Stolen (Sequel To Capture)

Seventeen

"You let him go?" Harry bellowed with enough rage to capsize a boat lost at sea.

"Easy Styles." Zayn warned holding out his hand to him. "We had nothing to hold him to."

"HE KIDNAPPED EMMA!"

"Allegedly." Niall corrected him.

"BULLSHIT!" He growled.

"Truth is we have no clue where Emma is and that's exactly what his lawyer will argue. None of us like it any more than you." Niall argued back.

"You let our best lead to finding Emma walk out the door!"

"Exactly!" I spoke up. Zayn, Harry and Niall all turned to face me. "He is our best lead to Emma, literally. So we follow him."

"It hasn't worked out well in the past for us to follow Trey Murphy, or did you forget all the times before?"

"Yea, Liam, even if we could track him don't you think he would be expecting us too?"

"Any better ideas then?" I snapped.

"No." Harry sighed. "None thanks to you idiots." He stood up and walked from the room where we all had gathered.

"Come on, we should get back." Zayn suggested.

"Wait, he gave me this." I held up the zip drive.

Zayn took it from me examining it. "Did he say what is on it?"

"He called it a gesture of good will." I shrugged. "Whatever that means."

"It could be anything." Niall huffed rubbing the back of his head. "Plug it in and let's find out."

"No!" Zayn snapped his hand shut over the drive. "Not here."

"Why not?" Niall groaned.

"We don't know what is in this but whatever it is Trey risked incarceration to get it to you, which means it's something big. We can't trust that we're in isolated company here."

"A mole?" Niall asked looking around slowly.

"You thinking Styles?" I asked.

"He did lead Trey to Emma in the first place."

"By his stupidity, not because he is working with them." Niall countered.

"Zayn's right, we can't trust anyone but ourselves." I reached out taking the drive back from him. "Let's go find out what this is."

The safehouse was quiet as we returned. Casey leapt up from her spot on the couch and rocketed towards me. "You're ok!" She breathed quickly embracing me in a tight hug. I brought my arms up and hugged her back letting her body fold into mine. "I was so worried!" She cried.

"I'm fine. Just had to talk to Trey." I assured her.

"You spoke to him?" Louis yelped out nervously. His eyes looked bloodshot and tired as if he refused to close them the entire time I'd gone. "What did he say?"

"Nothing. Up to his usual games."

"Liam, you're pretty stupid to go after him on your own." Dani whispered getting up and hugging me as well.

I leaned forward holding the back of her head. "No one ever said I was smart." I teased making her smile.

"What did you two discuss?" Louis interjected. "Does he still want Dani?"

"Yes." I confirmed. "But I'm not letting him get you as well, you're not a bargaining chip, not to me anyways."

"Liam I'm willing to help." Dani argued.