Gardens Of Eden (A Harry Styles Story)

47. Suite 33

Arriving at Harry's, it wasn't a surprise to see his security guards out front.

What was a surprise was the girl sitting on the curb outside, head dropped in her arms, dark hair falling down her back. Harry saw her too, and he asked Raf to stop the car.

Just as we came to a stop beside her, she looked up.

My eyes went wide.

It couldn't be.

"Danielle?"

**

The dark eyes of my friend were rimmed with tears, and I threw open my door to go to her. Immediately, she opened her arms and began crying on my shoulder.

"Come inside," I started leading the way. Harry was speaking to the guards and watching me with trepidation in his eyes.

Once inside, I gave her a blanket and set her up on Harry's couch, promising I'd be right back with tea.

Harry came up behind me in the kitchen.

"Is she okay?"

"I don't know yet, she hasn't really said much."

"Mark said she showed up in the middle of the night. Hitchhiked here, apparently."

"I wonder what she's been through..." I said, mostly to myself. 

"How do you know her?" His concern was evident, but it didn't soften me to him. I just looked at her, shoulders slumped on the couch, knee bouncing anxiously. 

"She graduated from Falkland to the Garden, just like me." I said quietly. "She's the one I was calling from the payphone that day I was taken." I looked at Harry, who was stunned silent. "She's also the only one who knew about my ring." Swallowing my emotions, I walked back over to her.

"Here." I set down a hot tea on the table and sat beside her. 

"Thank-you." She said. Having finished crying, she was now sitting quietly, a dead look in her eyes I knew only too well.

"Tell me everything." I said, holding her hand. 

She did. 

From getting caught in my old room, to being slapped around in Seville's office, she explained what happened. 

"I didn't have a choice. I'm so sorry about your ring, really, I wanted to find it."

"Don't be sorry." I choked. "I shouldn't have ever put you in that position."

"He was mad, Eve. He spoke to every girl. Sent some North, sent us South... he was tying up all the loose ends. I'm pretty sure I'd be dead right now if there hadn't already been so much heat at the Garden. He couldn't afford to kill us." She got a distant look in her eyes. "I ran for an hour until I found a guy at a gas station filling up, he gave me a ride to the south side and I made my way from there.

"You're really lucky." Harry came around the other side of the couch, sitting on the armrest. "We should call Jamie and Alvin, get statements in place. How did you know how to find us?"

"Wasn't too hard, actually. There's an internet cafe by Jinxies on Camden." I could picture the dilapidated little breakfast spot. "You're pretty famous, you know. Lots of your fans have narrowed down your address."

I didn't need a reminder of his fame. Or his fans...

"Yikes, do I need to start house hunting?" He tried to make light of the situation. Danielle laughed heavily.

"Might keep the strays out." She joked.

"Come with me. I'll get you feeling like a human in no time," I smiled, standing up. At the very least it would give me some time away from Harry.