Craig had found Evan on the floor, letting out only quiet sobs. He had quickly set the box with dinner inside it down and rushed to help Evan up, swearing quietly.

"What were you thinking?" Evan knew Craig couldn't help the harsh tone in his voice. Craig managed to get Evan to stand, kicking the glass and broken flowers away.

"Home…" Was all Evan could say. Now, he sat in a warm bath, staring up at the ceiling. The hot water had stung at first but now it relaxed him. For just a little while, he felt at peace, closing his eyes and for a moment, thought he was home and none of this had happened. He didn't find Adam, he didn't get beaten by Brian and his men, he didn't get left in the desert to die, he didn't meet Tyler and hear his terrifying story.

Opening his eyes, Evan lifted his right hand from the water and bubbles. With his left hand, he traced the bones of his right hand, imagining the pain and terror Tyler must have felt when the hammer came down on his hand like a nail that refused to budge. Evan pressed down on his right hand with his left thumb, feeling the veins and bones as he put more pressure on it. Did Tyler's pain make him stronger? Did the anger he felt, as a result, make him stronger? As he pressed even harder on the top of his hand with his left hand, Evan wondered if he needed to be angrier to be stronger.

There was a knock at the door, snapping Evan out of his thoughts. "Are you okay?" Craig called out.

"Y-Yeah." Evan called back, letting go of his hand. It felt a little numb. He heard Craig walk away from the door. Dropping his hands back into the water, Evan leaned his head back against the white tub, wincing a little. He wished the pain would go away. He could barely move. The thought occurred to him that he'd love to make Brian feel the same, to kick him in the ribs over and over, to dump his body in the desert. Sinking under the warm water, his black hair floating around his head, Evan smiled at the violent thought.

"Where are we?" Sitting on the bed the next morning, Evan stared out the motel window. He couldn't see much outside save for the courtyard and the pool, the palm tree leaves swaying in the warm wind. Around the pool were bright flowers. He could hear traffic and what sounded like airplanes. Craig looked up from the bag he was packing for Tyler who had called urgently an hour ago, surprised to hear Evan's voice. He didn't talk much.

"Oh...uh…San Diego."

"What?" Evan spun around too quickly and his muscles hated him for it. Craig set the bundle of gauze down and nodded.

"They had already taken you far out of the city, and we had to hide you where we knew Brian wouldn't look. A motel in the busiest tourist city with unreliable witness that constantly change? It's the best place to hide you." Craig explained. Evan felt sick; he'd never been so far from home. The thought filled him with fear, his chest tightening. His hand curled into a fist around the blanket.

"Oh...Oh god…" Evan couldn't breathe, anxiety crashing over him. "God, God...No…" Craig was suddenly beside him. He didn't say anything, just held his hand, breathing slowly. Evan found himself breathing in time with him. Silence filled the peach coloured room. On the bedside table were the bent plastic flowers. Evan hadn't let Craig throw them out.

"You're safe right now. You're okay." Craig finally said after a few long moments. "All of us are going to keep you safe. I promise." Evan hugged him. He wasn't sure why, he barely knew him, but he hugged him as tightly as he could. Craig was surprised at first, staring down at the boy that hugged him before gently hugging back. "I'm sorry this happened to you...You don't deserve this. You shouldn't be a part of this." Evan wanted to ask him what he meant but said nothing. The look on Craig's face told him everything.

"What do the numbers mean?" Evan whispered. Craig tensed, moving away from the hug. He wasn't going to tell Craig, but he had to know what they were for.

"I-I don't think I can tell you." Craig said, glancing at the window as if he expected someone to be there, listening. "It's not that I don't trust you...It's...It's just…" He stopped again. He didn't trust Evan. "I just can't." Evan nodded slowly, looking back out the window at the pool. He'd love to jump in it.

Tyler came by later in the day, giving Evan a warm smile before turning to Craig and the smile vanished, his face was filled with worry.

"Sorry I came on short notice. Marcel and Daithi got shot at and we need supplies if we can't have you to patch us up." Tyler said quietly. Evan stayed on his bed, his gaze on the ice cubes floating in his plastic cup.

"It's okay. I put this together for you." Craig smiled, handing Tyler the backpack. "Everything they'll need is in there. If it's really bad, call me." Evan snuck a glance at Tyler. His gaze was on the bedside table which was missing a pink vase, but still had the plastic flowers laid across it. Tyler started to turn his piercing gaze towards Evan who quickly looked away.

"Is he okay?" Tyler whispered.

"Physically, he's getting better." Craig answered. "Mentally...I don't know what to say. No kid...No one should go through what Brian did to him."Craig paused."Have you found out yet why Brain thinks he has the code?" He sounded reluctant to ask that question.

"Adam."

"Oh...fuck." Craig breathed. Evan's hand tightened on the plastic cup. All he could think of was Adam's body leaning against the hot chainlink fence and the blood that had streamed down the cement slope to the disgusting river. The numbers flashed in his head. They were burned into his brain so deep, he'd never forget them as long as he lived. "Is he dead?"

"Yeah."

"That makes him the last person to…" Tyler stopped Craig. Moving away from his medic, Tyler picked up one of the bent flowers, sitting down on the bed beside Evan.

"What happened to the vase?"

"He fell trying to get up." Craig answered for Evan. Tyler continued to stare at Evan, twirling the bright pink coloured flower between his fingers.

"I-I...I wanted to go home…" Evan finally said, his voice cracking.

"I understand." Tyler gave him a reassuring smile. "You do know though that its too dangerous to go home, right? I'm not lying to you. You are safer with Craig for the time being." Tyler explained. "And when it's safe for you to go home, I will personally drop you off out front your door."

"He's got a really nice car. You'll look so cool to all your friends." Craig joked. Evan wanted to cry. An awkward silence filled the room. Evan ripped his gaze away from Tyler, looking out the window. Through a crack in the blind, he could see the swimming pool, the bright blue water reflecting the warm sunlight.

"Anyways...What matters right now is that you are safe here. Before you know it, you'll be back in L.A and it'll all be okay." Tyler smiled. Evan looked down as Tyler placed the plastic flower on the bed beside him. "I promise." At first, Evan didn't believe it, but when he met Tyler's gaze, he did. He believed in Tyler, believed that he would get him home and he'd never have to worry about the numbers again. He would be free from the weight of a code he did not understand. Tyler stood up, pulling the backpack over his shoulder. "I'll call when you when I get back to let you know how they are doing." Tyler said to Craig before leaving the room. There was silence save for Tyler's footsteps down the stairs and a few moments later, an engine roaring to life.

"It's my fault…" Evan whispered.

"For what?" Craig's brow furrowed.

"It's because of me that they got shot...You should have just left me out there…"

It had taken some convincing, but Evan finally stood beside the empty pool, looking down at his reflection. Craig had been hesitant to let him swim, worried about the chemicals and his still healing lungs. The courtyard was empty this early in the morning. The sun rising over the roof made the water sparkle.

"Are you gonna jump in or not?" Craig called out from where he sat on one of the white plastic loungers. Evan smiled a little as he struggled to get his black t-shirt off, tossing it onto a chair nearby. He had walked down barefoot, dipping a toe in to check the water. As a kid, it took his mother everything to try to keep him out of the water. Once he kicked his jeans away, now only in his boxers, Evan took a deep breath and jumped.

Water rushed around him, his black hair floating around his head as air bubbles drifted up towards the surface. With a kick of his legs, he swam back up to the surface of the pool. Rays of morning sunlight shimmered through the water. Evan took a breath as he broke the surface, pushing his hair out of his eyes. He could relax his stressed muscles and just float for a little while. He didn't have to think about if he trusted them or not, didn't have to think about the numbers. He dove underwater again, hearing nothing. The world was muffled. He liked it that way. No anxiety. No fear. Nothing. Sunlight danced on the bright neon blue pool floor. He swam to the other side of the pool before resurfacing, taking another deep breath. Overhead, the mid-morning blue sky looked hazy. He could hear the traffic and the birds in the trees. The water lapped lazily at the sides of the pool. Two loud cars drove past.

Evan slipped back under water, this time staying under for a bit longer than he had before. When his healing lungs began to burn from lack of air, he resurfaced, his black hair sticking to his face as he gripped the side of the pool. Pushing his hair back, Evan saw the pair of blue shoes that stood in front of him. He slowly looked up at the man that stared down at him. The sunlight blocked his face from view. Evan tried to squint but could make out no features. His chest tightened with anxiety, making him push away from the edge. He didn't recognise him as one of Brian's men but he didn't want to be in reaching distance.

"Nice day for a swim." Tyler suddenly said as he walked up to the pool, stopping beside the other man.

"He's a kid." The man turned to Tyler, his face now visible to Evan. He almost felt silly because of his fear when he saw Tyler.

"I know, Jon." Tyler said, walking towards Craig. Evan swam towards the ladder, glancing nervously at this new person. He knew there were more people working for Tyler, but he hadn't expected to see them so soon. He still wasn't sure if he trusted Tyler and Craig yet despite the fact that they had done nothing but take care of him.

Evan stopped at the ladder, gripping it tightly. What if they brought reinforcements because they were going to start asking him about the code? He looked towards the way out of the courtyard. He couldn't get out fast enough. He would have to find another opportunity later before they started questioning him. "He seems a lot better. Is he talking more?" Tyler asked Craig as Evan made his way back to the chair where his clothes were, leaving a trail of wet footprints behind him. He pulled his t-shirt over his head, his ribs aching as he managed to get his jeans back on. No one was watching him but he felt like all eyes were on him, judging and harsh.

"Not really. Just little things here and there." Craig shrugged. "I wouldn't ask about Brian just yet."

"We don't have much time though." The new man in the blue hoodie said. "We know Brian is close. If the kid has the code, we need it and we have to keep him away from Brian."

"I've considered all of this, Jonathan. Our best option is to keep him close to us. So when he is ready to talk, we don't have to drive almost three hours to hear it. Brian can't find us in L.A-"

"That's only a matter of time and you know it." Jonathan pointed out.

"So he's as safe with us as he is here. We can't keep him here forever." Tyler continued as if he hadn't been interrupted. "Besides, I don't like the idea of him being far away. He's a kid who is alone in the world..." Evan stood awkwardly by the pool, looking down at his distorted reflection. He wanted to get his shoes, the cement burned uncomfortably under his bare feet. He wasn't supposed to be hearing any of this. He didn't understand any of it. He had no part in it.

"You said you weren't going to let anyone else join our family after what happened with Luke. Now you are letting this kid in because you relate to him? Because he might know the code?" Evan wasn't supposed to hear this, but he couldn't help but listen to Jonathan's angry words. He had met Luke already. "What if he does what Luke did?"

"He won't." Tyler snarled. "Evan is an ordinary kid. Don't you dare compare him to the traitor." He wished he was still underwater. He didn't want to hear Tyler sound so angry. "Say those words again and I will throw you back to the street where I found you." A heavy silence descended over the courtyard. Standing across the almost neon pool from the group that talked about him, Evan felt like he was back at school, separated from everyone and everything.

"I'm simply reminding you of the promise you made to us." Jonathan snapped. Tyler's jaw clenched. Evan was certain that he would shove Jonathan into the pool with the intention of drowning him.

"Enough. Tyler remembers his promise and you shouldn't worry so much, Jonathan." Craig said, moving between the two of them. "If anything happens, it's on me. I was the first to suggest we bring him with us. I doubt though that he would do anything though. He's a kind person."

"Traitors are kind. Luke was kind to us." Jonathan said before turning and walking towards the parking lot. Craig sighed, giving Tyler a reassuring look.

"He'll come around. He just feels bad still about what Luke said is all. Don't worry about it too much." Craig said as he started to walk around the pool towards Evan. Tyler stayed still, looking down at the bright blue water. Evan stared at him, only looking away when Craig approached him.

"I-I met Luke...He went after me when I left Adam...What did he do?" Evan asked quietly.

"It's a complicated story, but don't worry about it. Jonathan doesn't hate you anything. He just takes a little while to trust people." Craig gave him a smile. "He'll come around. Come on, we're heading back to L.A today." Craig said as he started towards the stairs. Evan's face lit up, but when he met Craig's gaze as he turned back over his shoulder to look him, it faded. He wasn't going home.

The wind coming through the rolled down window pulled at Evan's hair. His eyes watered when he moved closer to the window to see the desert landscape pass by. He'd never seen this part of California before. He and his mom had always stayed in L.A. Large boulders dotted the mountainsides and large homes could be seen at the top of some of the hills, surrounded by palm trees. The blue sky seemed to stretch on forever. The highway ripped with heat waves. A blue sports car sped past and Tyler smiled. Evan fell back against his seat as the Corvette sped up, catching up to the blue car.

Evan had been surprised when he saw the cars. Sure, he'd seen fancy cars around Los Angeles before, but he'd never been in one. His mom's car was used, it's seats worn and stained from various drinks over the years. It constantly needed work they couldn't afford so it mostly sat unused in their driveway. Tyler's black and white Corvette seemed to sparkle from it's polish under the morning sunlight. Beside it was Jonathan's blue BMW, just as perfect as Tyler's. Jonathan had stared at Evan from where he leant against the hood of his car as Evan walked towards him with Craig and Tyler. He had nothing but the clothes on his back and a water bottle Craig gave him for the drive, so he had offered to carry some of Craig's medical stuff but Craig had shaken his head with a smile. As Craig packed the bags into Jonathan's car, the black and white Corvette's lights blinked as it unlocked beside Evan who had stood awkwardly by the cars, afraid to even touch them.

"Getting in?" Tyler asked him as he opened the driver's door and got in. Evan had stared at him with shock for a few moments before finally getting in cautiously.

Now, they sped down the highway, the engine roaring over the music that had been playing over the radio. Reaching his hand out through the window to feel the air through his fingers, he felt like if he were on his bike now, he could take both hands off the handlebars. The blue car ahead of them changed lanes, heading towards an exit.

"Where are they going?" Evan managed to call out over the noise.

"Oceanside. We know a great burger place." Tyler answered, following the other car towards the exit. Evan hadn't been to Oceanside before. He knew it had a great beach but it was always full of tourists.

"I've never been."

"What?" Tyler laughed a little. Evan shrugged, looking back out the window. A few minutes later, they were driving down a road lined with palm trees, some of the buildings seeming like they were out a movie set in the fifties. Looking down some of the streets, past the tall beach houses, Evan caught glimpses of the blue ocean. They stopped a small diner just up the street from the pier, heading inside where they were greeted by the smell of french fries and frying burgers, the cold air conditioner a relief on the hot day. Craig got a table while Tyler got them whatever they wanted. "Were you guys trying to race?" Tyler asked Jonathan and Craig as he and Evan set their trays down on the white table. There was a single plastic flower on the table, which got pushed to the side to make room.

"Oh like you weren't speeding up!" Craig laughed as he took his fries from the tray. Evan watched them as he took a sip from his soda, smiling a little when Tyler pretended to deny speeding up to race up after them. He lost track of their conversation though for he found that he was more hungry than he'd ever been, even stealing a few of Tyler's fries.

"Hey slow down kid, you're gonna barf." Tyler laughed, a slightly grossed out expression on his face. Evan ignored him.

After lunch, they walked down the street to the beach. It was busy, but they didn't mind, kicking off their shoes to walk down the beach. The sand was warm under Evan's feet. He forgot about everything that had happened to get him here. For the first time in awhile, he felt content, he didn't have to worry. Rolling up his jeans, Evan stepped into the water, the waves splashing up around his shins as he walked, his right hand held his red shoes. The hazy sunlight made the ocean sparkle. Everything seemed to glow in the warm hazy light. When they got back to their cars, there was sand in Evan's shoes.

It was early afternoon by the time they approached L.A, but the highway quickly got busy, the sports cars having to slow down. Tyler tapped his hands against the steering wheel, anxious to be out of traffic. Evan found himself tensing up for no reason, his chest feeling heavy again. He took a deep breath, his dark eyes straight ahead at the slow moving traffic.

"Are you okay?" Tyler asked. Evan nodded. "We'll be there soon once we get out of this traffic." Evan turned his head to look out his window. In the lane beside the Corvette, a black Cadillac came to a stop as the lane it was in slowed. Evan found himself reaching for Tyler's arm, anxiety and fear bringing tears to his eyes. He had seen that car before. It had been at the warehouse. Tyler looked at him, confused before following his gaze to the Cadillac. "It's okay. Don't look at it." Tyler instructed as he reached for the screen on the dashboard. He pressed the phone button and found Jonathan on his contacts. The sound of the phone ringing filled the car.

"Yeah?" Jonathan answered.

"We got Brian's guys in the crowd. Watch yourselves." Tyler said as the lane picked up a little bit. The car crept forward a little bit before stopping again.

"We're behind you. Craig's got eyes on the Cadillac. I'll call Lui, see if he's got eyes on us and if not, make sure he will soon." Jonathan said.

"Good. Follow my lead if things get nasty." Tyler said and hung up. Evan was gripping his seat belt tightly. He couldn't breathe."Hey, hey...You're okay. They can't hurt you." Tyler gave him a smile. "Think about the beach, about lunch. That was fun, right?" Evan nodded. "Good, good. Just think about that. Don't look at the car. Keep your eyes forward, it's okay." Evan tried to focus on anything but the car beside him. He could hear a helicopter fly overhead and car horns. It felt uncomfortably hot, as if a neon light was burning down him. With shaking hands, he reached for his waterbottle, managing to get the cap off. He drank half of it before putting the cap back on. The lane on the other side of the car was moving faster now but they remained stuck beside the Cadillac.

A sudden bang made Evan jump. Tyler swore, reaching into his jacket for a black handgun. Evan stared at it with wide eyes as Tyler turned in his seat. The driver's window of the Cadillac was down and Evan saw the gun. With the back window of the Corvette down, Tyler pulled the trigger. The sound deafened Evan's ears, making him flinch. Sparks flew off the mirror of the Cadillac. "Hold on." Pulling the wheel sharply, the Corvette suddenly took off, managing to get into the next lane. There were more gunshots. Evan heard someone scream. The car swerved through traffic, narrowly missing other vehicles. In the door mirror, Evan saw the Cadillac following them. Close behind, the blue car suddenly swerved out of its lane into another, catching up to them. Evan felt sick. His knuckles went white around his seatbelt.

He looked back in time to see Ryan lean out of the Cadillac's passenger window, firing his gun at the Corvette. Evan screamed as a bullet shattered the mirror on the door, glass flying through the air. "Fucking Christ!" Tyler swore. Gun shots echoed across the highway. Looking over his shoulder, Evan saw the Cadillac swerve aggressively. Evan got a glimpse of the blue car and Craig leaning out the window, gun in hand. He hadn't imagined Craig as someone violent before but he watched Craig shoot at the Cadillac with amazement, the bullets sparking off the roof and hitting the side mirror on Ryan's side. When Craig paused to reload, Ryan leaned out and shot back at him. Craig ducked quickly back into the blue car only to reappear a few moments later, shooting at Ryan. Blood splattered onto the hood of the Cadillac, Ryan's arm skimmed by a bullet. Overhead, a helicopter flew lower than it should.

The Cadillac suddenly disappeared from view as the Corvette slid into another lane, cutting off another car before moving into another lane and sped up even more. The Cadillac reemerged from the crowd of cars, now on Tyler's side. Evan could see Ryan's smile as the black car caught up to them, his gun aimed at Tyler.

"Tyler!" Evan yelled. Pulling his gaze away from the road for a second, Tyler fired at the Cadillac repeatedly. Ryan and the driver ducked as bullets cracked the glass and dented metal, causing them to slow down. Taking the advantage, Tyler sped up the Corvette, sending them shooting forward, narrowly avoiding other cars. Heading towards an exit, Tyler stepped on the gas, the force pinning Evan to his seat as the car sped up the ramp, and turned sharply, drifting around the corner before straightening out and kept going. Evan looked back but saw nothing.

"T-They...They are gone…" Evan managed to say. "Please slow down…" He heaved for air. He was going to be sick if Tyler didn't stop. Seeing the sick look on his face, Tyler slowed as they came to a stop light.

"You're okay. Just breathe. We'll stop soon." Tyler promised. Evan nodded, looking out his window. There was a silver car beside them, the driver looking tired from sitting in traffic. Evan wished that his only problem he had to worry about. Slowly letting go of his seat belt, Evan wished to be home more than anything in the world. He'd rather face going to school and the anxiety that came with it than this. He looked back at the man in the silver car, tears stinging his eyes. He didn't know if they were tears of sadness or pain from nausea.

Something moved out of the corner his eye. In the lane on the other side of the silver car, the black Cadillac came to a stop. Evan's heart felt like it was going to stop, his eyes widening. Ryan and the driver aimed their guns towards them. Tyler reached for Evan's shoulder, gripping the back of his black shirt, yelling at him to get down. The driver of the silver car turned his head slowly towards the Corvette at the sound of Tyler's yell.

They fired.

Before they could react, blood burst from the driver's window of the silver car splattering onto the black and white Corvette and through Evan's open window. Tyler pushed Evan down as more bullets flew off the car. Evan could feel the blood dripping down his face and soaking his black t-shirt. It turned his neck red. There was a screech of tyres as the Cadillac took off. "Fuck. Fuck! Fuck!" Tyler stepped on the gas, speeding up as fast the car would go. Evan sat up, his eyes welling up with tears. He placed a shaking hand to the blood on his face, staring at his palm that came away red. As the world flew by around them, Evan wished for it to stop.

Someone, someone who had a normal life, had just died and their blood was now dripping down Evan's face and the side of the white car. He had just watched someone die in the most violent and sudden way possible. Evan couldn't stop the tears that fell from his eyes.

Red flowers on the side of the road danced in the wind as the Corvette drove past only to go still a few moments later.