Detached [h.s au]

Chapter 43: Advantage

Zayn's POV

My lips twist in a slight smirk as I lower myself on the chair beside the bed. I lift my feet up, crossing my legs one over another, looking at Daniel. He looks like he'd kill me if he could, which only makes me smirk wider, my hands pulling out a gun tucked into the waistband of my jeans and placing it on my lap.

"Alright, you and I are about to have a chat," I start. "I ask, you answer and no one gets hurt. One wrong word and I won't hesitate to punch you."

"What, no truth serum?" His eyebrows raise.

"Not for now, I'll know if you lie to me," I narrow my eyes. "Trust me."

He rolls his eyes, looking bored. "Do your best."

"I believe Gerald had already made the list of all the targets in the ten cities, right?" I ask.

"Are you asking me because you really don't know or you're just doubting yourself? I thought you're smarter than that," he says.

"Answer the question."

"What was the question again?"

I laugh dryly, my fingers curling around the gun barrel. I take a swing and kick his jaw with the gun handle, his head whipping to the side.

"You're lucky Liam or Harry aren't doing this," I say. "I'm the reasonable one."

He glares at me, his eyebrows pulled together. "Harry is obviously too busy fucking my sister," he snaps. "From the moment I heard they will be bonded together, I knew he's up to something and that it has something to do with you. Then I put the two and two together. Harry is quite smart, but not smarter than me."

"The list is made, yes or no?" I press.

"I can stall this long enough until someone comes to get me out of here," he says, smirking. "Even if you inject me."

"I'm gonna go with yes," I say. "It was kind of confirmed since Elizabeth and Niall were taken meaning they're on the list. The rest of us are of no use to you."

"You are, actually," he tilts his head aside. "But you already know that, don't you? Gerald doesn't know this, but I figured you out, Zayn. I know where are you from and I know how things work there. Since I'm being honest, what I don't know is what do you want exactly. You technically have no use of the targets."

"I can see why he keeps you close to him, you really are smart," I state. "But only one of us is coming out of here even smarter, and it's going to be me."

"I wouldn't count on it, Malik. I know who you are. You better kill me or I'll let everyone know," he says, smirking.

"Ah, since you've mentioned sharing information, your father's been warned about all this, I took the liberty to tell him all about you," I reply, looking at my nails casually. "It's safe to say I have a larger and better line of people behind me than you and Gerald do."

His face grimaces in anger. "You did what? That won't help you," he threatens. "Your time here is limited, you and your group of friends will be destroyed sooner than you'd think."

"Your sister is in that group," I remind him, hoping it will have some effect on him.

He gulps, looking away. "So?"

"Are you honestly telling me you don't care about her?"

"If I did, I wouldn't allow her to get bonded with that Styles kid," he snaps. "I even watched the ceremony."

"Why wouldn't you allow it?"

"Because even then I knew he's connected with you and I knew what his plan was. I knew he wanted to gain my attention using her, I knew he did it to threaten me. The only weak spot he could find was my sister," he says. "I was always a few steps ahead of you. How do you think you caught Gerald's attention in the first place? Have you ever wondered why did he kidnap you that day?"