Fingerprints

Seventeen

Newt virtually kicked open the door to his old home, the pounding of blood in his ears becoming almost unbearable in his ears. He gripped the gun tight enough that it hurt as he locked eyes with his ex.

"Well well well, look who came crawl-" Mark noticed the gun and the entourage behind the blond, and went pale. He stood up from his chair and put his hands up, "Newt..I..please don't shoot me I'm sorry for everything please don't hurt me." A part of Newt's subconscious was in absolute glee, seeing someone so abusive and manipulative on the brink of shitting themselves. He strode toward Mark, who stumbled backward, shaking and eyes blown wide with fear. He hit a wall and soon the blond had a fistful of his shirt, pressing his gun against the mans chin. Mark shook with fear and started hyperventilating.

"Where is she?" Newt spat, his voice low with fury.

"Please don't hurt me" Mark quivered. Newt shoved him back agents the wall, 'cocking' the gun.

"WHERE IS SHE?!" He yelled.

"W..wh..who?" sweat glistened on Mark's forehead.

"Sonya" he growled. Mark looked behind his aggressor, pleading for help with his eyes. Harriet slammed her hand on the table, making him jump.

"Tell him!" She ordered.

"I..I don't..I don't know.." he met Newt's eye, who clenched is jaw in impatience.

"DON'T LIE TO ME" Mark squeezed his eyes shut and heaved for breath.

"I..I'm n..not..N..Newt...b..baby..please.."

"Wrong move Mark" he murmured, bringing his knee up to the mans stomach with enough force to crack a rib or two. Mark wheezed for breath, bending double, before being pulled back upward by the hair. "We can do this all day, babe, or you could tell me what you know, and we won't have to see each other ever again. And if you don't, well.." he waved the handgun around carelessly, "maybe my finger will just..happen to pull a trigger."

"Ok ok ok I'll tell you, please don't hurt me." he pleaded. Newt smirked in victory, raising his eyebrows in expectancy, "I...I so..sold her." he whispered. The blond faltered slightly, eyes widening in shock.

"You what?" He whispered.

"I..I was angry..a..and I...I kidnapped her...s..sold her to..to a company I know..t..they...d..d...dea..deal with...h..h..hu..human...t..trafficking." he stumbled over his words. Newt felt light headed. The words swam in his head and somewhere in the back of his mind; he felt the gun slip out of his hand and his knees buckle, felt Minho and Thomas's hands on him, heard Harriet and Mark, saw the world swim, before turning dark, but all that he could think about was that Sonya, his Sonya had been sold. She had been swallowed up by the huge, dark monster that was human trafficking, and by now, she could be anywhere. He should have been quicker. He'd failed as a brother.

-

When he woke up, he saw Minho and Thomas sat on the edge of the couch, watching him and murmuring in low tones. For a moment his memory escaped him, before it all flooded back and threatened to pull him back into unconsciousness again. He fought the urge though and sat up quickly.

"Sonya, wheres Sonya? We have to find her" he stuttered. Thomas put a hand on his shoulder.

"Ok Newt. Take it easy, ok? Harriet got some more information." He said softly and deliberately. Newt nodded, trying to hurry the man up. "We know the company he sold her too. They're called Paige Inc. Obviously nothing comes up when you search it cuz thats some dark web shit, but we're gonna do some digging. We were just waiting for you to wake up so we could leave, and let Harriet get it all out of her system." He sighed a little. Newt took a moment to process what he said, and nodded slightly, storing the name at the back of his mind. He made a move to stand, Minho helping him up.

"You ok there bud? You hit your head pretty hard." the asian commented, trying to make light of the situation.

"I'm fine. I just want to find her." the blond swallowed. Thomas squeezed his hand and led the two into the kitchen. Mark was curled up in the corner, sweating and shivering. Harriet had the gun aimed at him, and was heaving with unyielding fury. Brenda was sat at the table, feet propped up on the table and tablet on her lap. The clock on the wall told Newt that he'd been passed out for about half an hour. Brenda noticed them and pushed off the table. She straightened and motioned to Harriet to follow. The girl gave one last glower at the cowering man and passed the gun back to it's owner. Newt stood on his own, deciding to get one last blow in before he left and got him arrested. "Mark?"

"Y..y..yeah?"

"It's not loaded."

-

The man pushed himself up onto the large window sill in the disabled bathroom at the office. The window was open, Harriet's legs dangling over the edge as she tapped the excess off of her cigarette. Newt swung his legs over the edge too, glancing at her.

"Want one?" She held out a pack. Newt chewed on his lip. In the early stages of his relationship with Mark, he used to smoke a lot. It relaxed him, let his mind wander from other things. But then one day Sonya had found him, and burst into tears. He knew she hated it. One of her friends from high school had died from cancer after smoking too much, and she had been angered by the thing ever since. Newt hadn't smoked after that, but he was tempted now. His nerves had sky rocketed and he could really use one at that moment, but in Sonya's honour, he shook his head.

"Aris is looking for you." Harriet scoffed.

"No he's not. He knows me well enough to know where I am." she sighed, "he's almost as stressed as I am, I'm surprised he hasn't come in here to join me." She muttered, watching the thin trail of smoke drift upward in the night sky.

"Sonya hates it when you smoke." Newt commented. She hummed in agreement, sighing slightly.

"I just needed to calm down."

"Me too." Newt admitted.

"Then have one." she pushed the box toward him again, but he pushed it back.

"I don't want one. If she found out she'd kill me." he chuckled softly. Harriet scoffed softly and nodded.

"Yeah, she would. This'll be my last one, promise."

"Yeah, but it won't be."

"It will. I'lll stop for Sonya." Newt glanced at her, watching her eyes intently.

"Harriet, I'm glad you're Sonya's girlfriend." Harriet looked back at him, blinking.

"Really?"

"Yeah, you take care of her, make sure she's safe. You make her so happy, you have no idea. She's always going on about you. And I'm glad. She needs someone to make her happy, and you do that." She smiled softly and gratefully at the window sill underneath her.

"You know, I always got the impression you hated me Newt."

"Why?" The blond frowned, watching her face for any signs of anger. He had always liked Harriet. He thought she was a good match for Sonya, someone to ground the girl who had such big dreams and expectations. Someone needed to stop her from just floating off into her own little world and living with her head in the clouds.

"I just thought it annoyed you that Sonya spends more time with me than you. I suppose I underestimated how much you two actually love each other. It's just, you never talk to each other, hug or anything. But I was wrong. I saw how much you genuinely care about her today. I don't think I've ever seen you as angry as you were today."

"I'd cross oceans for her."

"So would I." Harriet nodded curtly in agreement, before drawing one foot up onto the window sill and crushing the cigarette underneath her boot.