There was a vase of roses on the counter by the sink in the large, marble bathroom. Standing in front of the sink, his black hair looking spiky after his shower, Evan wiped away some of the steam on the mirror. He looked exhausted.
The water had turned a light pink colour as it washed the dried blood out of his hair. He had watched it pool around his feet before swirling down the drain. Watching the bloody water go down the drain, he had pressed down on the top of his right hand, feeling veins and bone as he put pressure on it.
Now, staring at the dark circles under his eyes, Evan wanted nothing more than to sleep. He wanted to crawl into his bed at home even though he had always thought that the blankets were too thin. He wanted to wake up in the morning and none of this would have happened. That wasn't going to happen though.
Putting on the sweatpants and shirt that Craig gave him, Evan stifled a yawn. The red of the leather jacket folded on the counter was the same red as the roses in the glass vase. He ran a hand through his damp hair to flatten it and picked up his clothes, opening the door. He stepped into the hallway, looking towards the living room that was illuminated by the glow of the TV. He could hear low talking but couldn't make out any of the words.
"Feel better?" Evan turned, seeing Craig emerge from a dimly lit room at the end of the hall. Evan nodded. "Good. Tyler's given you his room. Get comfy and if you need anything, my room's just down there." He pointed to the first door in the hallway. Evan nodded again as he slowly stepped past Craig into the large bedroom. Like the rest of the apartment, one wall was tall windows. It was minimal, only blacks, silvers and whites found throughout the room. Like the bathroom, there was a large vase of roses on the dresser. Beside it was the pig mask.
"What about Tyler?" Evan asked, turning to look at Craig who remained in the doorway.
"Don't worry about it. He insisted. You need your sleep." Craig reassured him. Evan nodded, setting his neatly folded pile of clothes down on the dresser beside the mask.
"Craig." Evan said quietly as he started to close the door. He stopped, meeting Evan's gaze. "Thank you."
"There's no need to. It's what I do." Craig smiled. "It's what I always wanted to do." Evan's brow furrowed. "It's a long story." Evan shrugged. Craig stepped back into the room, his gaze on the view for a few moments. Evan sat down on the large bed, waiting for Craig to say something.
"I left home as soon I graduated high school to go to university. I was going into the medical field, nursing to start off with and then from there, I'd see where I'd go. I wanted to help people. I've never been scared of blood. I was only a couple years into my degree when it got to a point that the money my parents left me was running out. So I had to get a job to keep my place and go to school. It was tight. I would study at work even though my boss hated it. Like we ever really got anyone in there anyway."
The faded posters in the window of the convenience store reflected the red and blue glow of the open sign. The aisles lined with everything from snacks to condoms were empty. The refrigerators hummed. Craig tapped his pen against the plastic counter top, his heavy textbook and notebook open in front of him. His manager had stopped giving him a hard time about it a few weeks ago when Craig showed up to work almost on the verge of tears when he didn't do as well as he wanted on his midterm. He hadn't had any customers for hours, the last two being a mom and her young son who Craig guessed was barely in high school. It was only two more hours until the store closed and he could go home where he would continue to study for another hour before falling asleep at his desk. The last time, his blue pen had broken under his face and there was ink everywhere.
His head nodded forward and he had to catch himself. Straightening up, Craig stretched, fighting back a yawn. He checked the time. Barely five minutes had gone by since the last time he'd checked it. Craig sighed, leaning back against the counter to write down more definitions. The bell tied to the door clanged against the glass as it opened. Craig looked up, seeing a tall blond man enter and give him a nod. Craig wrote down one more definition before closing his notebook. He straightened his shirt, glancing up at the mirror to see where the man had gone. He was by one of the fridges, deciding on a pop.
The bell on the door clanged. Craig turned only to come face to face with the barrel of a gun.
"Money. Now." A harsh voice snapped. Craig couldn't move, fear freezing him in place. He stared at the gun, trying to think of what to do if he were shot. Of course, he hadn't been shot yet but with every passing second that he couldn't move, the possibility got higher. "The fucking money!"
"Okay!" Craig finally moved, putting his hands up. "Okay!" He took a hesitant step towards the register, pushing the button to open the door.
"Hurry the fuck up! All of it!" The man yelled. Craig's hands were shaking as he reached for the bills, handing them to the man who stuffed them into a bag. In his panic, a few slipped from his hands, falling to the floor by his feet. Craig glanced down at them nervously. "Fucks sake! I can do this myself!" The man raised his gun. The gunshot echoed through the store. Craig flinched violently, stumbling to the side. The bullet had missed, colliding with the wall behind him.
"Hey!" Someone suddenly yelled. There was another gunshot. A cry of shock and then another gunshot. Blood splattered onto Craig's textbook. Craig opened his eyes slowly. There were flecks of blood on his glasses. The tall blond man stood a few feet away, his arm bloody. In his hand was a gun. The robber lay on the white floor, blood pooling around him and turned the bills red.
"Oh my god...Oh my god...Oh my fucking god." Craig stammered. "Oh my god…"
"You're okay. Don't freak out." The blond man said, taking a step towards him. "You're okay."
"He's dying!"
"I know! I shot him."
"You didn't have to shoot him!"
"He shot at you first!"
"You're bleeding." Craig shakily got around the counter, moving towards the man who looked down at his arm.
"Damn it."
"I can take care of it. Just need some stitches, pain killer and some time. You'll be okay." Craig said quietly, finding himself forgetting his fear by falling into his nursing, trying to think only about what he could do to help and not the body on the floor. "It just skimmed you so hopefully there won't be any of the bullet in there." Craig said as he rolled up the sleeve, seeing the wound on his arm.
"You know how to take care of it?" The man sounded surprised. Craig nodded, hurrying behind the counter to find the store's first aid. He should be calling the police but something was stopping him. Craig stopped, looking at the store's phone on the wall. "Are you going to call the police?"
"He's dying." Craig gestured to the man laying on the white floor.
"I'd like it if you didn't. At least not yet..." The man said quietly. Craig ran a hand through his hair. Someone on the street must have heard the shots. Jf he didn't call, someone already must have. "I'm not gonna hurt you or anything. I promise. Just please, don't call."
"I have to." Craig grabbed the phone and called. The man looked disappointed but at the same time, he understood. Craig didn't tell them about the blond man, only that the robber had been shot by someone else. When he hung up, he made quick work of the wound on the man's arm, cleaning it and wrapped it tightly in gauze. "You'll have to get it stitched when paramedics show up."
"I have to go." The man sighed.
"I'm sorry…"
"It's okay. You did the right thing." He smiled at him before hurrying from the store, leaving Craig alone with the body. He didn't like lying to police officers but when they arrived, he only told parts of what happened.
"He shot him because he tried to kill me. It was for protection." Craig had explained, neon red and blue lights flashing around him. When asked a few days later why he patched up the man's wound, Craig only said that he felt like it was the least he could do for saving his life.
It was midnight a couple weeks later, and Craig was back at work, studying like he had before. The bell clanged. He looked up and saw the blond man standing in front of him.
"Hey…"
"Hi." Craig straightened up, setting his pen down. He hadn't expected to see him again.
"I wanted to thank you. My name's Tyler. I'm sorry I took off like that, I'm just invol-"
"I get it." Craig said with a smile. "I'm Craig."
"I got that from your name tag." Tyler laughed. "You're studying for med school, right?" Craig nodded. "I'm in need of a medic, someone who knows how to deal with wounds like the one I got. It'll be a bit more exciting, but I won't make you do anything you don't want to do. The pay will be sparse, to begin with, but I know it'll get better." Tyler explained with a smile. Craig stared at him, trying to wrap his head around what he had just offered him. Could he really leave everything behind and join this complete stranger in what seemed like a life of crime? It didn't seem real at all. "You can sleep on it if you want. Here's my number." Tyler took Craig's pen and wrote down his phone number on the top of the page in his notebook. "I'll see you around."
"I stared at the number for days, just thinking about it and what would happen if I called it. I thought about the money, that if I stayed in school would come much, much later. I thought about what my parents would think. I thought about how exciting and how terrifying life would be if I called. I thought about how safe it would be if I didn't." Craig was now sitting beside Evan on the bed. Evan had watched him as he explained what happened and imagined himself there and knew that if he were Tyler, he would have done the same thing. He also would have done the same thing as Craig, knowing that his hands would have shaken as he called the police. "I called him and the rest is history." Craig shrugged. "I think this is a far better life than anything else. I was alone before I joined Tyler. Now I'm never alone."
Evan was dreaming that he was back in the Corvette, the wind whipping through the open window. His hand was stretched out the window, petals floating through the air and slipped through his fingers. Flowers were growing from the dashboard. He turned his head slowly, seeing Tyler driving only his head was a pig's. He looked back out the window. The black Cadillac was beside them now, Ryan's gun aimed at his head. There was no silver car in between them.
"What's the code?" A voice laughed.
"No." Evan shook his head.
"What's the code?"
"No!"
"What is the code?" The voice screamed in rage.
"No!" Evan yelled back. There was a gunshot. Petals the colour of blood floated through the car.
Evan awoke with a small cry, sitting up in the large bed. He was sweating. An overwhelming wave of nausea rolled over him. Gagging, Evan managed to get out of the bed, scrambling for the door which he pulled open and stumbled into the bathroom. He threw up what little dinner he had eaten, clutching the sides of the toilet as tears of pain streamed down his face. It burned the back of his throat, his lungs aching with every gasp and heave.
When he was done, he fell back against the wall. He felt a bit better. He stayed there for a little while, looking up at the white ceiling and the glow of the light, a chill shaking his shoulders. The roses on the counter looked bloody in the light, the glass vase sparkling in the glow.
Unable to taste anything but bile, Evan slowly got up, his legs shaking as he washed his hands and splashed cold water on his face before turning off the light and slowly made his way down the hall.
The balcony light was on.
From where he stood, Evan could see Jonathan leaning against the rail, his phone held to his ear. Who was he talking to this late at night? Jonathan turned, running a hand through his hair before he snarled something to whomever he was talking to. Evan ducked out of sight, fearing that he might have seen him. He couldn't hear what Jonathan was saying. Forgetting about the cup of water he wanted, Evan tip toed back down the hallway to the bathroom, cupping some water in his hands before sneaking back into the bedroom as he heard the sliding door open.
Pulling the heavy, soft blanket over his head, Evan almost forgot about it as he fell back into a deep sleep.
The black and white Corvette sped through the streets of L.A, heading towards a small helicopter pad outside of town. Evan watched the city fly by, the wind playing with his hair and tugged at the collar of his red jacket. Tyler had woken Evan up that morning after letting him sleep till eleven and told him they were going to meet someone named Lui, another member of Tyler's family. Craig had been reluctant to let Evan go with Tyler after he had barely eaten his breakfast that Brock made.
"Are you feeling okay?" Craig had asked. Evan nodded. "Do you need painkillers or anything? Don't be afraid to ask."
"I just had a nightmare last night." Evan had said quietly.
"What about?" Jonathan asked from behind him, making him jump. Evan turned to look at Jonathan as he sat down beside him, coffee mug in hand. Evan shrugged. "I used to get them a lot at first. Not so much anymore." Jonathan gave Evan a smile. "I'm here to talk if you want to." Evan nodded, but it scared him to think that it was possible to go numb to these kinds of things.
Now, leaning his head back on the headrest of the seat, he wished he had eaten more. Watching the city fly by, Evan realised just how little he had seen of it. He always stayed to the few small blocks around his home, never going far. He'd never been to the pier, or even downtown much. He'd never seen the world outside of L.A before all this happened. It seemed that was the only good thing to have come out of this. He had been so scared in his tiny world, it seemed so insignificant now.
"When we get there, don't wander off or anything. Lui's got a lot of stuff lying around that's dangerous so just do me a favour and don't touch anything." Tyler said as he took the next exit off the highway. A couple of minutes later, they arrived at a small airfield, two hangers nearby.
"I'm not a child." Evan wished his voice was stronger when he said that. Tyler laughed as he parked the car. Taking the keys out of the ignition, Tyler got out of the car. Once more, Evan stayed in the car, taking a breath for a few moments before getting out.
"We need to talk." A voice suddenly, catching Evan off guard as he closed the door. He looked up to see Tyler walking towards a man in military green pants and a t-shirt, his boots tightly laced up.
"I got here as soon as I could." Tyler called out as he approached him. Evan stayed back, his eyes landing on a large dark green box near one of the hangers. The letters R.L was written in black marker on the side of it.
"They attacked me last night, Tyler! They knew my route! They attacked me on it! How did they know?" The man yelled.
"You didn't tell me that part, Lui! How am I supposed to know?" Tyler yelled back. "Fucking christ…"
"Does this have something to do with that kid and the code?" Lui snapped. Evan looked away from the box to Lui who finally noticed him. "Is that the kid?"
"Leave him out of it. It's not his fault." Tyler cried.
"Then whose is it?"
"I don't know who told Brian where to go. Just tell me the details and we'll figure it out. We have to be a lot more careful now with everything going on lately." Tyler sighed.
"He's not joining us. You made a promise, Tyler." Lui spat. "I know I'm not the only one that feels this way. We can't trust him. How do you know that he hasn't told Brian the code and he's only alive because he made a deal with him?"
"Because he made a promise to Adam!" Tyler suddenly yelled. "I don't care if you don't want to, I need you to trust him or we're all going to fall apart! Brian wants us to fall apart! Please, let's figure this out. I promise you, Evan had nothing to do with the attack on you last night."
"Do the guys believe that? Do they believe that Evan isn't working with Brian?" Lui asked. Tyler looked back at Evan who had been watching them the whole time, anger and sadness bubbling up in his chest. Tyler said something to Lui that Evan couldn't hear. He hoped they believed that he hadn't made a deal with Brain. He'd never do that, never break his promise with Adam. "You had better make sure." Lui said to Tyler before he turned, walking towards his helicopter. Evan recognised it from the day before when it had followed them overhead as the Cadillac chased them. Evan kept his distance, but followed after Tyler and Lui, not wanting to be alone in the open.
"Tell me what happened." Tyler said, his eyes on bullet holes on the side of the helicopter. Catching up to Tyler, Evan stood close to him as he looked down at the bullet holes, the black paint chipped off to reveal the silver metal underneath.
"I was doing my usual route after you guys got off the highway last night. I had gotten your order of ammo from Sark and was flying back when this other helicopter I hadn't seen before just opened fire on me! I didn't have my guns on cause it was just a supply run so I had to take off, and ended up almost losing all my fuel! I know they are Brian's guys! I know they went after me cause we got the kid!" Lui wasn't trying to keep his tone calm. He was angry. Evan couldn't help but feel responsible, looking down at the red line painted on the pavement around the helicopter. "I'm lucky I didn't go down."
"Can you show me where this happened?" Tyler asked, looking up from the bullet holes to Lui.
"Give me a little bit to patch it up then yeah, sure." Lui reached into his pocket, handing Tyler a couple of crumpled bills. "Buy me a coffee."
Leaning against the Corvette, Evan made himself eat the bagel that Tyler got him. He prayed it would it stay down. His stress had made him sick before but never this bad. He never used to get such vivid nightmares or was as sick as he was the night before. His throat felt sore, every swallow making him cringe. Finishing his bagel, Evan found himself reaching for his pocket where his phone should have been. The sound of wielding rang through the airfield.
"Tyler?" Evan looked up at the tall man, fidgeting with his sleeve.
"Yeah?"
"Can I call my mom? Just to tell her I'm alive? I won't tell her anything about you or Brian...I just want to tell her I'm okay." Evan said, pulling at the leather of his sleeve. He didn't know how long he had been missing, how long he had been unconscious after Tyler found him. He hadn't seen a newspaper or anything that would tell him what the date was or if he had been reported missing yet or not. Tyler looked down at him, taking a sip from his coffee and nodded slowly.
"Later. Here isn't the right place for it. Too loud." Evan nodded. "Have you ever been in a helicopter before?" Tyler asked. Evan shook his head, a look of amusement on his face. Like he'd ever be able to afford that. "If you aren't scared of heights, come with me when Lui's ready to go." Tyler said with a smile.
"Okay." Excitement bubbled up in Evan's chest. He looked back at the helicopter, a smile spreading on his face. He remembered how he had lifted a hand off the handle bars and wanted so much to take the other one off too. Maybe now he'd be able to let go completely. Watching the sparks fly off the metal, Evan found himself getting a little bit impatient, once more fidgeting with his sleeve.
"Ready whenever you are." Lui finally called out to them a little while later. He pulled open the side door for Tyler and Evan who climbed in, sitting down on the side. "Hold on, don't be dumb and put these on so you can hear." Lui handed him the headset with a small smile. Evan watched Lui get in and Tyler pull the headset on. The propellers started up, the engine getting louder. As it started to rise, Evan gripped the bar on the inside of the helicopter tightly, glancing over his shoulder at Tyler who gave him a bright smile. "It won't take long for us to get there." Lui's voice crackled through the headset. "They came at me from the south, probably had taken off from the airfield that's way out there. I know most of Brian's air traffic goes down that way."
"Did you see what kind of helicopters they were?" Tyler called out.
"They were a…" Their voices faded away. Evan found himself leaning into the wind, taking a deep breath of the air. The city spread out below him and beyond that, the ocean sparkled in the sun. He felt like he could breathe again as if his lungs were no longer bruised or aching with every inhale. He'd never seen the city like this before. The windows on the skyscrapers seemed to glitter in the warm sunlight, and below, the people and the cars looked like toys.
Looking back, he could see the suburbs surrounding the city and wondered if he could see his home from here. He imagined there was a police car out front his home, the officer standing on the porch telling his mother that he hadn't been found yet but they were still looking. He doubted that though. He'd be reported as a runway and he and his mother would be forgotten over time by the authorities. Tyler had said that he'd run away and Evan was sure that he had been forgotten by society over time too. As the wind whipped around him, he thought about Craig and how he had disappeared from a world in which he was alone to a world that he would never be alone in. A part of him hoped that when he went home, he'd still be able to see them, that he'd still be able to go for drives with Tyler and have Jonathan to talk to and see Craig who would take care of him when he fell down. As much he wanted to go home, he wanted this moment to last. High above the city, Evan felt untouchable for the first time since waking up in that motel in San Diego. He believed that nothing could hurt him up here despite the scratchy conversation that he could hear through the headset. A wind gust caught Evan's jacket, flaring it out behind him like a cape. The helicopter went wasn't long before desert stretched out before them. Evan's chest tightened. "It was here."
"You're sure that they were Brian's guys?" Tyler called out.
"Certain of it. It was the first attack in a while! The fact is was right after what happened to you as well is even more proof." Lui explained. "I can't think of anyone else who might go after us but I heard that the kid's got a-"
"Lui." Tyler's voice was sharp. Evan turned his head back to look at Tyler, the sunlight blinding him for a few moments. Tyler met Evan's gaze for a moment before looking away.
"You know what I mean...I'm just saying that the only other explanation is that it could have been would have been people who are interested." Lui cleared his throat. "You gotta be careful too."
"I know." Suddenly, Evan didn't feel so untouchable anymore.
"Whose car is that?" Evan had stopped paying attention for the rest of the ride, his eyes on the world around him as Tyler and Lui continued their discussion over what happened. Now, as the helicopter was landing, reality came crashing back over him. A black Cadillac was parked near the landing pad, its windows tinted.
"Shit." Tyler pulled Evan away from the side and managed to pull the side door closed. The helicopter landed, the propellers slowly coming to a stop. Lui took a breath, looking back at Tyler for what to do. "Evan, stay here. Lui, got your gun?" He nodded. "Come with me." Taking their headsets off, they got out of the helicopter, closing the doors behind them. Taking off the headset, Evan watched Tyler and Lui through the window as they walked towards the car. The driver's door opened, a man dressed in a simple t-shirt and jeans getting out. Evan had seen him before, at the warehouse. The back passenger door opened. Evan fell back from the window, suddenly finding it hard to breathe.
"Your name?" His hand went to the side of his head where Brian had hit him.
"Evan."
"Last?"
"Fong."
"Good. Now you know we have your name. You fuck with us, we'll fuck with you." Evan was going to be sick. "We don't like liars, Evan!"
"Shut up." Evan whispered aloud at the memories flying through his head.
"Then get rid of him." Evan took a deep breath, reminding himself that he hadn't been ridden of. He was still alive. Tyler had found him. Craig stitched his wounds. Jonathan protected him. Lui showed him what it feels like to fly. If anything, he should be better than the kid that had fled from Ryan and Luke. Taking another deep breath, he slowly moved back towards the window. Brian stood in front of Tyler and Lui, telling them something. He couldn't hear any words or see Tyler's expression but judging by the smile on Brian's face, it wasn't good. Brian suddenly waved to Evan who shrunk back from the window as Tyler turned to look back at the helicopter. A few moments later, the door was pulled open. Evan looked up at Tyler's scared expression.
"He wants to talk to you." Tyler whispered.
"Why?" Evan breathed. Tyler didn't answer, only offered him his hand to help him out of the helicopter. Jumping down onto the pavement, Evan reluctantly let go of Tyler's hand.
"Quarter of a million dollars." Brian said as they walked towards him. "That's how much I'll give to whoever can bring you to me alive. That offer also extends to you." Brian glanced from Lui to Tyler who showed no sign of interest in his offer. "Now, Evan, I got something even better for you if you want to go for a drive with me right now. I know you and your mom has had some hard times. Give me the code and I'll make sure you are both set for life. You can go to whatever school you want, do whatever you want. Your mom won't have to worry about the next job interview. I can set you up with a nice place up in the hills, a nice car, anything. All you gotta do is give me the code. It's a nice offer."
"Go to hell." Tyler suddenly spat.
"I wasn't talking to you." Brian shot back. Evan looked down at the hot pavement. He had always dreamed of making it better for his mom, for finally having the money so she wouldn't be so stressed. Yet it seemed so wrong. That money Brian wanted to give was bloody money. It'd have Adam's blood all over it. He had made a promise.
"No." Evan whispered. Brian sighed.
"Then I got one last little offer for all of you. This includes all three of you here and everyone else you call family, Tyler." Brian spat. "You got three days to give me the code. I don't care if you've tortured it out of him or have actually given me the damn kid. After three days and I still don't have the code, you all start dying."