Ravaged // h.s. au

14.

Harry

" Everything is collected and ready to be run for prints?" I questioned, as the officers began to file away from her house, which was once ours.

" We took all the pictures, and we scanned all surfaces, and it's all going to the lab now." Liam explained.

" Alright, we need to get back, and look into this. We have to talk to Rodriguez again. But I- I need one of us to stay here with her." For some reason, my eyes fell to the ground, remembering all those times, that I wasn't there to protect her myself, that they had to clean up my mess of an abandoned wife.

" I can take the first round." Niall called, walking down the stairs. I nodded, offering a small smile.

" Alright, I called the officer in charge of Hazel, and she should be home soon. So take care of them, Niall, and we'll be back as soon as we can." I gave him a slight pat on the shoulder, as he nodded in understanding. I turned around, and her eyes were already watching me. I didn't know if it was accusation behind them, or pure disappointment, but I tried not to look long enough to be able to tell, as I gave her a weak wave, and immediately walked away. Liam was first to follow, along with Zayn, and finally, Louis. We had driven down in multiple cars, so each of us, got into one, as we drove back to the station. I was seated next to Zayn, with the collected evidence laying on the backseat. I couldn't help but tilt my head, catching the corner of one of the burned images.

" Head forward, Styles. Don't do that to yourself." He spoke so calmly, so firmly, that I was once again reminded why he was the head of the station. Zayn had always been one to feel things so deeply, yet, so silently. We knew he gave a fuck, although, he rarely bluntly confessed to it, or let it get to him. I sighed, looking onto the road.

" I should probably apologize while we're at it. I fucked up and-"

" Not yet, Harry. I'm working this case for Gypsy. I'm letting you onto this case, because you were one of the best we've had. But that doesn't fix any of the shit that's happened, and if I'm honest, I can't promise to move past that yet. So save us both the trouble and lets just fix this and keep her safe, and we can call it a day."

The lump forming in my throat reminded me that too much had changed since I had decided to give up on the world. Out of breath, out of words, I nodded weakly. Soon, we were pulling up in front of the station, and Zayn was leaving the car, ordering one of the officers to take the evidence into the lab. He walked into the locker rooms, calling for the new girl to follow him. I took off my vest, throwing it onto the empty chair by Louis' desk, before walking into Zayn's office, and closing the door behind me. Before I could sit myself down on his chair, the door opened again, and Louis entered, putting his hands to his waist, and tapping his foot.

" Is everything okay?" I warily asked, and he put a single warning finger in the air.

" I'm going to talk, and you'll shut up and listen." He stopped, eyeing me for any signs of disagreement, but I didn't offer any.

" I can't stand you. I can't even look at you. You were my best friend, you were my partner, and to be let down like that, to be walked all over by you, that hurt like a motherfucker. So I can't trust you. I can't be around you. So this little arrangement, is a pain in my ass. But, Gypsy needs us. All of us. And for some fucking reason, that includes you. I don't care why you do this, I don't even care how you do it, just fucking do it. Help us solve this case, Harry, because it's the only thing, and I mean, the only thing, that can ever make any of it even a tad bit tolerable." His chest was heaving, his eyes were wide and frantic. He looked furious, and for the first time since I had known him, I didn't know how to handle him, or how to make it better.

" Okay." I weakly whispered, nodding. He gave me a single curt nod, opening the door, and then laying himself down on his usual chair.

" So what have we got?" He questioned, eyes fixated upon the file. I knew it couldn't have been easy. I knew he probably didn't want to be doing this, but I was utterly grateful. I opened the file, and explained to him all the missing links I couldn't yet resolve. Zayn came in an hour or so later, informing me that Rodriguez was back into the interrogation room. Both Louis and I decided to go in together this time, followed by Zayn and Cleo for observation. I pealed my sleeve, clearing my throat, before sitting myself down, while Louis turned his chair the other way around, sitting, so that his chest hit the chair's back. A little intimidation technique of his that rarely worked but he seemed to enjoy.

" Okay, Rodriguez, lets go over this again. How did you manage to fraud the papers, when you weren't the only one working the case? Someone must have picked up something along the way."

" I did it alone. I waited until everyone was distracted by the chaos, and I fixed that only piece of information, before closing the case, and filing it away. I knew Captain Malik would surely look through it again, so whenever he asked for the file, I'd give him the wrong one, with the real information, but not what I had actually closed the case off with."

" What about the rest of the people working the case? No one ever suspected anything?"

" There was only one person who detected the mismatch between the information. I noticed, and informed Joshua, and he told me he'd handle it. That was the end of it."

" Give me a name, Paul."

" You have to understand I didn't mean for all of this to happen. I just wanted to keep my family safe. I just wanted to be the man they needed me to be, and-"

" A name, Rodriguez." I partially rose to my feet, leaning my hands against the table.

" Niall. Niall Horan."

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A/N: DUN DUN DUUUUN !!

Ha, you'll probably lose it right now, but I'm sorry for leaving it there, couldn't just give it away so easily, now, could I?

Anyways, let me know what you think, it always makes my day :)

ily x