"You're kind of hard to read," the new girl says as I turn left on the road to get to Prime. Her response makes me let out a laugh.
"Good, that's the way I like it," I nod. She giggles softly as I pull up in front of the pizzeria and put the car in park.
"Why?" She asks, her tone sounding slightly nervous.
I rest my hand on the steering wheel and keep my eyes forward, watching the cars pass by us, and think about her question.
I've never been asked that before. People usually just assume I'm a dick for fun and leave it at that. They're not totally wrong about that part, but it's not like I woke up one day and made the conscious decision to build my walls up.
Sometimes you just have to do what's necessary to protect yourself.
As I open my mouth to give her some sort of bullshit response, my phone rings. I look at the screen to see Jay's name, making my stomach drop. I quickly snatch my phone out of its holder and turn to the girl next to me.
"Get the pizza, I'll wait here," I order. She sits there silently, wide-eyed and looking stupid, and I feel my patience run out. "Now!"
I watch as she flinches and rushes to get out of the car, slamming the door behind her.
Jesus Christ, what a mess.
I shake my head and push the curls resting on my forehead back and take a deep breath to collect myself before I press 'accept' on the phone.
"Hello?" I clear my throat.
"Hey H, how's it going?" Jay's raspy voice replies.
"It's good, mate," I lie. The truth is, I've been sick with nerves ever since I agreed to distribute for Jay. I thought I was having a hard time sleeping before, but I've been awake for the last forty-eight hours with no end in sight. "What's up?"
"Just calling to check in, see how sales are going so far."
I feel my anxiety bubbling in my stomach. I've only managed to make one sale so far, and that was only because I had to threaten him to make him cooperate.
"They're good, yeah," I hesitate, hoping he doesn't hear the dishonesty in my voice.
"That's great to hear man," he says, seemingly believing my lies. "Listen, I'm going to need the money in three weeks instead of four."
My jaw drops as his demand replays in my head.
Three weeks?
My heart rate begins to quicken and I almost feel dizzy. How the hell am I supposed to sell a thousand dollars worth of drugs in three weeks?
"W-what?" I stutter, the words barely loud enough for me to hear. "Jay, I-"
"You got this, H," he attempts to reassure me. "There's a client I need you to drop off to in an hour. I'll send you the details."
"Sure, yeah," I nod absentmindedly.
I'm slightly relieved that he has someone for me to meet, but the intense panic I'm feeling is far from gone.
"Great, thanks man. I really appreciate it," he expresses. "Talk soon."
Jay hangs up and I'm left sitting in silence with my phone still held to my ear, and my mind racing.
What the hell did I get myself into?
I know this guy has some serious connections in this business, and I don't want to find out what happens if I don't get him that money in three weeks.
My phone buzzes in my hand, the vibration against my ear snapping me out of my trance, and I look down to see that Jay sent me an address. There's no name or anything, just the address. I swallow the lump in my throat and take a deep breath.
Maybe this'll be a big sale. Maybe it'll take some of this anxiety off my shoulders. Maybe it'll all work out. Right?
A knock on the passenger side window makes me jump, and I look to see Katie standing outside the door with three pizza boxes in her arms.
Fuck.
I completely forgot about her. I don't have time to drop her off at the shop and make it to the client in an hour. I groan and pinch the bridge of my nose when I realize she has to come with me.
"Can you open the door?" She shouts, the noise sounding muted from the glass between us.
I roll my eyes and pull on the handle from the inside to push the car door open for her.
She struggles with the pizzas as she gets in and huffs when she finally sits down. "Thanks," she says quietly, avoiding looking at me. Probably from my snapping at her.
"We have to make a stop," I tell her as I pull away from the curb.
"Where?" She questions, sounding confused.
"None of your business."
• • •
We arrive at the large, grey building with five minutes to spare, the trip taking much longer than I thought. Louis will be pissed, he's already texted me twice to ask where we are, but I'll just blame it on the girl. He won't get as angry with her as he will with me.
It looks like we're at some sort of warehouse, but there's no name outside or anything. I already don't like the look of this. The time reads 4 o'clock, and the sun is slowly starting to set, which makes me even more nervous. I don't want to be meeting up with a random hook up in the dark, so I need to make it quick.
"What are we doing? We need to go back, Harry," Katie urges me worriedly.
"Relax," I sigh. "I'll be in and out."
She stays quiet. I look over to see her chewing on her lip with furrowed brows and glancing out the window.
"I'll be right back. Stay here," I warn her.
The look on her face is one of concern. Her stress added to mine is not what I need right now. I quickly get out of the car and go to the trunk to grab the large duffle bag full of substances, then use my remote to lock the doors until I hear the loud beeping noise, and speed walk to the entrance of the building.
I take a deep breathe and straighten my hoodie before pressing the red button that I assume is the doorbell. I hear a long buzzing noise coming from inside, and after a minute, the metal door creaks open to reveal a large man wearing all black peeking his head through the crack. He has a few poorly done tattoos on his face and what looks like a gang symbol on the side of his neck.
I swallow harshly at the faded ink.
"Can I help you?" His gruff voice asks.
"Yeah, Jay sent me," I hesitate, trying to sound more confident than I actually am.
I feel like such a little bitch right now, my tough facade is nearly cracking.
"What's your name?"
"Why does it matter?" I grimace.
I don't need this guy knowing my name. I want to finish my business and get the hell out of here.
The man opens the door a little wider and steps up to me intimidatingly. "What is your name?" He repeats, in a harsher tone than the first time.
"Harry," I stammer, struggling to keep contact with his intense eyes.
He nods stiffly and steps back inside to let me in. I walk slowly through the dingy doorway and take in my surroundings.
The walls and the floor are made of stained, grey concrete, and large fluorescent light fixtures hang from the high ceiling. There are a few doors scattered throughout the long hallway. A single door at the very end is cracked open just a bit. I can't make out anything inside the room, all I can see is a bright, warm light illuminating from the space.
I feel a large hand grip me by the arm and yank me forward. "Hey, get off me!" I protest.
I attempt to pull out of the man's grasp, but I'm useless against the firm hold he has on me. He doesn't say anything as he continues to lead me closer to the door.
I can almost hear my heavy heartbeat as we approach the entrance, and he shoves me through the doorway so hard I almost fall right on my face.
"Jesus, what's wrong with you?!" I spit, sending a glare towards the asshole.
"You're the one Jay sent?" I hear another voice speak up, startling me.
I swiftly turn my head to see a different man sitting down at a large table in the center of the room. He looks smaller than the other guy, he's wearing a dark suit with a short beard and his brown hair is slicked back. He looks much less intimidating, which makes me feel slightly relieved.
I stand up straight and nod my head. "Yeah, Harry," I grumble.
Now that the big guy knows my name, there's no point in trying to keep it to myself.
The man stands up from the table and makes his way over to me, holding out his hand for me to shake. "Charles, nice to meet you," he introduces himself as I take his hand.
His politeness is kind of unsettling seeing as though I was just manhandled by his bodyguard, or whatever the hell he is.
"Likewise," I mutter. I reach over and pull the bulky duffle bag off my shoulder and set it on the metal table, unzipping it in one swift movement. I want to get this over with as soon as possible. The whole situation is making me feel uneasy. "Jay didn't tell me what you wanted."
"All of it," he states.
I freeze, wondering if I heard him correctly. "All of it?" I stare at him with furrowed brows.
"Yes," he confirms, placing his hand on the bag firmly. "What is it? Twelve-hundred?"
My eyes widen in shock, and I struggle to find my words. Is he really taking all of this off of my hands at one time for two hundred dollars more than what it's worth?
He raises his brows at me, expecting an answer.
"Uh, yeah," I nod quickly, shoving the bag in his direction. "Twelve-hundred."
He smirks and zips the bag back up, then reaches into his suit jacket's inner pocket to pull out a small stack of cash. He counts out twelve hundred bills, and holds the money out for me to take.
"That should do it."
I take the money from him hesitantly. "Thanks."
"Hey, what are you doing in here?!" The large man shouts behind me, making me jump.
I turn around to see what's going on, and my heart stops when I lock eyes with a frightened-looking Katie.
What is taking him so long?
I check the time on my phone to see that Harry's been gone now for almost thirty minutes; I groan quietly to myself.
Louis has called me three times, and I've ignored each one. He must be furious, but I have no clue what Harry is doing in that warehouse and I don't want to get him in trouble. Not yet at least.
It's almost dark now, and I'm growing increasingly anxious about being in an unfamiliar part of the city all by myself. Plus, I'm starting to get worried about Harry. I know I shouldn't be, he's a grown man who can take care of himself and is a total asshole to me, but something about him seemed off when I got back in the car. More than usual, I mean.
I decide I can't sit here any longer and unlock the car to get out. I lock it again before shutting the door behind me and make my way to the building I saw him go into.
This is probably a horrible idea, but I need to make sure everything's okay so we can get back to Blackhouse before Louis decides to fire us both.
When I reach the entrance, I knock loudly on the door and listen for anyone inside. After a minute of waiting, I decide to try the handle and breathe a sigh of relief when it opens easily.
"Hello?" I call softly when I step inside. "Harry?"
I get no response and start to walk nervously down the long hallway. I notice the farthest door is partially open, and I can see Harry standing in front of a large table. It looks like he's talking to someone, but the door is covering whoever it is.
Thank god he's alive, but what the hell is he doing? I walk a little bit closer and wave at him in an attempt to get his attention, but it's useless. I can finally hear what's being said as I step up to the door.
"What is it? Twelve-hundred?" An unfamiliar voice asks.
It's silent for a second, and I can see a look of shock come across Harry's face. "Uh, yeah. Twelve-hundred," he finally says.
He pushes the large duffle bag he had grabbed out of his trunk across the table.
Oh god.
I'm hit with the realization that I'm watching another drug deal happen right in front me. How the hell do I keep getting myself into these situations?
"Fuck," I whisper to myself as I start to back away slowly.
Apparently I didn't say it quietly enough, though.
"Hey, what are you doing in here?!" A huge man blocks the doorway and pulls a black handgun out of his waistband, pointing it in my direction and stopping me in my tracks.
My breath catches in my throat when I look over his shoulder and make eye contact with Harry. A look of panic flashes across his face, but it's quickly replaced with anger.
"What the fuck are you doing?!" Harry seethes.
I'm at a loss for words as my eyes flicker back and forth between him and the gun.
The stranger rushes me, and grabs me by the arm, dragging me into the room with Harry and a second strange man. I let out a high pitched shriek and Harry quickly throws his hands up in surrender when he sees the man hold the gun up to my head.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" He pauses to take a step forward. I feel my eyes beginning to brim with tears as the fear really begins to set in. "She's with me!"
"Max, put the gun down," the man next to Harry orders. He seems to be totally calm, which really freaks me out.
How could anyone be calm in a situation like this, even if they don't have a gun pointed at them?
"But sir-"
"Put it down. Now," the man repeats, pointing his index finger in our direction.
I'm quickly released and shoved into Harry, who catches me from behind before I can fall on my ass. He keeps his hold on me as the gun goes back into the waistband.
"I'm sorry about her," Harry apologizes through gritted teeth, his voice is laced with anger. "She doesn't know how to listen apparently."
I furrow my brows and look back at him. "I'm not a dog," I whisper, barely loud enough for him to hear; he nudges my thigh with his knee.
"Hey, relax," the well-dressed man chuckles and shakes his head. "If Jay trusts you, then so do I. We're all good here."
"Great, we're just going to leave then," Harry tells him.
He begins shuffling me towards the door, but the large man with the gun stands in the way of the exit with his arms crossed.
"Max, let them by," his boss barks. Max huffs and steps to the side to let us go. "Thanks for doing business, Harry. Hopefully we'll be seeing you again soon."
"Right, yeah," Harry mutters. He pushes me out of the room and starts down the hallway.
"There's no fucking way," Harry says under his breath when we're out of earshot.
As we get farther away from the two men he picks up his pace, one hand still on each of my arms.
"Harry, I-"
"Shut the fuck up," he growls lowly. "Don't say anything."
I gasp softly at his threatening tone. I notice how wet my hands are with sweat, the fear and anxiety completely taking over my body.
We finally reach the building's exit and Harry throws the door open, shoving me outside so hard I almost trip over my own feet.
"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" He screams at me.
His hands are balled into fists as his chest heaves up and down. I can feel the anger emanating off of him while we're stopped just outside of the door.
"Harry, I'm so sorry," I say quickly, holding my hands up. "You were in there for so long, I got worried."
"I asked you to do one thing, and you completely ignored it!" He yells again, stepping towards me. "Are you fucking stupid?"
I wince at the insult, his words stinging. I feel my tears threatening to fall down my cheeks.
"No," I say weakly, shaking my head in defense. "I was worried about you."
A strange look flashes across Harry's face, but I'm not sure what it means. I don't know him well enough yet to pick up on all of his mannerisms.
"Why the fuck would you care what happens to me?" He spits, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
"Because I- I don't know," my head hangs and I stare at the ground, trying as hard as I can to not cry.
The last thing I need is for Harry to see me like that. That would just give him more ammunition to use against me.
The truth is, I really don't know the answer to his question. I would just hate for something bad to happen to him while I'm just sitting in the car. I would feel horrible.
Harry stays quiet for a moment, but I can still feel his eyes locked on me. He finally scoffs and starts walking back to the car. I stand there watching him, confused by his lack of yelling.
I decide to follow him. It's now completely dark outside, and an uncomfortable feeling is hanging in the air. The last thing I want is to be stranded out here by myself.
The tension between the two of us is thick enough to cut with a knife when I get in the car.
"If you tell anyone what you happened, I will kill you," Harry threatens, staring straight ahead.
I turn my head to face him, his nostrils are flaring and he's clenching the steering wheel so hard his knuckles are turning white.
A heavy pit forms in my stomach. I know in my gut that he means every word.
I don't know how I got wrapped up in this toxic man's web, but what I do know is that there is no way out.
~~~~~
Holy shit you guys! Thank you so so much for 1.2k reads!! I honestly never thought my silly little fic would get to this point! Thank you everyone for your love and support! I love you all <3