Hostage (a One Direction story)

Chapter Twenty Two

I gasp and drop the knife, stumbling backwards as it clatters to the floor.

"M-marc? What are you?"

Marc looks from me to the knife, a bewildered look crossing his handsome features before realization sinks in. He laughs suddenly, the unexpected noise startling me.

"You...you were going to kill me - no, him. You thought I was Nate! You were going to try and kill him!" he chokes out between guffaws.

i fold my arms crossly, glaring at him. "I'm glad you find the idea of your partners death so amusing."

That shuts him up. "Partner? Nate's not my partner. He was, at least, until you escaped, found that stupid ass boy band, and involved the police. Nate still thought we could get away with it, but I told him he was crazy. He didn't listen. And I left." With a frown, Marc rubbed a hand over his stubble. "Why am I telling you this anyway?"

I raise an eyebrow, but keep silent.

Marc looks me over and sighs heavily before shrugging off his heavy leather jacket. "Here." he holds it out to me, his cheeks coloring slightly.

I stare at the jacket like its a foreign creature. "What am I supposed to do with that?"

Marc rolls his eyes. "Put it on, stupid. You look cold."

Now its my turn to laugh. "Oh, so suddenly...suddenly Marc, who beat me to near death, not once but twice is offering me his jacket because 'I look cold'?" The lingering terror of what Nate was going to do to me mixed with the faint humor of the situation and I burst into hysterics, giggling like a madwoman.

Marc groans. "Shock." He steps forward and wraps the jacket around my violently trembling frame, his kindness causing me to burst into tears.

With another groan, Marc shoves my arms through the sleeves of the jacket and zips it up around me, studiously ignoring my hysteric crying. "W..Why are you b-being so n-n-nice?"

Marc, who is bundling me out the door, pauses for a moment. "I don't really know."

The answer far from satisfies me, but abruptly I am bone-tired, and the world is spinning and it seems like a really good idea to take a nap right about now...

***

Niall's P.O.V.

"Harry! Mate, where's Jae?!" I jump up as Harry, sopping wet, drags himself into the apartment.

I'm about to ask him again when I take a good look at him. His eyes are hollow looking, his shoulders hunched and his cheeks pale.

"Haz...what happened?" I snatch a towel from the bathroom and wrap it tightly around Harry.

"I...she-she ran away and I, I looked for her I really did, Niall, but she was gone!!" he stammers, scrubbing his face with the towel.

"She ran away?! Why? Harry, why did Jae run away?" I ask frantically, my stomach knotting with worry.

Haz groans. "Fuck. I kissed her, mate. And she kissed me for a second and then ran away."

My heart drops like a weight. "Y...you kissed her? You kissed Jae?"

He looks at me innocently. "She's fit (hot in British hehe I'm so knowledgeable lol jk not really) and she's actually really bloody nice."

I gape at him, my mouth hanging open like a dead fish's. "You...like...Jae?"

Harry glares at me. "Is it really that hard to peovess?" With an indignant humph he gathers the towel around himself and storms upstairs, obviously exasperated by my redundant questions.

I groan and drop my face into my hands. Fuck. Harry likes her too! What the hell am I supposed to do?!

With another sigh, I flop onto the couch, allowing myself a moment of self-pity. Jae would never choose me over Harry. He's got the curls and his seductive flirting and all I have is...is half-dyed blonde hair and a stupid accent.

***

I'm still lying on the couch when Zayn comes down an hour or so later.

"Nialler?" he asks, coming over to sit next to me. "Whats up, mate?"

I grunt noncomitally and he shrugs, obviously thinking it better to leave me be. He's getting up to leave when he hesitates.

"Hey, do you know where Jae is? I know she went on a walk a while ago but shouldn't she be back by now?"

Oh, shit!! I think, furious with myself. I was to busy wallowing in self pity to think about the fact that Jae was missing!

God, I really am an asshole.

I jump to my feet and throw a jacket on, grabbing Zayn's arm and pulling him out the door with me.

"Errr...Niall? Where, exactly, are we going?"

"We're going to look for Jae."

***********