Hey, guys. Mouse pointed out a mistake in the last chapter. Jews don't eat bacon. I don't know why, but I never realized they're Jewish. You would think I would have picked up on that some where. Anyway, I just wanted to apologize for that. Thanks, Mouse!

Charlie's POV

I peddled as fast as I could. It was hard to see. I was blinded by tears and rain drops. I had given up trying to keep the hood of my jacket on my head long ago after failing to keep it on. I had to have both my hands free to steer. The roads were too slick to make a careless mistake just over trying to keep my hair dry.

I choked on the sobs. Don saw the cuts on my back. He'll know something is going on for sure now. I was surprised he didn't chase me down, but thankful nonetheless.

I was going to be early, far too early. It took a little more than an hour for me to get to the park. I'd be at least three hours early. Maybe the rain will slow me down. I don't really care that I'm going to be early. I can't be home. Not now. Don will ask questions and I'll have to tell him. And if I tell him...

No! I can't think like that. I'll think of something, some excuse as to what happened. I'll have to make an excuse. He can't know the truth. If he did...

Stop thinking that way! I scream at myself in my head. I can't do this. I can't tell him. I can't tell Dad. I'll just do whatever the hell Carl wants me to do and then it'll all be over. I'll never have to see him or hear from him again. And I won't have to hide from Dad and Don anymore.

I felt a cold fear inside me as to what Jake was going to ask me to do. Was it illegal? What did he want? Was he going to hurt me?

I shook, but when I saw the headlights of a car, I knew I had to gain control once more. I pulled off the side of the road so the car could pass me. My tires made squishing noises as they hit the mud. I could feel it splash against my pant legs, but I didn't mind. The rain was coming down so hard it would probably wash away soon anyway.

I was cold and my teeth began to chatter. Though in LA, it still got cold once you were soaked to the bone.

No matter. I had to keep going. I had to put some distance between my family and myself. It didn't seem too smart, going to be alone with Jake, but I had to do it. I had to protect them.

Don's POV

I was still standing at the door, contemplating what to do next, when Dad's car pulled back in the driveway.

Dad came running out of the car, holding a gallon of milk to his chest. He must have seen me standing at the garage door because that where he came instead of the front door.

"Donnie? What are you doing? You're getting all wet," Dad said as soon as he was in the safety of the garage.

I hadn't noticed the rain hitting the front of my shirt. I looked down and found it mostly soaked through.

I stepped inside the garage, shutting the door behind me. I turned and found Dad looking confusedly around the garage.

"Where's Charlie?" He asked.

"Dad... Charlie's..."

"What? Where is he?" Dad caught on to my wave of fear and stepped closer to me, ready to make me answer him.

"He went out there." I waved my hand toward the door.

"Out? In the rain? On his bike?" Dad asked each as a separate question, as each new thing dawned on him.

"Yes."

"Where was he going?"

"He said to his office, but... Dad, he went the other way."

I closed my eyes tightly as an image of Charlie's back resurfaced. I couldn't deal with that, not yet.

"Oh, God."

Dad took a step back. I could see him get lost in his thoughts. I prayed he'd have an answer.

"You have to go after him, Don. Please."

I had considered it, but hadn't chosen to act on it. I was still too stunned over his back, his reaction to me seeing it, him running out in the rain...

"Okay."

I went into the house and grabbed my car keys that I had left on the kitchen counter.

I came back into the living room, prepared to leave.

"Are you coming?" I asked Dad, who was watching me.

"No. I'll stay here, in case he comes home. That way I can call you and tell you to stop looking."

I realized I hadn't brought a coat.

"Dad, can I borrow your jacket?" I asked.

"Sure, sure. Here." He took off his jacket and slung it to me. I caught it with my left hand.

"Thanks, Dad."

"Take care of him, Don!" Dad called from behind me.

I ran out to my car as fast as I could to keep from getting completely soaked.

I drove the way Charlie had headed, hoping he hadn't gotten too far. It was too rainy for him to be out on his bike. It was too dangerous. He could get hurt, or worse, hit by a car that lost control in this weather. I prayed I'd find him.

I let my thoughts wander back to the past few days, the things Charlie had told me.

"I...I can't tell you."

"Stop looking at it!"

"Just go away. Please. I don't want you to get hurt."

"Leave it alone, Don."

He had said that on more than one occasion. He was obviously hiding something. But it was those red cuts on his back that haunted me the most. If he was getting hurt with whatever he was doing, I had a feeling Carl Waits was involved. The black eye must have been part of it, too. But how could Waits hurt Charlie without even seeing him? He was in prison. He couldn't just attack Charlie like that. I knew those cuts had to be inflicted by some sort of knife. Waits wouldn't be able to get a hold of one of those.

I was so wrapped up in my thoughts that as I came around a turn, I nearly ran into a cyclist.

"Shit!" I hissed as I swerved out of the way into the left-hand land. I saw the cyclist turn, eyes wide with fear, reflecting the headlights' beam. The man swerved out of the way, heading down a steep ditch.

I was so surprised that I hadn't realized it was Charlie until I had passed him.

I pulled over to the side of the road. I switched on my warning lights and got out of the car.

There weren't any cars coming, so I ran back to where I saw Charlie turn. I got to the place on the road and, through a flash of lightning, I could see his bike had crashed at the bottom of the ditch.

I made my way down the slippery hill. I fought to remain balanced, nearly losing a few times. I was thankful that I wasn't wearing my good work clothes, though, at this point, I would have come down here in a thousand-dollar tux. I had to get to Charlie.

I finally made it to the bottom. I could barely see in front of me and was thankful when the lightning flashed again. I saw Charlie, lying beside his upside-down bike.

I rushed over to him, ignoring the branches that chose to cling to the fabric of my clothing.

When I got to him, I saw that he was okay. He was sitting up, his legs stretched out in front of him.

I stood there, catching my breath.

"My gosh...I could have killed you!" The statement hit me hard. I reminded myself to pay more attention on the road.

I expected Charlie to smile, to laugh at the happening, but he didn't. I stepped closer and stooped down in front of him in the mud. It was then that I saw he was crying.

"Charlie! Are you hurt? What hurts? Tell me! I'll fix it!" I had to raise my voice over the rain and thunder.

Charlie's face held a few scrapes. I saw his hands looked liked they were bleeding, too. His left ankle was at an odd angle. I feared it was broken.

"I'm okay," He said once the thunder quieted. I knew he wasn't. He was beginning to sob and I could see him shaking.

"Come on. I'll take you to the hospital," I suggested, standing up and reaching my hand out to him.

"No, Don! I don't need a doctor."

I studied him. He was scared, terrified of something. I wish I knew what. I'd make it better. I could do it. I was supposed to make him better. I'm an older brother. It's our job.

"Buddy, what is it? Tell me what I can do to fix this."

I knelt back down in front of him. Then, I saw that his pant leg was ripped and saw the blood through one of the openings. He must have had quite a trip down the slope. I hated that I was the reason for it.

"I-I-I need..." Charlie choked out.

"What do you need? Tell me, Buddy. I'll do anything."

"I n-need you to..."

"What?"

"I need you to pr-protect me."

Charlie's tear-filled eyes stared into mine. I could feel tears well in my eyes as well. What terror was he facing? What could be bring on this much fear? I had seen my share of fear during my job, and this was one of the worst.

I moved over to Charlie's side and pulled him into my arms. I sheltered him with my arms, trying to protect him from something I didn't know.

I could barely hear Charlie's cries, but every now and then they'd be loud enough that I could hear them, even through the thunder.

I tried to cover him from the rain, knowing that part of the reason he was shaking was because he was cold.

When Charlie calmed, he gently pushed away from me. He looked embarrassed, as though he hadn't meant to tell me anything. Then I saw another flash of fear in his eyes.

"Come on. Let's go to my car," I suggested.

I stood and he just sat there.

"Are you okay?" I asked when he wouldn't move.

"My ankle," He pointed down to it.

"I'll help you."

"No. It's too slippery."

"Charlie, I'm not going to let you sit here in the rain all night. We'll walk until there's not so much of a hill if we have to. One way or the other, I'm getting you up there and into my car."

"What about my bike?"

"I'll take it up now, then come back for you, okay?"

He nodded his consent.

I was glad that his bike wasn't broken, though I could see the chain had come off and one of the tires looked flat. That could just mean it needed refilled, though I wouldn't doubt it had been punctured in this uneven ground.

I headed up the hill. It was considerably harder than going down. I grabbed onto tree limbs to keep from sliding back down. I hated to think how hard it'd be trying to bring Charlie up.

I placed Charlie's bike in the back of my SUV. I knew how much it meant to him. It had been a gift from Mom. I doubted Charlie would ever part with it.

When I closed the back, I ran back to Charlie. I slid down the hill, and mud caked my shoes and legs.

Charlie was where I had left him. I came up to him, hoping he would be able to make the trip up the hill. I had every intention of taking him to the hospital after I got him in the car.

"You ready?" I asked.

He nodded. Charlie held out his hands to me, but, seeing how scraped they were, I knew it'd be too painful to grab onto them. I assumed Charlie thought the same thing because he looked like he was clenching his teeth, preparing for the worst.

I grabbed onto his right wrist and pulled him to his feet. He whimpered in pain when he put a slight pressure on his ankle. I moved to his left side, wrapping my arm around his shoulder to help him.

"One step at a time, all right?"

He nodded his consent, telling me it was okay to move on.

I looked around, trying to find the best place to make the climb. I decided it would be best to move closer to the SUV. Maybe in that space I could find a less steep place to go up.

When I could see the SUV, I knew I had to make a decision as to where to climb. I chose an area that went straight up the SUV.

I looked at Charlie's face. He seemed determined. I hoped he'd be okay.

We made our way to the hill. Though only a few yards high, it was still going to be difficult.

I dug my toes into the mud, trying to get a better footing so I wouldn't lose my balance. With one foot in front of the other, Charlie and I began to climb the hill. We were doing fine. We both would grab onto a tree or branch and it would help pull us up. But half way up, I lost my balance. Forgetting I held onto Charlie, I let go of him and grabbed onto a branch. Charlie fell face-forward in the mud and began slowly sliding down the hill.

I was able to grab onto his shirt before he went too far. With quite a struggle, I pulled him to his feet with one hand on him, the other wrapped around a tree.

"You okay?" I asked Charlie, though it was hard to tell it was him through all the mud. He spit out some dirt. Any other time it would have been comical.

Without anymore incidents, we made it to the top of the hill and onto the road. We were both breathless. I helped Charlie get to the side of the car, where he leaned against the SUV. He used his hand to wiped away most of the mud from his face. The rain was helping it, too.

"You really want me to get in there like this?" He asked me.

I smiled. Right now, I couldn't care less how dirty he was. Charlie needed to get to a hospital.

"Yes. I think there's a towel in the back. You want me to get it?"

"Please."

I fished around in the back until I found it in one of my back-up bags incase I ever get stuck somewhere or spend the night at Charlie's house.

I handed it to him. By then, it was already getting wet. He wiped at the mud and was able to contain it enough. He opened the door to the front seat and placed it on there, then got in by pulling himself up with the door.

With Charlie safely inside, I ran around the car and got in. I shut off the warning lights. I made sure no one was coming, then sped away in the direction of the hospital.

Knowing Dad would be worried sick, I pulled out my cell phone from the cup holder. I was glad I left it inside. I didn't have any new messages, but I knew Dad would answer on the first ring. I punched in the numbers with one hand and steered with the other.

"Don?" Dad's frantic voice called over the line.

"I've got him, Dad. We're heading to the hospital." I looked over to Charlie to see his reaction. His face was stoic.

"Hospital? Is he all right?"

"He's pretty banged up. I'll tell you about it later. Just meet us there, okay?"

"I'm already out the door."

I hung up and turned to Charlie. His face still held no emotion, but I could see the thoughts moving inside his head.

What had he been doing? Where was he going? Would I get the answers this time?