the song for this chapter is Dangerous, by Royal Deluxe :)

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I'll have you begging for mercy begging for mercy ohh
I'm dangerous
So dangerous
I'm dangerous

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     Tate

     After the meeting, Harry and went back to the car to go back to his flat. I said goodbye to Ralph, and he gave me another big smile, causing Harry to be baffled yet again.

    Once we got to the car, I got in and quickly shut the door behind me, feeling the urge to get away from this place, no matter how nice it was to hug Abel, or how bright Ralph's smile was. I just wanted to get away from here. I suddenly felt very overwhelmed.

   Harry put his duffle in the backseat and then got in the front, turning on the car. He pulled out of the parking lot and back onto the busy streets of London, and I watched as the numerous cars passed by the building, blissfully ignorant of the group of organized crime members hiding right underneath their noses. 

   I yearned to be one of those blissfully ignorant people. 

  "So...how'd you like Whit?" Harry asked awkwardly, seeming to sense the tension from my side of the vehicle. 

    I leaned my head against the window, watching as we passed different people and places, letting out a sigh before answering.

  "He was fine. It's just..." I trailed off, not sure how to put what I was feeling into words.

  "It's just what, Tate?" Harry asked, his voice sounding much softer than it had all day. 

   "I don't know. Obviously, I always knew that I was just a means to an end for your...organization, I guess...but today, in that meeting...it was just weird. The way that Whit thanked me for my cooperation as if this was a mutual business agreement like we were partners. Instead of the reality, which is that he had you kidnap me, and intends to use me until he has no further need to keep me around," I replied, my voice sounding vacant of emotion, matching how I was feeling...

Numb.

  "Tate..." Harry sighed, seeming to be at a loss for words, and I don't blame him.

  How does one go about comforting the person that they kidnapped? How do they provide them with the reassurance of a fairy tale ending, when they have read the book multiple times, and know that it is in fact, a horror story? 

   "Did you not see the way that Whit looked at you?" I suddenly asked, sitting up straight and turning to face Harry.

   I watched as his body stiffened. "What do you mean?" He replied in a forced tone.

   I rolled my eyes. "You know exactly what I mean, Harry. When he was stressing how important it was for everyone to stay on task and focus only on your goals. He was talking to you. Obviously, he saw something in you that caused him to believe this reminder was necessary. He saw that you..."

  "Care about you?" Harry finished in a cool tone.

  "Yeah, sure," I sighed, feeling exhausted.

    "Whit has known me for a very long time. It's no surprise to me that he could see that I was concerned. But he trusts me. I don't think anyone else would be able to tell except for him. He's honestly like a father to me. He seems like an absolute ass sometimes, but..."

   "Let me guess, he's not that bad once you get to know him?" I finished, rolling my eyes.

"I mean, I know it's hard to see, especially in your position, but-"

"Harry. It's fine. You don't have to explain anymore to me. You really don't owe it to me, it's not exactly in your job description to keep a captive filled in, is it?"

   "Tate-"

"Harry, seriously. I appreciate the kindness you have shown me. I will forever be grateful to you for how you saved my life, and how you have done so many things to ensure that no one else in my family gets hurt. But the thing is, Harry, someone has to get hurt. And that someone, is me. I know you trust Whit, and that's great. But I don't. And I really don't think that you or anyone else could stop him, or any of the other people sending threats, from eventually killing me,"

   I watched as Harry gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white, but I continued.

   "There is no relationship between us, Harry. We shared a drunken kiss, and we held each other a few times. I know you think you care about me, but honestly, I think you have some sort of reverse Stockholm Syndrome. We can be friendly with each other, we don't have to yell at each other all of the time, but to be quite frank, I agree with Whit. We need to keep things strictly business and focus on the goal. We need to go to Scotland tomorrow, get the journal, figure out where your dad's half of the key is, and then this can all be over."

   Harry opened his mouth to interject, but I kept talking.

 "I am a smart girl, Harry. And as reassuring as it is to have you and Abel saying that you will keep me safe, I'm not exactly banking on those promises. Let's not make this any harder than it has to be. As long as you keep your promise of keeping my family safe, then no other promise you make or break matters to me," I finished, feeling stone cold. 

  Harry didn't say anything for the rest of the drive. He didn't say anything when we got back to the flat. He didn't say anything the rest of the night, and when we went to go to sleep, I picked up the cushion and placed it back in the middle of the bed, reinstating the necessary separation between us. 

    Tomorrow, it was back to business as usual. Tomorrow, I would continue to be agreeable and to do whatever it was they needed me to do. I didn't even care what happened to me at this point, and the only concern that filled my head as I drifted off to sleep was that no matter what happened to me, my family would be safe.    

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    The silence between Harry and I continued throughout the morning, and even on the long drive to the airport. 

       We hadn't said a word to each other since yesterday in the car when I made him face the facts and told him the harsh but honest truth. And I was okay with that. It was what I wanted. I still trusted Harry, I just didn't trust the people he worked with, and I had a feeling that they would have a lot more say in what would happen to me than he would. 

    We pulled into a private airport and drove the car all the way up to the plane. I got out of the car and watched as Harry took both of our bags and walked over to the stairs. He gestured up the staircase for me to go first. 

    I brushed past him and walked up the stairs, hearing the sound of voices the closer I got to the entrance. I walked in and the conversation stopped, and once again, I felt like the odd man out. 

     There were about twelve seats on the plane, which seemed like a lot for just the five of us, but at least it gave me more room to seclude myself. Niall smiled at me, and Abel greeted me as I entered the plane, but as always, Will sat there staring me down, as if I was the most repulsive thing in the world. 

    Maybe it was because ever since I showed up, Harry wasn't as willing as he used to be when it came to taking other people's lives. Maybe he didn't like the fact that they had to stay away from their usual action-packed days, in order to go with me on some treasure hunt. Or maybe, he just didn't like me, and that was fine because the feeling was definitely mutual.

     I suddenly felt Harry's presence behind me and soon after felt the inevitable blush rising to my cheeks. I scooted forward and looked around at the seats. All of the boys were sat up in the front section, and even though I wanted to talk to Abel and Niall, I didn't want to have to talk to Harry and Will, so I made my way to the very back and nestled into one of the seats.

   I watched in envy as all of the guys pulled out their laptops, desperately wishing that I had brought a book or something with me to keep me company. Luckily, it was a short flight.

     Abel glanced over his seat at me while the other guys talked, and I watched him as he mouthed, "Are you okay?" I gave him a smile and nodded back, and I hated how forced it felt.     

      The plane began to whir to life, and soon, we were on the runway and taking off. 

 To some people, getting on a plane may seem like an escape from the rest of the world, but for me... I was just moving the location of my nightmares for a few days. 

     Harry and the rest of the boys were chatting at the front of the plane while occasionally typing some things down on their laptops. They were in their own world, and it was as though I wasn't even here. But honestly, I liked it like that. 

     We were about halfway into our flight when Harry suddenly unbuckled his seatbelt and began to walk to the back of the plane. For a moment, I thought that he was coming to talk to me, but instead, without so much as even glancing in my direction, he walked into the bathroom and shut the door behind him.

     Part of me felt disappointed, although I'm not sure why, this was exactly what I had told Harry I wanted. I should be glad that he was actually listening to me. 

     I was interrupted from my thoughts when suddenly someone sat down next to me.

   Will.

   My skin felt clammy due to our proximity. He eyed me up and down for a bit, and I glanced at the front of the plane to see if Niall or Abel were paying attention to this, but they were both glued to their laptops.

    "You look scared," he remarked, a sly grin spreading on his face.

  "I'm not," I replied, somehow able to make my lie actually sound believable. 

   He scoffed. "Well, you should be."

   My body felt cold at his words, and I silently prayed that Harry would hurry up in the bathroom, or that Abel or Niall would see this interaction and come to my aid. But alas, they didn't, leaving me alone with Will.

   I furrowed my eyebrows. "Why? Because I'm being held captive by a group of highly trained killers? Yeah, I think the initial excitement of that wore off," I replied in a sarcastic tone, impressing myself with the confidence I had while speaking to someone who made my skin crawl.

    He smirked at me. "I see Styles' sarcasm has worn off on you. It seems like you've been rubbing off on him quite a bit as well."

   My cheeks grew hot at his comment.

    "No, I haven't. Don't worry, Will. I know I'll end up dead eventually," I sighed, wanting this conversation to be over with.

     I nearly jumped out of my seat when one of Will's large hands landed on my thigh, a devious grin on his face.

     "Well, at least you're smart!" He replied in a mocking tone. "But let me make one thing clear: I don't care if Abel likes you, or if Niall thinks you're sweet. And I don't care if Styles' has some weird attachment to you. I only care about getting my job done. So, I don't care what I have to do to get it done. If people have to die, so be it. If your aunt or uncle gets in my way, well, it's their funeral," he shrugged, and my eyes widened in horror.

   "But, Harry said-"

  He suddenly dug his fingernails into my thigh, and I winced in pain.

"Were you not listening to me, dollface? I don't give a shit what Harry said. My boss wants us to complete a mission, not cater to our captive's needs to make sure she doesn't get her feelings hurt," he sneered.

      I felt the tears beginning to form in my eyes, no matter how hard I tried to suppress them. I didn't want someone as sick and twisted as Will to get the satisfaction of seeing me cry but at the mention of him hurting my family, it was all I could do not to break down and sob. 

   Will's hand suddenly began to creep further up my thigh, and he leaned in closer to me. 

   "And quite frankly, I don't give a shit about Harry's "hands-off" rule either. You're gonna end up dead anyway, it'd be a shame to let such a pretty little thing like yourself go to waste."

   Suddenly, the door to the bathroom opened. Harry went to walk back to his seat, but immediately stopped when he saw Will gripping my thigh painfully hard, and me cowering back as far into my seat as I could. 

   The calm, cool, and collected demeanor that Harry had maintained since yesterday was gone in an instant. I saw the same anger in his eyes that he had when he was killing the guy who attacked me reappear. 

    He reached forward and forcefully grabbed Will by the back of his shirt, ripping him off of me. I looked to the front of the plane, where Niall and Abel were now snapped out of their daze and focused on the commotion happening at the back of the plane, their eyes wide. 

   Harry yanked Will so that he was facing him, and grabbed his collar with both hands, jerking him closer to his face.

   "What the fuck do you think you're doing?" He seethed, his nostrils flaring and his eyes wild.

Will rolled his eyes and shoved Harry off of him. "I'm doing my job, which you seem to be incapable of doing ever since princess over here showed up," he scoffed, gesturing towards me.

    "Your job isn't to harass her, and I already told you, hands-off," Harry replied, stepping closer to Will. 

       "Oh, right, right. Hands off for everyone except you. Why should you get to have all the fun, Styles? She's gonna be dead soon anyway, might as well have some fun while we can-" 

      Will was cut off by Harry's fist connecting with his jaw. I heard Niall and Abel audibly gasp as Will stumbled back, grabbing onto one of the luggage compartments for support. 

    Harry was fuming mad, and Will was too, as he recovered and made his way back over to Harry.

     "What the fuck man? We've been like brothers for the past four years and some fucking girl comes in and suddenly she's more important than me? More important than your job?" He shouted.

      "I never said she was. All I said was hands-off. Just because she's our captive doesn't give you the right to be a fucking pervert towards her, at least show her some decency," Harry yelled back, and the sound of their voices only made me shrink further back into my seat, wishing that I could sink far back enough that I would just disappear. 

     "You think we can't see that you're changing, Styles? And since when have you cared about showing decency to anyone, especially not someone who's just gonna end up with a bullet in her skull!" Will screamed.

     Harry stood with his fists clenched by his sides, breathing heavily as Will continued.

  "Were you not in that conference room yesterday? Did you not hear what Whit said? Nothing else but the mission matters. Nothing. I don't care how good of a fuck she is, nothing is getting in the way of the mission," Will sneered, and Harry lurched forward and shoved him, sending him crashing to the floor. 

      Harry walked over to him and leaned down, grabbing him by his shirt with one hand and ranking his upper body up, pulling him closer.

   He shoved an accusatory finger in his face, practically dripping with venom as he spoke.

   "I will get the fucking mission done. I always do. Don't tell me how to do my fucking job, and don't ever go against what I say again. This is strike one, and you're lucky I don't bust a cap in your ass for a fucking warning. Touch her again, and you will regret it. You may be like a brother to me but right now I don't want a damn thing to do with you until you get your head screwed on right," he shouted, before dropping Will's upper body back onto the ground.

     Will stared up at Harry defiantly, before getting up and going back to his seat, every muscle in his body tensed up. Abel and Niall refused to look at him, and I even caught Niall mouthing, "Good job," to Harry, and Abel gave him two thumbs up. Harry smirked at them and rolled his eyes, before finally turning to face me. 

    He frowned as he saw my tiny frame cowered back into the seat, and hesitated for a moment, before sitting down next to me. 

    "Are you okay?" He asked, and I knew that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't mask the concern in his voice. 

      I  nodded slowly, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't deny how thankful I was for what Harry had done for me.

   "Thank you," I whispered. 

   I wish he didn't feel so safe to me. I wish that the very thought of him still terrified me like it used to, but while I could lie to Harry, I couldn't lie to myself.  He comforted me, and I didn't want to ignore him. I didn't want to act like I didn't care about him at all, because deep down, and I mean way deep down... I knew I was starting to.  

      But I couldn't tell him that.

 I thought he would stand back up and go to his previous seat, but he didn't. I think that part of him didn't want to have to be near Will right now, but that the other part truly just wanted to sit with me. Even if it was just in silence.

    And that's exactly what we did. It was what we were best at. 

   I couldn't help but think how much trouble this trip had already been, and we hadn't even fucking landed yet. This was going to be a long couple of days. Between being terrified of Will, trying to make sure my family stayed safe, and fighting the urge to talk to Harry and just let go, I'm not sure how much more I could handle. 

     After what just happened with Will, my body instinctively yearned to be held by Harry. It seemed that ever since I got into this situation, whenever I was scared, I craved him. Despite the fact that he put me in this situation, he made me feel safe in a way I don't think I had ever felt before. 

     Just when I thought that ignoring Harry couldn't get any harder, I suddenly felt a warmth next to my hand, and looked down and watched as Harry's fingers laced in between my own, giving my hand a reassuring squeeze. The contact sent a wave of butterflies crashing relentlessly in my stomach. I looked up at those beautiful eyes of his and couldn't help but sigh. 

      I terrified myself though when I suddenly glanced down at his lips, and had flashbacks of them against my own, feeling a warmth flood over my face at the thought of it.

  Why was I thinking about that?

I shook the thoughts out of my head and gave a weak smile at Harry, before pulling my hand away from him and placing it back into my lap.

    He faltered for a second before pulling himself together, clearing his throat and looking out the window, and I decided to do the same. I needed any distraction I could to help take my mind off of Harry, and how his touch alone made my whole body fuzzy, or how his lips always managed to look so tempting. So instead, I looked out the window, focusing on how green the pastures of Scotland were, and doing my best not to compare them to Harry's eyes.

   I had to get my shit together. I had to stick to the words I had spoken to Harry in the car yesterday. I needed to do my part, and then let fate do the rest.

   I needed to have tunnel vision, and just hope that what I was focused on would be the mission, and not the boy sitting next to me.

AN: AH I HOPE YOU LIKED THIS CHAPTER! LMK WHAT YOU THINK! ILY ALL SO MUCH! DON'T FORGET TO VOTE AND COMMENT! I HOPE YOU ARE ALL DOING WELL! xx