the cold metal and he gathered every ounce of energy into picking it up and pressing the button. He rolled over and let his arm swing down over the guard. The taser jammed into the sensitive skin of his neck and the guard quickly dropped his bloodied hands and started to seize.
Liam held the weapon to his neck until the guard stopped moving and fell to the side. Harry's mouth was gaping, and his lip was bleeding, as he watched the man slip off him and onto the floor. "Oh my God," he breathed, close to tears.
"Come on, Harry," Liam said, but his voice was weak. "They'll be coming to look for me soon when I don't show up." Liam tried to stand, but just fell back to his knees. Harry surged forward to catch him before he hit the cement floor. He wrapped an arm around his bruised torso and picked him up. Harry carried most of his weight with his good arm as they walked towards the door.
"Wait," he remembered and let Liam lean on the wall while he ran back, grabbed the keys, and put them in his pocket. He came back and leaned Liam against him again, "Okay. Let's get out of here."
***
"Can you get in?" Louis asked worriedly.
Zayn was typing away furiously at a security system that was far too advanced for a cafe. "There's something else going on there, Lou. There's no way a coffee shop needs a back door firewall protection. What are they protecting? Pastries?"
Louis looked across the desk, over Zayn's shoulder, at Anne. She was flicking through something on her iPad and paying them minimal attention. "What's at the cafe, Anne?"
Anne didn't look up, but said, "I don't know. Whatever it is, Albert was oblivious. None of the info you gave me on that flash drive points to anything suspicious. If there's something there, he didn't know it."
Zayn kept typing. "It'll take me a while to get in. At least a couple days to have control of the security system and cameras."
"Then do it," Anne ordered.
Louis huffed and rubbed his temples, "The boys are waiting for us. There's got to be a quicker way."
Anne scoffed, "Do you think you want Harry back more than me?" She lowered the tablet and glowered at Louis, "He's my son. I birthed and raised him. You've known him for what, a few months? You have no right."
Louis leaned further over Zayn's shoulder, a hand on the desk, towards Harry's mom. "I'm not claiming anything, but yes I want him back as soon as possible."
"Then you'll listen and do what you're told so this goes off quickly and safely."
Louis' mouth fell open. "Excuse me? Without us, none of this happens."
"Without you?" Anne was furious now, "Without you none of this would be happening! Harry would still be here, going to school, and happy!"
Louis shrank back at that. He knew she was right. "But I'm here, trying to get him back." He cleared his throat. "I love him. I can't let him die there."
Zayn looked up at Louis, seeing the desperation in his friend's eyes. He kissed Louis' arm that was next to him, making Louis look down. "You're not bad, Lou. We can save him."
"No," Anne added, "you're not a bad person, Louis. You're to blame for my son being where he is, but you're not bad."
"How do you even know that? How do you know me?"
"You're not as hidden as you might think, Mr. Tomlinson." Anne sat back in the chair Louis once occupied. She tapped on her iPad a few times before turning it around. There was a picture of Louis hovering over a kneeling Harry. Harry was naked and crying while Louis was looking down lovingly. The picture was taken through big windows. Louis recognized it as the day in LA when he broke. "Are you surprised? Like I would let my child leave the country with a stranger and not keep eyes on him. I won't lie, when I first saw these I was planning to kill you myself, but when Harry came home he was happier than I'd ever seen him. I don't understand, but he loves you."
Zayn was rubbing soft circles into Louis' shaking arm. Louis swallowed back tears. "That's not what it- I'd never hurt him. We're-"
"I don't care, nor do I want to know. As long as my son is happy, I can't ask for more." Anne lowered the tablet to her lap, "Which is why I'm sure you're the one for this job. You'd do anything for him, correct?"
"Yeah, I mean, of course."
"Then work with me. Do as I say and we'll get through this. We'll get those boys back."