Assassin's Asylum ✔

32

"Oh, please don't call me Louis", said Red Machete. "I'm not used to it."

"It was you who called me last night", Harry said, trying to wrap his head around the things happening. "You called me, why?"

"I had to check if this was still your number", said Red Machete.

"Why are you calling me?" Harry asked.

"Did you get my birthday card?"

"Yes. Why are you calling me?"

"Did you like the man in it? I thought you would."

"Why are you calling me?!" Harry yelled.

Silence.

"Rude", said Red Machete. "Especially when I called you to warn you."

"Warn me about what?" Harry asked, starting to walk back and forth.

"Grimshaw is after you. He has sent Plague's men after you."

Harry frowned. "What?"

"You heard me."

"Are you...stalking me?"

Red Machete laughed. "Just merely observing."

"Why would he be after me?" Harry asked. It didn't make sense to him.

"I don't know for sure", said Red Machete. "But I have a feeling it has something to do with the fact that you and your friend ruined his life."

Harry was silent for a moment, thinking about it until he asked, "Why are you telling me this?"

Red Machete laughed again before replying, "Oh, dear Mr. Styles. It would be just rude to ignore you after everything we have done together."

"I'd rather just forget it", Harry muttered. "So you're still in England."

"Well spotted, Harry."

"Where are you?"

"Good try."

Harry sighed. He couldn't believe that Red Machete had called him. Again. What was he supposed to do? He couldn't track down the call that where it was coming. All he could do was talk with the man.

"You're going to get caught, sooner or later", Harry said. "You're England's most wanted criminal, alongside with Plague and Grimshaw."

"Ah, there we go again with empty threads."

"You're one to talk", said Harry. "You said you'd kill me sooner or later. I'm still breathing, am I not?"

Red Machete huffed. "Exactly. Sooner or later. I chose later."

"So you still intend to kill me?"

Red Machete didn't answer and so Harry never got his answer because next thing he knew was Red Machete saying, "Goodbye, Mr. Styles. Watch your back, they're close", before hanging up.

Harry stared at his black screen and wondered what the fuck had just happened.

Should he call the police and tell them about the call? He probably should. Just like he should've tell them about the birthday card. But he hadn't done that then and wasn't going to now either.

What was the point? They couldn't possibly find anything from the card, Red Machete was too clever to leave any traces of his whereabouts.

Harry walked to his fridge and opened a beer bottle.

***

"We got something", said one of Plague's men immediately as they stepped in the warehouse. "We put the microphone's in Style's apartment like you told us and we heard him talking on a phone with Red Machete.

"Brilliant!" Grimshaw said, clapping his hands together. "Are you able to hear what Red Machete says?"

The man shook his head and glanced at Plague. "Only Styles."

He played the phone call from his laptop and Grimshaw listened the conversation where he only heard what Harry Styles was saying.

"Why would he be after me?"

"Hit the pause", Grimshaw said and the man did. "That part. Do you think Red Machete warned him about us?"

"It seems like the only logical explanation", said Plague. "But how does Red Machete know about us?"

Grimshaw shrugged. "He's a killer and a spy." He nodded at the man. "Turn it on."

The man did and they listened the rest of the conversation in silence. When the recording ended Grimshaw furrowed his eyebrows.

"I think", he said, "that we have to act fast. If Styles knows that we're after him things might get complicated."

"So what are you saying?" Plague asked.

"I'm saying", said Grimshaw, "that your men have to bring me Harry Styles. Tomorrow."