-Chapter Four-
-Sleep-
Eli slowly stirred, shaking the cobwebs of an induced sleep from her eyes. Her eyes slowly came into focus, an image of a semi-nude form before her. She bolted upright, finding herself in a hotel room bed. Black satin sheets were wrapped around her, which she clung to for dear life. A piercing scream escaped her lips, but it was suddenly silenced by a strong hand.
"Please Eli." Gerard said earnestly. "I didn't do anything to you, I promise."
He pulled his hand back slowly.
"You..." Eli began as tears filled her eyes. "JERK!"
A sharp smack echoed through the dim hotel room as Eli slapped Gerard hard on his cheek. Tears flooded Eli's eyes, as she sobbed into her hands.
"I'm sorry, Eli." Gerard said sitting down on the edge of the bed. "But I had to take you with me, even if it had to be by force."
"Why!?" Eli shouted, her face red from crying. "What on earth could you get from kidnaping me? Ransom? Someone to fuck? TELL ME!"
"I did it to protect you!" Gerard snapped back. "You have no idea how much danger you were in!"
Eli looked taken aback as she watched the strongest man she had ever met crumble before her.
"I'm a terrible, terrible person El." He began as Eli wrapped a comforting arm around his shoulder. "I steal... I cheat... I've even killed a man..."
Eli's eyes widened with fear as she watched Gerard's eyes fill with tears.
"But..."She began as he sobbed into her chest. "But why am I in danger?"
He looked up at her with a guilt-stricken face, chocking back his sobbing.
"You obviously have no idea what kind of man Mikey is..." He replied, clinging tightly to her.
"What on earth do you mean?" She asked, rhythmically rubbing his head.
He let go of Eli, wiping his eyes with his arm.
"I think I should tell you the whole story..."
—
"Come on, Mikey!" Gerard shouted down the hallway of a modest suburban home. "If you don't hurry the hell up we're going to be late."
"Oh shut up." Mikey replied as he stood before the bathroom mirror, trying to fix his hair. "We have plenty of time."
"This isn't like going to the damn movies." Gerard retorted. "There aren't forty minutes of previews to skip."
Mikey emerged from the bathroom, an angry Gerard waiting for him with his arms crossed.
"Can we go now?" He asked, before heading out the door. Mikey merely shook his head in aggravation and followed him.
"We should be back by midnight, Mom!" Gerard shouted into the house as they left out the door.
"Do we really need that much time?" Mikey asked as he opened the drivers side door.
"I wanted to take Eli out to dinner afterwards." Gerard replied as he plopped into the passenger seat. "This is her first big performance."
"Big freakin' deal..." Mikey sighed as he pulled out of the driveway and into the slowly dimming streets.
"You know..." Gerard began as they picked up speed on the highway. "I know that she doesn't mean much to you, but she means the world to me. I'm not going to let your fucked up attitude to screw this night up."
Street lights flickered over the car as they approached the city. They were soon off the highway and into the city on foot.
"Where the hell is this place?" Mikey said as he watched Gerard fiddle with the scrap of paper that had the directions scrawled across it.
"It should be around this corner..." Gerard said as they rounded a corner. Before them lay dark and deserted alleyway.
"Oh god dammit... this can't be right..." Gerard said, turning to face his brother.
Mikey stood before him, a shiny black colt .45 held tightly in his grasp. Gerard's eyes widened with fear, as sick smile formed on his face.
"What's with the gun, Mikey?" He asked skittishly. "What do you plan on doing with it."
"I plan on doing what needs to be done, Gerard." Mikey said cooly.
"Ah, come on Mikey. Stop kidding around..."
"I'm not kidding." He replied as he cocked the gun. "You're nothing but a nuisance."
A soft pop suddenly erupted in Gerard's ears, as he felt something burning a hole in his shoulder. Two more soft pops erupted from the gun, sending bullets through his lower abdomen and leg. He hit the damn ground with a soft thud, liquid crimson puddling under him.
"Sorry, Gerard." Mikey said as he turned away. "It had to be done."
—
"LIAR!" Eli shouted as she leapt from the bed, the sheets wrapped around her. "That was the night that you left! The night that you tried to kill Mikey and emptied the bank account!"
"What?!" Gerard questioned. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"Mikey..." Eli began as she felt weak in the knees. "He...He told me that you shot him in the chest and left him to die..."
"He's a fucking liar, Eli!" Gerard screamed. "I never shot him, and I never took a fucking dime from my family! I figured he'd make up some bull-shit story to feed to you..."
"Then..." Eli said, finally falling to her knees. "Where did all of the money go...?"
Sudden realization filled her tear-stricken face as she looked up at Gerard. He knelt down before her and wiped the tears off of her cheek.
"I know this is going to be hard to you to take, but I'm sure that Mikey was just using your musical talents for a profit." Gerard said, rubbing her shoulders. "I don't think he really cared about you, and I'm sure he was just going to dispose of you once he had squeezed you dry..."
Eli's body suddenly heaved, and she pushed Gerard aside, stumbling towards the bathroom.
'This...This can't be true!' Eli's mind raced as she hunched over the toilet, watching her watery reflection. She heaved again, as Gerard rhythmically rubbed her back. 'I...I can't take this!'
