Assassin to Assassin [Narry]

Chapter 4.

I wake up in an unfamiliar environment. It smells. It smells of disinfecting. The lights are bright and my whole body aches. My eyes are heavy and my ribs are sore and I cannot move a muscle or bone in my body. The tiles of the walls are a pale blue and the flooring is white and shiny. I manage to mutter a groan and something at the corner of my eyes shift.  

I glance sideways and find Zayn and Liam sitting next to me by my bed, both of them looking anxious and concerned. Zayn is first to speak. 

"Good to see you, mate." He grins and I cough a little, looking away. I look around me and realize that I'm attached to a number of wires and needles and there's a steady beeping of a heart monitor nearby and the occasional dripping of an IV drip that sits by my bed.  

"You gave us a right good scare, Ni." Zayn laughs nervously, scratching his hand against the nape of his neck, where there's short strands of hair.  

"How long have I been out?" I croak. 

"About sixteen hours." Zayn shrugs and I let out a strangled sound, my heart hammering. 

"Don't get yourself in a state, okay? You'll only make it worse." Zayn tries to assure me and my eyes widen. 

"Make what worse?" I gasp and he bites his lip. 

"You lost a lot of blood, Ni. You were stabbed, that's why you're in here. Do you remember anything?" He tries and that's when the memories come flooding back. But it's all just a blur. I remember a wall of photographs, a white suit, and a mop of curly hair and green eyes. That's all I remember.  

"Mr - Mr. Styles." I manage to croak, trying to sit up but a gentle hand pushes me back down and Zayn is standing up, hovering over me. 

"He's not going to hurt you anymore, Niall." Zayn whispers and I frown, looking up. What was he talking about? He was the one that saved me.  

"But -" 

"It was my fault." Liam suddenly chirps in and my head snaps up at him. Zayn glances nervously back at him before he sits down again.  

"What do you mean, what's your fault?" I ask. 

"I was the one that encouraged you to talk to him Niall and I'm sorry. I didn't realize he would be dangerous, I didn't realize he'd hurt you. You're in here because of me." Liam breathes, running his hands through his hair. Zayn places a hand on his shoulder. 

"Liam, we talked about this. This isn't your fault, stop blaming yourself. It's like you said, you didn't know he'd be dangerous. How could you have known? Nobody saw it coming. It's his fault, not yours." Zayn explains and Liam only whimpers in response.  

"Yeah, but if you hadn't gotten robbed -" 

"Wait, what? We were robbed?" I repeat, eyes wide and Liam gulps, the color draining from his face.  

Zayn nods in explanation. "Right after you were taken, I came back only to find the place completely tipped over. It was upside down. Looks like Mr. Styles was going to come and get you before they did." Zayn sighs.  

Zayn continues, "I'm planning to sty at Perrie's until all this dies over - I don't know if you want to stay at a friends house or -" 

I interrupt him, "Liam, can I at yours? Please?" I croak and Liam beams, smiling from ear to ear. 

"You're at my flat most of the time anyway mate, of course you're welcome." he agrees and I smile gratefully, feeling a little more reassured.  

That night, I is repeatedly awoken by re-occurring nightmares. The funny thing is, they're all the same. From walls of photographs to daring green eyes - they're so repetitive. It keeps me awake for so long that I finally give in and don't even try to go back to sleep at all. It was then, that I see a dark figure standing in my doorway - the door left open. For a second, I panic and still think that I'm dreaming but I'm not. The man is standing hesitantly, as if debating whether to step forward or not. His figure is tall and  lanky and as he steps closer, I see a set of dangerous green eyes.  

I gulp and automatically reach for the alert button at the side of my bed but he silently reaches over and places a hand over mine, stopping me. I immediately feel the electric current running through my veins as his skin brushes gently over mine. His hands are cold against mine and I can't help but shiver. His hand lingers a little more than necessary before he pulls away and he stares at me, his gaze intense. I look up at him in awe and wonder, my mouth dry and I'm unable to trust the sound of my voice.  

"I'm not going to hurt you." he promises and I can't help but scoff. 

"I'm in here because of you." I remind him and he frowns, tilting his head to the side. 

"No. I saved your life. You'd be dead if I didn't get to you in time." he retorts and I raise an eyebrow. 

"You saved me reluctantly. I know you had more important things on your mind." I say and he purses his lips.  

I change the subject, "Would you like a seat?" 

"I'm not here to chit-chat. I feel I owe you an explanation." He replies and I'm listening. 

"No apology?" I ask hopefully and he smirks. 

"Saying sorry is a sign of weakness." he says. 

"It's also a sign of politeness." I retort and he smirks again. That damn smirk. 

"Yeah, I don't do that." he shrugs. 

"I've noticed." 

"Look, the reason I hid the pen drive in your pocket was for a distraction. Those people - those idiots, they were getting too close to me...too close to figuring it out." he's lost in thought now, his eyebrows furrowing and for a moment, it's as if he's speaking from a different time.  

"Figuring what out?" I ask curiously and he shakes his head. 

"Doesn't matter. The main thing is, is that they're gone now. They're not gonna bother me - or you, for that matter. You were the distraction. I had to get them away." He explains and I scowl at him. I still don't get it. A distraction from what? 

"You owe me a new laptop, by the way." I say and he's taken aback, looking surprised. 

"You used the pen drive?" he asks, shocked. I nod slowly and his eyes widen. 

"Damn it, I told him to put a password on it." he snarls and yet again, I'm frowning at him. 

"Who's he? The other boy in the photographs?" I question, remembering the boy with the wavy brunette hair and the bright blue eyes and the smiley, cheeky face.  

He shakes his head. "It doesn't matter. You know to much. I'm not gonna be a bother to you anymore." he assures me but I'm not entirely convinced.  

My eyes widen in horror as he reaches over and I get a whiff of his expensive aftershave. His lips are so close to my forehead, as if he's about to kiss me. With my heart racing, I panic and reach for the alert button and almost instantly, an alarm sounds. He pulls back from me, eyes wide and for a second, he looks almost hurt. The sound of rushing footsteps come toward us and a few nurses working on night-shift take in the scene. They look Mr. Styles up and down briefly, blushing furiously at his ridiculously good-looks before remaining composed again.  

"Sir, the next visiting hours aren't until after breakfast." Nurse number One says. Mr Styles' lips press into a hard, thin line before he nods curtly at them and walks out the door. He catches eyes with me, one last time, before he disappears down the hallway.  

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Happy Valetine's Day guys! Or Happy Single Awareness day, whichever you prefer. This is as much as I could manage for this chapter, without giving too much away. Yet. So what are you guys thinking so far? Let me know, feedback would be much appreciated! Apologies for the delayed update but enjoy all the same ;D xxx