Take me to the place where the poison is
To put a face to what's poisonous
To give him a little taste of his medicine
Honestly? Men were weak.
Who would've thought I'd escape a talented FBI agent with the simple action of sexual teasing? Not that I was complaining, of course I was not, but this just proved how feeble men were, because the mere movement of my leg made them hard already.
I mean, I was hot, that was undeniable.
Guys were so easy to trick. You just had to do something in order to touch their dicks and they would get easily distracted. Unless, of course, they didn't have a dick.
I knew those three guys weren't the womanizer kinda men, because none of them stared at any other part of my body that wasn't my face even once - which was, by the way, something every man I fought would do.
But, putting my victory aside, the motherfuckers had actually managed to track me. Maybe they already knew I was staying in a cheap local hotel and they had asked Chino for my location, which he had clearly revealed since he was completely unaware of my job.
My whole plan had gone down the drain in a matter of twenty four hours, and now I had three FBI agents and god knew who else chasing after me.
Still, my only urgent task right now was to get to Neamhaí and make things right with Tomlinson before he dared to do anything stupid. Alissa wasn't safe as long as he was around, but he was hot and could just charm her or some shit.
We used to be fuck buddies. I met him in a bar, and he was good with his dick so I kept him for a while. We were friends for around a year, but the way he fucked was way too vanilla for my taste. Yes, I'm kinky as fuck.
I ended up dumping him, not before the asshole almost raped me. I told him I wasn't in the mood for sex and he still touched me. Thank fuck I was able to stand up for myself before shit went too far.
After that, I never saw him again, but I knew he hated me as much as I hated him. I still had no idea why though. He was the one with mental issues, I hadn't done anything else other than rejecting him.
My heart picked up pace every time I thought about him and what he had done to me - and not in the good way. At all. He was the biggest idiot I could've ever met in my life and I fucking wished I never crossed paths with him again, but now I had to.
Since those agents caught me, my gut told me nothing was right, even if I had beat the crap out of the three of them. I was really focused on my surroundings, and I swear to god I could even feel my blood flowing through my veins.
Neamhaí was one block away, and I kept looking behind me because I felt watched. I was already used to this feeling of being constantly followed. You can say it was some sort of sixth sense, because this had gotten me out of complications.
I didn't feel it often and, when I did, I was right almost always. Sometimes I was just being the paranoid bitch I am, but it was also my way out of dangerous situations.
This time, I thought I was just acting a little crazy after finding out the FBI knew about my whereabouts. Nobody was watching me, that was stupid. I had enemies, but none of them included vigilance in their m.o., so there was no fucking way I was actually being followed.
I hurried my pace and reached the pub. The glass door opened and closed with the dinging of a bell, which wasn't hearable at all within the loud blast of the music. It was only three thirty in the afternoon, but some people were already either wasted or high, or drinking strong liquor and shots.
Everything was exactly like I remembered it; the place was dark, so dark it almost felt like it was nighttime. The only lights came from blue and purple bulbs scattered across the ceiling, giving the place a colorful dim glow. People danced to the songs, mostly half naked girls and turned on guys, and the strippers spun on the poles. The floor vibrated and the walls echoed with the bass of the music, sweaty people stumbling past through me as I made my way to the bar, where I could see Alissa chatting with Louis Tomlinson enthusiastically.
She was wearing her stripper outfit, meaning her first shift had already ended but she hadn't changed her clothes yet. Simple matching underwear, connected by a thin lace strap that went down her stomach from her bra to the front part of her thong. She looked so hot.
I knew Alissa was unaware of who she was actually talking to, so it was my moment to interrupt the conversation before things got too far and they exchanged numbers or some shit - if they hadn't already. I didn't know Alissa for long, but I had to protect her from men like this.
"Hi." I forced my best smile, raising my eyebrows while I stared at both of them. They turned to meet my face, smiling. Their stools were turned to face each other, their knees grazing together.
"Natty, long time no see." Louis smirked idiotically, getting under my skin faster than I anticipated. The mention of the nickname he used to call me made a weird chill go down my spine, my stomach turning in response.
"Don't call me that, Tomlinson." I curled my lips into a mocking grimace that could be labeled as an annoyed smirk. Louis still had that stupid triumphant expression on his face that made me want to slap him.
"It's cute. Just like you are." He pinched my cheek, and I swatted his hand off without looking into his eyes. I couldn't believe he wasn't even ashamed of who he had turned into. God, I hated him so much.
"Don't fucking touch me." I turned to meet his gaze, furrowing my brows angrily. "Alissa, do you mind giving us a minute?"
"Sure." She answered simply as I glanced at her, seeing her leave her stool in front of Louis and walk towards the dressing room area. Please, her ass looked so good in that attire.
I took her place next to Louis, glaring at him as I did. I couldn't bear being in the same room as this man after all of these years, remembering everything he did and almost did to me. He was a monster.
"Don't go near Alissa. Ever again." I whispered through gritted teeth, holding myself not to punch him right in the nose.
"Someone's grumpy today." He clicked his tongue and shook his head, acting humorous when his best option was to shut the fuck up and get to the point.
"What the fuck am I doing here, Tomlinson? If you called me to waste my time, then I'm leaving." I growled, holding onto my sanity so I didn't lose my shit. The last thing I needed today was causing a fight in the middle of a pub; my day was already ruined.
"I have a job for you." Louis ran his fingers through his hair, forming his lips into a line as he nodded.
A job? Who did he think I was? A fucking employee? He could do the goddamn job on his own, because I wasn't willing to do anything that could benefit him in any possible way.
"What the fuck, dude, I'm not a fucking hired thief, I'm a killer. Why on earth would I ever do something for you anyways?" I squinted at him, fury washing my futures and state of mind.
"Because I know Zayn Malik. I've been following him for the past few weeks. I'll get him killed if you don't accept. Easy." Louis shrugged nonchalantly, setting me on the edge of a cliff.
My boyfriend was being watched? Was there a gun pointed at his head this very moment? How could this happen without me knowing? A lot of questions circled my mind while I tried to focus on keeping him safe however I could, the thought of losing him making my heart skip ten beats at once.
"That's not going to help you. You know, if you had done your job correctly, then you'd know I broke up with him months ago." I lied, trying to hide the shakiness and hesitation that coated my voice. For the first time since I arrived, I saw a confused expression on Tomlinson's face.
His eyebrows were creased together while he shook his head. "What the fuck? That's not possible."
"Well, it certainly is." I arched my brows, mentally sighing in relief knowing he bought the makeshift lie.
"Ugh, whatever." He rolled his eyes, turning to me with a relaxed expression again. "I still know your parents... Jerry and Elizabeth Perkins, aren't they? A lovely couple, I might as well add. A really beautiful house, too."
Fuck, no.
The remains of self control I still had vanished at the mention of my parents, because I still loved them after all. The thought of him laying a finger on them was making my heart beat faster and faster till I thought I'd start convulsing, my jaw clenched harshly as I prayed my teeth didn't break under the pressure.
I left my stool and reached for the knife tucked on my pocket, standing up and grazing the blade against his neck. My anger was visible now that I tried my best not to slit his throat right there. It was tempting, but not possible.
"You went to my fucking house?" I asked, keeping one of my hands on his shoulder. Louis' unwinded features unconsciously mocked me while he nodded. "Son of a bitch. If you lay a fucking finger on them, I swear to god I'll break your neck while you choke on your own dick."
"That sounds inspiring. Tell me more." He smiled. I let go of the collar of his shirt angrily, sitting back on my stool. I was grasping the knife so tightly that the handle had cut my skin, but honestly, I couldn't care less. "So, do you accept?"
"Do I have a fucking choice?" I laughed with absolutely no humor, biting my tongue till I felt the metallic taste of blood.
"It's a diamond." He said slovenly, ignoring my rhetorical question. "I'll pay you if you steal a diamond. It's worth several billions of dollars and the only thing you need to do is grab it without anyone seeing you."
"Why don't you do that on your own, for fuck's sake." I snapped once more, realizing he was sending me to do the dirty job while he sat on his couch and watched television.
"Because you're the best killer, and I know you won't leave traces behind." Louis smiled and I remained quiet, which was his cue to continue talking. "The diamond will be passed from hand to hand through different places across the world till it finally reaches its destiny."
"Which is?" I asked reluctantly.
"I can't risk anyone in this bar hearing, so I'll text you everything." He nodded with a serious expression, looking around. "You can get the stone on any of the locations, but it has to be clean and with barely any bodies, if you can do that. The trade will last a couple months, because the person that currently has the diamond has to give it to a person on the other side of the world. This is the first payment."
Right after, he took a fat, heavy envelope from his coat pocket and handed it to me. Inside was a stack of bills. A really large stack of bills.
The amount of money in there was worth the try, though I hated having to do this for the person I hated the most. I would have to travel around the world for very long months for a stupid stone, and the payment wasn't even half the price of it, but I could manage myself if that meant protecting Zayn and my parents.
"I'll start this week." I said simply, and then left the bar.
My brain was overloaded with feelings, especially since I had taken the offer of a despicable, horrible and disgusting person. I had given up too quickly for money and safety of the people I loved, which was the most important topic, but it still didn't take away the fact I was about to interrupt a chain trade of a super important diamond.
Fuck me.
My pace was quick as if I had a giant red target on my back, and I couldn't help but mentally punch myself for being such a weak person.
The envelope was now tucked in my jacket pocket, safe and probably unused for the rest of its life. I knew myself enough to know I would have to use it someday, but this was dirty money. The faster I did this, the faster I could leave and never see that stupid face of his again, because I-
"FBI, drop your weapons!"
Oh, my fucking god, they never rested, did they?
"What the fuck do you want now?" I turned around, presuming I'd meet a bunch of agents aiming their guns at me. Luckily, there was only one agent, and it was Harry Styles.
"Natalie Perkins, you're under arrest-" He started.
"Shut the fuck up, dude, I'm not leaving with you." I frowned, shaking my head as if this was the stupidest idea ever.
Harry froze with his gun on hand, so I took the opportunity to pivot on my heel and leave the place. Everything was quiet and empty till a gunshot made me stop in my tracks when the bullet landed right next to my feet.
An arm around my neck startled the fuck out of me when I realized it was him trying to knock me out. With my whole strength, I pushed my head back and managed to hit his nose, making him stumble back with his hand on his face.
Harry grunted in pain, dropping the gun, and I took the moment of distraction to kick him on the side of his torso. Then, I tried going for his face, but he stopped my fist with his arm and then hit me on the stomach.
Now, I was the one stumbling back, but I instantly recovered and ran back towards him. I faked a punch to his stomach and, when he took his hand downwards to protect his abdomen, I punched him on the face.
But he was quicker when he grabbed my fist and turned me around, eagerly wrapping both my and his arm around my neck. I tried struggling my way out, but his grip was kicking the air out of my lungs quicker than I expected.
Several gunshots echoed in the area, and it wasn't Harry or me. He instantly loosened the pressure on my neck while the bullets of a machine gun hit us everywhere. They didn't get to me, but I heard a grunt and saw Harry had been shot.
Quickly, I grabbed his arm and led us both to an alley, where I told him to sit while the gunshots grew louder. They were attacking us and they would find us, but I couldn't leave Harry there for the simple reason that, if I killed an FBI agent, there was no saving me. I wouldn't literally kill him, but it would look as if I did and I couldn't risk myself like that.
"Let me see." I tugged on the hem of his shirt where the blood was spreading quickly and lifted it, exposing a superficial gunshot right over a fern tattoo on his v-line.
Sweet baby Jesus.
With the experience I had, I tore his shirt and made a ball with it to press it against the wound. The piece of shirt quickly got stained with his blood and he wouldn't last long, since the only thing preventing him from bleeding off was the fabric.
Not the moment, clearly, but his body was heavenly. There was another fern tattoo on his other v-line, matching the previous one, and two swallows on his cleavage; a James Bond 17BLACK tattoo was inked right above the left swallow, a simple heart was right next to it and two crosses could be seen right under the James Bond tattoo. There were miscellaneous tattoos on his arms and cleavage. Some of them looked senseless, but beautiful and equally hot.
"It's not bad, c'mon we have to go." I tried pulling him up from the floor.
"Go where?" He blurted out. His words sounded like a drunk mess and I could see he was struggling not to close his eyes.
"I'll take you to my place and help you with the wound. You'll die if I leave you here." I tugged on his arm again, but he wasn't budging from the floor and I was afraid I'd have to leave him to die riddled on this alley.
"Why do you care all of a sudden?"
"Harry, please. I'll explain it to you later, but these guys are looking for me and now for you too because you're with me, so we need to leave." I said, and Harry opened his mouth to talk but I shut him. "Now."
And, with no further chatter, I helped him stand up while he held his side and we both left as quickly as our legs allowed us.