"...And this will be your room." Zayn says as he carefully placed my bag on the bed. The room was much bigger than the one I was given back at the house with the guys. There was a walk in closet and a large bathroom. But this didn't enthuse me, this was still not home to me. "Do you need anything else?"
After I walked off on Harry in the nursery, Zayn had found me pacing the corridors and despite our earlier conflict, he took it upon himself to show me around the house. "I heard you talking downstairs with that Giza girl and the rest of the guys," I begin. "You guys are going out?"
"Vincent has ordered us to meet with Alfio to pay him his half for his involvement."
"You're still doing business with him after what he did?" He had men kidnap me for collateral because of Harry's fuck up. I hated Alfio, he made me feel uneasy whenever I saw him but I felt courageous enough to want to punch him.
"He and Styles have come to an agreement that they will both trade silence for money. If I'm being honest with you, I would've told Vincent what he did but the rest decided against that." He seems sour about that. "We won't be long."
"I want to go." I stop him from leaving by grabbing his wrist. "I don't want to stay here by myself."
"Don't worry, you're safe here I promise."
"Please." I make sure to give him my best pleading eyes, I might as well use them to my advantage. I wasn't going to stay here for a second.
"Valentina." Zayn warns.
"I just want Alfio to know that he didn't scare me, I want to watch his face fall when he realizes that there isn't a single scratch on me."
"I don't know." He rubs the back of his neck. "As much as I hate it, Styles is still obligated to you. I can't make these decisions."
"He told me his job is done, that what I do after that is beyond him." I say and Zayn shakes his head. "Harry doesn't give a shit, neither should you. Besides, I know I'll be safer with you than I ever was with him."
I was now standing an inch away from him, my hands slightly grasping his black long sleeve. There's a moment where we lock eyes and I can practically feel where I convinced him. I smile when he sighs and nods. "Alright, fine." Zayn agrees. "But you stay at my side at all times."
—
Zayn drove us to a nightclub right in the middle of the city, there was a flashing blue neon sign just outside. A tall burly bouncer holds up a long line of teenagers and young adults. Just as I'm joining the group of men and Giza, Harry turns to notice me within them. He was the first one to leave so it had made sense that he didn't see me get in the car with Zayn.
His monotone facial demeanor turned to anger as he stalked to me, holding up the group. "What the fuck are you doing here?" I cross my arms at this.
"I asked Zayn to bring me." I retort spitefully.
"Zayn isn't qualified to take care of you." Harry grits, glaring at Zayn.
"Neither are you," I remark. He glares at me.
"You walk off somewhere without our knowledge and I will have you maimed, you understand?" Without waiting for my reply, he walks away towards the bouncer, says something to him and he lets us through.
"I don't know how I put up with that." I say to Zayn who shakes his head in disapproval. I would belying if I said this constant bickering between Harry and I wasn't annoying because it is. But I know it all started when he lied to me, as I said he can go fuck himself.
I glare at him as I push past him inside the club. This was new grounds for me, I was immediately taken aback by the scenery. This was like no other club I could tell. There was go go dancers in cages elevated from the sound booth, there was grand stairs that lead downstairs to the dance floor where quite a good few people were.
To the side, a lengthy bar with people sitting on the stool chairs. To the table beside me, they celebrated a woman's birthday, her name flashing on the big screen with how old she was turning. 25.
Birthdays. I had completely forgotten mine. I'm supposed to be turning 19, for all I know my birthday's passed months ago. My God, why does everything get me so sad lately? A man passes by with drinks and hands me one. "Oh, no I—"
"You are old enough aren't you?" The birthday girl now at my side asks with a warm smile.
"Well I'm supposed to be turning 19 anytime soon." I reply back with a smile as well. She grins and grabs the drink from the man to hand to me.
"Well let's celebrate to that!" I'm surprised I could even hold conversation over the loud club music. "Want to go dance? My friends and I are about to go downstairs." I turn back to see the group I came with, sitting at a table with a very recognizable Alfio. Zayn and Harry and within that group.
I nod my head. "Yeah, okay." She grabs my hand and leads me down the stairs, her friends beside her. I definitely wasn't dressed for this, they all wore tight skin dresses, had their hair and makeup done while I wore jeans, my black combat boots, a white shirt with a jean jacket over it and absolutely zero makeup.
Whatever made her want to invite me was beyond me, she probably felt bad that I was just standing by the rails on my own. "I'm Halle by the way, what's yours?" She leans over to my ear.
"Valentina." I nod and she grins, beginning to dance. Her group of friends join in and the more I look around, the more I see everyone having fun. So I began to move, I allow the music to swallow me and remember I am still holding the tall alcoholic drink. When I take a sip out of it, I realize it's a Tequila Sunrise. Without much thought, I finish it off in five sips and by that time I feel my hips sway to the rhythm.
I kind of mimic the way Halle and her friends were dancing, they pull me in so we are huddled in the group. I must look so out of place but for this time, I didn't care. I had too many worries to last me a lifetime.
Songs after songs, Tequila shots after Tequila shots and I no longer minded the burning sensation I felt from both the alcohol and the stares I was getting from people. However, when I look up to the balcony I see Harry looking over the rails and watching me as I danced within the group. And I let loose. I don't know if I did it just to spite him, once again I went against his wishes. Maybe I was doing it to flirt, the thing is I didn't care about the reasons or the consequences.
I was like a bird, finally let out of its cage to be able to escape and be free. But then again, the way Harry looked at me with warning in his eyes, it was like the bird was forced to the back because there was somebody watching it. And even though the door was wide open, fear overtook its sense of survival. I maintained eye contact with Harry, the neon flashing lights fell upon his face.
Maybe that's why he nicknamed me Birdie, because he knew how much like a bird I was. A caged bird longing for freedom, even if it was just for one day.
My hands went to my hair, still dancing to the music before a man stood in front of me. When I looked up, it was none other than Rick. He smirked at me and I stopped my actions. "You having fun?" He had scars on his face, probably from the scratches I gave him. Majority of them focused on his eyes and I realized I was probably trying to gouge his eyes out.
I look towards the balcony to see that Harry was no longer there, instead he was at my side. "Let's go." He says into my ear.
However, I hold my ground. "I was having fun until you showed up." At this, Rick smirks angering me, causing me to spit at him. Harry gives my arm a hard tug and I move, feeling pain from his grip on my arm. "Let go!" I try to shove him off of me but he doesn't budge.
Harry doesn't say much as we go back outside, he still has my arm in his hand. "She's with me. You all ride back with Zayn." They don't hesitate much, Harry practically shoves me inside the car and slams my door shut before getting behind the drivers side. I felt the light buzz of the alcohol ruining through my system making my head spin in a good way. I felt more relaxed than I did coming here. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?"
"I'm waiting for you to drive." I remark, seeing as we hadn't moved. "You're just sitting there, pouting and gripping the steering wheel."
"We just made fucking peace with Alfio and you're out here trying to fuck that all up by trying to pick a fight with Rick?" Harry throws daggers at me through his eyes but I could not be any less concerned.
"I was having fun before he showed up, if anyone was trying to start a fight it was him."
I watch as Harry grabs the bridge of his nose, probably trying to contain his anger and annoyance. "And you decide spitting on him was a good way to encourage a fight? You are so fucking childish, Valentina." We we're still in the parking lot.
"I am at a disadvantage." I point out. "I start miles down from the top of his head, what was I supposed to do?"
"You were supposed to stay the fuck away!" Harry shouts, slightly making me jump. "You are so fucking careless with your own life, it's embarrassing that I'm even risking my own fucking skin to keep you safe."
I roll my eyes at this. "Please." Before Harry can add to that, there's tapping on the window and when we both turn, Rick was behind it.
"What?" Harry grits, I could practically feel the anger boiling inside of him. I know this because the same was for me. I hated seeing his dumb fucking face, taunting me.
"I don't care what my uncle said, whatever agreement you made with him is on him. Next time I see her, she's fucking dead."
"Why don't you do it right now?" I lean forward, Harry clenches his jaw. "I'm right here."
"Back the fuck up." Harry spits and my eyes trail down to his gun that he left on the console between us. "I told Alfio—"
Gunshot.
My hand vibrates from the gun firing but I held it together. There is light ringing in my ears and distant screaming from inside the club. It takes Harry a few seconds to realize what has happened and when he does, he turns to me with wide eyes. "What the fuck did you do?"
When I peek over, Rick lays motionless, with a gunshot right in between his eyes and his gun in his hand. I sit back and place the gun on the console, staring straight head.
"He had it coming."