HIRED GUN // H.S AU

fifty-six

AMARA

"Do you think she's coming for you?" Louis bit into his salad, chewing loudly as he waited for my reply. Harry and I glared at his disturbing eating habits from across the dining table. He sent us an oblivious look, pointing his fork filled with salad in our direction. 

"Honestly? No. She knew I'd follow her after she escaped, and I think she assumes I will come running back to her eventually with my hands full of questions," I said after I'd swallowed my food, instead of speaking with my mouth full like Louis usually did.

"It makes sense. She's your mother, she saw how distraught and confused you were when you found out she hired Harry to kill you. I reckon she thinks you'll lose trust and leave Harry, and try finding her instead," Louis squints, shoving another round of lettuce into his mouth.

"Yeah. She knows how fragile my trust is with men, after Max. I'm sure she thinks I've fully lost trust in you," I gestured towards Harry, nodding my head at Louis.

"What should we do?" Louis perched his body onto the counter, his calves swinging around calmly. We'd moved back to Louis' apartment in Glasgow, it was our safest option. Louis and Harry hadn't been very open with their emotions since Zayn's death, they seemed to hide themselves away a lot. It'd only been two days since the whole ordeal, but I was worried about the pair. They'd lost a very close friend, and I knew they were hurting.

I hadn't slept in Harry's bed the past two nights, and I had a nightmare the first night without him by my side. I heard Louis crying in his room at 2am when I went into the kitchen to pass time. I stayed with him until he fell back asleep, and he'd acted like nothing happened the next morning, but his swollen and bloodshot eyes said otherwise.

I missed Zayn. We all did.

"We'll stay here. It's the safest place to be, even if your mother knows that we're here. I agree with Lou, I don't think she'll come to you. You said she told you she had big plans for you? I'm assuming she'll try luring you into a trap, but we can't fall for that," Harry hummed, worry etched across his features. "In the meanwhile, we could try finding your dad."

"That's a good idea," I agreed, both of us looking at Louis. Louis was the best with computers, and technology in general. He'd be our best hope at tracking my dad down.

"Let's just call him, he's not hiding so he shouldn't be hard to find," Louis suggested, already pulling out his phone.

"He changes phones every week, he never has the same number for over 7 days. He's a gang leader, people have wanted him dead before I even existed," I shook my head, pinching my lower lip between my pointer finger and thumb.

"Well have to track him through connections, and people. Lou, do your thing," Harry's voice deepened as he spoke, flicking his head to the room they regularly disappeared into. The two boys made their way into the room, making me jump up and trail behind them in hope they'd finally let me join.

I was surprised when Harry left the door open for me, smirking as I looked around the expanse of the room with wide eyes. There were screens sprawled across a wall, and a large desk holding multiple computers and other electronics I didn't know existed. Three chairs were placed in front of the desk, Harry and Louis sitting down as I examined the technology.

"What year is this from? 2078?" I gaped as I pressed on a button, a screen flashing bright white letters.

"Jesus, don't touch," Louis hissed protectively, rolling across the room in his chair to usher me away from the computer.

"Okay, so as far as we know, her father is working with the Serpents?" Louis questioned Harry, Harry's nod following short after. A frown covered my face at the familiar name. Harry had gone to the Serpent Den that one time when he left Louis' apartment, had Harry and Louis gone there the second time Harry left?

"Aren't the Serpents the ones that hurt you?" I nudged Harry's arm, his eyes snapping up to mine at my prediction. His nod was all it took for my stomach to drop. Why was my dad working with those monsters?

"They ambushed Lou and I because they wanted to know where you were, probably to tell your father. I don't blame them," Harry drawled, his eyes flying across the screen as Louis typed in codes. "Your father sees me as a hired gun that has his daughter hostage."

"The snake tattoo I kept seeing, the bouncer at the club in Italy, the stall keeper in Bosnia. Is that tattoo for the Serpents?" I put the pieces together, finally connecting the familiar snake tattoo's that I'd seen on more than one person.

"Yes."

"Why did the stall keeper give me back to you then? Why wouldn't he kidnap me and bring me back to my father?" I trailed off, remembering how close Harry appeared to be with the silent man from Bosnia.

"The stall keeper is a very old friend of mine, he's more loyal to me than he could ever be to a gang," Harry spoke, Louis' eyes widening at his words.

"Elijah was there?" Louis squeaked, turning his whole body to face Harry.

"Elijah?" I questioned, confused, Harry's eyes avoiding mine when I tried to push an answer out of him.

"Get back to work," Harry groaned, seeming irritated as he swiftly ran a hand through his hair. I knew he didn't want to speak about this Elijah guy, and I was unaware of their relationship, but I didn't try pushing it. Harry had been fragile these past few days, I did not want to cause his breaking point.

"I can't fucking believe Elijah was there and you didn't tell me," Louis muttered after a couple of minutes, grinning at how offended the man was.

"She thought approaching him and interrogating him was a good idea, I was pissed at her and kind of forgot," Harry shrugged, Louis' laugh filling the room.

"Good luck getting that one to talk," Louis turned away from his work to look at me accusingly for a short moment, his fingers typing rapidly seconds after. Now I was really curious as to who Elijah was.

"What does that mean-"

"Louis, are you making any progress?" Harry interrupted me, shutting the conversation down. I felt myself grow more curious, trying to distract myself instead of wanting to push Harry into telling me who Elijah was.

"Not really. We may have to contact the Serpents, may wanna give Elijah a call," Louis looked at Harry cautiously, causing him to sigh and whip out his phone from his pocket. Lou and I stayed silent as the dial tone echoed in the room, a gruff voice greeting Harry after the third ring.

"Hey, it's Harry, I was wondering if you could do us a favour," that's all I heard before Harry closed the door behind him, his conversation with the man now inaudible.

"Who's Elijah?" I sat down in Harry's previous seat, noticing Louis stiff up at my question. Louis laughed lightly as I tried getting the answer out of him, turning to me in his chair.

"Amara. Little Amara. Sweet little Amara," Louis shook his head, a cheeky grin making his dimples pop.

"Louis, who is he?"

"I'll let Harry tell you, just don't push him, okay?" Louis turned serious in a matter of milliseconds, his protectiveness for Harry shining through. I admired the fact he was protective over the man.

"I won't, I'm just curious," I sighed as Harry walked into the room, sitting down in a different chair as I'd stolen his.

"Curiosity won't get you anywhere, darling."