Chapter Thirty-One
Harry POV
"Don't turn around," I told Liam crossly, peering between the seats, "that's an order."
"Harry, it's three in the morning." Niall said softly.
"Shut up," I mumbled distractedly, leaning back in my seat to look attentively through the window. It was harder to see through the streets on account of how dark it got, even with all the street lamps.
But I couldn't just give up and head back. No, not with Claire out there-with him. I gripped tighter onto the pistol sitting in my lap, clenching my jaw and refraining from cursing aloud, even though I really wanted to.
I was only moments too late; if I had left the house just a few seconds earlier, I would've caught them in time.
"Did Zayn give you any updates?" I asked Liam. We were able to keep two men from leaving the house, and I wanted to interrogate them from looking for the girls was much more important. We all got into a car as soon as the white van turned the corner, and we tried our best to follow them, but by the time we reached the corner, they were gone. Zayn was back at the house, keeping the men in the basement to interrogate them.
I wanted to know who this leader is, and who the hell he thinks he is for taking my girl.
"They're still not talking." Niall spoke up quietly after reading a text on his phone. "Look, Harry we know-"
"-he already said we're not turning around." Louis spoke this time instead, his eyes never leaving the windows. He had been staring outside them, searching and searching this entire time. And when he spoke, he sounded firm and slightly harsh-worried.
"We're going to need sleep in order to think clearly." Liam said matter-of-factly. Fuck. I always hated it when he had some kind of point. But it didn't matter. What mattered was that Claire was with some bastard who took her, and I knew what he was planning to do with her when he openly touched her in front of me. He was using her to get to me; he knew I saw him touch her, and he knows that I saw her leave with him. This is all a fucking ploy to mess with my head; I wasn't stupid, I knew how psychology worked. But this is all fucking bullshit because his business is between he and I-it has nothing to do with the girls. He just struck so low to take them in order to get to me. Fucking cowardly bastard. "If we keep going like this, we'll never find them."
"What if they aren't even here?" I asked hoarsely. "What if he fucking drove them out of town? Huh?" That was a high possibility, except for the fact that this man wanted to take over Cheshire. However, it would be smart for him to have his main building outside of Cheshire.
"He wouldn't do that." Liam replied. "He's planning on staying, unless..."
He trailed off, letting the possibility hang in the air.
Unless he took the girls out of town so we wouldn't find them.
"Stop the car," I said through gritted teeth.
"Why-"
"-stop the fucking car right now." My voice came out as a feral growl, and the tires screeched, the car lurching to the right as it came to a rough stop. I threw open the door before the tires were even motionless, and I was walking across the street, taking long, brisk strides.
"Harry, mate, calm down," Niall called from the car, doors opening as they all got out, scrambling to follow me. We had no idea what part of town we were in, but it looked like it was a small neighborhood.
All I could see was Claire's shady figure through the window, staring at me as the van drove away. I was her last resort, her only hope, and I had failed her.
And she was gone.
She could be dead now...the man-whatever the fuck his name was-could've raped her. Oh, I could only imagine the terrible things his psychotic mind could've came up with to harm her, and all these possibilities were running vividly through my mind.
"Fucking hell," I said, sinking down into the curb and sitting down, leaning my elbows on my knees and running my hands through my hair. I let the pistol remain limply in my lap; I didn't want to part with it.
How were we going to find her? It was like searching for a needle in a hay sack; we'd barely be able to find her here in Cheshire, but how the hell were we going to find her if he took them elsewhere?
The organization was searching for clues, too. They checked the house shortly after the men left, trying to gather any kind of evidence that could lead to something. But there was no striking evidence; it was like the men came and vanished-just like that.
Fucking bastards.
"Hey," Niall sat next to me, his hand on my shoulder, "we're going to find her, Harry."
How could he be so sure?
Louis strangely was silent, staring and facing me behind Liam. Normally he was the one to talk to me when I got like this, but I knew he lost Eleanor, too, so he was evidently in the same state I was in.
"We're going to find them," Liam corrected, glancing at Louis, whose face still didn't change. "But like we said, we need some rest. As soon as we wake up, we'll try to get information from our hostages, and we'll check to see if the organization came up with any leads. We need to think before we act."
I was tired, I knew. I could feel it in my bones.
But I couldn't just go home and fucking sleep while knowing Claire was out there-how would I be able to even do that? I wouldn't. So there would be no point in even going back.
I had to keep looking for her.
"Come on," I mumbled, "let's go across town, yeah? Maybe-"
"-Harry, no. We're going back." Liam stated firmly, crossing his arms over his chest. I came to a half in front of him, my eyes turning to meet his squarely.
"Did you just say no to me?" I asked quietly. "To your leader?"
"Yes, I did." Liam replied. "You're a mess, Harry. And Niall and I understand-you're worried sick, alright? But your brain physically needs rest, or you won't be able to even function for tomorrow. Claire needs you in your best shape to find her."
I was about to come up with a reply when Louis spoke up, "He's right, mate. Let's go home and get some rest." His blue eyes peered at me under the streetlight; I could see how tired he was, and that exhaustion was mixed with concern and panic. He knew exactly what I felt, yet he knew Liam was right. And I knew he was, too.
"Fine." I conceded finally, stuffing my hands in my pockets. "We'll go back. But I want to continue the search as soon as we wake up tomorrow." I let out a shaky breath as I reluctantly began making my way back to the car, and Louis and I were instantly peering out the windows as they started driving.
I was hoping to see her sitting on the curb; to see her auburn hair dimmed under the lighting of the street light-and as soon as she'd smile, she'd light up my entire world again, just like she had done before.
Because right now, with her gone, I was back to utter darkness.
Where are you?
~~~~
The door to the room opened, letting a small amount of light to peer in; I was lying in the bed, staring right up at the ceiling-my eyes were not closed, and I had no intention of closing them.
I frowned a little, not bothering to look at the door. If it was Lottie, I didn't know how I was going to compose myself. And the little girl was smart-she was traumatized after what happened with the men, even though she had no idea what was going on. She could be so sensitive at times, when it came to people yelling at her. I knew that situation must've been absolutely terrifying for someone her age.
"Harry."
That wasn't Lottie, no, that was Gemma. I prodded my head up a bit to look at her; her brown hair was pulled back in a bun, and I couldn't quite see her face since it was completely dark in the room.
And then the lights turned on; she turned them on.
"Fucking hell," I snarled under my breath, shielding my eyes, "turn them off, would you?"
"I came to talk to you." Her voice was soft, and she ignored my words and sat on the edge of the bed. I noticed she had closed the door, so with a sigh, I sat up in the bed to give her my attention.
"About what?"
"I wasn't here when...it happened." Gemma said. "But I have a feeling of what went on; Zayn told me."
I blinked, "Zayn told you?" I realized that all along, Zayn wasn't part of the new gang-at all, and I did feel guilty for, well, beating the hell out of him, but what else could I expect? He had been nothing but shady for the past few weeks, and I guess I just went with my gut, even though that's not always right. Besides, that didn't change the fact that he almost killed Claire earlier, and that he raped the hell out of Perrie when she was unconscious-that shit's fucked up, so technically, we're getting closer to being even.
But why was Zayn talking to Gemma, my younger sister? I began to feel furious; oh if that bastard even thinks of touching her-
"He's all beat up." Gemma whispered. "But I helped him with his...wounds earlier, so I think he's doing better."
"Don't get any ideas," I snapped, noticing the look in her eyes. Her eyes turned to look at mine in surprise and confusion. "Don't you dare get any ideas, and don't you ever talk to him again, do you hear me? If you do, I swear I'll-"
"-Harry, what are you talking about?" She cut me off, wide-eyed. "You're acting like he's the enemy or something; he's your best mate, remember? Besides, Lottie likes him."
Fucking shit.
"Where is he?" I threw the covers off and threw my legs over the bed, my hands curling into trembling fists. I was seeing red now. "Where is that fucker?" My voice raised a little, echoing throughout the room, and it took me a moment to realize Gemma was grasping onto my shoulders in an attempt to keep me on the bed.
"Harry, what is wrong with you?"
Hell, the thought of seeing Zayn even look at someone as innocent and pure as Lottie was driving over the edge-especially since she was my niece.
"I don't want Lottie near him," I hissed, "do you hear me? You either. I swear to god, Gemma, if I see him even look at you or Lottie, I'll fucking kill him."
"Why?"
"Don't question me, just listen to what I say." I snarled, reluctantly sitting on the bed and letting out a deep sigh. I could still see Zayn looking at Lottie; I could feel the wheels churning in his head, and I could remember the time I walked in after he nearly killed Claire. I could remember how utterly terrified she was; she saw death in her eyes that day, and it traumatized her. Zayn was one of my mates, I knew, but he was a complicated kind of guy. I was the one who took him in, yes, because I knew he was a strong son of a bitch-I knew he would be difficult to keep under control, especially when Liam had him in the gym and Zayn would be in there for hours just going at the punching bag. I didn't know his life, and I didn't give a damn about his life-all I cared about was how he looked at Claire at times. It pissed me off so much, and the sad thing was that I only started to notice this recently.
Zayn had a past of doing terrible things, and I did, too, but I didn't do them anymore.
"Just trust me on this," My voice was quieter, more composed, and I met my sister's eyes squarely, "okay? I know him much more than you do."
She hesitated for a moment before her gazed hardened, "I can talk to him if I want."
Was she serious?
"Gemma," I warned, narrowing my eyes.
"What the hell do you expect me to think of you?" Gemma asked sharply. "You did all that to him, Harry. Have you seen his face?"
"I thought he was linked with the new gang forming in." I replied. "I had a right to try and get information out of him."
"Well that's some method." She said sarcastically. "Beat someone up until they tell you what you need? Sounds like a bully to me."
"You don't understand anything," I retorted. "You don't get it, Gemma, and I don't want you to get it. Just drop it."
"Fine, I'll drop it. But don't expect me to do whatever the hell you want me to do. If I want to talk to someone, I will." She hesitated. "You know the difference between you and Claire? Claire tries her best to see the good in people, while you see nothing but their faults." She was backing towards the door, her face narrowed at me.
When I saw the look in her eyes, however, I could see she was scared, and when I tried to talk, she hurried out the door and closed it swiftly behind her.
Well, fuck. That didn't go very well.
But how else was I supposed to react? She basically came in here to tell me she played nurse with the same bastard who almost choked my girl; was I supposed to be overjoyed about that?
You almost choked Claire.
I leaned back into the headboard, running a hand through my hair. I could feel my body slowly starting to calm down. Zayn was my best mate, right? He would never hurt my own family, right?
And I couldn't exactly blame Gemma for getting upset. I could figure Zayn was pretty horrific looking when we were nearly done with him, before being interrupted by the sound of Lottie's crying. But she just didn't understand that this, all this pain, was once the world I thrived in.
It's what I grew up in, it's who I was. And nobody-not even Claire, could change that. That was why I had to join the organization rather than getting some other profession. That world full of danger and jeopardy was the only thing I knew. I was already adapting as it was, living in a normal neighborhood, and I knew I was only going to have to adapt even more, but changing my profession was like changing in my blood. It just wouldn't happen.
I got out of the bed and hurried out of the room, heading down the stairs. I couldn't sleep in the room, no, not without Claire. I wouldn't be able to do that.
I found Gemma sitting on the couch with the picture frame of our mother on it, and I walked next to her, glad that she didn't shoo me away. Her face was sober; she didn't force a smile at me, but she didn't object when she sat next to me.
"I'm sorry," I mumbled, leaning my elbows on my knees. "I've had a...rough day."
That was a fucking understatement.
"I know. I'm sorry for snapping at you." She murmured, sighing and placing the picture frame on the table. I stared at it; it was so strange, to see the woman I only had memories left of, in a photo-alive and older. I didn't remember every single thing about her, but I did remember that smile. It wasn't something I'd never forget.
"Come here," I whispered, wrapping my arm around her and pulling her close to me. She leaned into my larger frame, "I just want to protect you and Lottie, okay?"
"I know," She whispered. "I'm just used to having...anyone protect us, you know? Ever since Mom died...we've had no one."
Not even your sorry excuse of an ex-boyfriend. Fucker.
"Well, I'm here now." I said. "And I'm not letting anything happen to you guys." My throat tightened at this; I told Claire the exact same thing and look what happened to her.
I lost her.
"You'll find her, Harry." Gemma murmured firmly. "I know you will. You're stubborn as hell; I know you'll never give up. And Claire will never give up on you either."
Her words struck me, and I could feel fucking tears line my vision; I knew Claire was hurting, I knew she was in a world of pain. I was helpless right now, vulnerable-something I was not accustomed to feeling. It's uncanny to think that a few months ago, I was causing people similar pain, although not as extreme.
But sometimes you could not protect someone from everything, no matter what you did, but you sure as hell could try.
~~~
"We've got nothing." Ed said as soon as we started heading down the sidewalk; I still had my pistol with me, and everyone else was in the car as we got in. I glanced back to see men from the organization with Lottie and Gemma, in case anything else happened. "We have no leads, we have no clues. Today we're just going in blindly." He sounded doubtful, which was unusual about him since he always seemed to know what to do, and this was pissing me off mainly because it was also worrying me.
Louis was also staring down at the pistol in his hands. I was sitting next to him, and he met my eye, not offering a smile.
"It's different, huh?" I asked.
"It is." He said.
Holding a pistol was so different now. You knew the after effects its power could have-on people and their lives. We used to look at guns as things to use as intimidation; now we used them for mere protection. Like everything, pistols had two sides, and despite peoples' beliefs, it wasn't the pistol's fault for deaths-it was the hands of the beholder.
"Let's bring 'em home." Niall announced, patting me roughly on the shoulder and sending an encouraging grin. "I'm sure she's hungry as hell."
"Not the time, mate," Liam muttered.
We started driving down the road; it was easier to see outside now since it was light, and I would tense in my seat when I'd see red hair-but they were never the girl I was looking for. I could probably tell it was her if I could just see her back.
The ride was utterly silent as we drove; everyone was completely tense, you could feel it strongly in the air.
And the silence was so loud.
"What did the ghost say to the wall?" Louis asked quietly, suddenly, to me, his eyes turning to look at me. He cracked a weak grin, and it took me a moment to get what he was saying.
"Hey," I replied, unable to stop myself from grinning, "just passing through."
"What did one plate say to the other?" Niall asked, catching on.
"Lunch is on me." Louis and I both answered in perfect unison, and I drifted my eyes back out the window as the car started to slow down. We were in the shopping district Claire and I shopped in, and I seriously doubted any gang activity could possibly take place here.
...but wouldn't that be the perfect disguise?
To have a building somewhere where people would never expect.
"Park in front of that store," I said suddenly, my smile vanishing and eyes narrowing. I sheathed my gun and sat up, glad that nobody questioned me, even though Louis shot me a questioning look. I mumbled, "Trust me on this, I've got a feeling." I met Zayn's eyes, well, one of his eyes when I said this, since his other eye was heavily bandaged. Strangely, he didn't even complain or deny coming with us to look for Claire; he followed behind us like any loyal mate, but I still wasn't going to step out of my way for him, especially knowing he even associated with my sister and niece yesterday.
We walked into the general store, the one Claire and I first went to, and a blonde, teenage clerk was working that day; she didn't even seem in tune with her job, she was too focused on her phone. Fuck, someone could come in here with a gun and seriously do some damage, and her eyes would still be glued to that small screen.
"Mate," Ed whispered as we wandered towards the back, "I think we need to move on. She's not going to be here."
I paused when I saw the display of bracelets, the ones Claire was looking at that day.
"I just want to stop somewhere else," I murmured, swallowing thickly and walking out the store. The boys all followed behind me as we crossed the street, heading to the jewelry store.
I was instantly in the section of necklaces, and this caused me to think of Claire again. And my eyes drifted off to the rings, with their outrageous prices, and I caught Louis doing the same thing.
He cleared his throat, "These are...nice rings."
"They are." I agreed stiffly with a nod.
"What're your thoughts on marriage?" Louis asked casually.
I shrugged, "Not much, really. I don't see the point of getting married; you shouldn't need a fucking priest to tell you that you're officially together."
"Well, I think it just kinds of seals the deal." Louis replied. "Almost like when we felt like a full gang when we wore those jackets, remember?"
"Yeah, I guess." My eyes drifted off to the old man sitting at the counter-the same old man from last time. Except this time, he was staring at me strangely.
"Where's your girlfriend?" He asked over to me when he caught my eye. He didn't ask this in a friendly way; his white eyebrows were scrunched.
"I'm actually looking for her." I mumbled quietly in case anyone was near. For some reason, I saw something in his eyes. He knew something I didn't, so I slowly approached the counter and leaned into it to look him dead in the eye. "Have you seen anything suspicious?"
"I saw her yesterday," He replied, his voice now slightly shaky.
Holy hell.
"Where'd you see her?"
"I saw her with a few men and another girl." The man replied quietly. "I thought it was strange because she looked frightened, and her hands were bound behind her back." My jaw clenched in fury from the details he was giving me, but I bit my tongue and stayed silent to hear him. "She was in a van, and these men took her into that store."
"Store?" I followed his thin finger and saw the general store we had just walked out of. Why would they take her there?
Was that where she was?
"Are you sure it was her?" I couldn't hide the hopefulness in my voice, and my entire body was laced with adrenaline again from the mere idea of finally-finally knowing where she was.
"It was her." The man confirmed. "It would be difficult to mistake her. Mister, is something wrong?"
"No, nothing's wrong." I said stiffly. "Everyone will be just fine." I turned back to give Ed a look, and they were all behind me; they heard the conversation, and Louis's face was narrowed from the info, his eyes now looking at the general store.
She's in there.
If she's alive.
"Come on," I said casually to the boys, though my hands touched the cold silver of the pistol, "let's head back to the store." They started heading out of the store, and I glanced back at the old man, waving half-heartedly back at him and giving him a grateful smile. He had no idea how much that just helped me-how much it helped Claire.
We're coming, Claire."