DISCLAIMER: Duh, Sands doesn't belong to me. Pity.

Next chapter... this was going to be longer, but the next part of the story would fit in better if it was a new chapter. So here you are, a measly three and a bit pages. Joy.

Dominic hastily left the building, eyes darting this way and that, trying to trace his recently departed cousin. He found him leaning against a stone pillar, unlit cigarette in mouth and searching for a light. The man in black held around him a flustered aura that confused Dominic, Sands was anything but a man to let something upset him.

Slowly and uncertainly, he walked over to Sands, hands in pockets.

Sands found the lighter he had been looking for. Though he couldn't quite see in the dim streetlight, Dominic could be sure there were obscene pictures plastered on it. He couldn't help smiling, it was so Sands.

He clicked the lighter, feeling a dim warmth on his face as he brought the lighter to the cigarette in his mouth, and shielding it with his free hand.

He took one huge draught of the cigarette, like one would when they were coming up for air after being underwater for too long. Then he took another.

"Cigarettes still your life source?"

Sands jumped fearfully, then cursed himself for doing so.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to…" The quiet voice trailed off apologetically. Sands half cursed himself and half sighed. It was only Dominic.

"Oh hey Dom, didn't see you there." He drawled simply, communication had become too much for him right now. His mind was already set on other matters. Dom looked on cautiously at Sands, he hadn't made any body language at all that showed he could see him now. He just looked straight ahead.

Still, he's often like this. He reasoned with himself. There's no proof that something is wrong. Just keep him talking. This was a statement much easier said than done.

"So… where will you be going now?" Dom said hopefully.

"Dom, don't be ridiculous. This is New York, where do you think I'm going?"

'Broadway, baby.'

Dom remembered the last time he had been in New York with Sands, he shuddered. He could never again see the word Oklahoma without freezing in terror.

"And please, don't pretend you're interested. Though last time was…interesting, I think you'd much rather go back to your hotel and mull over the joy of paperwork." Sands' lips tightened into a slight smile.

"Ah yes, the paperwork." Dom had just received a mental image of the stacks of paper he had brought with him, so as to not fall behind on his work. Being the president of a company meant his work had to nearly always come first. "Hey, what hotel are you staying at? Maybe I can get a number?"

"No." Sands said flatly.

"No? What, you've forgotten? Or, you don't have it? What no?"

"No."

Dom recoiled when Sands turned to face him, his face looked so stern and so emotionless that it made him feel cold.

Unsure what to say, Dom just stared back at shiny black lenses screening Sands' eyes. He knew if Sands wasn't wearing the shades, he would not have been able to stare down his dark eyes.

Sands broke the silence, sighing and taking another drag from his cigarette.

"What do you want Dom?" He drawled, Dom was taken aback by the question. "'Cause if you want to know who I was talking to on the phone, you can fuck off."

Dom gulped. That had been exactly what he wanted to know.

"Why's that?" He tried to keep calm as possible, but Sands could sense fear.

"Because it's none of your concern. Are you going to follow me around all evening or will I get some peace?" Sands asked irritably, he was evidently not in a good mood because normally when he sensed fear, he would play around with it.

"Erm, sure… Hey, you didn't see which way Aimee went did you?"

"No." The reply came as an irritated type of resignation.

"Ok then, I'll see you around?"

"I doubt it."

Dom felt extremely uneasy by now, something was playing on his cousin's conscience, and only when something is a big problem does it bother Sands. "Jeff, if something was wrong, you know you could tell me, right?" It was the dumbest thing he had ever said.

"Something wrong?" Sands raised his eyebrows and grinned at the thought. "What isn't wrong, eh? Terrorism, war, famine, drugs… government."

"That's not what I meant." Dom said flatly.

"The offer's awful nice, and I really do appreciate you for it, really. Only, I'm not sure if I can trust anyone right now. So, I'm going to say run along now lover boy, and leave me to finish killing myself slowly." He emphasized the point with another drag of his cigarette.

Dom did a double take, if Sands had been acting weird a second ago, it really didn't amount any difference. Sands was back.

"Goodbye, Jeff." Dom sighed.

"Goodbye Dom."

Rolling his eyes, Dom walked to the edge of the sidewalk.

Sands took another drag from the cigarette and imagined as non-smokers walked by wrinkling their noses in disgust, a wry smile formed on his lips. He listened intently as Dom walked away, the hard heels on his loafers tapping on the sidewalk. He heard him stop.

A flood of other noises filled his mind, cars whizzing past, pedestrians walking, people talking. He strained to focus his attention on Dom's movements alone. Nothing. He couldn't tell if he had walked away, or just stood still. His heart pounded.

Someone in that room with you is an agent. I wonder who it is… The man calling himself Joe's voice crowed in his mind.

He could trust no one.

"Taxi!" Sands snapped to attention as he heard Dom's voice cry out.

Perfect. He had hoped Dom would get a cab, now he knew where the road was. Always a good thing.

He heard a door click open and slam shut, then a roaring engine that disappeared into the matrix of noise cradling the busy street.

Suspect number one… gone. He thought half triumphantly. Suspect number two was sat in an office, but suspect number three had yet to be accounted for. He hated this, he was as helpless as a lost child, and the only thing that comforted him was the weight in his jacket pocket. His gun.

Slowly, unsurely, he pushed away from the pillar, and felt a wave of panic as he left his safe little island.

A breeze caught him as someone rushed past. It blew behind his sunglasses and he was reminded most bitterly of how there should be eyes there to feel it.

Yes, your eyes have gone. Get used to it fuckmook. The bitter voice growled at the timid child he seemed to have become. Angrily, he stepped boldly forward, and collided into someone.

"Watch where you're going dickhead." The male voice growled.

"Fuck you." Sands cursed back.

He attempted again to cross the sidewalk, this time unhindered. He stopped when he felt the gust of cars going past.

Here goes everything.

"Taxi!"

Err... do they say taxi in New York? Something tells me they don't. I'll change that if I find out otherwise. Hey, if you're bored there's action innext chapter, then you get to understand why this is R rated.

A big thankyou to reviewers, limited in numbers though you are, your comments really spur me on.

Quick29 They might, they might not. I'm quite sure there will be lust, but I doubt it will lead anywhere.

Well, if you read it and you liked it, please review.