Hey! I'm finally out of hospital so here's an update!

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235 votes and 250 comments for another update!

"Stick to the plan, yeah?" Zayn questioned as the gang walked to the front entrance of the building

"Of course" Harry confirmed

"And mind your shot" Zayn reminded

"Like you said" Harry replied "I'm Harry Styles" he said smugly

Zayn hummed thoughtfully "Didn't stop you from shooting me before" he joked and Harry smirked at him

"I would never shoot you on accident" Harry told him with a grin, clapping the man on the back

"Well I guess that makes it okay then" Zayn replied, smiling right back at Harry before striding forwards and throwing an arm over Louis' shoulders to lead the boy up the stairs

"Louis" Harry called softly, just before they walked into the building

Louis was stood a few steps ahead of him, making the boy an inch or so taller that Harry

Louis turned around to face Harry, stepping away from Zayn and closer to the green eyed man "Yes?" He asked, blinking down at the Harry

"I just-" Harry cut himself off, coughing a couple of times before continuing "I just wanted to say that I... I- I....just I-"

"I know" Louis replied, cutting the man off with a smile "Me too" he added softly, placing a hand on the back of Harry's neck and slowly bring their lips together for a gentle kiss "Alright?" Louis asked once they'd pulled away from each other

Harry nodded in reply "Yeah" he confirmed offering Louis a smile

Louis smiled back and turned around to walk up the rest of the stairs; Harry wrapped and arm around Louis' waist and lead him inside

"Be careful" Harry told the boy once they walked into the huge building, giving his hip a gentle squeeze

The five boys stood in the doorway for a second, looking at the scene ahead of them before slowly dispersing into the two groups

"You too, Harry" Louis said as Harry let go of him, stepping away and glancing over at Liam

"Always" he promised before Liam pulled him off into the crowd

Louis blinked as he watched Harry fade away into the sea of people; the boy jumped slightly when he felt a hand on his shoulder

"Just me" Zayn said softly, rubbing Louis' shoulder in a reassuring way "I got you" he added, taking Louis' hand and pulling him to their designated area "Just try to relax, alright?"

"I am relaxed" Louis replied

Zayn scoffed at this "You're worried" he corrected "And extremely jumpy" he said

"M'not worried" Louis lied and Zayn raised an eyebrows "Well maybe a little" he corrected and Zayn smiled

"About Harry?" He asked

"Mostly" Louis answered

"Don't be" Zayn told him "Trust me when I say that Harry can hold his own"

"And you?" Louis asked "You can hold your own as well?"

"I'm going to look after both of us" Zayn promised him "Don't worry about me" he said, giving Louis' hand a squeeze

***

"Harry, stop it" Liam ordered, elbowing Harry harshly to snap the man out of his gaze

"Stop what?" Harry questioned, his eyes still focused on Louis

"Stop watching Louis" Liam told him, giving Harry another nudge

"Can't help it" Harry admitted "Need to make sure he's alright"

"He's fine" Liam stated "And he's going to be fine unless you carry on losing focus"

"M'not losing focus" Harry grumbled "I'm on task" he stated

Liam scoffed at this "No, you're not" he argued "You've not checked over your shoulder once since we've gotten here, and I've been having to double check everything just to make up for it" he stated "All you've been doing is looking over at Louis and Zayn instead of looking out for yourself" he continued "Just focus"

"Alright, alright" Harry huffed "I'll focus" he muttered, finally tearing his eyes away from Louis. It only took a couple of seconds before he was looking over at the blue eyed boy once more

"Harry!" Liam snapped

"Sorry" Harry said quickly, shaking his head and looking away; he did an over-shoulder check before walking up another set of stairs

"You know when you're driving and you carry on looking around instead of ahead because you're so scared that someone might crash into you?" Liam questioned and Harry nodded in understanding "But then you're so busy looking around that you end up being the one to crash into someone else?" He continued and Harry squinted at him

"Uh huh?" He replied, slightly confused

"That's what you're doing" Liam stated "Everything's going well, but your overthinking could ruin it"

Harry rolled his eyes at this "Great analogy, Shakespeare" he praised "But I'm doing just fine, thank you"

"Whatever you say" Liam muttered in reply, looking around before speaking up again "You know" he started and Harry looked at him briefly "The reason we're so successful is because we all have our part to play" he explained "If you try doing Zayn's part alongside your own, we will fail"

"I am not attempting to do Zayn's part" Harry argued "I'm simply keeping an eye on him"

"Well stop 'keeping an eye' on him" Liam replied "Your job is hard enough with out setting yourself extra tasks" he scolded "We'll spare them a glance once the actual shooting begins" he added "Just as we planned to do"

Harry rolled his eyes at Liam's demanding behavior "Alright" he muttered, watching as the man spoke to Niall through a mouth piece

"Are you in position?" Liam asked Niall and Harry leaned against the balcony, sending Louis and Zayn a brief glance

"I am" Niall confirmed "A message is yet to come through" he added

"Notify Zayn as soon as it does" Liam told him

"Please do" Zayn added in, and Harry could see him speaking from the ball room "I'll use a code to bounce the signalling back to the phone that the message was sent from" he explained "Hopefully you'll receive a message of the phone coordinates"

"You're really geeky, you know that, right?" Louis' voice sounded through the headset and Harry smiled

"Every gang needs a nerd" Liam told him and Louis laughed quietly

"Are the two of you near the locked off area yet?" Zayn asked after a couple of seconds

Harry glanced down at the little map he had in his hands "It should be just above us" he answered "We'll keep walking up" he said

"Okay" Zayn replied "I'll unlock it as soon as you're outside" he promised "And then the games can begin"

"Any sightings on Lawrence yet?" Niall asked

"None" Zayn told them "He's supposedly making a grand entrance with a toast and a speech" he stated

"Aren't we lucky" Liam said monotonously

Harry hummed thoughtfully "Maybe we are" he replied, raising an eyebrow at Liam "Might keep him distracted, no?" He questioned

"Maybe" Zayn agreed

Harry took the chance to stop starring at Zayn and, instead, headed up another set of stairs in search of the locked off balconies

"Don't do anything stupid for a minute" Liam warned Zayn "We have no sightings on you" he added, walking up the stairs where the ballroom could no longer be seen "We'll let you know when we're outside the locked doors"

"When do I ever do anything stupid?" Zayn questioned "That's Niall's job"

"Hang on a second" Niall protested "I am most definitely not the stupid one of the group" he argued "That's Harry's title"

"Me?" Harry questioned, his tone unbelieving "If I were you, Niall, I'd watch your tongue" he warned "I am the most sensible member of this group"

Liam snorted at this "Right" he mocked "Like all of those sensible decisions you've made in the past"

"Fundamental errors" Harry corrected "Everyone learns from their mistakes" he added "And if my opinion counts for anything, I think that you're the stupidest member of the group, Liam"

Liam rolled his eyes in reply "Of course you would say that" he said "You've had a grudge against me ever since I beat you up on our first training day"

"Nonsense!" Harry protested "I've had a grudge against you ever since I first saw your sorry face" he corrected

Niall cackled through the headset and Zayn sighed

"Harry, don't be horrible" the dark haired man scolded "He did teach us how to fight properly"

Harry rolled his eyes "Of course you'd side with Liam" he muttered "Well, see if I care" he grumbled "I have my own allies now" he added

"You're talking about me, right?" Niall questioned

Harry blinked a couple of times before replying "Uh...of course, Niall" he lied "I meant you"

Both Zayn and Liam sniggered knowingly through the headsets and Harry smiled to himself as he sprinted up a flight of stairs; his eyes darting back to the ballroom as soon as it was in sight again

"We're outside" Harry announced, trying to find Zayn's face in the crowd

"Harry's outside" Liam corrected, panting as he jogged up the stairs to catch Harry

"Liam's slow" Harry stated monotonously, raising an eyebrow as he watched Liam walk up the final couple of steps

"Are you both there now?" Zayn asked as Harry finally saw him in the ballroom, hidden behind a small black mask

"We are" Liam confirmed

"Alright" Zayn muttered, pressing a couple of numbers into his phone and smiling to himself as a green banner appeared at the top of his screen "Green for go" he told them "It's unlocked" he stated happily

Harry pushed the door and, just as Zayn said, it opened easily. Harry smiled to himself and walked into the small room; it was empty and open, perfect for an easy shot and a perfect view of the ballroom

Harry leaned against the balcony, his eyes flickering through the crowd "Ready, Liam?" He asked, pulling out a gun and beginning to load it

"Always" Liam replied, matching Harry and pulling a gun from the inside of his blazer

Downstairs, Zayn was glancing through the crowds of people, in search of one person in particular

"There's a lot of people" Louis noted "Surely you can't kill them all?" He questioned

Zayn turned to him and raised an eyebrow "Don't underestimate Liam and Harry" he replied "They both have an exceptional aim and quick reflexes"

Louis blinked at this "They're the best at shooting then?" He asked, letting Zayn walk him around the ballroom

Zayn hummed "Niall and I have a pretty good shot" he answered "Remember when we had a shoot off?" He reminded and Louis' thoughts traveled to the day he saw Niall shoot through a small spinning hoop

"Right" Louis replied "You're all good" he stated

"And you will be one day" Zayn promised "I can start teaching you how to shoot as soon as we've finished on your self defense" he added

Louis smiled at this "You can?" He asked

"Yeah" Zayn answered "Just don't tell Harry"

Louis nodded in reply, his eyes flickering up the balcony three levels up; Harry and Liam weren't visible to him but he knew that the boy's would be able to see him, so he smiled up nonetheless

The wait for Lawrence to arrive was long and tedious; Louis and Zayn occupied themselves by dancing and exploring the building. Their masked faces disguised them slightly, and no one of importance seemed to interfere with them

All at once, a light shone in the center of the ballroom, the sound of a fork tapping at a wineglass sounded throughout the room, the lights were dimmed and silence met the dark

"I'd like to thank you all for coming here on this fine evening" were the first words to be spoken

Zayn poked his head around a couple of shoulders before his eyes rested upon Lawrence, he blinked at the man but tried to keep out of the man's line of vision

Louis frowned at the man, he was tall and handsome, with dark hair that was slicked back behind his ears. Two men stood behind him, forming a triangle; each of which held a glass of champagne and had a mask covering the top halves of their faces

Zayn's grip on Louis tightened slightly and it wasn't clear if it was through anger or protection until he pushed Louis behind him slightly so that he was out of sight

"You alright?" Louis whispered to him

"I'm fine" Zayn promised "You?" He questioned

"Fine" Louis replied, peeking around Zayn's shoulder to look at Lawrence

"As most of you know, this ball has been held to recruit as many people as I can from my brother's gangs" he announced "May they rest in peace" he added

Harry smiled from the balcony, remembering exactly how he killed Terrence and how easy it would be to do the same to Lawrence right now

"I would like to form a new gang for a new era" Lawrence continued "One that will be loyal to me as their leader" he stated "A gang that will rise above all others"

"And why should we recognise you as our leader?" A man questioned, stepping forwards and lifting his mask to reveal his face

Zayn's eyes widened at the man and he immediately backed up, pulling Louis with him; he turned his microphone on and spoke into it quietly "Is anyone seeing this?" He asked

"We can see" Liam confirmed "We have eyes on"

"It's Peter" Zayn told them "He's not in France" he muttered "He's right here"

"What?" Niall questioned snappily "What do you mean 'he's here'?"

"He's talking to Lawrence" Zayn explained "He's challenging him" he glanced back over his shoulder to see people watching the encounter between Peter and Lawrence

"Because" Lawrence answered finally "I will bring us together as one"

Zayn blinked at the scene in front of them and squinted at Peter's face

"And why can't I be the one to do so?" Peter asked "After all, I am a worthy leader"

"Are you challenging my authority?" Lawrence questioned incredulously

Peter smiled at this, a couple of his men stepping forwards to stand by his side in a threatening manner "As a matter of fact, I am" he answered "And I'd like to put forth my leadership"

"What's happening down there?" Harry asked

"He's challenging Lawrence for leadership" Zayn answered

"It's going to turn into a bloodbath" Liam stated

"I think he came to kill Lawrence" Zayn muttered into the microphone

"Not if I kill him first" Harry replied

It was mere seconds before a gunshot ran throughout the whole building, Peter's body dropped to the floor, seconds later and Lawrence's body followed

Screams sounded throughout the building and Zayn pulled Louis to the side, grabbing his gun and cocking it; he shot through the crowd, killing both of Lawrence's henchmen

"This may not be the best time" Niall said through the headset "But I've just received a message"

"What does it say?" Zayn asked, continuing to shoot down anyone in the gang

"It's a picture" Niall answered "It's been taken from the exact position that I'm in"

Zayn pulled out his own phone, tapping a few button before speaking into the headset "The culprit's phone should beep in ten seconds" he informed "Listen for it"

"Bit hard over the shooting innit?" Liam questioned, shooting masses of people from the balcony alongside Harry

Louis flinched when a man inches away from him dropped to the floor; Zayn placed his hand in Louis', backing them away from the slowly dying ballroom

"You got it from here, Harry?" Zayn questioned

"We've got it" Harry replied "Go find a safe place" he instructed

Zayn nodded, grabbing Louis and sprinting to the safe place that Niall had marked out on the map

"Niall, any news?" Zayn asked

"I can hear the phone" Niall muttered quietly "It's like...it's right above me"

Zayn rushed towards the room that Niall was in, pushing a door open and running through a set of corridors "Niall, watch out" he warned

Niall squinted as he looked around the room "It's like they're right here" he stated "The coordinates are right here"

"They could be" Liam added "Be careful" he mumbled, shooting people as he spoke

Niall looked around the room in frustration "Where the hell is it?" He questioned, his eyes finally flickering towards the ceiling "Guys" he mumbled, frowning up at the place above him

After a couple of seconds, Zayn and Louis came rushing into the room that Niall had occupied; their eyes immediately went to where the blonde was focused on the ceiling

"Holy shit" Zayn muttered and Louis turned his head away

A severed hand was stuck to the ceiling with the phone in it

"Um...I'm guessing they didn't cut off their own hand" Niall replied

"Obviously not" Zayn answered

"So either someone got to them first, or this is a hand of their enemies" Niall explained "In which case, it's a warning to us"

"Hopefully the former" Zayn replied

"What's happening down there?" Harry asked through the speaker

"Oh nothing much, just a severed hand stuck to the ceiling" Niall answered "No biggie"

"How are things from your perspective?" Zayn asked

"I'd say everyone important is dead" Liam replied "We tried to spare the children" he added

"Well, that's something" Zayn said, glancing down at his watch and nudging Niall

"Thirty seconds for you to get out" Niall said through the head set and Harry nodded to himself, shooting a final person before jogging over to the door; he pulled on the handle but it didn't budge

Liam sprinted over a couple of seconds later and shot Harry a confused look, taking the door handle and trying to pull  it open

"Are you out?" Zayn asked

"Something's wrong with the door" Harry told him, trying again to pry it open "It won't open"

"What do you mean, 'it won't open'?" Niall questioned

"It's locked" Harry stated, tugging on the door "It won't fucking open" he said, forcefully trying to pull it open; after a couple of seconds he sent a kick to the door in a n attempt to knock it off of it's hinges "Zayn, do something" he ordered

"I'm on it" Zayn promised, the beeping of buttons sounding on the other side of the headset

"Ten seconds, Harry" Niall told them

Harry growled at this, sending another kick to the door, along with a couple of punches and a shoulder barge

"Stop" Liam told him, pulling Harry away when his fists began to bleed "Stop, he's working on it"

"We're over time" Niall informed

"Zayn!" Harry shouted "Get us out!"

"I'm trying" Zayn promised "Hold on, I'm trying" he repeated, a tinge of panic sounding behind his calm voice

Liam's eyes widened when the sound of sirens rang through the streets

"Shit!" Niall exclaimed "Zayn, get them out now!"

"I'm doing my fucking best" Zayn finally snapped "Everyone shut up" he ordered

The sound of Zayn on edge not only worsened the situation, but it put Liam and Harry into a frenzy; when Zayn broke his calm vibe, then something was truly wrong

And with the police outside, gangs being notified, and a door trapping Liam and Harry inside, now was not the time to panic

GUYS I HAD TO SPLIT THE CHAPTER IN HALF AGAIN BECAUSE IT GOT TO 7,000 WORDS! So part 31C is coming when the target is hit!

Please vote/comment because I spent so long writing this. Fun fact: The next chapter includes the first ever scene I wrote for this book

Questions:

Do you think that Liam and Harry will get out in time?

How far would Zayn go to protect Louis?

What does Louis' dad have to do with all of this?

Any questions on any of the characters?

Vote? Comment? Ilygsm. Mwah x