Into The Fire [H.S.]

19

Money was always a great motivator. Not that it was the only thing I cared about. I was aware money didn't buy happiness. But it paid my fucking bills.

I needed it to survive.

I needed it to supply my weed habit. Which I will admit was pretty bad. But weed was the only fucking thing that turned my brain off.

Without it the thoughts moved 97 miles per hour in my head. My brain never fucking shut off. Which meant I didn't sleep. I needed sleep.

I will also admit I'd been smoking less now that Tink was around. He helped with the nightmares. They came less often when he held me in his arms. I still had them. Just not as frequently, and they weren't as graphic.

I was spending more and more time at Harry's condo and less and less time at my apartment.

He'd gone out and bought me clothes to keep at his place. Which pissed me the fuck off. I didn't need him spending his money on me.

I knew he had plenty of it, but I made my own money. I didn't need fancy clothes. I was fine with my thrift store finds. Sometimes Bae and I got real fucking lucky and we found the high end stuff with tags still on.

I hadn't been spending as much time with my best friend or my family. Because most of my spare time was spent with Harry.

I was free this week because he was out of town. He'd left yesterday. He wanted me to stay at his place. Said it was safer.

Maybe that was true. But it was also farther away from my job at the salon and the resturaunt, and my car wasn't exactly reliable. I'd also wanted to spend some time with Bae.

So Harry told me to drive his car. He also told me Bae could come over to his condo.

So here I was. Walking around in my underwear while I waited for my best friend to get here.

My cellphone ringing jarred me away from my thoughts. I didn't even look before I was swiping answer.

"Hi baby."

"Hi Tink."

"You always answer the phone with your tits out?"

"How do you?" Oh... I'd answered his video call. Without even realizing. "Only when it's you."

"You seem distracted."

He was already starting to know me better than I wanted him to. He read me so well. "I'm just waiting for Bae."

"You gonna put some clothes on?"

"I wasn't planning on it..."

I see his jaw working. His eyes flashing. He rubs his lip between his thumb and forefinger. "Please put some clothes on."

Rolling my eyes at him I slink back to his bedroom and pull one of his t-shirts out of his drawers. I yank it over my head and then pull a pair of his sweats over my legs. "Better?"

He gives me a slight nod. "Have fun with Bae. Call me tonight before you go to sleep."

He hangs up before I can say anything else.

When Bae gets up to Harry's condo she starts grilling me immediately.

Her ice blue eyes boring into mine. "How the fuck does he afford this place?"

I hate lying to my best friend. I absolutely hate it. But how am I supposed to tell her the truth? Especially if telling her the truth will put her in danger, and put Harry in danger. I can't.

"Family money or something." I shrug.

"You're a horrible liar." Bae narrows her eyes at me. "I'll call Jai. Make her come over here."

"Don't be a twat..." I sigh. Slumping down on the couch next to Mu. He lays his head in my lap. I absent-mindedly started scratching behind his ears. "I can't tell you... I want to but I can't."

"So it's illegal... and you're not telling me because you're protecting me?"

I nod. Pleading with her with my eyes that she drops this. Because my friendship with Bae is everything.

"I'm not happy about it but whatever. You'll tell me eventually." She flops onto the couch next to me.

I love Bae. She is always super understanding about stuff. She never pushes me to talk about things I'm not ready to. She doesn't get mad, she doesn't get petty. She just chills and let's me tell her in my own time.

"So how long have you and Harry been hanging out like this?"

I wrack my brain trying to think. "I don't know. Four or five months?"

Bae flops her head into my lap. "You like him..."

I pull my lips into my mouth. "Yeah... probably more than I should."

Bae's phone dings. She pulls it out of the pocket of her sweatpants and I watch her facial expressions. She looks shocked, then pissed, then worried, then pissed again.

"What is it?"

Bae sighs. "Zayn just sent me this..."

She turns her phone to me so I can see. On the screen is Harry, with his arms wrapped around some leggy brunette. She's leaning up with her lips pressed against his ear. He's smirking, she's smiling. His hand is on the small of her back. Just above her ass.

I'm pissed. Beyond pissed. I'm fucking furious. I'm trying not to jump to fucking conclusions because I don't know what the fuck he's doing, or who the fuck she is, but I'm mad because he fucking lied to me. He said he was going out of town. Obviously he was still in town. Because Bae was with Zayn not even forty minutes ago.

I sent the picture to my phone. Bae watches me. "You okay?"

"Yeah. I'm golden. Can you help me get my stuff and give me a ride home?"

"Of course."

I should have known better. I should have fucking known better. I wait until we get back to our apartment complex before sending him the picture. Then sending another right after of my middle finger.

----

Harry's POV

I focus the site of my gun. Narrowing it in on my target. I know once I take this shot chaos is going to insue. I take a breath steadying my hands. Count down from 10. Focus on keeping my breathing 100 percent under control. When I squeeze my finger down on the trigger it take 3 seconds for the bullet to travel from the barrel of the gun to burrow itself in my targets forehead. Instantly I reload. It takes 15 more seconds for reality inside of the hotel ballroom. People are screaming. Pulling out guns. Running. Ducking. There's one more. I move my gun a fraction of an inch. And take another shot. Once he goes down I pack up my case. Grab the shells. Pack up the tarp and move. I don't have time to waste. I need to get back into that party before anyone notices I'm missing.

I stash my rifle in the trunk of my car and move back into the hotel from the parking garage entrance. My alibi is waiting for me outside of the elevator. I hand her, her coat and kiss her cheek.

We are just about to step into the elevator when my phone goes off. I dig it out of my pocket and look at my texts.

Echo.

She's sent me a picture of me and the girl standing next to me, and then she's sent me a picture of her middle finger.

Fucking mother fucking fucker. Zayn and his fucking petty ass. I knew this was payback for me beating him to a bloody fucking pulp. He knew why I was fucking here. He'd fucking arranged the fucking alibi. That fucking piece of shit.

I couldn't fucking leave. I need to make sure I was seen in that ballroom again. When this was over I was going to kill him. With my bare fucking hands.