HIRED GUN // H.S AU

fifty-one

AMARA

"Can we go look at the stores?" I proposed the next morning, everybody's heads flying up at me. They all looked at me as if I had two heads, making me lose hope slowly. "We've been tucked up in hotel rooms and small houses for weeks!"

"People all around the globe are searching for you to murder you," Harry shook his head, popping a fruit loop into his mouth. Zayn and Louis shoved their hands into his bowl, throwing the small loops into each others mouths.

"We can wear disguises," I offered, putting up a finger when he opened his mouth to oppose. I ran up the stairs to the room Harry and I were staying in, throwing on a random hat and some sunglasses. I ran back to the lounge area, flipping myself on the couch next to Louis.

"See? You can't even recognise me," I leaned over so Harry could see me, smiling as he shook his head, biting back a laugh. "Please, Harry. We'll go home if anything suspicious happens."

"Fine," Harry sighed, making Louis and Zayn look at him, both surprised.

"You're whipped," Louis laughed, Zayn agreeing immediately after. I grinned at the pair, watching as Harry rolled his eyes, not attempting to deny it. I clapped my hands while I jumped up, telling them all to get ready. They all scattered, allowing me to sit down and read by myself as they all got prepared.

"C'mon," Harry tugged on my sleeve after a couple minutes passed, flicking his head to the door where the other two boys waited patiently. The drive to the town was short, but it felt longer when I felt excitement for finally being able to get out and about.

Harry stayed glued to me the whole time we walked past the stores, stopping at some to have a look inside. My hand remained clutched onto Harry's shirt from the back when we got in a crowd, not being able to help the fright I got from people bumping and surrounding me. Harry seemed to trail behind me for the whole time we were here, until we reached the very end, a stall catching his attention.

The store had many antiques, ranging from interesting to downright creepy. My eyes flickered to Harry as my fingers grazed across an ancient looking gemstone, watching him talk with the person behind the counter. He came in here so he could socialise?

They stopped talking when I began walking towards them, grabbing Harry's hand as I walked out. I couldn't help but glance at the man he was talking to, spotting a serpent tattoo on his neck. It looked so familiar, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

"What were you talking to him about?" I questioned, gripping onto Harry's forearm as a large group of rowdy males walked past us.

"The area, why?" Harry looked at me curiously, his tone making me wonder if he was telling the whole truth. I shrugged my shoulders when he didn't remove his eyes from me, changing the conversation.

"Why were you really hired by my parents?"

"To protect you, you already know this," Harry stopped walking, tugging me in front of him so we could talk properly and without being interrupted by a crowd every couple minutes. He searched my eyes for an answer, raising his eyebrows when I stayed silent. "What's wrong?"

"Max said to ask why you were really hired, in the letter he addressed to me. What did he mean?"

"He's trying to put a divide between us, you're seriously listening to him?" Harry crossed his arms when I didn't reply, Zayn and Louis scrambling into a random store to our left.

"Well why would he say that if it wasn't true?" I shot back, growing mad as I felt like the whole time I'd been anxious that I was being lied to was all correct. Harry wasn't telling me the full truth, and I could tell by the way his nose twitched.

"Why wouldn't he lie? He's your ex-boyfriend. You believe him over me?" Harry scoffed, shaking his head as he turned his body to walk away. My hand flew up to his arm, grabbing it before he could leave.

"It's not that I believe him over you, he just wouldn't say that unless there's a reason," I sighed as he tugged his arm out of my grip, throwing his hands in the air as he walked backwards.

"The reason is he wants you all to himself! And you seem to want the same by the way this conversation is going," Harry barked, my mouth dropping at his words.

"Are you serious!" I yelled, screaming in frustration when I saw that he was already out of sight. An idea popped into my mind as my anger for Harry grew, looking into the store that Zayn and Louis had ran into before. They were looking at some paintings, my legs furthering away from them before I changed my mind.

I muttered curses and insults under my breath as my feet hit the end of the gravelly road, turning to the last store on the street. I spotted the man Harry had been talking to, his eyes turning shocked when they fell on me.

"Who are you?" I spoke confidently as I stood in front of him, holding my shoulders high to make it seem like I wasn't shitting my pants. The man stared at me blankly, gritting his teeth when I slammed my hand on his counter.

"What does your tattoo mean? I've seen it before," I flicked my head to him, motioning towards his neck, where the serpent was tattooed. I felt like screaming when he picked up his old-fashioned phone, dialling a number swiftly before it was pressed to his ear.

"Where are you? She's here," I heard him say into the phone, my stomach dropping at his words. My shoulders fell as I grew less confident, walking backwards to get away from him as I felt like I'd just walked into a trap. My eyes widened when his clammy palm hit my arm, his fingers wrapping around it to keep me in place.

I opened my mouth to yell, but closed it as my throat tightened. It was happening, I was finally being killed. My head lifted as footsteps approached, spotting the familiar worn out boots crunching atop the gravel. I sighed in relief as my eyes fell on Harry.

"Thank-you," Harry mumbled to the man, his fingers leaving my arm, only to be replaced with Harry's seconds later. I grunted as he pulled me down the street, tripping over my feet as he picked up the pace. "You need to stop sticking your nose in where it doesn't belong."

"Maybe if you told me the truth, I wouldn't have to," I shot back, flinching when his fingers tightened around my arm. I tried pulling my arm from him, only to be shoved into the side of the black car that I hadn't realised we'd even reached.

"Isn't this enough? I protect you with my life, do you really have to know every single detail of my work?" Harry's eyes held anger as he pressed me into the car with his hips, digging them into me when I squirmed.

"I'm sick of these fucking secrets," I bit back the tears that were threatening to spill as I Harry's hip bones dug into mine, feeling myself bruising in multiple places already. His violence was stimulated by his anger, and I was afraid he didn't even care that he was hurting me.

"If these fucking secrets weren't secrets, you'd fucking break within seconds," Harry shouted in my face, my lip trembling as I moved my face to the side.

"What's that even supposed to mean?" My chest rose and fell expeditiously as my breathing struggled to even out. I yearned for answers, any answers, and his next words made the want for them grow.

"You decide."