The Silence That Surrounds

Sophia’s POV:

Niall held his hand over my mouth forcefully, silencing any vulgarities that might have slipped through otherwise. While he was doing that, Louis held my body against his chest as they waited for me to calm down.

They had been holding me in this position for the last ten minutes and I had only stopped struggling the last five. Unfortunately, I was still angry and I made sure my brother knew it.

“If I take my hand from your mouth, dove, will you start yelling again? Hm?” Niall asked calmly, slowly loosening his hold.

“Nmh.” I shook my head – well, attempted to.

“Okay, because if you can’t talk to your brother rationally, we’re going to have to gag you and there are much useful things to be done with those pretty lips of yours, like doing what we need you to without the violence. We want information, not a medical bill because you put him in a coma.” He laid out, my mouth finally free from its fleshy gloved prison.

Louis chuckled and I felt him move me to the chair beside the bed, depositing me into it. I could literally reach my fingers across and make contact with Dylan’s arm. That’s how close in proximity we were.

Knowing this, Louis didn’t let go and I saw Niall take a few small pieces of rope from his jeans pocket and connect my wrists to the armrests.

“Hey! I’m not going to hurt him, Harry said any means necessary and after what this fucking asshole did –“

I was interrupted by Dylan again.

“Sophie, I didn’t know! Dad told – I called him after I tried calling you back and didn’t answer! I got worried and called him. He told me that you had called him and told him you were stressed at your job and that he sent you on the Northern seafront cruise for a few months. If I had known, I would have helped. I didn’t know you ended up here! I swear to you, sis – I didn’t kno-“Louis slapped his hand over Dylan’s frantically moving mouth and smirked.

“Why exactly should I believe you, Dy? Huh? You’ve always been a good liar when it came to dad – you know what to say when it comes to getting out of trouble! For all I know, you and dad were in on it! You had a lot to gain from me disappearing and you know it!” I yelled, struggling against the ropes that were now securely tied my wrists in place. When that didn’t work I brought my untied foot up and brought it down on his crotch.

My foot hit soft padding and what felt like a cup – what the fuck?

“Oi!” Niall yelled, the ball of my foot connecting hard but Dylan didn’t even flinch.

“What the fuck is he wearing, a foam cup? Were you anticipating my reaction or what?” I snapped, my anger seething in full on rage as Niall stood and left the room for a moment before returning with a pair of cuffs.

Without a word he wrapped them behind the chair leg and snapped them onto my feet. I growled and gave them a good pull before wincing. Niall looked on bemused.

“Code red hostages have to wear them to make sure there aren’t any accidents. So yes he’s wearing a cup but it was not for your benefit, trust me, lass. I personally wouldn’t give a fuck if you rendered him childless but using your words would be more beneficiary.” Niall responded calmly but didn’t make an attempt to stop me from struggling against the ropes.

“Fine, fuck you all! I’m tired of the games, I’m tired of not understanding why my dad traded me when it was for a down payment he never intended to pay. I mean was I that disposable and did he really think you’d be happy with just having me and not the money? Huh? I’m sorry to disappoint you gents but you won’t get it that way, if he didn’t care about giving me away – what makes you so sure he’d give the same fuck about Dylan? You can’t have your cake and eat it to. You’re trying to outsmart a man who has had years to prepare for something like this and we’re all just fucking pawns to a sick power struggle – all of us.” I growled, a few tears falling down my face in aggravation.

Louis removed his hand from my brother’s mouth and wiped them away.

“Maybe so but that’s why we’re pawns. We can come up with a reverse strategy.” Louis coaxed patiently, patting my shoulder and standing up but not before making sure the ropes were secured to the armchair.

“Visiting hours end in an hour, I expect some information by then. If you are still not cooperating, little Stone, you will spend the next few days without food, without water and you will be left as you were; deaf, gagged and blindfolded. Your sister will meet the same fate and I know you wouldn’t want anything like that to happen to little Ms. Stone so answer her questions and save both of you some humility.” Louis warned, stepping toward the door and leaving.

“Niall? Feed the boy, I’ll be back in in an hour. If Sophia calms down, untie her but only when the flame has died. We still need her brother and I don’t want to take a chance of her killing him. At least not yet.” Louis finished with a smirk before the door shut.

Niall sighed and reached over for one of the bowls, taking the spoon from it and sitting down next to Dylan who turned his face away, worry etched across his eyes.

“I’m not hungry. I want to know what’s going on.” Dylan swallowed nervously. For being kidnapped – he was handling it rather well.

“Well, bro, you’ve been abducted – if it weren’t obvious or anything. They need to know your position of involvement in father’s company. Certain type of security was it, right? Business aspect? Anything useful in that department? I know you and dad were close with associates.”

Dylan shook his head and looked away.

Niall had given up on the food and just sat on the bed and watched us in silence.

“Dad doesn’t let me anywhere near the company. He’ll let me up for a drink with investors – smooth them over but I’m not detailed on security, you know that! Now get me the fuck out of here! This isn’t right!” He seethed, struggling against the straps.

As expected, they held firm and tightened against his movements. I laughed and leaned back to the chair I had been tied to.

“Oh bro-bro. I’ve spent the last three months where you are – not strapped to a bed but I’ve been chained in this room, staring at the walls, staring outside and wishing more than anything I could be home with you and dad. Before I knew he traded me, that’s all I thought about. I thought about embracing you – embracing my dad. I had hoped that every night, when my head laid against that pillow, that when I opened them the next morning it would be one of these men walking into the room and telling me I was free. I even had a dream that you were standing over this exact bed, kneeling down and telling me I no longer had to worry because you guys found me – that I was safe.” My voice was rising to a new emotional level and the anger radiated off me as I balled my hands into fists.

“Even when Harry had told me you were hunting, I wanted to believe that it was because you were relieving stress and coming up with a plan to save me from this hellhole. Now you’re in it –now you’re dead, dead just like me. So don’t tell me this isn’t right, it should have been YOU they took, it should have been YOU to get traded off. You don’t know suffering – you don’t but I can promise you will. I can bloody promise you that,” I finished harshly, a sob escaping from my mouth before I forcefully threw my back against the chair, making it tip slightly. “Get me the fuck out of this chair, Niall. Get me the bloody fuck out of here!” I screamed at the blonde who was already untying and unlocking the cuffs, pulling me to his chest and covering my head with his hand when I was free, my face buried into his shoulder as I let the suffering drain from me in a pool of tears.

My brother was quiet, he didn’t utter a sound and I moved my head to find his emotions guarded. He was worried but he wasn’t crying. He was strong. He was strong because dad raised him to be – raised us to be and if I was traded so readily – was I weak? Did dad think I was weak and didn’t want the shame of that in his perfect little family or did he think I was a rock and could handle this better than his precious little boy?

“I hate you Dylan, I fucking hope they make you suffer however means necessary to get what you know because I know damn well before I left, you were working security and you know his dirty little secrets, I KNOW you do!” I screamed again, this time the door opened, revealing Harry and a less than amused Louis.

“Why the fuck is everyone in here screaming enough to wake the bloody dead? Niall, gag junior. He’s obviously not going to give up any of his secrets and make sure you put all his accessories back. He can stay like that until my dad comes and interrogates him. No food, no water until then and I’m counting on you to come up with a schedule for him to stick with. Bathroom use, time he will be put under sedation every night. Until he starts cooperating, he will not do, say or even think anything unless I give him permission to. “Harry trailed off, seeing Niall’s arms around me but he was much for focused on Dylan and the boy’s pathetic struggling.

“You can’t do this! I can’t tell you anything, I won’t help a bunch of fucking criminals, I’ll die before I cooperate with the likes of you scum! Fuck you all, fuck every bloody God forsaken one of you!” Dylan screamed, making the other remaining members enter.

“It will all go smoother once you learn to cooperate but honestly? I expect nothing less than insolence from a poor spoiled little rich boy. You will find that actions have consequences and not just for you. Sophia is going to pay the same price. Niall? When you’re finished with little Stone, take care of his sister. Tie her down and put her back on my bed, she stay with me tonight. She will learn the same lesson as her brother about mutual respect and I fully intend to bleed out that unpredictable emotion by the time my father gets here – otherwise she’s going to be fucking dead. They both will.” Harry growled and left the room in silence.

Louis grumbled and walked in further, motioning to me as Niall picked up the knotted piece of fabric, stuffing it into Dylan’s mouth in a less than gentle manner, his hands moving underneath my brother’s head and tying it brutally. It was so taunt that the material itself was cutting into his cheek.

“Careful with the next one, you’ll choke him if you tie it too tight, the knot is only supposed to hold his tongue down, not move it to the back of his throat. Calm down Niall, just keep it together.” Louis murmured to the blonde as he sat up momentarily and handed me the ropes from the chair, pointing at Louis, ordering me silently to go to him as I was asked.

I did as Niall wanted, the feel of his hand etched in only a shadow now.

“Good girl.” Louis praised sarcastically, turning me around to face Niall as my hands were forced to the back and the ropes I handed him were tied roughly around my wrist.

“Louis? May I ask you something?” I cleared my throat, flinching as the tight bindings chaffed to my skin.
He sighed, almost in annoyance.

“I don’t know if I will have an answer, doll face, but what is it?” Louis muttered, turning me around to face him before taking my arm and leading me from the room, my brother’s muffled protests started when Niall shoved the earplugs into his ears but that’s all I saw and heard as his cries were muted completely when Louis guided me out and shut the door.

“If I am still alive – once you have everything you want from me, will it be a group decision if I die?” I asked, my feet shuffling across the hall and to Harry’s room.

Louis shrugged, following me in and guiding me to the bed but instead of guiding me into it, he jerked my arm roughly, making me fall to my knees on the ground; thankfully the carpet took most of the tension from the fall.

“It’s Harry’s choice and his alone. Unless his father steps up and gives him that direct order, he makes the calls. I personally would have put a bullet in you your first week. Not because I hold anything against you, Ms. Stone – I’d rather not see you suffer. That’s why when hostages come and go – it doesn’t affect us very often. They’re set free and that is something we will never be. Freedom is something we will never have. Even if Harry took over for his father; he would be overseeing more gangs, there are higher ups overseeing his father and higher ones above them.” Louis explained, my head glancing up his tall lanky figure, swallowing nervously before sitting back on my thighs, my hands limp behind me.

“I’m sorry. For what it’s worth and I know my words mean little around here but I do want to help you, I want my father to suffer and I want him to remember everything that he lost up till the moment of his last dying breath. I want to help because I want him to suffer – I want revenge.” I glowered, my hands clenching into fists. I enjoyed the anger. I loved how in control I felt, even if it was only in my mind. The thought itself was satisfying but I knew as soon as something happened the fear would come back – the weakness.

I took a pause to steady my breathing, watching Louis kneel down in front of me and pull a light blue piece of cloth from his back pocket, making a small knot in the middle.

“Blue, huh? Green brings out my eyes but I suppose that doesn’t matter –it’s all just noise. Loud or silenced, that’s all it comes down to.” I sighed, watching him cock up an eye brow, pausing in his knot tying.

“I’ll try to gag you with a green one next time Ms. Stone. I’m afraid I don’t quite get your analogy but then again, you are a complete mystery. I can see why the other boys have taken to you. Sadly, I have my orders to follow and you have yours.” Louis said, a hint of a half smirk on the corner of his mouth. “Harry or I will check up on you la –“

Harry burst into the door, crashing into the frame of the door, his eyes wide in panic.

“Father, he just called – he’s coming right now, ten minutes out! Get Ms. Stone gagged and blindfolded. Make sure her ropes are securely tied and get her feet restrained as well. We don’t have much time, we need to make a run through to make sure everything is perfect because he’s bringing other trainees with him. Go on, go, and hurry!” Harry ushered as he began to clap his attention, his voice bouncing off the walls in a loud, harsh echo. “LADS, SENIOR STYLES, TEN MINUTES OUT! GET MOVING! NO TIME FOR DALLYING, PICK UP ANYTHING OUT OF PLACE AND REMEMBER YOUR RULES!”

His voice was booming with duress and panic. I had never seen him in fear in all the months I have been here but as he ran through the door, I saw it clear as day in his eyes.

Louis cleared his throat, making my face him again.

“Ms. Stone, I can’t stress this enough how important you remember your place. Don’t backtalk, don’t talk out of place – in fact, it’s best you don’t speak at all. Above all else, don’t cry. Not one teardrop – not one sniffle, not one sob. Do not look to us for comfort because there will be none to be found. If he even suspects –“

I cut Louis off.

“I know – he’ll use it against me. I will do my best.” I swallowed, watching him nod as he pulled the ends on both sides of the cloth and moving it to my mouth.

As it touched my lips I pulled back slightly but left it linger there a second.

“Thank you, Louis – for caring enough.” I said, looking up into his cold blue eyes, I saw a small fraction of emotion there – but it was gone when he blinked.

I opened my mouth and he slid the knot into my mouth and brought the ends of the cloth around to meet the back, tying it painfully tight, knotting it roughly a few times to keep it tied.

“Just doing my job. Don’t thank me for your suffering, Ms. Stone. Thank us when this is finally over and you can be set free.”

I caught his stare and held it within mine a few precious seconds. I saw the man behind the mask and he was giving me a small glimpse behind the monster – behind the demon that possesses him.

The moment was over in a flash when Harry came back in, banging his hand on the wall.

“For fuck sake Louis! We don’t have TIME for this! Go help Zayn! He’s struggling to get the dishes! Fucking dafter is shaking like he’s outside in the snow naked. He can’t even hold a bleeding plate, GO!” Harry yelled, walking to his closet and grabbing a long piece of fabric, folding it over, making an eight or ten wide strip and coming back behind me, forcing the cloth over my face, my eyesight stolen once again. I heard Louis rush to the door, his hand brushing my shoulder quickly as he left.

“I don’t know what you’re doing Ms. Stone but it needs to stop.” Harry warned, clicking a new cartridge of bullets into the clip and cocking the gun. I felt the tip of the gun pointed at my temple.

“Don’t fuck this up or you won’t have to worry about my father killing you, I’ll happily finish the job myself. Just be a good little hostage and remember the rules. Got it?”

I nodded, holding back a whimper.

“Good girl –good girl.” He breathed the last part in what sounded like slight relief, removing the tip of his gun from my temple, patting my shoulder and leaving back out the door, screaming orders again.

As soon as Harry started, he quieted again. The slam of the front door nearly torn off its hinges from the sound of the force it was opened with, causing a loud crash – followed by a voice that ran my blood to a dead cold stop.

“THE FUCK IS WITH ALL THE NOISE!? HARRY! IN FRONT OF ME, NOW!”

Satan himself just arrived.

Notes

Soooo - thoughts? Intensness next chapter!