Reckless {HS}

twenty-five

Delilah's Pov

The car roared through the dark streets, engine rumbling as the city blurred past the windows. I sat in the back, squeezed between Harry and Niall, my heart pounding so loudly I was sure they could hear it. Every part of me was still reeling from what had just happened. The flash drive that I hadn't asked for, but now clutched in my trembling hand, felt like it weighed a ton.

Louis, sitting in the front passenger seat, had handed it to me, almost casually, before everything spiraled out of control. "Pass this to the tech guy," he'd said, like it was no big deal. Like my life hadn't just been turned upside down.

The silence in the car was deafening. No one spoke, but the tension was thick enough to choke me. I could feel Harry next to me, his entire body rigid, his jaw clenched so tightly it was a wonder he hadn't shattered his teeth. Niall, on Harry's other side, kept glancing at me like I was a ticking time bomb.

I stared down at the flash drive, my hands shaking. What the hell had I gotten myself into?

"Harry..." I finally whispered, my voice barely audible. My throat felt tight, like I could barely get the words out. "I didn't mean for this to happen."

Harry didn't look at me. His eyes stayed locked on the road ahead, but his jaw flexed, the only sign that he'd heard me. His knuckles were white where they gripped the edge of the seat, his breathing slow and controlled.

"You shouldn't have been there, Delilah," he said, his voice low, tinged with barely controlled anger. "None of this would've happened if you had just stayed away."

"I didn't know!" I stammered, feeling the panic start to rise in my chest again. "I didn't know you'd be there. I didn't even want—Louis gave it to me!" I held up the flash drive, my hand trembling. "I didn't know what to do. I didn't ask for this."

Harry's head snapped toward Louis, who glanced over his shoulder but said nothing. His expression was unreadable, but I could feel the weight of the decision settling over all of us.

"Why the hell did you give it to her, Louis?" Harry growled, his voice sharper now, his anger no longer just simmering below the surface.

Louis shrugged casually, completely unfazed. "She was standing right there. I thought she was someone who worked there." He turned back to face the front, his tone indifferent, like this was all some sort of game to him.

Harry cursed under his breath, turning back to me. His green eyes burned with frustration, his gaze cutting through the panic rising in me. "This is bad, Delilah. Really bad. You don't just walk into a situation like this and get out clean."

I opened my mouth to respond, but the words wouldn't come. My chest tightened, and suddenly, it felt like the car was closing in on me. My breath hitched in my throat, and my heart raced, my mind spinning out of control.

"Where are we going?" I blurted out, my voice cracking. My vision started to blur as I tried to calm myself, but it was no use.

Niall, who had been sitting quietly, finally spoke up, his tone flat. "We're headed to a safe house. Few states over."

"A few states over?" My chest tightened even more, and I started to hyperventilate. "I can't—I can't just disappear like that. I have classes. I have a life—" My words tumbled out in a frantic rush, my mind spinning as the reality of my situation crashed down around me.

"Delilah," Harry tried to cut in, but I wasn't hearing him. My breathing grew erratic, and I couldn't stop it. My vision was narrowing, darkening around the edges. I pressed my hands to my head, trying to steady myself, but it wasn't working. Everything felt wrong, suffocating.

"I can't—" My voice cracked, the air leaving my lungs in short bursts. "I can't do this!"

"Delilah!" Harry's voice was sharp now, cutting through the haze in my mind. He grabbed my arm, his grip firm but not painful. "Look at me. You need to breathe."

"I—" My voice was barely a whisper, and I felt like I was drowning. I couldn't focus on anything but the overwhelming panic clawing at me from the inside.

"Hey, hey," Harry's voice softened slightly, though there was still a hard edge to it. His grip tightened just a bit, pulling me toward him as he tried to anchor me. "Look at me. You need to breathe. In. Out. Slowly. Just focus on that."

I forced my eyes to meet his, his green gaze intense but steady. My breath still came in shaky gasps, but I did my best to follow his words. In. Out. My chest was still tight, and I was trembling all over, but gradually, the darkness around my vision began to fade.

"That's it," Harry murmured, his voice low, calming. His hand stayed on my arm, grounding me. "Just breathe."

I nodded weakly, blinking back the tears that had gathered in the corners of my eyes. My breath was still uneven, but I wasn't spiraling anymore. Slowly, I was pulling myself back together.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, my voice breaking. "I didn't mean for this to happen."

Harry's gaze softened just a fraction, and for a brief moment, I saw something other than frustration in his eyes. He let go of my arm, leaning back against the seat, running a hand through his messy curls. "I know. But you're in this now. There's no going back."

The words hung between us, heavy and unavoidable. I knew he was right. No matter how much I wanted to pretend this wasn't happening, no matter how much I wanted to run, there was no escape now. I was part of this, whether I liked it or not.

The car sped on, the night swallowing us whole, and I sat there, gripping the flash drive like it was the only thing tethering me to reality. My mind was spinning, but one thing was clear—my life was never going to be the same again.