Assault With a Deadly Weapon || N.H / 1D

56.

Song recommendation: Meet Me in The Hallway by Harry Styles
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Perfect fucking timing.

Niall hadn't seen Gorilla yet, and I wasn't sure how to tell him. I tried to keep it cool, even while I was trying to not panic on the inside. If Gorilla was here, then something was wrong. I didn't call him, and I don't think Niall did either. Harry might've contacted him, but my heart really wanted to believe that he wasn't that stupid. I knew he wasn't. So why the fuck was that ape here?

I had pulled away from Niall, still dancing, still looking at him, but my attention was elsewhere. He was still perfectly oblivious, letting the music move his body, his thumbs moving against my skin comfortingly.

"So I was thinking, if we're out of here by Christmas..." He started speaking. I felt guilty, but I couldn't listen to him. I was trying to follow the gorilla mask in my peripheral vision. I couldn't do both at once. Frankly, Niall and I could have a conversation about Christmas later, it would be much harder to find Gorilla if I lost him now.

"Mhm." I nodded, not really knowing what he was saying to me. The flashing lights and fog machines were throwing me off. I had Gorilla placed in the corner of my eye. I didn't know where he was going, but he kept glancing at Niall and I, then making another move. Either he was failing at staying incognito, or he was trying to make it blatantly obvious that he was there. Either way, he was screwing us over.

"Hey," Niall caught my attention again, brushing a piece of hair behind my ear. "You seem nervous."

"I'm okay." I assured him.

Shit. I lost Gorilla.

At this point I was forced to look away from Niall. I turned to look over my shoulder quickly. I spotted the mask and turned back. As long as I knew the general area that Gorilla was in, I should be able to keep track of him.

"Really? Because your frantic searching has me thinking that you're lying right to my face." Niall gave me a knowing look. I kept forgetting that I was dealing with a detective here. He could see right through my bluff. As a detective myself, you'd think I'd be better at covering up, and I was good, but Niall was better. If he didn't know me, he'd never be able to catch me like this.

"I don't want you to freak out, but-"

"Oh good." He shook his head.

"It's fine. Everything's fine. Just-"

Niall's eyes pulled away from me and zeroed in on something in the crowd of tables and costumes.

"I see it." He said quietly.

"You do?" I looked over my shoulder. Sure enough, Gorilla was there, weaving through the people.

"Yeah." Niall's jaw clenched. "What is he doing here?"

"I have no idea." I looked back to Niall. "We have to find H- Alex."

"Where did he go?" His eyes shifted, looking around the room for Harry.

"I don't know." I searched with him. "He's not with Dani." I shook my head as I spotted Daniella sitting alone at her table, sipping her drink sadly. God, Harry could be a jerk sometimes. When he was in a mood, he made it everyone's problem.

"Should we split up?" Niall suggested. "You find Alex, I'll take Gorilla."

"Are you sure? I think I should take Gorilla..." I searched, trying to find the monkey man again, but he was gone. "Fuck!" I cursed in frustration.

"He's gone." Niall's eyes went wide. "Where did he go?"

"I don't know." I shook my head frantically. "Okay, whatever. Game plan: split up, whoever you find first is who you deal with. Meet in the back hallway once you've found your guy."