Devil's Due [h.s.]

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

If I had thought Harry was terrifying before, it was nothing compared to the way that he was looking at me now: eyes wide and wild, nostrils flaring, expression containing so much uncontrollable rage that I physically shrunk back.

"I was just–"

He didn't give me the chance to answer. Multiple sets of voices – ones that I hadn't yet heard – sounded out behind us. Harry whirled around, stiffening, before turning back to me and hooking his hand roughly under my arm.

"We have to go." He said, voice frighteningly low, as he half-dragged me down the sidewalk. "Right fucking now."

"What? Harry–" I struggled to catch my footing, stumbling behind him, craning my neck to glance back at the alley. "What's going on? Why – I mean, Jesus, you're covered in blood! Do you want me to call–"

His hands gripped my shoulders, blunt fingernails digging into my skin as he hauled us to a stop. "Shut up." He growled through gritted teeth, voice still just above a whisper. His eyes darted the street around us. "Just shut the fuck up for right now, okay?"

I closed my mouth, nodding, before he resumed hauling me down the street. My heart thundered in my chest, vision beginning to swim, as I blindly let him take me wherever the fuck he was headed.

"What did you see?" Harry's voice broke through the ringing in my ears. He tightened his hold on my arm, tugging me to look at him. "River, what the fuck did you see?"

"Nothing," I stammered, shaking my head. "I didn't see anything."

Harry bit the inside of his cheek, obviously not convinced, eyes still viciously roaming across the deserted street. There was no one around. The voices had stopped. I wasn't sure why he was still insisting on this windingly fast pace –

Three men stepped out of the darkness. They'd come from an alley, a different one that we'd left behind a few blocks back, but they arrived directly in our path – stopping Harry and I in our tracks. Harry cursed under his breath, just loud enough for me to hear, before he yanked me behind him. His hand closed around my upper arm so hard that it started to hurt. I tried not to think about how they were covered in blood.

My chest was against his back and he refused to even give me an inch to move, meaning I could barely see the men that advanced us, only feel the way that Harry's entire body went taut at their presence.

"What's going on, Styles?" A deep voice rumbled, chilling me to the bone. Harry's fingers dug into my skin and I had to bite down hard on my lip to keep from making a noise.

"Fuck off," Harry said, the throaty growl in which he spat his words echoing along the whole street.

The men laughed. Pavement crunched as one of them stepped forward. Harry's breathing picked up.

"You made quite a mess back there, huh?" The man said, voice light as if he were simply making conversation. "You think you can just leave after you do that?" There was a brief pause. "Did she help you?"

Harry didn't move. Didn't so much as react. He only repeated his words through gritted teeth. "Fuck. Off."

"I don't think we will actually," the man replied with another chuckle. More crunching of pavement before a face suddenly came into my view. Harry was yanking me backward, pulling me out of their line of sight before the man could say anything.

"Oi, defensive, are we?" The man asked Harry. He was much closer now. "C'mon, Styles. Don't fucking be like this. I just wanna meet her." He peered over Harry's shoulder at me, a malicious grin spread across his face. "What's your name, pet?"