His Effect [h.s] AU

𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐲

"...This is about to be one hell of a party." Thomas laughs as we both walk inside Zach's warehouse club. I just wanted to get whatever Zach needed me here for over with so that Jo and I could go back to my place and be with each other.

As we go inside, there was people on the dancefloor while the rest were upstairs on the loft area, I could make out Zach and Jaque talking before they turn to look at us. "Four, you're always late." Zach says.

"Can we make this quick? I've got things to do."

"She's a thing now?" Zach mocks and Jaque looks towards me in anger. Since this whole thing started, he's warned me about staying away from Jo, he didn't agree with the arrangement. Now I don't blame him. When I knew I was catching feelings for Jo, I knew I had to make sure none of this would get out to her. That maybe I might convince her to come with me to London.

"What do you want?" I ask, sitting down on the couch where a very intoxicated redhead leans into me making me push her away but she only puts her legs over mine. I watch as Zach connects his phone to a small projector he had set up.

"I just wanted to remind you that I don't fuck around," he shrugs, the screen showing the background to his phone. "You've been holding out this thing for so long now, it shouldn't have taken you this long."

"You should've done it instead." I retort, standing up and ready to leave. My annoyance was growing. As I'm about to walk downstairs, I hear Jo's giddy laughing voice speaking making me turn to see the screen to see the video I had taken of her that day of the bonfire, she was eating some raspberries that she had placed on her fingers.

"I bet I can eat these in two seconds." she says as her hair blows with the wind, a huge grin on her face.

"No way, not possible." I laugh, and she waves at me to make sure I was recording.

"Prepare to be amazed," she says and begins to rapidly eat the berries from her fingers.

Laughter.

"That was definitely more than two seconds."

The video ends with us laughing. "You might want to have a seat." Zach says and I do. "Now, Jaque. I had Four here report back to us with proof he was with your sister." he says, showing screenshots of text messages with me where I apparently sent him pictures of Jo, not remembering that I sent them.

Jaque looked enraged. "I think that's enough." I say before he flips to the one where she was in her red lingerie making my heart drop.

I wake up to my phone ringing, I immediately reach over and shut it off. Jo stirs beside me as I look over the text.

Harry where the fuck are you??

I sit up on the bed and when I look behind me, Jo was in red lingerie. My heart dropped as she laid there, she was beautiful and I hate to have to leave. I quickly take a picture of her, the flash goes off and I curse quietly under my breath. Jo stirs and wakes up.

"What are you doing?" She asks groggily.

Shit, think. "I was in the bathroom and didn't want to turn on the lights to bother you."

I for sure don't remember sending him that. When I look to Thomas, he was stifling his laughs and I was sure that when he came to the boxing club, he must've gotten into my phone.

I was in shock that I didn't even notice the redhead running her fingers through my hair drunkenly, or some people taking pictures of the screen or the fact that Jo was now in the room, looking at the screen in a pale state. I stand up making the redhead drop her legs quickly as I look at Jo.

"Zach," Jaque says. "Friday night, I'll get it done." he says before walking away past Jo who stared back at me in disappointment making me walk towards her.

"Jo, I promise I didn't know about this—" I am cut off by her hand colliding with my cheek, but my adrenaline prevented me from even feeling it. "Please, let me explain." I plead but she only looks angry.

"Explain what?" she says in almost a shout that took me aback and caused me to flinch, I was so used to her calm voice. "How you humiliated me in front of everyone? What were you trying to prove?" I had absolutely no clue on what to say next, her angry stare and everyone else's presence wasn't making it easier.

I feel both Zach and Thomas walk to stand beside me and I knew there was no way I was going to explain myself as best as I wanted to. "Tell her, Harry." Thomas mocks and I see Jo quickly advert her eyes to me, clearly confused. "Tell the poor girl everything." I could tell they were both finding amusement in this.

"Harry?" I hear Jo say my name, and I can not begin to explain how much I've always wanted to hear her say it... but not like this, not in a situation where everything was being used against me. "What the hell is going on?" she was so confused and sad, yet no tears dared to leave her eyes.

"His name isn't Four," Zach smirks and my anger grew, they were both digging my grave even more each time they opened their mouths. "His name is Harry, and man has he lied to you."

"That's enough!" I shout, the room went silent but the music still played lightly, Zach and Thomas only laugh. "I promise I'll tell you everything, just not here. Let's go somewhere else—" I was about to suggest that we go to my apartment but she beats me to it.

"I'm not going anywhere with you," she says coldly. "Ever again, you're a fucking liar!" As I see that she was about to walk away, I call out to her as a last resort.

"Jo, please.." I say but she ignores me and practically runs downstairs and out the doors and I am left standing with Zach and Thomas still by my side. The silence was still present and I feel Thomas put his hand on my shoulder.

"It's all done. You'll get your share on Friday when Jaque stages that robbery." Zach laughs and I simply shrug his hand off and go downstairs in hopes that Jo might still be there but when I open the door, she's gone in a black truck.

_

"And you said that he runs a drug business at this party place?" The interrogator asks. I had been in this interrogation room a little over an hour, not as a suspect but as me telling them what I knew. I refrained from telling them of my involvement, and simply that Thomas had told me about it.

They ruined any possible chance that Jo and I might be together, I didn't care about telling the cops about it all. "Yes, Zach owns the place. They supply illegal drugs like meth and cocaine." I say and she nods, jotting the information down. "Also, the Alby's have a long history of embezzling assets." I add and she nods. She asks me more questions before I am free to go.

Through it all, I kept thinking about Jo and if she was okay. If she didn't want to see or hear from me again, I just hoped that her injuries weren't major and that she was fine. I told her the truth. When Thomas told me about Jaque staging the robbery, I just felt like I had to check up on Jo but she never answered any of my texts, so I resorted to driving around her house to make sure everything was okay.

Thomas had asked if I wanted to be involved and of course I said no. I was already involved in this shit too much and I just wanted to get away from it. I was hoping that if I ever did get to explain myself, that maybe Jo would forgive me.

That maybe she'll take me up on my offer of leaving with me to London where we could start over.