Stockholm Syndrome ✔

Chapter 17 - New Turn

A couple of days ago if the door would have been left open, Harry would've ran away as fast as he could, but now he just stood a couple of meters away staring at it.

He wanted to step out, he really did, but he couldn't.

It all had happened so fast, so easily. Harry couldn't help but feel that something was wrong. It wasn't possible that Troy would trust him just like that and leave the door open so there must be some catch.

Harry took a step closer to the door.

Now that Louis has left him and he was alone, he was scared— more than ever. Now that he knew it wasn't just him and Louis, going out of the door terrified him. And well, Louis had left. He hadn't even glanced at Harry and it had hurt.

And why the hell did Harry kiss him? He couldn't understand it, he had felt a sudden urge to kiss the guy so that's what he did and now... Now Harry was confused about it.

He took another step towards the door.

Maybe Troy indeed was messed up enough to think that a few words would turn Harry into a loyal son. Maybe... Maybe Harry could just walk out of the door, through the house and out of the front door. Run.

Maybe.

"It's worth a try", Harry muttered, pulled the door wide open and stepped out. He glanced around. He was in a hallway and spotted a few other doors which were all closed. Harry took a deep breath and started walking.

He didn't see other people and he didn't know where he was going, but on the other hand he didn't really care. There could be only Troy and Malik in the house for all he knows. Harry kept walking aimlessly, not daring to try whether the door around him were locked or not.

Suddenly Harry stopped and held his breath. He wasn't alone anymore. He had ended up in a room which looked like a huge living room.

And there were lots of people.

After a moment Harry breathed out slowly when he realised that no one was paying attention to him. All the people seemed quite busy, he heard them speaking Russian and hurrying around. Some of them smiled at Harry, others just ignored him completely.

"What the hell...", Harry muttered and took a cautious step forward. When no one gave a shit about him, or some ninjas didn't attack him, he started walking towards the door on the other side of the room.

He stepped out of it and kept walking aimlessly, stepping aside every time someone hurried past him. Then he spotted a front door.

It has to be a front door because it looked like one. Harry glanced around and then ran towards it, pulled it open and froze in place.

He was staring a large front yard and a five Russian men dressed in black turned to stare at him. They looked rather intimidating and Harry realised why Troy let him leave the room so easily.

Harry sighed and closed the door before the men would start talking to him in a language that Harry didn't even understand. He turned to stare at the house and didn't know where to go. Maybe kitchen?

Harry started walking and kept glancing around, partly because he was terrified and lost and partly because he kind of hoped that Louis would still be there.

"Ah, there you are, Harry!"

Harry stopped and turned around. Troy was standing at the door on left, motioning Harry to come closer. Harry didn't move.

"Come here now, we need to talk about your training."

Harry frowned. "My... training?"

Troy sneered, rolling his eyes. "Yes, Harry. Your training."

Harry took a suspicious step. "My training like... Like the same kind of that Louis has had? Like basically a ninja training?"

Troy laughed dryly. "Louis is not a ninja."

"I said basically."

Troy didn't answer, he just stepped inside the room and motioned Harry to follow him. Harry didn't want to but what else could he do? He was lost, alone and frankly he doubted that he would find Louis because the house was huge and he didn't even know whether Louis was there anymore.

Harry walked inside the room and quickly realised it was some kind of office. Harry wrinkled his nose. He was in Troy's office. He quickly remembered at least five cliche movies where fathers order their children to come in their home office and then gives them a stern talking-to about their grades. The only difference was that this was not about Harry's grades and Troy was not his father.

Not if Harry has something to say.

Troy walked around his desk and sat down. He pointed towards the chair in front of the desk and told Harry to sit down.

Harry stayed by the door.

Troy raised an eyebrow but let it go. He crossed his arms and looked at Harry for a moment without saying anything.

"Malik will be training with you."

A disgusted look appeared on Harry's face.

"Malik?" he repeated. "As in Malik who beat Louis' ass pretty fucking badly?"

Well, to be honest, Harry didn't know that for sure but still.

"Same guy", Troy said casually and Harry wanted to throw up and perhaps hit Troy. With a chair. "Also you need to study Russian."

"No."

"Yes", Troy said sternly. "I prefer speaking it and so does Malik and everyone you'll be living close to."

"I don't—", Harry started but when he saw the look on Troy's face he sighed. "Okay, yeah. Russian. Got it."

Troy nodded approvingly. "Then the other things. No contacting to your old life."

"My old life?" Harry furrowed his eyebrows. He knew he would have to do as Troy say if he wanted to keep the people he loved alive but, like, what? Old life?

Troy nodded. "From this day on begins your new life. You'll forget everything from your past. Understood?"

"I—"

"Misbehave and you'll be punished. Behave correctly and you'll be rewarded.

"But—"

"Understood?" Troy's voice was stern and loud. It left no options.

Harry swallowed and forced the words out of his mouth. "Yeah. Understood."

"Basic lessons you need to remember by heart", Troy said, and leaned closer. "Repeat after me. Lesson number one— Family comes first."

Family? Like the whole fucking Russian mob? No way in hell. They were not Harry's family.

"Repeat after me, Harry."

"Family comes first", Harry hissed through his teeth.

"If one goes down, that said one will not drag down the others too."

Like if someone gets caught to the police, he can't expose the rest of the members in the mob? If it comes to that, Harry is ready to give out all the names. But when he looked at Troy and met his eyes, his shoulders slumped and he said, "If one goes down, that said one will not drag down the others too."

Troy nodded, kept a long pause and then said, slowly and loudly, "Kill or be killed."

Harry's eyes widened. "Wh—"

"Repeat. It. Harry", Troy said, now getting impatient.

Harry shook his head in disbelief. "Why would I need to kill—"

"You'd be surprised how many dangers there is in this world. Repeat it, Harry."

"No", Harry said, shaking his head. Never.

"REPEAT IT!"

Harry bit his lip. If he repeats it, it doesn't mean that he believes it, right? He could say it just to make Troy happy and get him off of his back. Louis will come back and save him, that was only thing in Harry's mind. Until then Harry just needed to keep Troy pleased.

"Kill... or be killed", Harry repeated and didn't mean it.