The Rusty Old Minivan

Chapter 32

"Got a hold of him?" Lottie asked, urgency in both her voice and expression, as Niall re-entered the house through the patio-doors.

Niall shook his head. "Tried him ten times now. How long can it take to hand over some money? I wouldn't take that long unless..."

"Unless something's gone wrong," Lottie finished for him.

Niall's jaw locked tight. He shook his head again, then turned to his phone. "I'm trying Harry."

"Yeah," Lottie exclaimed. "Yeah, Harry, try Harry - why haven't we tried Harry yet?"

Niall dialled the number and they waited in tense silence for him to pick up, long beeps resounding through the room. Chace, Tabatha and the kids were upstairs, packing, but Lottie hadn't heard a thump or a yell for over twenty minutes so she assumed they'd all vegged out in front of the telly by now.

Right now, she didn't care to bother them. It was late, much too late. Louis and Harry should've been back by now.

"Hello?!" Niall gasped suddenly.

Lottie's head snapped up.

"Hello?" Niall repeated, straightening up in his seat, "Harry, is that you? Are you all-right? Yeah, yeah... whatever... whatever, are you all right?!" He waited with wide eyes until he got the answer he wanted, then deflated with a long sigh of relief. Lottie mimicked him the second she saw it. They were all right, then. They were all right. "Where are you guys? Why aren't you back yet?"

Niall met Lottie's gaze as he listened intently to Harry's words. For once, Lottie couldn't read him for the life of her.

After a long while, he nodded slowly and said; "all right... well, do you know where he is?"

Lottie frowned at him. Niall frowned back and repeated his question to Harry.

Suddenly, his eyes blew wide again. "You did what?!" he exclaimed, "why the fuck would you do that?!"

Lottie opened her mouth to ask what 'that' was, but before she got to it, the front door was slammed open. She jumped out of her chair so fast it fell over and sprinted to the front-hall. "Louis!"

"Hey," Louis muttered. His shoes looked torn and his hair was all over the place. He was carrying his jacket under his arm and the pocket's of it might as well have been loaded with bricks, so drained he looked. "I'm home," he said, redundantly.

"Babe," Lottie said, warily moving closer to him. He backed up, just a little, just enough that it might've been a subconcious reaction. She studied his face. His eyes were red. A little bit swollen. "Are you all right?"

"Lou," Niall blurted, passing her to give Louis a hug that looked more intrusive than anything with the way his entire body tensed in it. He looked like a frail little twig, so thin and stiff at the same time that the force of Niall's arms might be enough to crack himright over. "Jesus, you had us worried sick!" Niall lamented, "what's this with Harry leaving you on the side of the road? What the fuck is that about?"

"Leaving you on the side of the road?" Lottie echoed, her gaze snapping to Niall and then back to Louis again, confused.

Louis just sighed and shook his head. "It's whatever," he muttered.

"But, like - who the fuck does that?" Niall pummelled on, beginning to tug Louis' torn-up trainers off for him as he slumped down on the first step of the stairway. "Why the fuck would he just leave you there? Did you punch him again or summat?"

Louis shook his head again, slowly. "Didn't punch him."

"What, then? Did- is Harry all right? Did those bloke's have an issue with him or-"