A/N: Whoo! School is over and summer is here, which means I'll have more time to update! This chapter came out a lot longer than I expected. I was planning to write it with no page breaks, but had to do a lot of editing so it didn't turn out as long as chapter 5, lol. May I reiterate, the next chapter will be epic. I'm so excited.
The lyrics and chapter title comes from the song 'Paint it Black' by the Rolling Stones. I usually keep lyrics and songs out of my stories, but this was perfect and I just couldn't resist. Remember I am no way affiliated with the band or songwriters or anything like that. But you knew that already. ;)
Thanks for the reviews! I really appreciate every single one of them. Please continue to let me know how I'm doing!

Warnings: Excessive CAPS LOCK.

Chapter 10
Paint it Black

Carlos felt a little guilty that he was having so much fun.

The last hour was spent jamming out to the radio, which James cranked near its maximum volume. They head-banged to the newest rock hits and sang along to latest pop singles. Even Logan seemed to be enjoying himself, which Carlos was relieved to see. The driver definitely looked better now that the goldenrod was gone, though Carlos still missed his flower.

When the radio finally played a slow song, the boys took a much-needed break. They fell into comfortable silence and watched as rolling hills and thick groves of trees passed them by outside. The farther north they traveled, the darker the clouds became. Soon sharp raindrops were pattering across the glass. Logan panicked for only a moment before he fumbled for the windshield wipers.

Carlos found the rain relaxing. He traced his finger over the water streaking across his window. Sometimes he found two beads close together and had a race to see which one could make it to the other end of the window first. They usually disappeared into a larger drop before they made it across.

The rain finally let up as the boys bypassed a large city. Carlos marveled at the skyline in the distance, wishing he had brought his camera. Traffic flared considerably, but faded as quickly as the city did. An hour passed with sunny fields and vineyards leading the way, which, naturally, made Carlos hungry. So he munched on some more snacks, wondering when lunchtime would come.

"Logan, are we there yet?" he asked, sighing. He was enjoying their trip and all, but sitting stationary in a small vehicle was tedious business.

From the passengers seat, James took a pencil and made a mark on the corner of one of his papers. "That's the tenth time he's asked that," James reported to Logan.

Logan frowned and leaned forward in his seat. He revealed his wallet from the back pocket of his jeans and tossed James a five dollar bill. He then held the wallet upside down. "No more bets. I'm completely out of cash."

James smirked and pocketed the money.

Carlos ignored them. "So we're not there yet?"

"Actually," said Logan, "we should be getting pretty close. I estimated we'd arrive by ten o'clock, and, well, look at the time."

"This is cool!" exclaimed Carlos, lap belt preventing him from jiggling out of his seat. "What are we going to do when we see Fred Baker?"

The two up front exchanged glances. "I guess we haven't really thought of that," said James. "Did anyone pack a bat?"

"Guys, we can't just walk in and beat this guy up."

Carlos rolled his eyes at his cautious friend. "Why not? He's probably not just going to hand Kendall over."

"We don't even know if he has Kendall."

"Logaaaaan."

"Just saying."

Carlos was conjuring up a witty remark when a sign outside caught his eye. He squinted, then leaned between the two seats ahead of him, pointing. "There! Warrick, next exit!"

James and Carlos cheered in unison. They gave each other congratulatory high-fives and victorious jostles to the shoulder. "I am so ready for this," declared James. He cracked his knuckles loudly.

Carlos rolled his shoulders and did a quick flex of his biceps. "That baker won't even see what's coming to him."

Shaking his head and chuckling, Logan pulled off the interstate for what the boys presumed to be the last time. Carlos's excited heart was pumping rapidly with fervor. He couldn't wait to see Kendall again. The blond had to be someway associated with the bakery; if he wasn't there, perhaps he had been there at one point, or was on his way.

Carlos was even more eager to get out of the car. His leg bounced in anticipation.

The highway was a flat stretch of road. Warrick could be see in the distance; a modest cluster of buildings. From the looks of it, Warrick was a relatively small town. Carlos remembered James say the population was only about three thousand. Maybe all the residents were zombies. Or maybe they all belonged to some sort of mob group and lived a life of organized crime, and Kendall got somehow involved in their gang—

"Cop!" Logan screeched.

Carlos snapped out of his thoughts and looked up. "What?"

Logan sounded frantic. "Carlos, got your seatbelt on?"

"Yeah."

"Hang on."

He barely had time to process Logan's words before Logan slammed on the brakes. James cried out various shouts of disapproval as the wheel was cranked sharply to the side. Even with his seatbelt fastened, Carlos was jerked sideways and nearly toppled over in his seat.

The car flew off the left side of the highway—thankfully, there was no oncoming traffic. Dirt and grass flew up in large clumps as Logan gave the wheel another hard twist. The engine revved and rumbled, tires squealing in protest. Carlos squeezed his eyes shut and braced himself for certain death.

Suddenly, the ride was much more smooth. Logan accelerated, breathing as if he'd just run a marathon and won. His eyes were wide and unblinking, staring at the road in front of him in disbelief. "Did I just do that?"

"You did something!" James shouted. Carlos couldn't tell if he was more angry or surprised. "What were you doing? Why'd we turn around?"

"Look behind us," Logan ordered, slowly regaining his composure. "Is anyone following us?"

James was still mumbling under his breath as he rotated around and peered out the rear window. "No. No one's there. Now what was that about?"

"There was a cop!"

"Where?"

"Parked right by the sign."

"What sign?"

"The 'Welcome to Warrick' sign. Didn't you see him idling there?" Logan ran a hand across his face, flustered. "Great. This is just great."

"Why is it great?" Carlos piped up, confused. He still clutched one hand protectively around his seatbelt, the other resting securely atop his helmet.

"I was being sarcastic," Logan said. "And it's great because the police know we're going to Warrick!"

"Hang on," said James. "That doesn't prove anything. That cop could've just been sitting there ready to catch speeders going into town. It doesn't mean he's after us."

Logan laughed humorlessly. "I'm such an idiot! I should have thought of this." He glanced over his shoulder, ensuring the cruiser wasn't behind. "We called Officer McNair before we left, remember? We asked him to check out the bakery. And then we leave home and disappear? Mrs. Knight knows us well enough to assume we're going to find Kendall, and we pretty much told McNair where we're going. Call me crazy, but I think that cop was waiting for us."

Carlos nibbled on his bottom lip in distress. Logan, in his current panicky state, was right. And the more he thought about it, the more Carlos realized how foolish and careless they had been. "So… What now?" he asked, hoping the dejectedness wasn't too evident in his voice.

Logan shrugged his shoulders, seemingly refocusing his attention wholly to the road.

"What about entering town from a different direction?" James suggested.

Logan shook his head. "They wouldn't have just one side of town under surveillance, they'd cover every entrance." He sighed. "I told you this was stupid."

Carlos nervously examined his friends, watching Logan's muscles tense and James cast his gaze out the window. The interior of the vehicle fell into silence.

Carlos wasn't quite sure what to think. He found a pretzel stick laying on the seat beside him, so he popped it in his mouth and chewed pensively. He wished Kendall was there to devise a plan. Kendall was the best at decision making and quick-thinking. Logan was always a good candidate for runner-up, but when he got all worked-up about something his smart brain melted into a useless puddle.

James's eyes suddenly lit up. "We'll get disguises!" he cried. "That guy at the gas station said our descriptions are on the radio, which probably means our pictures are on TV, which means… Uh… Hang on, I almost have it…"

Carlos helped formulate the rest of the idea. "Which means the police will be looking for three people who look like us!"

"Yes!" James snapped his fingers triumphantly. "So we just need to change our appearances."

Logan scoffed. "That doesn't help the car. According to Dex, the cops also know what kind of car we're driving, not to mention they'll have the license plate number on hand."

"Who's Dex?" wondered Carlos.

"Gas station guy."

"What kind of parents name their kid Dex?"

"He also goes by Newman and Itch, apparently."

Carlos's head hurt.

James got back on subject. "Yeah, well, at least the disguises will conceal our identities until we can think of a way to get into town unnoticed."

Logan seemed to consider the taller boy's words. When the car came to the end of the highway, Logan pulled onto the south ramp after checking behind him for the cruiser. "There was a town a few miles back."

The town was home to twenty-three thousand people, according to the welcome sign. Maneuvering around the unfamiliar streets was obviously frightening to Logan. Carlos had to rummage around the mess in the back of the car to locate a paper bag for Logan to breathe into so he didn't begin hyperventilating and pass out behind the wheel. James kept one hand on Logan's shoulder and coaxed him through driving downtown with one hand.

"People keep looking at us," Logan panted, car stationary at a stoplight. "They must know who we are."

"Or they're staring at the idiot breathing into a paper bag," James muttered, only slightly joking. "Or the other idiot holding your hand because you're so scared."

Carlos stifled a snicker as Logan yanked his arm away. "I didn't ask you to hold it!" He pressed the opening of the bag to his mouth and inhaled deeply, the paper crinkling loudly with each breath.

Carlos pointed out the window. "There's a store we can stop at."

There weren't too many vehicles in the parking lot; it was only ten thirty AM. Logan swung the vehicle in the back, two rows away from any other car. They had to wait a few moments for him to stop shaking before they started their walk to the entrance of the store. Carlos left his helmet behind.

"How come we can't just change into some of the clothes we packed with?" he asked, remembering his backpack was primarily stuffed with underwear.

"Because it's still too casual," replied James. "We need to wear something we wouldn't normally wear."

"Oh."

The automatic doors slid open in welcome. Carlos's eyes scanned over the store, figuring the three of them were some of the first costumers of the day. He noticed a clothing section to the right, and home décor beginning on the left.

"Um, okay, let's split up," said James, grabbing hold of both Carlos's shoulders. He spoke rapidly. "Me and Carlos will go this way and Logan can go that way hahaha…"

Carlos raised an eyebrow. Before Logan could voice input in the decision, James was guiding Carlos down the aisle to the right, leaving Logan standing confusedly by himself. He ultimately shrugged and started down the opposite direction.

Carlos allowed James to drag him into a row of men's clothing. James ducked behind a rack of pants and peered over the top.

"Why are we hiding?" whispered Carlos.

James turned to him. "Dude. I know how to get into Warrick."

"Really?" Carlos asked, hopefully. "How?"

"We disguise the car. By painting it black."

Carlos gaped at him. He was used to executing daring tasks, but James's suggestion was crossing the line. They couldn't vandalize Mrs. Knight's car! She'd ground them for eternity, and probably make them pay for a new one themselves. Not to mention it was mean. After all, she was like a second mother to them. "James, we can't—"

"I know," he interrupted. "But Kendall is way more important than a car."

It was enough convincing for Carlos. He shrugged and gave a nod. The two stood from their hiding place, searching across the store for Logan. "So what's the plan?"

"We're going to need duct tape, a bat, a wrench, and as many cans of spray paint as we can find."

Carlos agreed. He wasn't sure what James had in store for the remainder of the items, but trusted he had the situation under control.

He stayed in the clothing section to find 'non casual' garments to wear while James backtracked to round up Logan. Carlos felt a little bad that he was keeping a secret from Logan, but also harbored a familiar rebellious thrill. He concentrated hard to keep his mouth shut.

He wandered the aisles, searching for something to disguise himself. A shelf of baseball caps seemed to be calling to him, so he grabbed an unmarked black one and bended the visor into an arch. He was never one to enjoy shopping; he pulled a random shirt and jacket from the clearance section and tossed them over his shoulder.

"You're already done?" asked James as he strode up with Logan.

Carlos shrugged indifferently. "Yeah."

"Let me see." James snatched the garments from Carlos and held them up. "The jacket's nice," he said, "but a plaid shirt? Really? Are you going for the Kendall look or something?" James tossed the clothes back, which Carlos caught with a frown.

"Isn't this fun?" said James. "I always said we should go shopping together. Now maybe we can get you guys some real style." He held up a tight-fitting black shirt and showed it to Logan. "You're wearing this."

Logan had a sweater vest in his hands. "Huh?"

James tore it away from him and threw it somewhere carelessly to the side. "And this!" he declared, pulling a fedora seemingly out of nowhere.

Carlos sighed loudly and dramatically, already bored. He abandoned James and Logan as Logan began complaining about how the fabric would feel against his skin, and made his way to the fitting rooms in the far corner of the store. The red shirt he chose unselectively was a little big on him, but he definitely didn't want to risk going back outside to be a victim of James's meticulous process of color-scheming and measuring and other stuff no one else cared about.

As Carlos emerged from the fitting rooms with his clothes in his hands, James immediately bounced up to him. "Hey, I'll keep Logan distracted, you go get the stuff, okay?"

"Right," he agreed. He and James did a quick hand-slap before Carlos began sneaking to the other end of the store.

Carlos managed to buy everything on James's list, creep to the car, hide the shopping bags in the trunk and come back all before James and Logan left the men's section. When all three of them finally started to the car, James leaned over to Carlos and whispered, "You have to distract Logan."

"Why?"

"Because I need to switch the license plates on the car."

Carlos stopped walking and stared at him. James stared back, seeking confirmation. Carlos merely shrugged. "Okay."

James bobbed his head in appreciation, then bounded to the rear of the vehicle.

Carlos had to think fast. He grabbed Logan's shoulders and forcefully rotated him around. Logan looked at him in confusion and surprise. "What?"

"Uh." Carlos peered over Logan's shoulders and saw James search hastily in the trunk for the wrench Carlos had purchased. "Um, hi."

Logan narrowed his eyes. "Hi…"

James gestured for Carlos to keep talking.

"Uh, so, uh…" The Latino desperately racked his brain. "H-How's it going?"

"How's it going?"

"Yeah. I feel like we never talk anymore. What's new with Logan?" Carlos playfully poked him in the stomach.

Logan made a face and took a step backwards. "Carlos, we don't have time for this," he said. He attempted to turn around, but Carlos stopped him by grabbing his arm. James was kneeling at the bumper of the car, twisting the wrench vigorously over the rusty screw securing the plate.

"Wait!" Carlos cried, loudly. He cleared his throat and smiled convincingly. "Wait. Uh. Don't you want to… Um… Come over here?" He looped an arm around Logan's shoulders and began to guide him towards store.

Logan shrugged off the touch. "Why? Did you forget something inside?"

"…Yes."

"What?"

"My… Shoe."

Logan looked down. "You have both your shoes."

Carlos gasped. "Logan! You're a genius! You found it!" He pretended to cry tears of joy. "Come here, man!" Before Logan had a chance to react, Carlos threw both arms around his friend and pulled him into a hug.

Logan stiffened. "Uh… Dude?"

Carlos ignored him, focusing his attention on James. The taller boy was making slow progress; he was only jogging to the front to get the second plate off the car. "Keep going," James mouthed, gesturing fervently.

Carlos broke the embrace with another string of 'ums' and 'uhs,' unsure of what to do next. Logan appeared thoroughly disturbed. "…Can we go to the car now?" he asked, voice wavering.

"Wait!" shouted Carlos.

Logan jumped.

"You don't want to go over there," Carlos insisted with a nervous laugh. "You need to, um… You need to…" He snapped his fingers together. "Dance!"

"Carlos, you're scaring me," Logan said, wide-eyed as Carlos began to gracelessly flail his arms and wiggle his hips. He hopped up and down and bobbed his head, encouraging Logan to join him.

A metallic clatter was heard from behind.

Logan whipped around. In what Logan and James may refer to as an 'emergency dance block,' Carlos shimmied to the side, throwing his body in front of Logan to obstruct the view. Logan made a noise of disgust and shoved Carlos aside. He gasped at the sight in front of him.

"Um, this isn't what it looks like," James stammered, lifting the dropped license plate from the ground.

Carlos ceased his movements and let his eyes shift between his two friends. Logan was horrified. "You're trying to switch the license plates on the car?" he exclaimed.

"Okay… So maybe it's exactly what it looks like."

"Okay, okay, wait," Carlos said, holding out both hands. "Logan, before you freak out, just listen."

"The cops are right on our tails," James continued, speaking calmly. "And the only way we're going to get into Warrick is to disguise the car. You were right about the license plate, so I figure this is the perfect solution."

Several sentence fragments spewed from Logan's mouth in his exasperation. Carlos just sighed and tuned it out. He looked up at the sky and found a cloud that looked sort of like a bunny, and giggled. It was a nice day. Not too hot, not too chilly, just a perfect amount of sun and breeze.

"…We're already going to jail, so I guess another broken law isn't going to matter," Logan mumbled, ending his rant.

Carlos perked up. "So it's cool?"

Logan threw his hands up. "No, it's not cool! We're stealing someone's license plates!"

"It's not technically stealing," said James, "because we're giving them ours. It's like a friendly exchange that we didn't get permission to do."

Logan was clearly agitated, as he paced the ground while running a hand through his hair the entire time James went to work taking the plates from a nearby truck. Carlos kept watch, ensuring no angry person came storming through the lot, let alone a police officer.

"Done," James said, about five minutes later. He stuck the wrench in his back pocket and high-fived Carlos for a job well done. "Logan, can you drive us somewhere out of town so we can change clothes and talk about what to do next?"

Carlos knew James was scheming something again, so he added, "Yeah, Logan, please?"

The driver hesitantly agreed. When everyone had piled into the car, Logan took hold of his paper bag and prepared to once again drive with one hand.

Logan was talking to himself, walking from the car to a neighboring tree and back again.

James and Carlos leaned nonchalantly against the vehicle, hands in their pockets as they observed their nervous friend. They had already changed clothes; James sporting a backwards baseball cap to cover his hair, and a blue-and-grey-striped sweater resembling something Carlos would wear on a normal day. Carlos himself had his too-big button-up shirt on his body and his black jacket covering his arms. Unlike James, he wore his cap forwards. And Logan's fedora made him look like a weird version of Indiana Jones; he dressed in a black t-shirt and casual, beige sports coat.

"I mean, if the police really want to find us, they'll probably stop any car that looks even remotely similar to ours, so we're in a jam either way…" Logan murmured.

They had pulled off from the highway a couple miles out of town, once again traveling over bumpy grass to get to an area secluded by woods. They were completely out of sight to the road beyond the trees; it was the perfect spot to do some painting.

"…Because if we risk it and get caught, all of this will have been for nothing and we'll get into huge trouble and not find Kendall, so it's really a lose-lose situation…"

Carlos and James exchanged glances.

"Now?" said James.

"Now," Carlos confirmed.

Calmly and subtly, the two teens moved to the back of the vehicle and popped open the trunk. James removed a roll of duct tape and handed it to Carlos, who hid the adhesive behind his back.

"He's going to hate us for this," said Carlos, suddenly a bit uncertain.

"He'll get over it," replied James. He took a deep breath, then grinned broadly and brightly. "Hey, Logan," he called in an amiable, singsong voice.

Carlos copied James and put on his best innocent face. The taller boy approached Logan, nodding his head and pretending to listen as Logan continued his spiel and frantically paced the overgrown grass. "…I mean, that would have to be the only explanation, wouldn't you agree?" Logan asked, twirling around on his heel. He narrowed his eyes and took a step backwards when he nearly bumped chests with James. "Um, what are you doing?"

Carlos continued to smile, James wearing an identical expression.

Logan's eyes moved to each of them, making a face. "…You guys are freaking me out."

James nodded his head. "Yeah, um… So listen, buddy." He advanced and clapped a hand on Logan's shoulder. Logan stared, one eyebrow raised. "Before we do this, just know that it's for your own good."

Logan shrugged away, looking this time to Carlos. "Do what? What are you talking about?"

Carlos did feel pretty guilty when James leapt at Logan, especially when Logan's face flushed red from anger and frustration. James overpowered him and wrapped his brawny arms around Logan's middle, lifting him effortlessly from the ground. Logan yelled and kicked his legs, making contact with James's body, but not doing nearly enough damage to make James stop.

James carried Logan to the tree, then placed him on his feet. Logan attempted to dart away, but was restrained by the tallest member of Big Time Rush. James seized hold of Logan's shoulders and pinned him securely against the bark.

Carlos sprang into action. Logan was strong—very strong, actually—but James's determination could go straight to his muscles. Poor Logan writhed and squirmed, desperately attempting to break free of the unrelenting grasp. The Latino quickly revealed the duct tape and used his fingernail to peel up one end of the strip.

Logan's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "Oh, no!" he cried. "No you are not! Are you nuts? You are not taping me to a tree!"

Carlos cringed at the anger in Logan's voice. He hated hearing his friends sound so upset, but James was right. It was for the best.

"Hurry up!" James grunted, struggling to keep Logan steady.

Carlos pressed one end of the tape to the front of Logan's newly purchased shirt, then began to run in a circle around the tree.

"YOU GUYS, LET ME GO!" Logan shrieked acerbically. He wriggled underneath the restraints, but to no avail. "What are you going to do?"

When nearly half the roll had been used taping Logan, Carlos used his teeth to rip off the strip. "You'll see."

Feeling victorious, Carlos and James neglected Logan at the tree and practically skipped to the car. They pulled out the bag of paint cans and emptied them on the ground.

"Wait, what is that?" asked Logan. He squinted. "Please tell me that's not what I think it is…"

James grabbed a can and shook it, the little ball inside clanking loudly.

"NO WAY!" Logan screamed. "YOU ARE NOT GOING TO PAINT THE CAR! I CAN'T EVEN BELIEVE YOU WOULD CONSIDER THAT! YOU GUYS ARE OUT OF YOUR MINDS! LET ME GO RIGHT NOW! I MEAN IT! JAMES! CARLOS!"

James nodded towards the trapped boy, and Carlos complied, understanding the hint. He peeled off another piece of tape with a sigh, and approached Logan.

"DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!" Logan continued to shout. "YOU CAN'T JUST DEFACE MRS. KNIGHT'S CAR AND TURN IT INTO A PIECE OF JUNK! SHE IS GOING TO KILL YOU, AND I'LL BE THE ONE STUCK PLANNING YOUR FUNERALS BECAUSE I AM NOT GETTING SUCKED INTO ANOTHER ONE OF YOUR RIDICULOUS—Mmmph!"

Carlos pressed the tape over his friend's mouth and offered a weak smile. "Sorry, Logie."

He ignored the muffled cries of protest as James tossed him a can and the two went to work. The first splotch of black marring the silver car made Carlos feel twice as guilty, and he hesitated briefly before glancing over at James and seeing him hurriedly go about coating the driver's door. So Carlos shrugged, figuring Mrs. Knight would understand their actions, and continued.

"How long does this take to dry?" he wondered.

"Probably a while," James said, can hissing as he squirted a long line across the length of the car. "But we don't have time to wait; it can dry while we drive."

Carlos emptied his can and reached for a second. "No colors anymore, I want them to turn black…," he sang.

James hummed the guitar riff, and they both laughed, earning more diluted shouts from Logan.

They painted for a good half-hour, until their supplies ran empty. Apparently it took a lot more than ten cans to cover an entire car. The left side was black, the right its original silver. Carlos and James considered it sufficient enough, because the cop was parked on the left side of the road and would only see the black as they passed him by.

Carlos wiped his stained hands on the grass. "Well, I guess we better untie Logan." Said boy had stilled his futile movements, but continued glaring darkly.

They tugged on the tape, but it wouldn't budge. Unable to find the edge, Carlos and James stepped back and scratched their heads. "What now?" said James. "We can't just leave him here."

"We could bring the tree with," Carlos suggested. "Got a saw?"

"Nope."

Logan said something. Carlos removed the piece from his mouth so he could be understood. "Get. Me. Out. Of. Here."

"Yeah, yeah, hang on," mumbled Carlos. Not wanting to hear Logan whine anymore, he replaced the tape over his mouth. The Latino decided to go check the car for anything sharp that could be used to free Logan from his silver cocoon. There was nothing in the back, so he rifled around in the glove compartment up front. He was surprised to find Mrs. Knight kept a Swiss army knife tucked away inside.

Feeling satisfied and strangely successful, Carlos made his way to free Logan, remembering James had made him purchase a bat for the imminent confrontation with Fred Baker.

Next stop: Warrick, California.