Reckless {HS}

forty

Harry's Pov

I lean back in the car seat, trying to let the tension bleed out of my muscles. It's always like this after a job—everything tight, like a coil wound too tightly for too long. But tonight, there's something else. Something different. Delilah.

I glance at her out of the corner of my eye. She's still buzzing with excitement, her body practically vibrating with the energy from what we just pulled off. She's sitting beside me in the backseat, but there's no trace of the nervous girl who, not even an hour ago, could barely keep her hands steady long enough to unclasp that necklace. Now, she looks... alive. More alive than I've ever seen her.

"I can't believe I actually did that!" she says, her voice spilling out in a rush. "I mean, I thought for sure I'd mess it up, or she'd notice or something, but then—" She stops herself mid-sentence, her eyes wide as if she's replaying the moment in her mind. "Harry, she didn't even notice! I just... I can't believe it!"

I can't help but smirk. She's been talking non-stop since we left the hotel, her words tripping over themselves in her excitement. It's like she can't get them out fast enough. Every detail, every second, she's recounting it all in real-time. Normally, I'm the one who has to keep everyone calm after a job like this, but here she is, babbling on like she just got off a roller coaster instead of pulling off her first heist. And she's glowing. There's no other word for it.

I turn my head slightly to look at her. "You did good," I say, keeping my voice casual, but it's the truth. She did better than good. She was a natural.

Her face lights up at the compliment, and she beams at me, her lips curving into a wide smile. "I really did, didn't I? I can't believe how easy it was! I mean, I thought I was gonna faint or something. My hands were shaking so bad, but then... I don't know, it just kind of happened." She leans back against the seat, exhaling a breath before laughing softly to herself. "I can't believe we just pulled that off."

I feel a grin tugging at the corner of my mouth, despite myself. It's contagious, the way she's so damn giddy about it all. I've seen rookies freak out before, but this... this is different. She's on a high I've only ever seen in a few people, and it's rare—like she's just discovered a part of herself she didn't know existed.

In the front seat, Louis glances at us in the rearview mirror, his eyebrows raised in amusement. "Bloody hell, mate," he says, with a smirk. "You sure she hasn't done this before?"

I chuckle under my breath, shaking my head. "I'm starting to ask that myself," I say.

Niall, who's sitting on Delilah's other side, laughs, clearly enjoying the way she's still going on about the job. "She's more excited than you were after your first job, Harry."

"Shut up," I mutter, trying to hide my grin. But they're not wrong. She's taking this a lot better than most people would. A hell of a lot better.

Delilah barely seems to notice the guys' banter, still talking a mile a minute. "That woman," she says, her eyes wide as she looks over at me, "she was so into whatever you were saying, Harry. What did you even tell her?"

"Doesn't matter," I say, shaking my head, trying not to laugh at how intense she's being about this. But the truth is, I'm impressed. Not just with how she handled it, but with how she's reacting now. She's not scared. She's not second-guessing herself. She's into it. Into the thrill of it, the rush, the danger. I didn't expect this. Not from her.

Louis throws a glance back at her, a grin on his face. "Gotta say, Delilah, you've got the makings of a pro," he says. "Most people would be shitting themselves right now."

Delilah laughs, brushing off his comment like it's nothing. "Oh, trust me, I was scared. I thought I'd mess it all up. But... I don't know, it was weird. Once I started, it was like everything else just faded away, and it was only me and that necklace." She looks down at her hands, flexing her fingers as if she's still trying to process what just happened. "It felt... good."

Her words hang in the air, and I can't help but feel the same rush of pride and surprise. It did feel good, didn't it? For her, at least. Maybe more than good. She's a natural, and that thought sends a strange flicker of something through me—something I can't quite place.

Niall leans back in his seat, throwing me a look. "Seems like we've got a new recruit, huh?"

"Don't get ahead of yourself," I say quickly, my tone more serious than I meant it to be. "This was a one-time thing."

Delilah turns to me, her eyebrows raised. "One-time thing? I thought you said I could help out."

I pause, unsure of how to respond. She's not wrong—I did say that. But now, after seeing her like this, so caught up in the excitement, I'm not sure if I want her to. This world... it's not for her. Not really. I don't want her getting too comfortable with it. It's dangerous. Too dangerous.

"Yeah, well," I say, shrugging. "We'll see."

She doesn't push it, but I can tell by the look in her eyes that she's not letting this go anytime soon. She's hooked now. The rush of adrenaline, the thrill of getting away with it—it's gotten under her skin. I can see it. And I don't like it.

I lean back in my seat, letting the low hum of the car engine fill the silence for a moment as Delilah continues to ramble on about the details of the night, still buzzing from the job. I steal a glance at her, trying to figure out what the hell I'm supposed to do now. She's in this, whether I like it or not. And the worst part? I'm not sure I hate it.

Her excitement, her energy—it's infectious. And it's making me think things I shouldn't be thinking.

Louis chuckles from the front, clearly amused by the whole situation. "Looks like someone's caught the bug," he says with a grin, looking at Delilah. "You're gonna fit in just fine."

Delilah laughs, a carefree sound that makes something tighten in my chest. She's so different from the rest of us—so full of life, even after what we just did. Most people would be freaked out, but not her. She's... happy. Thrilled, even. And that makes me both proud and a little uneasy.

Because this? This is dangerous. And not just the job. The way I feel right now, watching her light up like this—it's dangerous, too.

We drive through the city, heading back to my place, the familiar streets passing by in a blur. Delilah keeps talking, her voice filling the car with her excitement. And for the first time in a long time, I feel something close to... happiness. Even if I can't let myself admit it fully.

But as much as I'm enjoying this moment, I know it can't last. This isn't the life for her. Not really. And sooner or later, something's gonna happen to remind her of that.

For now, though, I let her talk. I let her enjoy this victory. Because as much as I hate to admit it, she earned it.