Deception - H.S

Chapter 38

Hope Whitlock

At 5pm, there was a knock on the main door, catching me off guard. I was back not until too long ago, having only enough time to change and make myself some coffee and find some peace in this little time that I had alone.

Another knock, a heavier one followed when I didn't respond, kickstarting the anxiousness in me as I cautiously approached the front door after placing the mug of coffee on the kitchen island. I cracked the door open, "Yes?" I wasn't expecting anyone, the boys didn't mention anything about having a visitor so when I see two large men ahead of me, I wanted to slam the door shut, especially with the newfound information about the guys being involved in bad things that I wasn't fully aware of.

"Please move aside, ma'am." One of them was olive-skinned while the other was a little paler and more muscular, both wearing black suits with a black shirt inside and a black tie. The olive-skinned one was taller among the two and had a large scar on his right cheek that almost covered the length of his face while the shorter one had a nasty stitched-up scar on his temple. I wasn't anyone to judge but they looked like they got into a lot of fights and I had zero self-defense practice. Normally I wouldn't be too afraid of strangers, three days ago I might have even offered them coffee while I let them tell me why they were here but I was constantly on edge, questioning everything about my life. The lack of information from them was only making me more nervous, why would I let two strangers in?

"Ma'am." The second man speaks in a sterner voice because I was still in the same place, holding the door open only enough to poke my head through.

"I think you have the wrong place..." I politely let them know and was ready to close to the door when the taller man places his hand on the door to stop it from closing, "We have the right place, step aside." He pushes the door a few inches, forcing me to stumble backward as the two of them walk into the house with three black duffle bags.

I press my hand against my chest, standing against the wall near the door and give up on doing anything further or even protest their invasion.

They don't speak to me or touch anything in the house, except for getting deeper into the living room, walking around the couch set to place the three bags on the glass coffee table. Their eyes weren't going anywhere else in the room and neither did they ask for any of the guys, as if they had instructions to follow. They made their way back to the main door while I stand there completely frozen to allow them to do what they wanted.

Once they were standing outside the door, the shorter man flicked his eyes to mine, "Have a great day, Ms. Whitlock." He maintained the monotonous expression that the two of them had since I first saw them his, voice so deep it was causing goosebumps on the surface of my skin. He pulled the door close for me as soon as the last word left his mouth. My name.

Why did they know my name? How did they know my name?

I lock the door, going straight to the duffle bags that they left placed in a triangle on the table and open the one closest to me. Was this wrong? Maybe. If this belonged to the guys, was I invading their privacy? Definitely. But that was all I was capable of doing especially without any answers from Niall or even a basic explanation of what was going on – a genuine one, not the fake ones he has been feeding me since I saw Harry take a life. There was money in it, a lot of money, bundles of 100$ bills placed neatly in piles. My eyes widen a little, this couldn't possibly be how they get paid in the band.

I quickly open the next bag as well, my eyes literally popping out of my sockets in shock, blocks of white powder wrapped in clear plastic and taped. This was definitely not related to the band. I pull my hands back instantly, not wanting to touch the actual blocks.