"He's a traitor."
I wasn't really sure what to say as we drove. I wasn't exactly against going to a whole new country, so long as nothing interfered with the baby and I had all of the boys plus Gemma and Elijah with me, but it was happening so quickly. There was no time to wrap my head around what we were doing. I was in shock really.
After about ten minutes of silent driving, Harry spoke up. "Alice? Are you alright?"
"Fine," I breathed.
I was so out of it. I didn't know how to process the fact that we were going to America. I had so many questions that I wanted to ask but my mouth couldn't seem to form them.
"Are you sure?" He sounded worried. "Look, I know this is a lot to take in at the moment, but it's okay, alright? We're all going to be fine and most importantly, together. You need to calm yourself down though, for the baby, okay?"
That snapped me out of my odd trance-like state and my hands immediately ran over my stomach. "The baby," I repeated with a nod. "Right."
"It really is okay, Alice," Harry continued to reassure me as his fingers found mine over the center console. He kept his arm outstretched, our hands entwined against my thigh. "I promise you that we're all going to be fine, and I mean all of us. They're all already at the field. Louis managed to grab you one of your Nutella jars. It's all okay."
I couldn't help but laugh a bit weakly at the fact that Louis had even bothered with my snack. It was actually rather considerate of him. Harry smiled in response to the new, happier sound in the quiet and the tense bubble around us evaporated some.
We settled into a more comfortable silence as we drove back through town. The buildings slowly turned to scattered warehouses and then there was nothing but barren land around us, and just as I was about to ask Harry where the hell we were, I saw it.
There were stretches of fields out here, and though most all of them were empty, there was one that held four cars. I could make out the shapes of people stood around the vehicles, and they become clearer as Harry veered off onto the grass and pulled up beside everyone.
As soon as we had parked the car, my door was being opened, and Louis was standing there, a serious expression on his face for once. "Are you okay?" he questioned. I nodded in response as I clicked off my seat belt and he helped me out of the vehicle. Harry had come around from his side and was now standing near us.
I expected him to ask what exactly had happened, but before he could speak, Zayn piped up with a raised eyebrow. "Harry, where's your shirt?"
Harry glanced down at his bare chest before his gaze met mine and I blushed deeply. Elijah was the next one to start talking as he took a step forward, eyes darting between both Harry and I as a look of horror flitted across his face. "Did you two--"
"No!" I cut him off instantly, my cheeks reddening even more when all of the boys chuckled. "I actually, um, I dropped this chocolate-covered pineapple on Harry's shirt and he just never put it back on after he took it off... not that I mind," I added, glancing at Harry who grinned at my playful comment.
"Oi," Elijah muttered as he rubbed his forehead. "I'm not even going to bother with saying what I think right now. Maybe once we're no longer feeling threatened I'll rant at you two."
"That's probably a good idea, mate," Zayn nodded as he clapped a hand on Elijah's shoulder.
"Where's Ethan at?" Harry changed the subject as he leaned against the side of his car, his eyes flitting between the boys.
"He should be here in less than fifteen minutes," Louis answered, glancing to Liam for confirmation. He nodded.
"Good," Harry said, authority taking over his voice. As far as I knew, there had been no official proclamation that Harry was reinstated as the leader over the boys, but apparently that certain high respect hadn't dissipated with time. "Until then, I want all of you to start clearing out the cars. Get everything out. I don't want anything left behind, so if we're not taking it with us, go to the road and burn it. Understood?"
All of the boys nodded in unison, and I was surprised when Elijah begrudgingly lifted a shoulder. He might not be happy with Harry, but it was obvious that he had respect for him despite the fact that Harry was younger by a few years. Harry had a higher rank than Elijah, and just how important that was appeared right now.
Even Gemma joined the boys as they all started on one car, pulling everything out from under the seats, the dashboard, the trunk. I decided that I would go ahead and make myself useful but as I began to move forward, Harry cut across my path, gently grabbing my hand and tugging me back towards his vehicle. I curiously followed, watching as he released my hand and climbed into the passenger seat. He turned his body so that his long legs were hanging out of the car before reaching both hands out to me.
I raised an eyebrow as I linked our fingers together. He tugged gently on my hands and I got the message, placing one foot on the car as Harry pulled me up. I had to duck my head so that I wouldn't hit it on the top of the vehicle, but it wasn't necessary after Harry pulled me down, his legs moving as he sat me down between them. His arms wrapped around my waist, holding me tightly against him as he gently rested his chin on my shoulder, a lingering kiss being left to my cheek in the process.
"Shouldn't we be helping everyone?" I asked quietly.
"We will in a moment," he replied. "I just wanted to tell you something first."
"Go on," I said, curious now as I waited.
I felt Harry's hot breath tickle my neck and cheek as he thought over what he was about to say, and when he began speaking, I listened intently, leaning back into his warm body.
"All my life, being a gang and doing all of this"--he gestured around--"is all I've ever known. I can be gentle when I want to be, when my mind allows it, but at the end of the day, being this gang leader... it's who I am inside. I always thought that this was just how life was supposed to be. I wake up, I grab my gun, I hand out orders, I fight... that's just how it had always been until I met you.
"When I first met you, of course that's how it still was for me. But I realized why I fell so hard for you... well, I mean, it's because you're you and I think, if soul mates actually exist, that's exactly what we are, but my attachment to you was so quick to grow because I'd never been around females who I was supposed to protect and be gentle towards. The women I was around always left as quickly as they had come, and I mean that in both senses.
"Anyways, you showed me that the way I was living my life isn't the only way to live. There's so much more to it, if you bother to look, and you showed me it all. And now... I mean, if I'm being honest, I was completely terrified when I found out that I was going to be a dad. When I went home after I found out, I just sat there and thought about it for awhile.
"People like me aren't supposed to have children. I've done so many horrible things, Alice. I've killed and I've beaten... and babies are little miracles. People like me don't deserve any miracles, yet somehow I'm getting both you and this baby. I didn't believe that I deserved it... I still don't really believe it, but I guess people like me aren't just undeserving--they're also incredibly selfish, because despite the fact that I'm sure you would be better off without me, I'm never letting you go again... that is, unless you wanted me to, in which case I would try my best to stay away from you."
I realized what Harry was saying and I froze in his grip. He expected this reaction obviously as his fingers traced patterns over my stomach. He was giving me an option here and now. He laid out the fact that I had showed him how much more there was to life than gangs and violence. He told me how he didn't deserve this, but he wanted it anyway. He gave me the choice of walking away from him.
And somewhere within me two mini Alice's debated over the idea that being away from Harry might be the safer option--safer, not better. One side of me knew that being with Harry meant that danger wasn't far behind, but the other part of me argued that while that may be true, I had always come out on the other side of everything thrown at us, and someday, we were going to get away from it... right?
"Harry," I said quietly.
"Hmm?"
"I need you to promise me something," I murmured.
"Anything," he whispered, his lips lightly touching to my neck.
"Promise me that when this is all over... when Sykes is gone and we're safe... that we can runaway together and you'll... you'll stop dealing with gangs." I knew that I was asking a lot of Harry, and I expected him to tense up just as he had expected me to do so. Harry had just told me that the gang life was all he'd known, but he was discovering new parts of this world that he never had before.
If I was going to be with Harry, if we were going to make it work, especially with our baby, I couldn't live with the fear of danger looming around every corner. I had my own life to protect, as well as the baby's.
"Alice," Harry whispered, his lips directly beside my ear. I shivered.
"Yes?"
"If anyone else, and I mean anyone else had asked me to do that, I would have said no in a heartbeat," he murmured. "My gang has been my life for so long. It's weird to think of being without it. But for you, my love, I will think about it."
I sighed, relaxing back into Harry's hold. I didn't expect to get a straight answer right away. This was a major decision. It would affect all of us. And despite the fact that I yearned to know the answer, I would be patient, because at least Harry would think about it, and that was all I could hope for right now.
"Thank you," I replied quietly.
"Always."
I tilted my head back, smiling when Harry was already craning his neck so that his lips came in contact with mine. Our mouths worked slowly against one another, tongues just barely grazing lips in an unhurried manner. My hands had moved to gently entwine in Harry's curls as he continued to hold my waist, long fingers rubbing gentle circles into the skin at my hips.
Harry pulled away carefully, his mouth hovering above mine. "I need to help them, but I want you to stay right here, okay? Listen to music if you'd like."
I bit my lip. I wanted to help, but based on how quick everyone was being and the pressing situation, I decided to just agree. Harry smiled before pecking my lips once more and then lifting us out of the car. He helped me back up to the seat, handing me the keys in the process so that I could turn the radio on before going to assist the others.
I didn't listen to music as I sat. Instead I watched everyone as they quickly worked together to get all of our belongings out of the vehicles. Niall, Liam, and Gemma were busy carrying piles of unwanted things to the road and burning them while Zayn, Louis, Harry, and Elijah all worked to separate what we wanted to keep and what we didn't.
It was interesting to see Elijah and Harry working together. Neither of them spoke to one another, but they didn't hesitate in passing each other things and working as a unit. It was nice to know that Elijah didn't completely detest Harry the way I thought he had.
My entire attention was so focused on everyone that I didn't notice Zayn abruptly open the passenger door. He smiled at me. "We have to do Harry's car now," he explained. I nodded in understanding before sliding out of the vehicle. Immediately, Zayn pulled me into a tight hug, and I willingly accepted the embrace, sighing at the comfort it brought me.
"Everything's going to be okay," he assured me quietly.
I nodded against him. "I know... thanks, Zayn."
"Any time," he spoke as he released me and sidestepped to get to the car. I walked a few paces away before my gaze landed on Harry who was now helping burn unwanted items. He stood beside one of the other vehicles, his intense gaze trained on me. His eyes were stormy, and I knew that he had paused, witnessing Zayn and my hug. I also knew that, despite the fact that he knew nothing was going on between Zayn and I, he still felt jealous.
I knew this because of the girl, Aspyn, from what felt like a lifetime ago. No matter if nothing was presently going on between her and Harry, it still bothered me immensely to even have her near him, so I did the only thing that I knew would help me if the situation was reversed right now.
I walked quickly up to Harry, and without any pause in my movements I leaned up on my tiptoes and pressed my mouth to Harry's, my hands wrapping around his neck to pull him closer to me. His lips gently moved against mine before I pulled away a fraction, opening my eyes to stare into his bright green ones.
"I love you," I whispered.
Despite the fact that it had been a long time--too long, in fact--since I had told Harry this, it didn't feel weird or awkward. It felt completely, one hundred percent right.
Harry smiled, his nose grazing mine. "As I love you."
We stayed there for a moment, gazing at each other in what seemed to be our own little world before I released my hold on Harry's neck and settled back onto my feet. "Just had to make sure you knew that," I smiled softly at him. He grinned back, grabbing my hand in his and bringing it to his lips. He pressed a sweet kiss to the back of it before slowly retreating away from me, sending a playful wink my way before he turned and continued to help the others.
I watched his back as he headed off in the direction of the road where Gemma and Niall stood. A thick swirl of smoke floated up to the sky from the things that they were burning, and I thought that it looked something like a signal to say 'here we are' but the boys knew what they were doing. I had to believe that.
Unfortunately, this hope seemed to be short-lived as I caught something out of the corner of my eye and I turned, narrowing my eyes at the world around us, and that's when I saw it: far off on the winding road to where we were, at least five cars were heading in our direction, nearly blending in with the night.
I held no hesitation as I rushed back to Harry's car, finding Louis first. He opened his mouth to say something as I approached but stopped short when he saw the horrified expression on my face. "Alice?" he questioned uncertainly. "What's wrong?"
"Someone's coming," I spoke hurriedly, turning to point out the cars I had seen. It took Louis a moment to find them in the distance and dark but his eyes widened when he did. "Get Harry," he said urgently before he was rushing away from me. I didn't have time to know where he was going because as soon as he had told me what to do, I was running across the field towards where Harry was. I didn't care that it wasn't the most comfortable thing to do. I was scared, and that only fueled me with the adrenaline and will to move as fast as I could across the space.
"Harry!" I screamed when I began to feel tired and was forced to slow down. Both he and Niall and Gemma looked back and he frowned when he saw me trying to run towards them, but it was clear that he knew that something was wrong as he rushed towards me.
"What's wrong?" he asked as soon as he had reached me.
"P-people are coming," I stated shakily, pointing in the direction of the cars. They weren't too close yet, but I knew that if we stuck around much longer, they would be. It took him less time to spot the imposing dangers than Louis or I and immediately he cursed.
Niall and Gemma had come up behind Harry, and Niall worriedly asked what was happening when he heard Harry's angry profanities. "Look," Harry snapped. Both Niall and Gemma's vision narrowed in on where he had pointed, and it only took another moment for everyone to spring into action.
The two of them ran back towards the vehicles. A surprised scream came from my lips as Harry abruptly picked me up bridal style and started running after them. I wasn't sure how he managed to move so fluidly with my extra weight, but I didn't have time to question this once he'd set me back down near the cars.
"Ethan's going to land right now," Liam stated as soon as we were within earshot.
I frowned, having not noticed the fact that a helicopter was circling overhead, it's sounds evident to me now that I was focusing on it. I had been so wrapped up in Harry and then the impending crisis to even register the noise the chopper caused.
"Get everything together," Harry spoke heatedly. "Make sure Gemma and Alice get on first. We need to leave right away."
Everyone was quick to comply with Harry's commands, picking up the multiple backpacks stuffed with items as the helicopter began to lower towards the field directly beside us.
I glanced back, hoping to gauge how much time we had based on how close the cars were now, and gasped in horror when I saw just how much they had traveled in a short space of time. We had less than five minutes, I knew that much.
"H-Harry," I cried, terror gripping me. I hadn't been in any real life-or-death situations since I'd gotten pregnant, and the fear rippling through me had my entire body freezing in place and tears quickly trekking down my cheeks.
Harry's face was suddenly in front of mine, his large hands on my cheeks as he directed my head up to look at him. "It's okay, it's okay," he hushed, a silent promise laced in his words. "We're okay, you're okay, the baby's okay."
"I'm so scared," I spoke shakily.
"I know," he nodded. "But you have to trust me here. We're going to be fine. We just need to move."
My legs were trembling and felt weak as I tried to follow Harry to where the helicopter had finally landed. Abruptly, he lifted me up again, his strong arms enveloping my shaking body. I willingly leaned into his touch, only releasing my grip on his shirt when we'd reached the chopper.
Gemma was already in it, and she held her hands out to me to aid Harry in getting me into the space. I took her outstretched fingers, and just as she had managed to pull me into the helicopter, a sudden, loud, booming noise that I would know anywhere now resounded through the air followed by a multitude of cusses.
We were getting fired at.
I quickly turned around, wide eyes meeting Harry's briefly before he was shouting orders. "Take cover! Everyone in!" In an instant he was climbing up into the helicopter and all but throwing Gemma and I into the seats of the helicopter. There were eight of them, four lined up on each wall in the back. My back roughly hit the top of one of the seats and I cried out, fear rippling once again through my body as Harry held Gemma and I down, his body protectively covering ours before he got up, pulling us to our feet.
"Buckle in," he instructed sharply. Neither Gemma or I argued as we took the seats at the end of the rows and wrapped our loose seat belts over us. Within just moments, the other boys were piling in. Zayn sat beside Gemma, with Liam next to him, and then Niall at the end.
"We need to go!" I heard an unfamiliar voice shout, and I figured it was Zayn's cousin, Ethan. Just as he spoke the words, I felt the platform tremble beneath my feet as the helicopter began to slowly lift off the ground again.
"No, Harry!" I screamed, quickly unbuckling my seat belt to try and run back out, but Zayn held me back, a firm look in his eyes.
"Harry's fine," he strained as he forced me back into my seat. I struggled against his grip, tears streaming down my face once more at the prospect of leaving Harry behind.
But Zayn hadn't been lying, because a moment later he, Louis, and Elijah were all rushing towards their seats, though Harry lingered back, and I saw the reason why a moment later. A horrified gasp left my lips as Finn Long suddenly crawled atop the steadily rising helicopter.
As soon as he looked up, his eyes met with mine and they widened, yet no words could be exchanged, no actions done, as Finn was suddenly falling backwards off of the chopper, Harry having kicked him squarely in the chest.
"Harry!" I screamed, once again struggling to get out of my seat. Both Louis and Zayn restrained me now though, yet I persisted until I was too tired and weak to go on anymore.
I slumped back in my seat as Harry turned, his chest heaving as his gaze landed on me. He took a step forward, obviously making his way towards the seat left empty beside me but I shook my head. "Don't," I snapped.
How could he? I still didn't understand what had happened with Finn. Harry had left him behind at the hotel about six months ago, and every attempt I made to get the answer of his whereabouts out of anyone just failed. I had slowly given up on it, but now I needed to know what the hell was going on. How could Harry so heartlessly kick him off of the helicopter after all that he had done for me?
Harry paused, eyes narrowing before he tilted his head to the side and finally answered what I had longed to know for so long.
"Don't act like that, Alice. Finn... he's a traitor."