Stuck » h.s. (UNDER EDITING)

twenty three

A/N: Wooahhh, I'm already on chapter 23. When did that happen? This will probably be the last update until next Thursday because I'm going to be out of town and not have much service. Thank you to anyone who has read this. You're all amazing.

EMMA'S POV:

Thankfully Louis didn't show up at Harry's apartment, instead rushing over here after the call from Eleanor. He informed us that he had been on his way to Harry's, but this situation was a lot more important than a 'bro night' as he called it. Eleanor and I sit in silence watching Louis pace back and forth across the room while we hold ice packs to our injured areas. He stops abruptly and spins to face us.

"I'm going to murder him," he says with his jaw clenched tightly.

"That probably would end up with him laughing over your dead body," I mumble, looking to Eleanor. She remains silent, staring directly ahead. I know she's listening, but she's still in a state of shock. God only knows what would have happened to her if I hadn't shown up. The scene will probably give me nightmares for the rest of my life. Well, that is if I managed to avoid getting murdered.

"He shouldn't be able to just get into the apartment and harm you two like that. That's taking it a step too far." He plops down next to us with a loud, exasperated sigh and I glare at him.

"This whole thing is a little too far, Louis. What we need to be worried about right now is getting out of this. I can't just sit around and be tortured because we all know it's about to get a hell of a lot worse than this. There's going to be blackmail involved soon," I tell him, causing Eleanor to whimper slightly at my harsh words.

"How do you know there's going to be blackmail involved?" he raises his eyebrows at me in curiosity.

"He so kindly decided to tell me when this all started. He sent me a video from a while back that I would rather not discuss and said that's what he'll release and use to ruin my remaining days if I don't listen to what he says." I answer him and let my ice pack fall to the floor.

"Well, we know what this calls for."

"And what would that be?"

"A trip to Horan."

*****

After all of the glass and blood was cleaned from the floor, we made it to Niall's gargantuan house. I stared at the fountain in the center of the circular driveway and admired the way the iron twisted around the pillars of the house. The whole house was lit up with lights coming from the flower garden in front and the lights from the huge chandeliers hanging in every main room. It was one in the morning and the whole house was lit up like a Christmas tree.

The huge spiral staircase that greets you as soon as you walk through the door still astonishes me. Niall gives me a funny look because apparently the awe is evident on my face. I continue to look at the familar paintings that line the walls as we walk up the stairs with my hand dragging along the ice cold rail. The marble flooring below us is dancing with sparkles under the rays of light from the chandelier that hangs above it.

"Emma, close your mouth before it gets stuck like that," Niall breathily laughs, unlocking the door to the Room of Wires as I like to call it. "You've seen this all before."

"Yeah, but it's still beautiful," I poke him as I walk through the door and into the Room of Wires. Niall locks the door behind us and messily runs a hand through his bed hair, staring at the three of us.

"Where the hell are your parents, mate?" Louis asks as he makes himself comfortable on the purple couch in the far left corner of the room.

"Business trip. Like always," Niall answers, taking a seat next to him. Eleanor and I grab two chairs and pull them up before collapsing into them. "Where's Paige?"