stared up at the towering building, not meeting Harry's gaze that was burning holes into my face. "This... this is a hotel," I stated finally. When I thought of a safe house, I imagined some crummy little warehouse out in the middle of nowhere, but instead, we had pulled into a parking lot packed with dark, tinted cars and holding a massive building. There was no name for it, no label, yet it was very clearly a hotel.
"It used to be," he agreed. "But it went out of business and it wasn't hard to sort of take it over. This is actually where most of my gang lives."
I turned, finally meeting Harry's gaze. "Really?"
He nodded in response, his arm resting loosely around my waist as we began to walk towards the building. "Yeah. It started with Cal and Jonah actually." This caught my interest and Harry sighed. "I saw you go over to help them before I went inside... I found them when they were on the run. I was just really getting my gang together and they actually just sort of jumped in and helped me out with a fight, so I sat them down, heard their story, and recruited them. They needed a place to stay though, and what with the fact that most of the guys in my gang don't have a permanent place, I thought getting this hotel would be smart, considering we have the funds for it anyway."
We had reached the glass front doors and Harry pushed them open for me. I was immediately surprised at the interior of the hotel. It looked so...grandiose. Harry chuckled at my expression, his hands suddenly moving to encircle my waist as his lips came to my ear. "Wait until you see the penthouse suite," he murmured, his teeth grazing my neck.
I sighed, leaning back into Harry as he continued to nip at my skin, his hot breath fanning over the area as his grip tightened on me fractionally.
"Oi, hands off my sister." I froze at the sound of Elijah's voice before he passed us, raising an eyebrow at Harry's hands still around my body. Harry began to pull away, but I only scooted closer to him again. He chuckled, allowing me to wrap his arms around my upper half, his chin going to rest on my shoulder.
I didn't know how Elijah would react, but I felt my entire body relax as he grinned before grabbing my hand and pulling me away from Harry, only to smother me in a tight hug. "I just wanted a hug of my own," he laughed. "I haven't seen you in months, and I'd ask how you are, but it's clear that you're doing well." He smiled as he released me and I blushed, shrugging my shoulders.
Harry came up behind me again, this time leaving a kiss on my cheek. "I'm going to go talk to the boys," he spoke quietly to me before his attention turned to Elijah for a moment. "Thanks for helping us back there. I owe you."
"Nah, consider us even now," Elijah replied.
"How so?" Harry asked.
"You've made my little sister happy," Elijah shrugged, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "She hasn't been happy in a long time."
Harry smiled at this, and I knew that he was glad that Elijah was being so approving of him. I, on the other hand, had yet to wrap my mind around it. When I'd first explained what had happened between Harry and I to Elijah, he had been furious. To see him so easily conversing with Harry now, going as far as to help him--it was mind-boggling.
I watched Harry's back as he walked farther into the hotel, clapping Louis on the shoulder as he reached the couches set up in the middle of the lobby. Niall was laid out on one of them and I noticed that all five of them were stood there, laughing at the poor blonde boy who hadn't gotten shot or harmed by someone in the fight, but instead had rolled down the stairs.
"You love him." My eyes widened as I turned back to Elijah, shocked by his statement. He was giving me a knowing look, raising an eyebrow as if waiting for my confirmation on the matter. "Don't look so surprised, Al," he laughed, shaking his head. "It's obvious."
