~Liam's POV~
My phone buzzes in my pocket, and I pull it out, seeing a call from Harry. I hesitate, looking at Amy, who smiles, before answering and putting the phone up to my ear. Immediately my head is filled with screams. A couple frantic ones, yelling for someone to call an ambulance, and one loud, ongoing scream that I quickly recognize as Niall. "Harry? What's going on?" I ask, worried.
"Liam, please please please come back. We tried to fight for you, and something went wrong. Greg, he's crazy. We said we wouldn't sing if you didn't, and Greg said that One Direction was over. Niall recorded everything on his phone and threatened to post it online if Greg didn't get you back, and Greg told him to post it, then said something about how he knew the plan wouldn't work. Niall posted the recording, and Greg stood up and walked past him, toward the door. I saw a glint of something, but before I could say anything, Niall's phone was smashed on the ground and Niall was hugging his arm. Greg said something about a job he had to do, then ran. Liam, Niall got stabbed!" Harry says frantically. He was talking so fast that all I heard was Greg, plan, job, Niall, and stabbed. I try to make sense of what he said, and one thought hits me.
"NIALL GOT WHAT?!" I scream, causing a lot of surprised glares and worried looks from the people around me.
"He got stabbed. Greg had a knife." Harry says quietly, and I realize something. In the background, there is lots of yelling still, but one sound died out. Niall has stopped screaming.
~Harry's POV~
"Harry, Niall isn't screaming anymore." Liam says, and my eyes widen. I look at Paul to see Niall limp in his arms, his eyes closed. His chest is still moving, and Paul sees my worried glance and shakes his head.
"He's fine, just fainted, probably from the shock." He says. I nod, relaying the information to Liam, who sighs.
"Harry, ask Paul what hospital you're going to. I'll meet you there." Liam says.
"Flight 184 now boarding." I hear a robotic voice say in the background.
"That would have been my flight, Harry. But I need to be there for Niall." Liam says sadly, and I hear scuffling, then silence as Liam probably signs to Amy. "Stay on the phone with me, please." He says.
"Of course." I reply, the sound of sirens filling my ears, along with the faint sound of screaming fans on his.
"NOT NOW!!!" Liam yells, and I hear all of the screaming abruptly stop. "I need a taxi right now!" He yells less angrily. "Harry, what hospital?!" He asks, practically yelling into the phone.
"Harry! Same hospital he was in last week!" Paul yells, probably guessing what Liam was asking.
"Same one you were in." I say, and Liam groans.
"Of course. Harry, I'll be there soon. Tell Eleanor and Perrie to wait in the lobby for me, I don't want Amy to go up and see Niall until I know how bad it is." He says, and I smile. Daddy Direction is back.
~Niall's POV~
I open my eyes to see that I'm in a hospital room. I see Paul and Simon talking, and four nervous boys looking at the two. Wait, four?! "Liam!" I yell, and everyone turns to me. He walks over and I lift my uninjured arm, hugging him tightly. I look at my other arm to see that it's in a sling, which is resting against my chest. "You came back?" I ask, looking back at Liam in time to see him nod.
"I had to make sure that you were okay." He says, his mind obviously on something else.
"Liam, what is it?" I ask, confused. Liam smiles, but I can tell that it's forced.
"I just don't understand why Greg would do that." He says, looking at my injured arm. Paul walks over, clearing his throat.
"I might have an idea. Look at this." He says, showing us a picture of Greg. "Liam, who told you that your parents died in a car accident?" He asks. Liam looks really confused, but he answers anyway.
"My dad's best friend. I haven't seen him since then, and I didn't see him for a couple years before my parents died, either." Liam says, the wheels in his mind turning. "Why do you ask?" Paul looks at Simon, raising an eyebrow, and completely avoids the question. Liam looks back at me, and I shrug. "Paul, why do you need to know that?" Liam asks calmly but forcefully. Paul meets his eyes, immediately looking away, and Liam frowns. "Simon, what do my parents have to do with Niall getting stabbed?" He tries again. Simon sighs, finally cracking.
"It's not that Niall was stabbed, it's who stabbed him." He says. "Greg got into the management the same year I signed you guys, and he quickly moved to the top, until he was basically in control of everything that had to do with you guys." Simon looks away from Liam, and his eyes meet mine instead. "We can't tell you what this has to do with your parents, Liam, not yet. All I can tell you is that if we aren't careful, Niall isn't going to be the only one injured, and the next injury might be more serious." Simon turns away at this and walks out of the room. I meet Harry, Louis, Zayn, and Liam's eyes, and all of them are scared and confused.
"Paul, what did he mean?" Harry asks, looking at our guard. Paul hesitates but still answers.
"Simon was avoiding what needed to be said. While Niall was asleep and all of you were here, I got a call from Greg. He told me a lot of things. He told me something about Liam's parents, why he stabbed Niall, and gave us a warning." We all look at Paul, our eyes asking the question that we can't say out loud. "He said, 'I'm not alone. I have people working for me right alongside you. And we won't rest until Liam Payne, and everyone close to him, is dead.'" Everyone looks at Liam, whose face has lost all color. He looks as pale as a ghost, and he turns to Paul.
"What happened to my parents?" He asks, his jaw tightening.
"I can't tell you." Paul says, backing away slightly. Liam looks at Paul, and I can see the anger in his eyes.
"What. Happened. To. My. Parents?!" He asks again, and I see his hand clenching into a fist. Paul shakes his head, and Liam stands, walking toward Paul. Harry grabs his arms, holding him back, and Liam doesn't even look at him, glaring at Paul. "TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM!!!" Liam yells, trying to pull out of Harry's grip. Louis stands and helps Harry hold him still. Paul sighs, sitting down in the chair behind him.
"Liam, I should not be telling you this." He says, and Liam's eyes lose the anger, but Harry and Louis don't release him. "You haven't seen your father's best friend because he's a criminal. Your parents didn't die in a car accident, they were shot. By him. Amy was safe, sleeping in her crib, because he didn't see her. She didn't cry from the loud noises, because she couldn't hear them. Amy has been deaf her entire life. Your father's 'best friend' lied to you, saying that your parents died in a car accident that also made Amy lose her hearing. He told that information to the woman running the orphanage that Amy was sent to, so she told that to Amy as well. Both of you have been tricked for years." Paul sighs, and Harry and Louis pull Liam back to the chair, where he immediately sits down, putting his head in his hands. "Liam, I didn't say that your parents' killer was in jail because he isn't. He disappeared after he dropped Amy off at the orphanage, and no one has seen him since. He's still out there, Liam. He changed his name, but he looks the same. Has Amy ever told you that she was actually adopted once?"
Liam looks up, eyes wide, and Paul nods. "She was adopted by the man who said that he was your father's best friend. He tried to kill her, but the police saved her, and he vanished again. Liam, we showed Amy this picture of Greg, and she knew him immediately. I know enough sign language to tell that she said his name was Robert and that he's the man who adopted her." Liam's eyes fill with tears, but I can see a hardness behind them that scares me.
"Greg killed my parents." Liam says, sobbing into his hands.
We all sit in silence, watching as the one who was always the comforter when we needed it breaks completely. I can almost see his heart smashing into millions of pieces like it's made of glass. I just wish I could comfort him, but I can't really use my arm right now, and I'm stuck in a hospital bed. So I settle with glaring at Harry until he pulls Liam into a hug.
Paul clears his throat, and we all look up to see him force a smile. "I've got good news and bad news." He says.
"Good news first." Louis says before anyone else even begins to answer. Paul nods, looking at Liam.
"There's quite a bit of good news. One, Greg's been fired, but that's kinda obvious. I don't think stabbing one of the stars you work with is very forgivable. Two, Liam's back in One Direction, in fact, as far as the public is concerned, he never left. And three, Liam, Amy is now officially under your care." Liam looks up, smiling behind his tears.
"And what's the bad news?" I ask, worried. Paul looks my way and sighs.
"Greg and whoever is working with him are trying to kill you six. So as soon as Niall is released from the hospital, you're being sent into hiding."