Try to Scream

“You’re being crazy!” Harry yelled as I finished packing my bags.

I shook my head, “It’s what I have to do, Haz. Don’t try to stop me.”

“Stop you, no. I’m going with you.” Harry walked from the room and set a packed suitcase in front of me. “I know I won’t be able to stop you, but I can be there to make sure nothing bad happens.” He sat down on the bed and sighed, “You don’t know a thing about the guy.”

But he was wrong. I had people looking into him. I knew where he worked, that was a start. “Don’t worry, okay? I’ve got this handled.”

I realized it might take me a few days to find anything. But I was certain I’d find stuff out faster than the police. They were working far too slowly. They didn’t have his job location, yet. But he was using his father’s name; they knew his mothers, that was it. I wasn’t looking for Trent Pardee; I was looking for Trent Gardener.

“I switched your flight time. We’re catching the one directly after the old one.”

Biting my lip, I held in the urge to yell. “You couldn’t just take another flight and leave mine be?”

“You were going to sneak out without security and I. You are being reckless.”

“Like you never have!” I turned to him. “At least most of the time, I’m being safe about things. You’re always prancing around like nothing, like we aren’t a famous boy band. How many times have you left the hotel and gotten shit faced? Drinking was my thing and you’ve seem to have taken that and upped the ante.”

Harry rolled his eyes and grabbed his things. “5 hours from now, you, me and a handful of security are boarding the flight to New York.” He walked out of the room, before shutting the door he turned to me one last time, “And Niall.” I looked at him, “Remember who stayed with you through this.”

As much as I wanted to believe that wasn’t a blow to me, I knew it was. I knew what I said bothered Harry. He probably regretted staying with me. But he was my closest friend in the group and he had a special bond with Munro as well.

I was being unfair. I knew I was. My brain had nearly been shut off of all emotions that didn’t involve her and I was lashing out, speaking without thinking. This wasn’t fair to anyone. I decided that I would read over the emails from the PI and sleep for a while. I had a meeting with him tomorrow and at the rate we were going, I would need the extra sleep.

With security coming and Harry watching me, it would be hard to slip away. It would be hard to be discreet in New York now. We were all going; all eyes would be on us. I had to find a way to sneak out and get what I needed, meet the PI and find Munro.

I had fallen asleep not long later and woke to Harry shaking my shoulder. “Get up, we have to go now.” I pulled myself out of bed instantly and grabbed my things. My stomach growled as we left the hotel and boarded the flight. But I wasn’t about to stop what I was doing to eat, no time.

The airplane food was gross, so I shoved it aside without taking a bite. I wanted to close my eyes and sleep through the flight, but Harry was talking about anything and everything. When I was finally able to block him out, I slept.

I wasn’t awake very long when we landed, I walked myself to the car and managed to last until I got into the hotel room. Then I was gone again. All the lack of sleep, I didn’t realize how tired I really was.

I slept until morning. A quick breakfast and I was out the door. The PI met me at a small café. It was early still, so most people would just be crawling from bed. I had the perfect chance to talk in private.

“There were no properties listed under the name Trent Pardee or Trent Gardener. I did find some under Peter Gardener. A house not far from here and a small cabin in the woods.” The PI was a frightening bald man. He had tattoos clean up to his neck and down his arms. He had a handle bar mustache and I honestly wanted to shit myself when I came face to face with him.

I nodded slightly and sighed, “Give me the cabin address. Seems like the perfect place.”

“Listen, Mr. Horan.” I wanted to laugh as he sounded far too sophisticated for his look. “As far as we know, this man is dangerous. He kidnapped your girlfriend with all of you there. It takes guts to do that.” He pulled a piece of paper out and held it close to him, “This guy seems to have no shame or worry. A guy like that has nothing to lose.” I reached for the paper, but he snapped back and gave me a look. I recoiled my hand and sat wide eyed. “Don’t get yourself in any trouble. If you do, you never met me.”

He placed the paper on the table and grabbed his coffee, turned to the door and vanished. I eyed the paper and smiled as his cabin’s address was neatly printed in the center of it. I took my tea and slipped the paper in my pocket.

One more thing to do. Just one and I would have Munro back in my arms. I was so close. Right now, I had nothing to lose, Trent and I had that in common. I was ready to fight for the girl I was falling more and more in love with.

If he thought that I wouldn’t come after her, that I didn’t feel so much for her. He was mistaken. One more thing to do. One more item to collect and one more sly sneak away from everyone. I was more than ready. This was it.

The walk back to the hotel was nice. No one noticed me, so I was alone to plot. A gun should be easy enough to find in New York, right? There had to be someone out there with a gun ready to be bought stashed in their trunk. I just needed to find the right guy.

When the hotel was in view, I took a turn and walked away. I just needed this one last thing. Someone had to have a gun. I had it planned. I get the gun, find Trent, shoot his brains out, put his prints on the gun, put my over those and save Munro. No one needed to know I went there plotting to shoot the bastard. I could get away easily.

One more thing. And though it took quite a while, a long walk, I found it. A couple of guys smoking weed in an alley, they were the perfect guys. They didn’t have the gun, but they knew a person. I just needed to give them encouragement to tell me and there was plenty of that in my pocket. Plenty in my bank account. And I was just lucky they had no idea who I really was.

I found the guy they mentioned and bought my very own glock. With that done, I was ready. “Munro, here I come.”