Skulduggery (n.)

dishonesty or trickery

Niall's P.O.V

AT THE HOSPITAL

Once Lillian was safely out of the room, I flicked my attention to the visitors that stood in the corner of the room.

I attempted to exude my fear as anger, and it seemed to be working.

Liam made his way over to the end of my bed in silence, picking up the chart that sat in a cardboard box hanging from the bed frame.

He allowed his eyes to wander the page before shooting an impressed glance to Rhiannon.

"Well, Greg Horan, Dakota certainly did a number or two on you didn't she? Fifteen stab wounds however none of them hit any vital organs? What are the chances of that?"

"Slim to none." Rhiannon chimed in, sauntering over to my bedside. "I think our little Dakota has a little bit of a crush on him. Maybe, sparing him in the name of love? What do you think, Liam?" She spoke with sarcasm and I begged for adrenaline to fill my veins and lend me enough strength to escape these two. However, I knew I was weak.

"Oh that must be it. I guess someone else will just have to finish the job for her. Care to do the honours, Rhiannon?"

"My pleasure."

Her smirk sparked an uncontrollable fear inside me. I helplessly watched as she reached down to her shoe. I kept my head high, expressing to them both that was not afraid. But Liam just laughed, seeing straight through my façade.

He had once been my friend. But his love for the league was too great and we clearly had different opinions.

Rhiannon raised the knife that had been hidden in her sock and cheekily taunted me with it.

As it drew closer and closer to my neck, I began to mentally thank everyone who had contributed in making my life great.

I pictured my mum and my brother with his wife and son. I pictured my teachers and my friends from Ireland. I pictured Dakota and my other friends from the league.

Lastly, I pictured Lillian. In the few days that we had known each other, my trust in her had grown stronger than it had with anyone else.

I cursed myself for pushing her away and for treating her badly when she was just trying to help. She did save my life, after all.

I vowed that in the afterlife, if there was such a thing, I would find her to apologise and thank her. And, of course, tell her the truth.

"You know what? No." The voice cut the tension when she barged into the room with confidence. Rhiannon slipped the knife into her sleeve with an impressive amount of speed.

"You can't just throw me out like that. I deserve an explanation, you will talk to me. Right now." She demanded fiercely and I was impressed and thankful.

Impressed, since I didn't know that Lillian had such confidence. I knew she was proud and loved herself but I had only ever seen her sweet side. Besides that night at the club, but even then she fought with gracefulness.

Thankful, because she just saved my life again. I knew Rhiannon and Liam well enough that they wouldn't kill me in front of her. And they wouldn't kill an innocent person, at least not in such a public place.

"We'll drop by later. It seems you two have a lot to sort out." Rhiannon's seductive Portuguese accent rolled off her tongue. They stalked out of the room and I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Well? Start talking." She looked at me, eyes blazing. I hesitated, should I tell her? Would I just get her into more trouble?

I recalled the vow I made to myself as I stared death in the face. And realised that it was better to tell the truth while I was alive, rather than as a spirit.

I softly gestured my head towards the plastic seat that sat abandoned beside the head of my bed. Her confidence dropped slightly, obviously taken aback by my response.

"Come on, sit." My voice was croaky. It seemed my body had not recovered from my second near-death experience.

She scurried to the chair. After noticing her obvious anxiousness, she raised a brow at me to regain her confidence.

I chuckled lightly at her below average acting.

"Are you just going to watch me or are you going to tell the truth." She snapped.

"Well, first, I'm going to apologise. I'm sorry I treated you so horribly; you most definitely didn't deserve it. I was scared." I took a deep breath, "And secondly, I'm going to thank you. Thank you for saving my life... twice."

"Tw-twice?" She stuttered.

"Well, yes. You see, if you had stumbled in here just moments after you had, then you would have found me in a very different situation. One that would have resulted in my mother forking out a very large fee to a funeral company." I attempted to joke, but she did not laugh. And, besides my awkward chuckle, I didn't find it funny either.

In fact, it only increased my fear.

"Niall, what's going on?" She spoke in a whisper. Guilt and a realisation of my own selfishness washed over me. How could I have brought her into this mess? I've put her life in danger.

"Lillian, I want you to know that you don't have to be scared of me. I would never intend to hurt you." I reached out a stiff arm to touch her knee. She stared at it, contemplating, before deciding that she'd allow my hand to rest there.

Her decision pleased me.

"You're scaring me right now, Niall. Who were those people?"

"Their names are Rhiannon and Liam. They are part of the League of Assassins."

She gasped and moved her knee from underneath my grasp.

"Why were they looking for you?" She sat up straighter in her chair.

"I used to be a part of that league." Fear struck her, it was oh so evident and I felt my heart break. "But I left, Lillian. That's why I moved to Australia, to escape. But no one just leaves the League of Assassins, the only way out is... death."

I held my breath, awaiting her reaction.

"So that's why I wasn't meant to bring you here. And I had to say you were Greg Horan. Because they'd find you." She breathed deeply.

"Yes, but you did the right thing Lillian. You're one of the two people in this world I've told and I would really appreciate your help."

I watched her fright fade into guilt and empathy. The last thing I wanted was for her to feel sorry for me, but hey, if it stopped her from leaving me.

I don't know why I wanted her to stay so badly. We barely knew each other, yet I shared with her more than I had with anyone else. And for some reason, I felt as if that was mutual.

"Who else knows?"

"My brother."

Silence and tension engulfed the room. Her eyes watched me as she thought over everything she'd just been told. And with every passing second, my worry grew.

I didn't want to imagine my life without her.

"Okay."

I raised my eyebrows at her expectantly. Was that all she had to say?

"Okay, I'll help you."

My heart skipped a beat.

"Really?"

"Yes, but I'll have to tell my dad. I know he will understand and he will have faith in you if I tell him I trust you. So, don't break that or you're screwed."

"Thank you!" I cheered; this was the happiest moment of my life. Was this how Greg felt when he got married?

LILLIAN'S DAD ARRIVES

"Thank you so much, Mr Finn. I seriously owe you and your daughter my life." I shook his hand again, completely and utterly grateful for his help.

"I admit it was a lot to take in. But, my daughter trusts you and you are escaping the League of Assassins. If you were asking for help to get in, that would be a different story." He chuckled and I was thankful for his joke.

I flicked my eyes upwards to the girl who stood next to my head. She had abandoned the chair and was now resting her hands on my shoulder. I felt awkward to be lying down with them around me, especially since all that was hiding my naked body was a thin layer of material.

"I'll go get Jake. You two, stay safe." He kissed Lillian on the head and tapped my knee then he was gone.

He had agreed to help and mentioned he knew a nurse here that owed him a favour.

"Lillian, do you know how amazing you are."

"Yes, but it wouldn't hurt for you to tell me again." She moved down the bed so that I could see her better.

"You are amazing."

"Mm, still love the sound of it." She savoured the words, jokingly.

I tingled. Every part of me felt like it had enough energy to light up a Christmas tree. That's what she did to me, she made me feel... magical.

It was weird to think about, but there was no other way to describe it. When I was with her, I felt like I was a character in a fictional romance story written by some love struck teenager. (LOLOLOLOLOL)

"Thanks Jake, it means a lot." The two men entered the room and made their way over to my bed.

One, I inferred as Jake, wore blue scrubs and had multiple coloured pens in his pocket.

"So, this is the guy I'm meant to be sneaking out of the hospital?" He looked up from my clipboard in disbelief.

We all nodded, unsure,

"I don't know Gilligan; he's in pretty rough shape."

"Is there any way we could get him out today?" Lillian begged.

He continued to observe my paperwork and me, creating a tense and nervous atmosphere.

"Okay, make sure he stays lying down and has lots, and I mean lots of rest. I will come and check up on you as often as I can."

"Thank you, Jake!" Lillian exclaimed and hugged me. I ignored the agonising pain and focused on the absolute happiness I felt while being in her hold.

"Okay, so you're gonna have to help him walk. And you need to sneak out the back as soon as possible. We'll walk out of the room at the same time, when the hallway is clear. You guys walk to the left, towards the fire escape doors. I'll walk to the right and notify the front desk that you've passed. Be as inconspicuous as possible." He nodded at us.

I don't know if this was going to work, but I was willing to try.

~~~~~~~~~~~

So the truth has been revealed... Thoughts?

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