Author's Note:
Hey beautifuls! I hope you guys are ready for the emotions...Enjoy!
Btw who else is excited for April 7th? I am counting down the days,hours,minutes and seconds. I can't wait!! Ah!
Harry's POV
As my eyes land on Zayn, all I see is fucking red as my breathing deepens and my lips press into a firm line; my hands clenched down at my sides.
"Well...well, look who finally came home." He smirks, tilting his head to the side.
"You bastard!" I growl, charging and lunging myself at him, knocking us both onto the floor, the chair clattering against the wood.
"Harry!" James exclaims behind me.
Quickly, I grip the front of Zayn's shirt and bring my arm back before smacking him across the face. He groans as his head turns, the faint stinging in my hand at the impact makes me smile but before I could take another punch I am suddenly gripped by the back of my shirt.
"Get off him!" The police offer yells, tugging me upright and I wiggle in his grip, before I feel another pair of hands take hold of me.
"You fucking bastard!" I spit as I watch another officer help Zayn off the floor. I catch glimpse of his busted lip, but it's barely bleeding and it irritates me even more that I couldn't have injured him better.
"Harry stop you are going to get into trouble." James warns by my ear, as I shake and turn against his grip.
"You traitor, lying, son of a bitch!" I shout, letting out my anger as I continue to glare at him.
"Awe, is someone upset?" Zayn asks, before sarcastically pouting his lower lip out.
"I am going to-" Suddenly I stop, hearing a cellphone go off.
James' grip loosens on me as we all turn our heads looking for the source of the sound. My eyes eventually land on the phone in the small plastic evidence bag on the couch. I shake James off me and make my way over to the couch, picking up the bag before ripping it open with my fingers as the phone continues to ring. My eyes flicker back over to James, telling him that I will answer and he nods before barking an order to someone, most likely to trace the call.
I flip open the phone before pressing it to my ear, but say nothing.
"I've got your girl." His deep voice taunts, pleased and menacing through the line; the same voice that has haunted my dreams my whole life. I clench my jaw, feeling myself shudder, strangely feeling the urge to cry thinking of all of the cruel possibilities he can be doing to Ryder right now.
"What do you want?" I ask.
"A lesson to be learned. Come and find her in the place where it all began." He says, his voice slow but still taunting. "Cause you know nothing of how damned you are."
I furrow my brows, looking over at Shawn and James who are eyeing me with anxious and stressed expression.
"I want to hear her." I order, wanting to make sure she is okay, that she is still alive.
"Oh, you want to hear her? Okay, one second."
Ryder's POV
"Ryder," Niall calls from across the room. I groan and flick my eyes over to him.
Niall is sitting on the floor with his hands tied behind his back, his cheek swollen with a bruise and a bit of blood staining his grey shirt. "Ry, are you okay?"
I nod and wince feeling a jolt of pain in my head but before I could answer, movement at the door gets my attention. I glance over and try my best to focus on faces but with my blurry vision from the blows I have already taken doesn't make it easy.
"He wants to hear her." A deep voice speaks and I feel my eyes starting to droop. When I manage to open them Isaac is approaching me.
"No!" Niall suddenly exclaims. "No, you stupid-"
"Ah!" I yell out in pain feeling a sudden hard kick to my ribs. Tears run down my cheeks as I turn on my side, screwing my eyes shut feeling another kick in my stomach knocking the air out of me.
"There, did you hear her?" The same voice speaks getting fainter and fainter as he walks away. "Alright...I suggest you hurry cause she will not last long."
"Come on Isaac," the same man orders after a moment and I am relieved when I see him walking away.
When the door closes I hear Niall groaning as he tries his best to come over to me, scooting on his bottom and feet as I began to weep.
"Hey, it's okay." Niall says, shifting onto his knees, struggling at bit before leaning down to me, resting his forehead against the side of my head.
"I don't...what did I do?" I sob. "I don't understand why-"
"Shh," Niall says pressing a kiss on my temple. "Harry will come babe, just you wait. He will kick the living shit out of everybody."
"If there is one thing I know about him is to not mess with his family because when it comes to spilling blood, under this circumstance, he doesn't show remorse."
"I'm sorry, you're here too." I whimper, feeling guilty that he is only here cause he was watching me and they couldn't let him go.
"No, don't be silly." He mutters. "Besides, when we do get out I'm going to kill Isaac myself."
"He really is a dangerous guy." I mutter as he leans back, looking down at me.
"Yeah, they all are." Niall nods while giving me a despondent look. His words are not that comforting but I'd be stupid to even think otherwise. We are in a mess and there is no way around it.
Harry's POV
I scowl letting out a growl while tossing the phone harshly onto the floor as soon as the call dropped.
"Anything?" Shawn asks the guy sitting on the couch with a laptop resting on his lap.
"No." He frowns shaking his head. "The phone is a burner, and they didn't last that long for me to trace it."
"Damn it." James curses under his breathe, shaking his head, biting the inside of his cheek. I hear Zayn let out a snicker and I clench my jaw, glaring at him.
"Where is he? What does he want with her?" I urgently demand, my shoulders pushed back.
"It's more about what he wants with the two of you." He smirks, looking over at James then at me, his upper arm being held by a police officer.
"Where is he!" I press, hissing at him.
"Come on, Harry. He told you where they are. Are you really that stupid that you can't figure it out?" He smiles, letting out a chuckle. "Then again, you never really realized when I was fucking Emily behind your back."
I unclench then clench my jaw again at his words, my hands automatically fisting down at my sides.
"I can not believe you did not learn your lesson before. Now, I had to go and help him find Ryder too."
I furrow my brows, blinking at him. "What are you on about?"
"I mean do you honestly think that it was a coincidence when they found Emily?"
My lips part at his words as my eyes shift to the floor, realization hitting me.
"It was you." I breath. "You have been helping him all this time but you..."
"You were the one who helped me hide in the first place when I left. Why would you-"
"Because unlike you, I have always been loyal to him." Zayn proudly replies. "So yes, I told him where you were just like I told him this time around, only difference is you were long gone and I didn't have time to fuck her pus-"
I take in breath through my nose, stepping forward to lunge myself at him once more, but barely manage to take a step before James steps in between, placing his hand on my chest to stop me.
"Stop it." He says warning me, eyeing me carefully, but I keep my gaze on Zayn instead.
"Get him out of here." James instructs the man holding Zayn. "I'll be over to question him later."
The man nods and I watch as he guides Zayn out of the room.
"I need a drink of water." James sighs, dropping his hand from my chest and this time I flick my eyes onto him. I turn to follow him with Shawn trailing behind me. As I approach the kitchen, I look at Louis who had his arms crossed over his chest, giving me a sad smile.
There is a moment of silence that stretches between us as James goes to the fridge to grab a bottle of water, as he does I look at the mess around the kitchen and torture myself by imagining how scared Ryder must have been. How she must have been screaming, calling out for help and wishing I was here to save her. I promised I would save her, always, but I wasn't here. Fuck! I messed up bad and I don't think I'll have the chance to fix this just like I didn't have the chance to save my mom or Emily.
Vaguely, I hear James speaking before Louis responds but I don't pay attention. Their voices sound muffled, as if I am under water, while I am lost in my own thoughts.
"This is my fault." I mutter, as my eyes flick over to the cutting board on the counter, with half of a green pepper diced into pieces and an abandoned kitchen knife.
"What Harry?" James questions.
"This is my fault." I repeat. "I have only wanted to protect her, that's all I have been doing. But you were right," I nod.
"This is my fault. She was fine without me, I came in and made her life more complicated." I say, taking in a few deep breaths through my nose.
"Harry, we-"
Abruptly, I reach over to the counter picking up the kitchen knife.
"Harry, what are you doing!" Louis exclaims, worry ringing clear in his voice and my head snaps up as I see James take a step forward.
I scowl, pointing the tip of the knife close to my torso while keeping my head slightly down but keeping my gaze on James.
"Harry." James trails, holding his hands out towards me.
"He wants me dead." I continue, but it's like my brain is somewhere else. I can hear my own voice speaking but I'm not even sure that it's even me.
"He wants to finish what he started . He took everything from me." I say letting out a small whimper, and I don't realize that I am crying until I feel a few tears run down my cheek.
"He killed my mom, he turned my brother against me and he killed Emily." I sniff. "And I'm sure as hell that I am not going to let your daughter die because of me."
"It's so easy. This can be over right now." I nod, loosening my fingers around the handle of the knife before tightening their grip once more.
Louis' POV
I watch with shocked wide eyes as my best friend holds himself at knife point. Never in all the years I have known him, I have seen him stoop this low. Emily's death broke his heart and he spent most of his time healing in jail, I thought he was lost then, but that time has no comparison to this.
I want to help but I don't know how. So instead, I am standing a few feet away, frozen and useless.
"If I die now it'll be over." Harry nods, his voice ghostly and empty. "I have done many things, have caused a lot of people a lot of pain."
"I'm just like him." He adds, with a small breathy chuckle.
"Harry, if you do this. There is no reason for him to keep her alive, to keep both of them alive." I whisper.
"A lot of people have died at my cause, on my hands..." He trails.
"I mean do you know what this is like?" Harry asks, taking in a shaking breath raising his other hand as he speaks. "Knowing you ruined a family's happiness? Knowing you were the one to cause the unforgettable pain of losing a love one? Do you know what it's like to walk around being me?"
Harry lets his hand drop back down at his side, letting out a breath.
"I never wanted this." He cries shaking his head, letting it hang low in shame, his hair falling off his forehead.
"This isn't the life I wanted. I lost my family and I had nothing else to do, nothing to fight for...nobody to be good for."
"But then I found your daughter." Harry says looking up at James letting out a small noncommittal laugh. "After you guys moved away, I promised I would find her and I did. I feel in love with her."
"She is my reason to be good. She is my reason to wake up every morning and take in all of the hate everyone else brings cause we are polar opposites. She is my reason for living but now she is gone!"
"I have no reason anymore!" He desperately exclaims, his voice breaking and my eyes widen as he suddenly pulls his hand with the knife back but before he could shove it into his torso James, grabs his wrist, stopping him just a few inches from contact.
"What? You are going to kill yourself and kill all of the chances we have with finding her?" James scowls before roughly pulling the knife out of Harry's hand before tossing it carelessly into the sink.
I wince as both Shawn and I let out a hiss as James suddenly reaches over and slaps Harry across the face, the sound echoing off the walls.
"Gather your wits! Ryder is alive! They both are." James scolds as Harry turns his head back around to look at him.
"Listen to me kid." James says reaching over taking Harry's face in his hands.
"I'm not going to let you drown in this. You are not alone, not this time." He shakes his head, locking his eyes with Harry's ."We will find Ryder and we will bring her back. Alive."
"But I need you to be strong for me cause she needs us. Okay?"
Harry nods. "Yes,sir."
Harry's POV
"Alright, Louis and Shawn watch over Harry for me." James instructs as he takes his car keys out of his pocket. They boys nod at him and I furrow my brows, displeased.
"Wait,what?" I ask James as he walks away from me and closer to the lads in the entryway of the kitchen. "You are going to the office. I have-"
"No. You are staying here." James sternly replies, turning back around to face me. "You are vulnerable right now. Plus, I am going to question Zayn."
"Question him?" I gape. "You are going to waste your time, he won't willing tell you shit!"
I scowl. "Let me go with you, I-"
"No, Harry!" James scowls, holding his hand up towards me. "Just stay here until I come and get you."
I shake my head. "You can't just expect me to stay here when Ryder and Niall are-"
"Yes, I can, and you will." He sternly presses before turning to face Louis and Shawn. "If he does anything stupid. Call me."
"Sure thing, dad." Shawn nods.
"Stupid? This is stupid!" I groan, rolling my eyes. "I have to help somehow!"
"It's just for a little while Harry. I'll be back." James says, his voice much softer than before as he walks past the boys and out of sight towards the front door.
I shake my head, letting out a puff of air past my lips as I hear the front door open and close, feeling anger building inside me.
"This seriously can not be true. Zayn won't tell him shit. We have to figure this out on our own." I press looking back and forth between Shawn and Louis.
"Well, what did he say to you?" Shawn shrugs, stepping further into the kitchen.
"He said, come and find her at the place where it all began." I mutter with a shrug. "But I have no idea what that means."
I can't believe this is happening. All the efforts I have made to try to keep Ryder safe, went down the drain. I am damned and...wait...
Come find her in the place where it all began...cause you don't know how damned you are...
I've got it! There is only one place, he would take them. There is only one place that means something to the both of us. The one place where all of this truly began.
My lips part as my mind goes back to that night; the night when my life changed, when I took a stand. This is about loyalty, Zayn said so himself and that night was the moment he lost the loyalty in me.
"Well, where do you think that is?" Louis asks, interrupting my thoughts as he steps forward walking towards the fridge.
There is no way, they will let me go if I tell them. I have to be sneaky, I need a plan and I need help from the other lads. If I go on my own, I need a way for James to come and find us.
"I...I don't know." I reply, faking a solemn expression, not wanting them to see the light bulb that went off in my head.
"I'm going upstairs to clean up a bit." I mutter, looking up at the both of them. Shawn nods as he loves around and grabs the loaf of bread from off the counter.
"Yeah, you go do that. I'll make you something to eat."
"Sure, whatever." I gravely reply as I step forward to walk out of the kitchen, wanting to keep my cover up.
Honestly, I am not really hungry and I am upset that the women I love is gone, but I'm making more of an effort to show my sadness so they don't suspect. All I want is to go upstairs and smash everything in a room, kick and punch at walls but I know that will waste time and sadly time isn't a thing that Ryder and Niall have much of.
While I make my way up the stairs, I pull out my phone and call Liam as I reach the landing on the second floor.
"Hey man, I heard." Liam replies, sympathy clear in his voice. "What is-"
"I need your help."