Let Your Good Heart Lead You Home (Zarry AU)

Part 15

Harry can't afford to be picky. Not with his targets. There are more than enough in this world, but not so much that live in the same city or have information about them spread on the internet. He's already going out of his way by taking a subway, carrying a small backpack filled with some necessities, like clean clothes if he needs them. Anything might happen and he needs to be prepared.

It's late in the evening and he's surrounded by tired looking people. Some of them appear to be asleep, heads tilted back and eyes closed. One thing he loves about the big city is the anonymity. There's nobody paying attention to what anyone else does because they're all caught up in their own business, just like he is, in a way. They're all passing faces to him, not worth noticing or remembering.

When he finally reaches his stop he gets out in a hurry, hoping he can still catch his target before he leaves work. He's the owner of a small printing company, but was charged with harassment of his employees along with holding back large sums of money. He was cleared of all charges when there seemed to be no concrete evidence. Harry thinks he must have bribed someone, somewhere. In short, he's corrupted. Vile, predatory. And a perfect target.

It's only a short walk to where the shop is located, and where he'll hopefully find his target. All he had to do was look up the closing hours and make sure he would be there in time to see the owner leave so that he can follow him home. It's a simple plan, but works every time. Although it gets tricky if they get in a car and drive off. That's happened multiple times already, but it doesn't really throw Harry off. He always finds a way.

As soon as he makes it there, he's relieved to find out that there's still someone inside. A man is pacing inside, talking urgently on the phone. Harry's pretty sure it's his target, even from a distance he can make out some of the defining features; broad, stocky figure and short dark hair. He also appears to be shorter than Harry. That should give him an advantage.

Harry lingers outside for a while, trying to remain inconspicuous by leaning against the side of a building and pretending to mess about on his phone. He drops his act as soon as he notices movement on the other side of the street; his target is closing up the shop and starts walking in a hurried pace. Harry follows to the best of his ability, keeping his distance while he tries not to lose sight of the man.

Eventually he sits down at a bus stop and Harry's steps falter, unsure of what to do. He can't just stand in the middle of the street, but taking a seat or standing near his target seems a bit risky. However, before he makes a decision, the bus already arrives, rolling to a slow stop and opening its doors. He avoids any eye-contact and sits a few seats behind his target, placing his backpack on his lap and folding his hands over each other.

The sky is starting to darken outside and the city lights are slowly starting to come to life. Harry can see his reflection in the bus window and tucks a strand of hair back in his bun when he sees it's loose. He looks back at himself calmly, wondering how much an expression really gives away. If by looking at him, someone could tell what he was planning. What he's really like. Even Liam isn't suspicious, so it must not reveal much. This worries him. It means it works the other way around as well. There could be things he doesn't know, things that are hidden from him.

Harry takes a deep breath, stopping his train of thought. Liam isn't like that. He's Liam, and Harry knows him.

His gaze shoots to the front again when the bus stops, the action making him tilt forward a bit. Harry gets up quickly when he sees his target's getting off the bus and follows him outside. He pretends to go the other way, but turns again when there's a fair distance between them.

They're in the older part of the city, where the houses don't look so fresh anymore and the streets generally feel cold; there's no summer vibe here, no liveliness. It's dark outside now, which only enhances that atmosphere. Harry stops and hides in the shadows when his target walks up a set of small steps and unlocks the door to his house. So now that Harry knows where the man lives, he only has to figure out how to get inside.