68 Eight words!

Yanni POV

Fuck!

I want to call Laura but don't have her number, she must know where that sack of shit lives, or of some places that he may have taken Syd! She's the fucking plod after all, she must be able to help! She'll also know this city better, being a local! I just need to contact her!!

"JIMMIE!!! CALL TRIPLE ZERO! We need to report her missing. We have to....."

"YANNI!"

It is Noah who interrupts my barking of orders, telling me in no uncertain terms to shut up.

"Jimmie, it's 999 here mate... emergency services is 999. Call them, tell them all that we know, show them the footage. Ms Baron, please assist them in any way required when they arrive, show them our rooms, whatever they need."

He nods at them as he gives them tasks and then turns to me.....

"Come on Yanni, we need to go!" he shouts as he marches to the door, me following like a puppy at his heels, yapping questions like a chihuahua at a gate!

"Where are we going! Noah!? What the fuck do you know?? Where is she? Hey, Noah.... NOAH!!!!

What's happened to her? Please, I need her Noah, please, tell me what you know!" I implore, Noah quickly hailing a cab as we hit the street, both climbing inside as it stops.

He gives an address and the driver nods and swiftly pulls out into the early morning traffic.

"Where are we going Noah? You need to start talking.... right now". I growl the final two words and watch as he gulps, looking down at his hands that are rubbing his thighs nervously, almost as if he is removing sweat from his palms.

"You have to promise not to get mad right now. You can beat the shit out of me after we find her if you want, but right now we need to focus on getting her back from Harry, ok?!"

"Beat the shit out of you?! Noah, if you have anything to do with this I will fucking kill you, but I can wait until she's safe."

He swallows deeply and turns towards me in his seat and I return my gaze to his pale features from the view of heavy traffic that had been occupying my attention. He sighs heavily before beginning to speak, putting his hands up, palms facing me in a passive but placating gesture. This is the gesture they all use when telling me something that they know will make me mad..... I know I am NOT going to like what he tells me next, my jaw and fists clenching tightly in an attempt to contain the rage that is already bubbling within as he begins to speak.

"I know where he lives. That's where we are headed now.... Yanni, I'm sorry. I'm SO, so sorry!"

"Noah...... what have you done?" I question him, my tone far calmer than I expected.

"What are you sorry for, and how do you know where he lives?"

"Yanni, I promise to tell you everything just as soon as we get Syd back, honestly, but for now let me give you the short version, ok?" his pleading and tear filled eyes causing me to nod my agreement. I might want to murder him right now, but he's still a brother to me.

He starts to speak, but looks down into his lap as he does.

"Look, you know about my background right, the shitty start in London, an alcoholic father my only protection and comfort in the world, blah, blah, blah..... but you don't really know how that came to be the case do you?!" he whispers as the tears that had been filling his eyes start to fall freely down his cheeks.

This has me at a loss, Noah never cries! I've never seen him like this.... ever, not since the day I met him aged 10! As I attempt to find the right response between my anger at him for his obvious involvement in Syd's current predicament, and concern for him, his distress clear, he continues to speak, wiping his face with the sleeves of his jumper, pulled through the cuffs of his jacket.

I nod and am compelled to pat his knee a couple of times before giving it a reassuring squeeze that I hope conveys sympathy and hides my fury. He flinches at the pressure I'm applying to his leg... I guess that fury is harder to hide than I hoped.

Letting go of him and placing my hands in my pockets I flop back in the seat and wait with my tongue between my teeth for him to go on.

"You know my mum was admitted into psychiatric care when I was 5, leaving me with my dad, but I've never spoken about why. I think I sh......"

Cutting him off abruptly I bark...

"Noah, bin the trip down memory lane and get to the fucking point please!"

"Long story short because we're almost there now....."

He closes his eyes, again runs his palms up and down his thighs and puffs out a strong breath, before opening them again and looking me directly in in the eye and continuing.....

"I had a good..... well, I thought I had a good reason to hate Sydney and so, for reasons that I'll tell you later, I agreed to help Harry win her back. He wanted me to convince her to go back to him. You complicated things by really falling for her. I'd always meant for you and she to have some serious sexual tension between you, but it went a bit too far. I didn't expect her to fall for you so easily, or quickly.... I thought Id have longer to convince her to return to Harry. The more she and I spoke the more I realised that there was no way she had done what I'd grown up believing, no way, and I couldn't let her go back after some of the discussions we had about her marriage, and her husbands ermmm...... predilections!

I began to regret my actions and tried to get Harry to accept that Syd wasn't his anymore, and wouldn't ever be again.... to convince him that I couldn't help him anymore. I should have known what his answer would be" he sighs with a frown.

I can't take all this in, I'm not entirely sure what he is saying, what he's trying to get me to understand, and I shake my head in an attempt to shake the jumble of words into a rational sentence. I'm failing miserably!

Using a voice far calmer than my feelings are I ask the obvious question....

"What were his words Noah?"

"They were, and I quote...... 'Oh but she is, she will be until the day she dies......and Noah.....of course you can, and you will!' He is dangerous Yanni, an absolute psycho! She's in real danger and it's my fault!" his face pales and he lets out a sob.

I am unmoved by his sob but my head is splitting after processing his words. My blood is up, adrenalin surging through my veins making my entire body shake, my breaths are coming faster and shallower. I feel like a mentos in a Coke bath.... about to explode!

I have very little to say to him at this moment, just 8 words infact, but the ice in my voice and glare in my eyes delivered the message with the desired impact.

"If she's hurt I WILL kill you Noah!"

"If she's hurt Yanni..... I'll kill myself!"