Nicotine | Ashton Irwin ✔

5.2

"WHERE'S MY SISTER!" Teddy lunged at the girl, but Ashton grabbed HD of him and held him back. "LET GO OF ME!"

"Momma, he scares me." The boy whimpered.

"Teddy, please stop yelling, you're scaring him."

"SCARING HIM?! YOU KIDNAPPED MY SISTER! I'M NOT GOING TO STOP YELLING JUST BECAUSE SOME KID IS SCARED!"

"That kid is my son, and unless you want to know the whereabouts of your sister, then you'll quit your yelling. Don't need nobody coming in here and finding us. If I get caught you'll never find her." Clary hissed. She picked the boy up, and cradled her in her arms. "Wesley, can I have that letter?" He nodded and handed it over. "Thank you."

"Who the hell are you?" Ashton asked.

"I'm Clary Argyle, I'm eighteen years old, and about three months ago Craig came to me with a deal. If I helped him do some . . . job, he'd help me bail my boyfriend out of jail." She sighed. "I didn't know he wanted me to take part in a kidnapping. And when I tried to back out, he said he would hurt Wesley."

"So that's it? You kidnap my sister, torture her just to protect your kid." Teddy growled. Clary frowned.

"I'd do anything to protect my son, but I doubt you'd know anything about that, would you? When was the last time you stuck her neck out for your sister?"

"YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT MY SISTER!"

"I KNOW SHE WATCHED OUT FOR YOU! ALWAYS MADE SURE YOU WERE OKAY!" Clary yelled back at him. "You don't understand Teddy! Wesley is all I've got left!"

"You're going away for a long time." Ashton smirked. "For what you've done."

"I know that." Clary whimpered. "I get that I've done very bad things, but I didn't know what he was planning on doing until it was too late."

"Bullshit."

"It's the truth!"

"Like hell it is!" Teddy yelled. Clary swallowed.

"They're holding her in a house in Lincoln. By the abandoned fire station." She whispered.

"Why should we believe you? You're probably lying."

"Teddy, do you really think I would come all the way out here to lie to you? I had $50,000 in cash to bail my boyfriend out of jail. I could have ran away and started fresh. Changed my name, my look. Left Ara alone. But I made her a promise. I promised I'd get help, and I don't plan on breaking it. I've done enough damage to your life, and I'm sorry. I'm trying to fix things, Teddy. Ara is sick, she needs help!"

"She's s-sick?"

"She's got one gunshot wound in her thigh, two in her shoulder, she's running a fever, she's exhausted, hungry, she's dying." Teddy tensed up. "She's in a house in Lincoln." Clary repeated.

"Are you positive?" Teddy asked.

"I swear." She passed over the letter. "I don't know what's on it." She added quietly.

"Why?" Ashton asked. "Of all the people, why you? Craig could have in listed anyone."

"Because Craig is my father. Just like he is Teddy's. He knew that I could easily be persuaded if my son was threatened." She gave a weak smile towards Teddy. "While Ara and I are definitely not related, we are."

"So . . . you're my sister too?" He asked warily.

"No, I'm not your sister." She replied. "I'm just a girl, who did a lot of wrongs, and is trying to fix them. Ara is more of a sister than I'd ever be. I mean, look at me, Teddy. I'm a horrible person."

Teddy looked down at the letter in his hands, then back up at Clary. "She's alive, yeah?"

"Barely, last I saw her. She looked ready to give up." Clary hugged Wesley tighter to her. "She's strong though."

"But she was alive?"

"Yes. I just hope she's still alive." Clary sighed. "I guess this is the part where you dad jumps out, points a gun at my head and arrests me?"

"Liam doesn't know I came to see you." He said softly. Clary frowned.

"Why not? That would be the most sensible thing to do."

"I didn't tell him. Ashton and I are the only ones who are here."

"Are you one hundred percent sure that Ara is in Lincoln?"

"Yes, I'm sure. I wasn't supposed to know their location, but I'm a decent liar. Told him it would be better if I knew where they were taking her so that I could warn him if they caught on."

"So you were planning to tip him off." Teddy said angrily.

"No. That was after I promised Ara that I would get her help. I had him tell me so that I could leave a message as to where she could be found. If I don't show up, they don't go on the run."

"Okay, we have to tell Claim, and then I'll-"

"Teddy you can't go." Clary said quickly.

"Oh yes I can. She's-"

"He's only keeping her alive because he wants you. The moment he has you, she's dead. He'll kill her Teddy."

"Why me?"

"Because your his son. He thinks he can get you to work for him, to join him in his hellish crusade."

"I won't!"

"I know that! But you can't be there. Because if you do show up, Ara is most likely to pull some stupid stunt in an attempt to keep you safe. Trust me on that. I don't want her dead any more than you do. Heck, I never wanted to kidnap her either."

"She's right Teddy. Let Liam, Cat and Aaron go after her."

"But I want to be there."

"Be here." Clary said. "Be the first thing she sees when she gets home."

"Okay." He mumbled. It was silent between them. Wesley had kept quiet through the whole ordeal until now.

"Does this mean I can't stay with you anymore?" He asked quietly. Teddy's eyes locked with Clary's.

"I don't know baby." She set him down. "Can you go wait out there for mummy?" He nodded and took off into the brush. She turned to them. "Promise me he'll go to a good home?"

"What are talking about?" Teddy asked.

"Ara told me she'd keep me out of jail, but j doubt Liam will let her do such a thing. I'm willing to testify against Chuck and Craig, and I'm willing to do the time for what I've done, just don't let my son end up in some abusive home." She begged him.

"Do you have a pen?" He asked. She nodded. She took one out of her pocket. She handed it to Teddy. "Do you still have the cash?"

"I was going to get rid of it."

"Don't." He grabbed her arm and scribbled something down. An address. "This house is abandoned. No one goes there. Stock up, and don't leave. I'll come find you when we get Ara back. You can tell Liam your side of the story. Until then, stay out of sight." Clary looked up at him with thankful eyes.

"Bring her back alive, you hear me?"

"I promise."

Liam paced nervously back and forth in the kitchen. "I'm sure they're fine." Cat said, getting dizzy from just watching them.

"Yeah, they probably went to clear their minds." Calum added. "Ashton's know for that. Just walking around."

"What if they're hurt? Or they got kidnapped too or-"

The front door slammed and in came Teddy and Ashton, both slightly out of breath.

"You guys okay?" Liam asked nervously. For the first time in over a month, Teddy gave them all a genuine smile.

"I'm great." He said.

"Why are you smiling like that?" Sam asked.

"Because," Ashton started. "We know where he's holding Ara."