The bathroom light was too bright. My head ached. My shoulder burned.
Louis didn't say a word as he ran a damp washcloth over my arm, wiping away the dried blood. His movements were rough at first, like he was still pissed, but then he slowed down. The way you do when you realize someone's hurting more than they let on.
Niall sat on the closed toilet lid, bouncing his knee. Not looking at me. Not looking at Louis. Just staring at the floor, chewing on the inside of his cheek.
Anxiety habit.
I only started noticing it when we began sleeping in the same bed. He did it when he thought I wasn't looking. Like he didn't want anyone to see the cracks.
Louis peeled the hoodie off me, eyes flashing when he saw the wound. "You need stitches."
"I'll live."
He glared. "That's not the point."
"Yeah? What is?" I met his eyes in the mirror. Daring him.
Louis clenched his jaw. "You're hiding shit."
"So are you," I shot back.
His grip on my arm tightened slightly. Then he turned on the tap, running the cloth under warm water before pressing it against my skin again.
"You got this doing what?" Niall's voice was quiet.
I didn't answer.
Louis sighed, shaking his head. "You're impossible."
I let the silence stretch.
Outside, I could still hear Liam and Harry in the living room. Talking about Aven. I picked up on a few words. Schedule. Locations. Stalk her.
Jesus Christ.
I needed to go.
I pulled away from Louis, reaching for the hoodie. "I have to clean something up."
Louis blocked the door. Niall stood.
"You're not going anywhere," Louis said.
I smiled. "You're cute when you try to tell me what to do."
Louis didn't move. Neither did Niall.
Niall exhaled, rubbing his hands over his face. "Madi-"
I took his face in my hands, pressed my lips to his. He didn't kiss me back at first. He was still too tense, but then he softened slightly. Just for a second.
I pulled away. "I'll see you at home."
Niall didn't stop me when I walked out. Neither did Louis.
They just watched me go.
Niall.
"Okay," I whispered, gripping the steering wheel, "so we've followed her here..."
Louis scoffed from the passenger seat. "No shit, Sherlock. What did you think we were doing? Sightseeing?"
I ignored him, staring through the windshield at Madi as she moved through the dark alley ahead of us. She was dragging something. Something big.
We've been here about an hour. It's grown dark. She disappeared inside that apartment for quite awhile before. I had hoped this was just some friendly visit with someone we didn't know.
My stomach twisted.
The streetlamp flickered. It was just enough light to catch the dull, lifeless limb hanging from her grip. A leg.
A fucking leg.
I blinked hard. "That's a body."
"Very astute of you," Louis muttered.
My hands clenched the wheel. "Jesus Christ."
Madi was smaller than the guy she was dragging, but she moved like it wasn't her first time handling dead weight. Like she had a plan. A system.
She heaved the body into the backseat of a black car parked in the alley. The windows were tinted. No one was inside.
Louis let out a breath beside me, running a hand down his face. "You know, for a girl who constantly calls us reckless criminals, she sure is a walking episode of CSI."
I swallowed hard. "Do you think she-"
"Yes."
"You don't even know what I was gonna say."
"She's covered in blood, Niall."
"So?"
"So," Louis drawled, turning to me, "I have a very strong hunch that's not her blood. Not all of it."
I felt sick.
Madi got into the car. The taillights glowed red as the engine started.
"She's leaving," I muttered.
Louis's fingers drummed against his knee. "Well, yeah. Generally, after you dump a body, you don't hang around for tea."
I glared at him. "Can you be serious for one second?"
"Oh, I am serious. I'm seriously realizing we should've been keeping a closer eye on Madi."
I swallowed. "She's gonna notice if we follow her."
Louis tilted his head. "She just committed-at minimum-one felony. I think her focus is elsewhere right now."
I chewed my lip. "Should we call the others?"
Louis let out a humorless laugh. "And say what? 'Hey, guys, Madi's out here doing crime. Again. Let's all hold hands and have an intervention.'?"
I exhaled sharply. "We can't just let her drive off with a body."
"Oh, I agree," Louis said, already putting on his seatbelt. "Step on it, Horan."
I threw the car in drive, and we pulled out of the alley after her.
Madi.
The air was thick with damp earth and sweat. My hands ached, fingers raw from gripping the shovel too hard, digging too deep.
The hole was almost finished.
It wasn't the first time I'd done something like this. But it was the first time I'd done it alone.
I stood back, panting, letting the shovel drop. The body lay stiff beside the grave. His skin was pale, mouth slightly open, eyes empty. He wasn't looking at me, not really.
I reached for the hem of my blood-soaked shirt. Peeled it off, letting it fall next to him. Then my jeans. My shoes. My socks. All of it.
Evidence.
The gun came last. The one he'd shot me with. I held it in my hands for a long moment, staring at it, feeling its weight. Then I dropped it in the hole, right next to him.
I was breathing heavy, standing there in my underwear, dirt sticking to my skin. The wind blew through the trees, rustling the leaves, sending a shiver up my spine.
And then-
A voice.
Casual. Close.
"So, do you want a sweater or something?"
I flinched so hard I almost fell into the goddamn grave. My heart lunged into my throat, my hands immediately moving for my knife-
But I knew the voice.
I whipped around, chest heaving.
Niall stood in the shadows, hands in his pockets, watching me like I was the one who had come out of nowhere. Like I was the one haunting him.
My mouth went dry.
"You scared the shit out of me," I hissed.
Niall tilted his head. "I can see that." His gaze flickered down-to the grave, the body, the blood. My bare skin. "Kinda a weird place for a late-night streak, don't you think?"
I swallowed hard. "What the fuck are you doing here?"
He shrugged. "Could ask you the same thing."
I clenched my jaw. "Leave."
He ignored that. "You're shaking."
I wasn't. I wasn't.
Niall sighed, stepping further into the clearing. "Madi."
"Don't."
"What happened?"
I exhaled sharply, forcing my breathing to slow. "I took care of something."
"No shit."
I glared at him. "You don't get to judge me."
"I'm not judging," he said, voice quiet, unreadable. "I'm just trying to figure out how the fuck we got here."
I opened my mouth. Shut it.
Because we weren't here. I was here. I had done this.
Niall looked at the grave again. "You gonna finish?"
My throat was tight. "Yeah."
He nodded, rolling his shoulders. "Alright. I'll help."
I blinked. "What?"
He walked over, grabbing the second shovel I had brought. "You heard me."
I shook my head. "No. You don't have to-"
"I know I don't have to." He met my eyes, steady. "But I'm here."
I didn't know what to say to that.
So I didn't say anything.
I picked up my shovel.
And we started digging.
The sound of shovels cutting into damp earth filled the silence between us. I could hear my own breathing, still uneven, still too fast. Niall worked beside me, his movements steady, efficient. Not rushed. Like he'd done this before.
I wasn't going to ask.
The wind cut through the trees, sharp against my bare skin, and I shivered before I could stop myself.
Niall noticed.
Without a word, he stripped off his sweater, handing it over.
I hesitated.
"Just take it," he muttered.
I did. Pulled it over my head, the sleeves too long, the fabric warm from his body heat. I swallowed hard. "Thanks."
He didn't answer. Just kept digging.
The body lay stiff at our feet, waiting.
I wasn't thinking about him. I wasn't.
But my hands still shook when I dropped the last pile of dirt on top.
Niall exhaled sharply, leaning on his shovel. "Well."
I wiped my palms on my thighs. "Well."
Neither of us moved.
Finally, I stepped back. Turned toward my pile of discarded clothes. The gun. My shoes.
I reached for them.
"Leave 'em," Niall said.
I shook my head. "No."
"Madi."
"I'll clean them."
His jaw twitched. He ran a hand over his face. "They're covered in blood."
"I said I'll clean them."
He let out a long breath, but didn't argue.
I shoved my feet back into my shoes, ignoring the way the dried blood cracked against the laces. Picked up my shovel, tucking it under my arm. My fingers brushed against the gun.
I left it buried.
Niall didn't say anything as I turned toward the car.
Louis was waiting, the engine idling.
He barely looked up when I slid into the backseat. "Took you long enough."
I didn't respond, head falling back against the seat.
Niall climbed into the passenger side. Shut the door harder than necessary.
Louis raised an eyebrow. "You two have fun?"
Neither of us answered.
He smirked. "Y'know, most couples go on normal late-night dates. Movies. A drive-thru. Maybe a walk on the beach. Not-" he gestured vaguely- "grave digging."
I shot him a look. "Shut up, Louis."
He grinned. "Make me."
I groaned, shutting my eyes. My head was pounding. My shoulder throbbed. The sweater smelled like Niall.
Louis put the car in drive. "Anyway. If the cops pull us over, I'm telling them I had nothing to do with this."
"Obviously."
"Great. Now that we're clear on that-" he cut a glance at Niall, who hadn't said a word- "what the fuck is his problem?"
I opened my eyes.
Niall was staring out the window. His fingers drummed against his knee. Fast.
I recognized the habit. He was holding something in.
I turned toward him. "Niall-"
"Later," he said.
I shut my mouth.
Louis hummed under his breath. "Ohhh, someone's pissed."
"Louis-"
"I'm just saying! He's all broody and shit. I mean, I'd be pissed too if my girlfriend-"
"I'm not his girlfriend."
Louis rolled his eyes. "Right. Sure. Whatever you two wanna call it."
I clenched my jaw.
Silence.
The city lights flickered in the distance, getting closer.
I rested my head against the window, closing my eyes again.
Niall hadn't looked at me since we got in the car.
I didn't know if I wanted him to.