The Most Dangerous Game (Harry Styles AU)

54

-Everly

When most people think of a party, it makes them feel excited. Parties are fun, lighthearted.

At least that's what normal parties usually are. A party held by Aiden Carter is something completely different.

It's neither pleasurable nor entertaining. It, as with everything else in Carter's life, serves a specific purpose. Sure those who attended drank, perhaps even laughed over a few shared jokes. But they weren't there for fun and they weren't invited because Carter wanted them to have a good time.

Each and every person in attendance at one of Carter's seemingly endless parties was there for a reason.

Politicians, businessmen, even the random celebrities... all were there so he could keep a close eye on them. He needed to know what was going on or else he'd lose his sense of control.

And as I'd learned over the past several months, Carter's parties were also where his most seedy business practices took place. When he dissapeared with a certain guest, usually under the guise of playing a game of cards or having a glass of brandy, it meant they had done something Carter was unhappy with. Something they would be regretting as soon as they were away from the eyes of the other guests.

It was here, in the room I'm currently sitting in... in the basement of Carter's Manhattan townhouse, that I'd first learned what a dangerous situation I'd gotten myself into.

That I'd learned what kind of person Aiden Carter truly is.

At first appearence it looked like just a normal office. Dark wood panels covered the walls as a large desk sat near the far end of the long room. A round card table surrounded by five chairs graced the other end, complimented by a fully stocked bar. There were three doors lining the north wall, one holding a small half bath. The others I had never seen the inside of, padlocks hanging from them always keeping them locked tightly shut.

It was months and months ago, the better part of a year, when Carter had first brought me down here during a party. He'd asked Governer Mead to join him for a game of cards, then taken my hand and led us both along with Viktor down the stairs to this room.

I didn't think much of it at the time, the way Viktor closed the door behind us and stood in front of it as we sat down at the card table. I'd figured they had business to discuss and didn't want any interruptions.

It was halfway through the first game when I'd realized Carter's intentions weren't innocent. He'd started asking about a bill the Governer was supposed to have propsed the previous week. One that would ensure Carter would not be taxed on certain merchandise he had arriving from South America.

A bill the Governer had decided not to back at the last minute.

Neither of us knew at the time what Carter's retribution looked like. What form it took when he didn't get exactly what he wanted.

But we both learned that night.

Viktor had held him still, the governer's hand splayed across the felt top of the card table as Carter took a hammer and slammed it down. Breaking every bone, every knuckle, as the Governer screamed in pain.

The panels on the walls weren't there for esthetic purposes. They were sound proof, built so no one in even the next room could hear a thing.

It was a warning, one before him many had gotten. If Aiden Carter tells you to do something, you do it. Or you suffer the consequences.

It wasn't three days later that the bill had been passed, the Governer's injury being attributied to a car accident.

I remember the fear I felt, the shock. I'd never seen anyone treat another human being that way. It hadn't just been a warning to Governer Mead, it was a warning to me as well.