Unstable (Sequel to Twisted)

Chapter 31

Chapter Thirty-One

Harry POV

"Don't turn around," I told Liam crossly, peering between the seats, "that's an order."

"Harry, it's three in the morning." Niall said softly.

"Shut up," I mumbled distractedly, leaning back in my seat to look attentively through the window. It was harder to see through the streets on account of how dark it got, even with all the street lamps.

But I couldn't just give up and head back. No, not with Claire out there-with him. I gripped tighter onto the pistol sitting in my lap, clenching my jaw and refraining from cursing aloud, even though I really wanted to.

I was only moments too late; if I had left the house just a few seconds earlier, I would've caught them in time.

"Did Zayn give you any updates?" I asked Liam. We were able to keep two men from leaving the house, and I wanted to interrogate them from looking for the girls was much more important. We all got into a car as soon as the white van turned the corner, and we tried our best to follow them, but by the time we reached the corner, they were gone. Zayn was back at the house, keeping the men in the basement to interrogate them.

I wanted to know who this leader is, and who the hell he thinks he is for taking my girl.

"They're still not talking." Niall spoke up quietly after reading a text on his phone. "Look, Harry we know-"

"-he already said we're not turning around." Louis spoke this time instead, his eyes never leaving the windows. He had been staring outside them, searching and searching this entire time. And when he spoke, he sounded firm and slightly harsh-worried.

"We're going to need sleep in order to think clearly." Liam said matter-of-factly. Fuck. I always hated it when he had some kind of point. But it didn't matter. What mattered was that Claire was with some bastard who took her, and I knew what he was planning to do with her when he openly touched her in front of me. He was using her to get to me; he knew I saw him touch her, and he knows that I saw her leave with him. This is all a fucking ploy to mess with my head; I wasn't stupid, I knew how psychology worked. But this is all fucking bullshit because his business is between he and I-it has nothing to do with the girls. He just struck so low to take them in order to get to me. Fucking cowardly bastard. "If we keep going like this, we'll never find them."

"What if they aren't even here?" I asked hoarsely. "What if he fucking drove them out of town? Huh?" That was a high possibility, except for the fact that this man wanted to take over Cheshire. However, it would be smart for him to have his main building outside of Cheshire.

"He wouldn't do that." Liam replied. "He's planning on staying, unless..."

He trailed off, letting the possibility hang in the air.

Unless he took the girls out of town so we wouldn't find them.

"Stop the car," I said through gritted teeth.

"Why-"

"-stop the fucking car right now." My voice came out as a feral growl, and the tires screeched, the car lurching to the right as it came to a rough stop. I threw open the door before the tires were even motionless, and I was walking across the street, taking long, brisk strides.

"Harry, mate, calm down," Niall called from the car, doors opening as they all got out, scrambling to follow me. We had no idea what part of town we were in, but it looked like it was a small neighborhood.

All I could see was Claire's shady figure through the window, staring at me as the van drove away. I was her last resort, her only hope, and I had failed her.