Reckless {HS}

fourteen

Harry's Pov

The museum was almost too quiet. It was the kind of stillness that made the hair on the back of your neck stand up, like something was about to snap, like the air itself was holding its breath. It was after hours, of course. The perfect time to pull a job like this. The exhibit we were targeting was locked up in a private vault, buried beneath layers of security only a few knew how to access. The plan was airtight, just like it always was.

I stood in the back room with the boys, reviewing the details one last time. We'd done this dozens of times, but I was always the one to go over the plan in my head until every step was burned into my brain. There was no room for mistakes. Not this time.

"We've got a ten-minute window once the power goes down," Louis muttered, running his finger along the blueprint we'd spread across the table. "Once the cameras are off, we move. Liam, Niall, you handle the entry. Harry, you're the distraction—get yourself seen but not too seen, yeah?"

I nodded, barely hearing him. My mind was already in the game, calculating every move, every risk. The museum was one of the most secure places we'd ever hit, but I wasn't worried. We had this under control. Besides, I had something else on my mind. Something—or rather, someone—I couldn't shake.

Delilah.

I hadn't seen her since that night on the rooftop, but she'd been haunting my thoughts ever since. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her face, those wide, frightened eyes looking up at me as I grabbed her arm. The way she'd flinched when I told her she was a smart girl. And she was. Too smart for her own good, maybe. I hadn't wanted to admit it, but something about her was different.

"Harry?" Louis' voice cut through my thoughts. "You with us?"

"Yeah," I snapped back to the present, meeting his gaze. "I'm good. Let's do this."

We moved quickly after that. Everyone knew their roles. Niall and Liam handled the technical side—disabling the alarms, cutting the power. Louis and I were on the floor, blending in with the late-night cleaning crew. The security guards barely gave us a second glance as we moved through the museum, heading toward the exhibit.

Everything was going smoothly. We'd timed it perfectly—guards changing shifts, cameras looping. It was textbook. But then, as I walked through the main hall, something caught my eye. At first, I thought it was just a trick of the light. I blinked, glancing over my shoulder, and that's when I saw her.

Delilah.

What the fuck was she doing here?

She stood near the entrance to the gallery, looking out of place in her simple clothes, staring up at one of the sculptures like she was actually there to enjoy the art. But I knew better. There was no way she was here by coincidence. Not tonight.

My heart stopped for a second, the shock freezing me in place. I quickly turned my back to her, keeping my head down, trying to keep my cool. This can't be happening right now. Of all the nights, of all the places, why the hell did she have to show up here?

I kept moving, my footsteps measured, steady, but my mind was racing. She couldn't know I was here. She couldn't know who I was. But deep down, I had a feeling she wasn't just here by accident. She wasn't that kind of girl.

That's my smart girl.

The thought hit me like a punch in the gut. Pride mixed with anger as I tried to shake her from my thoughts.

She'd figured it out. Somehow, she'd managed to connect the dots and track us to the museum. Impressive. But also fucking reckless. What did she think she was doing, walking into something like this? Did she have any idea how dangerous this was?

"Harry, you in position?" Louis' voice crackled in my earpiece, snapping me back to reality.

"Yeah," I muttered under my breath, my eyes flicking back toward Delilah. She hadn't noticed me yet. At least, I didn't think she had. But I couldn't get her out of my head. She was here, right in the middle of everything. And now all I could think about was her.

"Good. We're cutting the power in sixty seconds. Stay sharp," Louis said.

I cursed under my breath, ducking into one of the side rooms to get a better angle. My job was simple—cause a distraction, get the guards' attention on me while the boys handled the vault. But how the hell was I supposed to focus on that with Delilah standing right there?

I peeked out from behind a pillar, my eyes finding her again. She was still wandering through the gallery, looking at the artwork like she belonged here. But I could see it in the way her eyes darted around, the way she kept glancing over her shoulder. She was nervous. She wasn't here to appreciate the art; she was here for us.

For me.

I felt my anger rising again, my chest tightening with frustration. What was she thinking? This wasn't some game. She didn't know the risks. She didn't know what I was capable of. If my father found out she was sniffing around our jobs, it wouldn't end well for her. And if she got too close to us tonight, I didn't know if I could protect her.

Why did you have to show up here, Delilah?

The countdown in my earpiece started, and I forced myself to focus. I couldn't let her distract me. Not now. We were too far in, and there was too much riding on this job. If I screwed this up, my father would never let me hear the end of it.

"Three... two... one..."

The lights went out, plunging the museum into darkness. For a moment, everything was still. I could hear the guards shuffling, confused, and then the emergency lights flickered on, casting long, eerie shadows over the exhibits. This was my cue.

I stepped out from the shadows, making sure to walk right past one of the guards. He spotted me instantly, his eyes narrowing as he reached for his radio.

"Hey! You there—what are you doing?"

I smirked, pretending to be startled. "Just doing my job, mate. Power cut threw me off."

He didn't buy it, of course. I could see the suspicion in his eyes as he started toward me, his hand inching toward the baton at his waist. That's when I heard the familiar clink of the vault door opening in the distance. The boys had done their part. Now I just had to buy them a few more minutes.

But even as I led the guard away, my mind was still on her. Delilah. I couldn't shake the feeling that something was about to go very wrong. I had been in this game long enough to know when the odds were shifting, and tonight, the air felt charged.

I looped around the corner, losing the guard, and then made my way back to the main hall. I had to find her. I had to make sure she wasn't about to walk into something she couldn't handle.

There she was, standing near the entrance to the next room, her eyes scanning the crowd. She hadn't seen me yet, but I could tell she was looking for something—looking for us.

Goddammit, Delilah.

I slipped behind a column, watching her from the shadows. She had no idea what kind of trouble she was in. If any of the boys saw her, or worse, if my father found out... I couldn't even think about it.

But even in my anger, I couldn't help feeling a surge of pride. She had figured it out. She was too smart for her own good, and somehow that made me want her even more.

But she was walking a dangerous line, and if she wasn't careful, she was going to fall.