Faceless [H.S]

.-.. .. -... . .-. .- - . .-.-.- 22

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

HARRY'S P.O.V

Her scent was still in my nose. 

That delicate perfume, so soft and easy to memorize. 

She smelled of musky vanilla and airy florals. 

I could still feel her. 

Her grip on me, tangled in my curls. 

I could still taste her. That mix of liquor and minty chapstick. 

Valerie, my Vixen. 

I closed my eyes. It's been a month, but I kept thinking of that fucking night. 

So I knew what I had to do.

I replayed the look of horror in her eyes, the sudden switch of lust to anger as I said what I said. I called her worthless. 

I thought I meant it.

I toyed with the bloody knife in my hand, eyebrows knitted together in concentration. I knew it had to be like this, I knew I had to do this. I didn't regret it. I wanted it.

To get her the fuck away from me, to get her out of my mind. 

I stared at the mangled body below me.

"Fucking hell, Styles... finally." I heard Jackie's voice from behind me. It broke the silence. I didn't turn to look at her, I just stared at the body in deep thought.

"Wasn't easy," I finally admitted, with a deep breath.

"I know," Jackie reassured me. "Trust me. I know."

"This should finally end this."

"Or start it all over again."

I wiped the knife along my black slacks, meeting her gaze. "What do you mean?"

"I don't think this--" She pointed to the body. The body I had beaten. Cut. Slashed. The face, unrecognizable. "--This is gonna stop anything. I think it'll make it worse. More ammo."

"There's something you're not telling me." I put the knife in my pocket.

"I think Liam was right. That they'll be coming for you for this." Jackie breathed.

Liam's corpse lay beneath me, and I just shook my head. No, he's dead. He's dead, I just killed him. That's it. No more him, no more Valerie, and we can continue Faceless.

"I think Liam wanted to be a sacrifice. I just... I have a feeling," She shook her head. "It was too easy. He was hiding out upstate, just to conveniently pop back up at your new club with no weapons? He has to have recruited a gang, like he said."

I turned my entire body, towering over her now. "How do you know?"

"After we watched the killing, I heard James arguing on the phone with someone." Her voice was barely above a whisper now. "Something about a gang starting up called Liberated, leaving cryptic messages all around the city. Remember what he told you that night he went to jail? About something bigger than Faceless. I think that was it. I think Liam created Liberated whilst hiding. You killed Liam, but they're gonna know... if they don't already."

"She's right."

The voice made us turn quickly to see James walking toward us, a grimace on his face. "Styles. Ortiz."

He greeted us and got closer.

"Although, I don't like the eavesdropping..." he shifted his stern gaze to Jackie, who just bit her lip and looked down. "She is completely right. There's a new group called Liberated, and we can thank Liam for that."

He kicked Liam's body to the side with his shoe and leaned over. "Piece of shit was ahead of us."

"And when the fuck did you find out about this?"

"Just now. Got a couple guys downtown telling me there's morse code on some walls. Decoded it, spells out a couple words. Sacrifice, Liberate, Unmask."

"Unmask..." I scoffed.

"Unmask us," Jackie said, putting it all together. "It's obvious Liam knows who we are. He knows we're Faceless. He could've easily told who ever the fuck is in that group about us... he could have people all over the city looking for us right now."

"Exactly, so we all need to come up with a plan to end Liberated. Liam's dead, so they'll be out for fucking blood." I spoke, finally. "Cops know?"

"How else ya think I got the info? Liam's an idiot, there's no way he's smart enough to play this game."

"Maybe we're underestimating him," I said. "He did this right under our nose."

"Don't try it, Styles. He also knows I've got eyes all around the city, I'll figure it out," James said, sternly.

"Or... he knows you'll take the bait."

Jackie's words were harsh, and everyone grew silent. James' eyes glared into Jackie.

"Usually, I'd be pissed at your smart mouth, but I think you're right."

Jackie let out a relieved breath of air and ran her fingers through her hair. "What're we going to do?"

"What we do best," James said. "Fight."