Devil in Your Smile

Chapter 24, The Boy Who Died Wolf

3RD PERSON

All three men are zoned into the screen, with Ed typing away and Harry lurking directly over his shoulder. Louis is sitting a few feet away from Harry, trying to soak up whatever his eyes skim across on the screens. After a few minutes of watching Ed work his magic, a list of about 30 names pop up onto the screen. Ed clicks on a small icon, and the small list turns into pictures. On the screen, pictures of young boys come into view. Each of the men have different reactions, but the dread filled faces or watery eyes aren't noticed by anyone. Ed scrolls through the images, trying to focus on finding Louis' face in the sea of young bruised faces he sees. He almost skips past him, but Harry speaks up. Grabbing Ed's shoulder, he breaks the sullen silence, "Stop! There." Ed follows Harry's finger, clicking on the small photo, enlarging a picture of a fifteen year old Louis. The picture isn't clear at first, but when it fully loads, you can see the bruise on his face and the busted lip he has. Even through the screen, Harry can see the spaced out look on Louis' face, and he recognizes it instantly. His stomach feels heavy as he lets himself scan the photo, only looking away when he hears a sob to his left. His head snaps over to the person seated next to him, and he sees Louis biting his hand in an attempt to stay quiet.

Harry instantly moves to help Louis, to comfort him, but Louis holds his arm out to signal for Harry to keep his distance. He wipes his eyes and looks at Harry, nodding twice before looking back at the screen.

LOUIS POV

I swipe at my eyes to clear my vision as I look at the screen once more. The picture of a teenage version of me isn't on the main screen anymore, but it's moved to one of the smaller monitors on the desk. I watch as Ed grabs the notepad from his desk drawer, scribbling down the information on his screen as fast as it appears. Harry isn't even looking at the screen anymore, and from the corner of my eye I can see him staring me down with the intense stare I've become familiar with in the last few weeks. I ignore it in favor of waiting on Ed to reveal whatever he is jotting down, but I don't have to wait long because as soon as he is finished, he turns to Harry and I. "Everything you need is written here. The name of the man who kidnapped you, every alias of your captor, his true name and any last known address. I also wrote down some other stuff for you, Louis, but it's not really related to the men who hurt you." I watch Harry hold his hand out, expecting Ed to drop the information in his hand, but he doesn't. Instead, Ed walks around Harry and pulls me in for a hug. After he lets go, he pulls back and puts the papers in my hand, "I'm sorry that these assholes have gotten away with this for so long, I hope you find peace in whatever you decide to do. I put my number on the top of that paper, if you ever need anything, and I mean anything, shoot me a text or call me." not knowing what to say, I nod at him and whisper a 'thank you' under my breath.

Ed turns to Harry, who reaches into the black denim jacket he is wearing and pulls out a yellow envelope with Ed's name written on it. Before Harry can give it to Ed, I watch as he declines the money and pulls Harry in for a hug, whispering something into his ear as he does so. From where I'm standing, I can see Harry's face turn into something darker, before he looks Ed in the eyes and nods. Not wanting to interrupt this 'bro-ment', I decide to pack up the journals that are spread out on the floor next to my chair. Once they are all tucked in and secured in my backpack, I turn to the other two men only to find them already looking at me, not with unkind stares, but patient ones. I bring my hand up to tug on the strap of the bag as a signal that I'm ready, and Harry takes the hint and moves to open the door. Once we are all back in the living room, Harry gathers Princess and Clifford, clipping them onto their leashes before looking at me. Hearing the light tapping on the windows, I pick my cat up knowing that if I don't she will give me hell. I take the leash attached to her from Harry and make my way to the front door, not bothering to wait for Harry as I fish the keys from my pocket and run to the car. Once I'm safe in the car, I turn around only to find Harry putting Cliff into the backseat. I watch as he slams the rear door and opens the drivers, practically throwing himself inside and out of the rain. I can't help but laugh under my breath, but I cover it up with a cough when I see Harry roll his eyes and huff. I hold out the keys for him to take, and watch as he starts my car, struggling with the keychains and accessories attached to my keys as he does so. With yet another huff, the car finally roars to life, and Harry pulls away from Ed's house.