Evan couldn't sleep. He tossed and turned on the large bed, trying to get comfortable. It wasn't his bed. He rolled onto his left side, looking out the large window. The orange glow of the city illuminated the room. He hadn't been in pitch darkness since he woke up in that motel; he still wasn't used to the constant neon glow. Even when he closed his eyes it wasn't completely dark.
"I am not better than Brian...I can be a lot worse." Tyler's words wouldn't leave him alone. Rolling onto his back, he tried to think about anything else. The numbers danced through his head.
"Four one eight two five…" Evan whispered. "Four one eight two five." Exhaustion made his eyelids feel heavy. "Four...One...Eight…" Sleep overcame him before he could finish whispering the code. The roses on the dresser looked bloody in the orange glow.
"Here's your mocha." Jonathan smiled as he set the plastic cup down in front of Evan. The cafe was busy, filled with students working on essays or studying and office workers grabbing a coffee. Warm, late morning light filled the brightly coloured cafe. Evan had reluctantly gone with Tyler and Jonathan when they went out for a coffee. He was nervous of being recognized by someone who wanted the prize on his head or someone who was just simply looking for him. He didn't want to bring this violence home.
Evan nodded to Jonathan as he curled his hand around the hot cup. On the table beside him was a newspaper and a plastic flower in a small plastic vase. "So what are we doing today?" Jonathan asked as Tyler walked over to them, a cup of strong iced coffee in his hand.
"I'm meeting with Lui again and a few other people. You two are going to spend the day out." Tyler instructed. Jonathan's brow furrowed. Evan's gaze was on the newspaper.
"What do you mean?"
"I can't keep the kid with me. If Brian could find us so easily yesterday, it's best to split up. Craig's holding down the fort, so you have to keep an eye on Evan. I don't care what you do, just don't go back home until this evening and keep moving." Tyler explained. Jonathan sighed playfully and gave Evan a smile but he hardly noticed.
"Alright. Sounds fun." Jonathan turned back to Tyler.
"Keep me posted as to where you're at just in case." Tyler said. Jonathan nodded and Tyler left.
"Got anywhere, in particular, you wanna go today?" Jonathan asked when he was gone. Evan didn't answer. He couldn't stop reading those blotchy, black words. The paper had been left open on the classified section, the page where people pay to have something in the paper. His most recent high school photo stared back at him from the page. It had been over a week since he had climbed the fence. He must have been unconsciousness for most of it for it had only been three days since he had woken up. Jonathan followed Evan's gaze. "Missing, Evan Fong." Jonathan read aloud.
"Don't." Evan grabbed his cup and the paper, getting up and hurrying towards the door.
"Hey, it's okay! Your mom loves you and she's looking for you! We're going to get you home as soon as we can...As soon as we know no one is going to hurt you or your mom."
"She had to pay for this, Jonathan!" Evan cried, waving the paper at him. Tears were welling up in his eyes. He sat down on of the chairs outside the cafe, setting the coffee and the paper down. "She had to pay...to put my missing poster in the newspaper...She can't afford that!" Evan's chest tightened. Everything horrible that could have ever happened was happening. People were going to die because of him. His mom would have nothing because of him. "Oh God…" He couldn't breathe. This was all his fault. Jonathan didn't look like he knew what to say to Evan. With a sigh, he suddenly reached for Evan's, holding his hand tightly.
"Deep breaths...It'll be okay. Whatever Brian said to you...However much the column cost, it'll be okay." Jonathan smiled. Evan looked up at him with tear filled eyes. How did he know that Brian said something to him yesterday? "If you could go anywhere in Los Angeles right now, where it would be?" Evan turned his gaze down to the sidewalk, thinking. There were too many places. The pier, the art museum, the aquarium, all the places tourists went. He'd never experienced their L.A., only the hot, hazy suburbs around the downtown core.
"The beach...The pier." Evan finally said quietly. Jonathan smiled brightly.
"Then let's go!"
The blue BMW sped down the highway, sometimes dangerously swerving in between other cars on the road. Jonathan laughed with delight while Evan held on, the wind whipping through the open windows. He couldn't hear anything over it but he could see Jonathan's wide smile. He smiled too, leaning his head back against the seat as he looked out the window at the city flying past. Palm trees lined the road, reaching up towards the sky. Evan stretched his hand out the window, the wind rushing between his fingers.
He just wanted this and nothing more. He didn't want to think about his mom having to pay to put his missing poster in the newspaper. He didn't want to think about her making it. He didn't want to think about the time limit Brian gave them and Tyler's anger. He didn't want to think about the hostility he faced from everyone except Craig, Jonathan and Brock. He wished he hadn't made Tyler so angry. Tyler was so kind to him.
"There's a great taco place near the beach. Lunch is on me." Jonathan called out over the wind and the engine. The blue BMW slowed when they reached the beach, the blue paint sparkling in the warm sunlight. They parked outside of the restaurant and headed inside, picking a table out on the patio in the shade under a bright blue umbrella. Evan hung his jacket off the side of the chair, wincing a little as he shrugged it off. "Brian sure did a number on you." Jonathan said when he saw Evan's pained expression. "Is it your ribs still that hurt the most?" Evan nodded. "Damn. I'm sorry that happened to you."
"It's not your fault." Evan said quietly as he sat down. Jonathan nodded a little, glancing down at his phone that he had set down on the table. A few minutes of silence later, a waiter brought them some water and took their order before leaving them alone on the patio once more. Evan tapped his fingers against the table, looking past the metal railing and the flower boxes to the beach. It looked busy, people walking up and down the path, sunbathing and playing in the waves. A group of kids his age walked past the restaurant, talking and laughing among themselves.
"Do your friends miss you?" Jonathan asked, watching the group walk away. Evan shook his head. "Why?" Jonathan sounded sad for him.
"I don't really have any." Evan whispered, taking a sip from his water.
"Really?" Evan nodded.
"I disappeared and only my mom noticed." Evan's chest tightened. He took a deep, shaking breath.
"I would notice." Jonathan smiled. "I'm your friend now. Your best friend." He giggled. "I'll make you a bracelet." Evan shook his head but smiled anyways.
Jonathan's phone rang. The screen lit up with the caller's ID, Evan's eyes drifting down to the screen. Jonathan's hand slammed down over the phone.
"Do you need to answer that?" Evan whispered. He tensed as if to run when he met Jonathan's suddenly dark gaze. The phone continued to ring under Jonathan's hand.
"I'll call them back later." Jonathan said after a few long moments of silence. He slipped the phone into his pocket, staring at Evan who stared back with wide eyes. The waiter arrived with their food, placing them on the table with a smile and refilled Evan's water even though it didn't need it.
"Are you sure?"
"It's nothing you have to worry about, Evan." Jonathan's smile was quick to reappear on his face that just a few moments ago had been dark and warning. "You got enough on your plate." Jonathan said with a laugh as he gestured to the large tacos on Evan's plate. Evan couldn't help but smile, forgetting about Jonathan's phone. It was probably just Tyler or Craig calling anyways.
Over lunch, Jonathan told Evan funny stories and tried to ask him questions about his life but Evan found himself staying tight lipped. He knew he could trust Jonathan, but he felt uncomfortable talking about his quiet, anxious life and his mom who was trying her best to keep them afloat. "Sorry for so many questions." Jonathan said as he wiped his hands with his napkin. "Feel free to ask me anything." Tyler had said the same thing. Just like then, Evan had difficulty thinking of something.
"Do you have gang tattoos?" Evan suddenly blurted out. Jonathan stared at him for a few moments before laughing. "That was a dumb question. I don't know, on TV the gangs have tat-"
"We have them." Jonathan smiled. "Nothing serious, we just did it as a thing one night after a job. We had money to blow, tattoos are so expensive...But we all got a flower." Jonathan rolled up his right sleeve, revealing the rose on his wrist. It looked exactly like the roses Evan kept seeing in Tyler's apartment. "Everyone's got a different one. Tyler's got a sunflower on his shoulder. Craig was so nervous to get his, we ended up deciding for him." Jonathan giggled at the memory. "He's got an hibiscus on his chest."
"Did he like it?"
"He still loves it." Jonathan smiled. "Smitty still hasn't gotten one yet. If you stick around, I'll pay for yours." He winked at Evan who looked down with a smile, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt. "Come on, let's go to the pier."
The warm Californian sun shone down on Evan's face, his black hair feeling hot to the touch. Leaving his jacket in Jonathan's car, he had followed him down the pier, past vendors selling food and souvenirs to the end of the pier. The ocean sparkled in the sunlight. Up ahead, Jonathan turned to look back at Evan, giving him a bright smile as the wind caught his blue hoodie. His sleeves were rolled up, the rose on his wrist on display.
Evan noticed the thorns on the stem of the rose.
"Don't you get worried being in public?" Evan asked when they reached the end of the pier, squinting against the bright sunlight. "I mean, I'm just assuming but you've done bad stuff in the past...Aren't you worried about the police?"
"No." Jonathan answered quickly.
"Why?" Jonathan took a breath to answer but stopped. He just shrugged instead. Jonathan's phone rang again.
"If it's Tyler you should answer it." Evan said quietly as he turned to look back down the pier. Jonathan shook his head.
"I'll call back in a bit." Jonathan muttered. Evan glanced back at him, noticing that his smile was gone. He looked away but couldn't shake the nagging feeling that Jonathan should answer his phone. If it was Tyler trying to reach him than he should answer. "Have you ever been to the aquarium?" Jonathan asked suddenly, the smile back on his face. Evan shook his head. "We're going!" Jonathan took Evan's hand and pulled him down the pier. Evan nearly stumbled when he pulled him. Jonathan didn't stop.
It was nice and cool inside the aquarium, a break from the warm sun outside. Evan wandered through the blue lit halls, glancing into the tanks. Creatures he had never seen before swam past, some more colourful while others hid away at the bottom. He stopped at one that contained jellyfish, watching them float up towards the top of the tank and back down, their long tentacles trailing after them. There was an odd calm that had settled over him. He wasn't thinking about the code or Brian for once. Instead, he simply watched the jellyfish. When he finally did turn away from the jellyfish, he noticed Jonathan had been watching him. Jonathan smiled and followed Evan as he continued down the hall.
"You'll love this." Jonathan said quietly. Evan glanced back at him, confused but kept walking. The hall suddenly opened up into a large, dark room. The only light came from the large aquarium that was full of all kinds of fish and coral. Evan's eyes widened. He walked right up to the glass, looking up at the fish. He knew he shouldn't but he placed his hand on the cool glass, looking up with wide eyes at the sea creatures. He wasn't sure how long he stood there for, but he found himself sitting down on the low cement wall that went around the aquarium, watching the calming scene in front of him. He paid no attention to the children with their loud voices that climbed up onto the wall around him or the parents that stayed back but still admired the aquarium with a childlike wonder in their eyes.
Evan took a deep breath and sighed, hardly giving any attention to his protesting, achy lungs. Lowering his gaze to a large bottom feeder, the image of kicking Brian repeatedly in the ribs and chest while he was down flashed through Evan's mind. He stared at the bottom feeder, his left hand pressing down on the top of his right hand wondering what it feels like to have a hammer smashed down it. If he had Tyler's pain, his anger, could he kick Brian when he was down?
"What are you doing?" Jonathan whispered. Evan looked up at him then followed his concerned gaze down to his hands.
"I was just wondering what Tyler's hand felt like under that hammer."
"You don't want to know that." Jonathan said sharply as he sat down beside Evan. "Believe me, you really don't. Tyler almost went back home after that."
"What do you mean?"
"He ran away from home...He had just graduated high school and he couldn't live in that house anymore." Jonathan explained. "If Brian scared him so much to go back after three years…"
"How do you know?" Evan asked quietly. Jonathan took a breath, looking up at the fish swimming above them in the aquarium.
"I was one of the first to join Tyler. Lui came with me." Jonathan stopped. "I don't know if I should tell you this. It's a bloody story."
"I can handle it." Evan managed a smile.
"I'm not sure if 'friend' is the right word for what we were at the time but Lui and I worked together. You know the bounty on you?" Evan nodded. "If we weren't with Tyler now, we'd be hunting you. A bounty like that, wow...I'm amazed some guy hasn't shown up already and tried to kill you." Evan's chest tightened. He couldn't look at Jonathan, his gaze locked on the fish. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you but it's true. We killed people for money, plain and simple."
"Over there." Lui whispered. Jonathan stared through the scope on his gun, seeing movement behind a car down the street.
"Got him." The gunshot crackled through the night. The window on the car shattered. They heard a faint cry of pain.
"Finish him off. Don't forget to get a picture. I'll meet you back at the car." Lui picked up his gun and hurried back to the fire escape. Jonathan did the same, jumping down from the ladder when he was close enough to the ground. He gave his gun to Lui and pulled a handgun from his jacket as he made his way down the street to the car and the dying man on the other side. He found the man coughing up blood on the other side, blood oozing onto the pavement.
"W-Who are you? Y-You working for Brian?" The man gasped. Jonathan didn't answer, just simply stared down at him through his plastic mask.
"How much?" Jonathan asked suddenly. "We heard five grand." The man coughed and spat at him. Blood splattered onto Jonathan's shoe. "Guess we'll find out." Jonathan raised the gun and fired one shot. The man went still. Tucking the gun back into his jacket, Jonathan pulled his phone from his pocket and opened the camera app. He took a picture, the flash illuminating the blood on the pavement. He sent the photo and walked back to Lui's car. "Where's the next one?" He asked as he got into the fast red car.
"By the river. This one is a big one apparently. If we get it, we can call it a night." Lui was smiling under his mask, Jonathan could hear the excitement in his voice. Jonathan smiled under his mask and Lui stepped on the gas. The red sports car took off down the street. It felt like they were flying through the streets of Los Angeles.
He wasn't scared of death anymore. It had stopped scaring Jonathan a long time ago. He welcomed it with open arms. Jonathan's phone dinged with a text from Luke. The money was now in their account.
"Hope you're being careful out there." Luke's text read. Jonathan smiled.
"You know I am." He responded. The car rounded a corner sharply and sped back up. Sirens sounded behind them. The red car sped up even more, speeding around another corner. The tyres squealed as it nearly spun out on the turn. Lui pulled the wheel and got the car into a small back street, quickly turning off the car lights. They crouched down in their seats, waiting for the police car to drive past. Blue and red lights filled the car as the police car sped past the backstreet. They waited a few more moments before sitting back up. Lui backed out of the street and turned the car around, heading back in the direction of the river.
"Evan." Jonathan stopped. Evan glanced at Jonathan, snapped out of the bloody daydream. "I'm not monstrous am I?" Evan couldn't answer. "When we started I was nervous, I didn't want to do it but it was quick money and Lui and Luke had been doing it for awhile. What I'm trying to say is that despite what we did...I am human. Please don't forget that."
"I won't." Evan whispered.
Lui turned off the headlights as the car pulled up to the river. They could see a car down by the small river, and someone moving near it. The car stopped, both of them getting out of the car to grab the large guns out of the back. They set up on the cement ridge, watching the man down by the car. He looked like he was waiting for something. He was tall, his blonde hair looking orange in the neon glow of the streetlamps. Laying on the ground, gravel digging into his stomach, Jonathan watched the blonde man through the scope.
"Are you taking this one?" Lui whispered. Jonathan didn't answer. For the first time in a long time, he felt wrong. Something felt off.
"We shouldn't do this. Let him go." Jonathan said, picking up his gun. A gunshot rang through the night, sparks flying off the red car. The man down below jumped too. Lui swore, grabbing his gun and turned in the direction of the gunshot only to stumble back when there was another shot. Blood splattered from Lui's shoulder and he fell to the gravel, crying out in pain. "Fuck!" Lui ducked behind the red car, his worried gaze locked on Lui who writhed with pain on the hard gravel.
"Get out of here!" Lui cried, managing to throw the keys at Jonathan. "Go!" Jonathan grabbed the keys and made a dash for the driver's seat. They knew this would happen one day. They knew someone would get left behind. Bullets ricocheted off the car, sparks flying through the air. Jonathan could hardly see, blinding lights coming from what must be car headlights shining in his eyes as he fumbled to get the door open and start the car. The back window exploded into fragments of glass.
"Fuck!" Jonathan screamed as he ducked from the flying glass. When he looked up, he made eye contact with Lui whose left hand was pressed to the wound on his right shoulder, his other hand clutching a handgun.
"Go!" Lui yelled. Jonathan put the car into reverse and stepped on the gas. It shot back as he quickly put it back into drive and took off, gravel and dust flying up behind the car. He glanced in the rearview mirror, seeing Lui fire at the cars that had been behind them. Two of them followed Jonathan, speeding after him as he made it to the road and over the bridge across the cement lined river. The red car sped through the streets, flying past the occasional car that was still on the road this late at night. Glancing to his right, he could see one of the cars pursuing him through a gap in the buildings. Gritting his teeth, he took the next turn, nearly crashing into a pedestrian. The man yelled at him but Jonathan didn't have time to offer a half assed apology.
Glancing at the rearview mirror, he couldn't see the car that had been behind him now. Taking a breath, he wondered if he had lost it. He looked to the sides for the other car and saw nothing. Maybe he could turn back and get Lui before he bled out. Dying by that algae ridden river surrounded by gravel and cement would be the worst place to go.
Headlights suddenly blinded Jonathan as he reached an intersection. He looked to his right in time to see the car speeding towards him. He didn't have time to swerve out of the way as the car crashed into him, sending the red car flipping onto the pavement. Bits of metal and glass flew through the air, littering the road. Jonathan didn't have time to hold onto anything or brace for the impact. He painfully hit the side of the car as it flipped, and came to a stop upside down.
The world was dark and out of focus. Jonathan winced, the movement making his head hurt even more. He struggled for air as panic came over him. Gunshots echoed from somewhere around him. He had to get out but from the position he was in, he would need help from someone on the outside of the car and there was no one but people trying to get his bounty.
"Fuck…" Jonathan swallowed, hearing tyres squeal as a car came to a stop near him. He was going to die trapped in a ruined car, defenceless. Someone was running towards the car. Jonathan tried to find his gun in the small space he was in only to find it out of reach.
"Hey!" Jonathan jumped, looking out the window at the blonde man that crouched by the shattered window. Bullets flew off the car. Jonathan stared at him with wide eyes as he pulled off his jacket, wrapping it around his hand to hit away the rest of the glass around the window before laying it down on the side. "Come on." He extended his hand towards Jonathan who didn't move. "Do you wanna die in here?"
"I was going to shoot you...Why are you helping me?" Jonathan cried. The man stared at him, a bit shocked by this information but shook his head.
"You aren't going to shoot me now. Just come on. I got your friend in my car! Come on!" The man cried urgently. Jonathan stared at him for a moment longer before reluctantly taking his hand. With help from the man, Jonathan was able to pull himself out of the wrecked car. The two ran towards the car where Lui was waiting for them. Jonathan jumped into the back, barely closing the door of the old car as the man got in the front and immediately speeding off from the shooters.
"Are y-you okay?" Lui managed to ask beside him. Blood soaked the seat. Jonathan nodded.
"Are you?"
"I will be…Thanks, Tyler." Lui said to the man who drove the car. He glanced back at them and nodded with a smile.
"Don't thank me until we're in the clear." Tyler said, looking back at the road. Jonathan couldn't help but feel suspicious of Tyler but decided for Lui's sake that he'd wait till later to ask questions.
"Good Tyler...Great Tyler. I don't know if anyone else has told you their story with Tyler but it seems like all he does is save people and then they join him cause they feel like they owe him something." Jonathan snapped. "Lui felt like that! Of all people! He didn't owe shit. He was ready to die there...Tyler didn't have to do anything. He could have saved his own skin and gotten the hell out of there. He didn't have to follow me. He didn't have to pull me out of that car but he did." He sounded bitter. Evan stared at him, his face looking blue in the glow of the aquarium. "I stayed because...Well...Yes, I was grateful for what he did, but also because he made a convincing case for us to join him. Less blood… More support. I became close with Tyler." Jonathan shrugged. "I don't know...It's hard to explain really." Evan looked back at the aquarium, watching the bottom feeder make its way across the coral. "And now you're here so even more reason to stay." Jonathan smiled.
"How close were you to Luke?" Evan whispered. Jonathan tensed.
"I don't want to talk about that." Jonathan got up. "We've been here awhile and I still got a list of places I want to take you to!" Jonathan smiled and started back down the hall. Evan stared after him. He wasn't sure why but he had had a hard time imagining himself in Jonathan's story.
Evan swung between the white lamp posts outside of the museum, the warm glow washing over him and reflecting off the leather of his jacket. As he swung around one of the taller posts, he saw Jonathan hold his phone up to him and take a picture, the flash reflecting off the red leather.
"Why are you taking a picture of me?" Evan laughed.
"In case you do go home...I'll have something to remember you by." Jonathan smiled. After the museum, they drove up the hill to the observatory as the sun set over the city. "This view never gets old." Jonathan said as he leaned against the white wall. Evan looked over the city, the wind playing with his hair and jacket. "You feel like the king of Los Angeles up here."
"Yeah…" Evan nodded. Jonathan was right, he did feel like a king looking over his kingdom.
"I'm glad I got to spend today with you." Jonathan smiled. "It's been really great." Evan nodded again, giving him a smile. Something was still nagging at the back of his mind though. He hadn't seen Jonathan call Tyler back.
"Did...Did you call Tyler?" Evan asked. Jonathan's smile fell from his face.
"Oh my god, kid." Jonathan snapped, reaching into his hoodie pocket for his phone. "Do you need fucking proof now?"
"Sorry...I just figured that if it's Tyler you should call him." Evan stammered as Jonathan opened something on his phone. He shoved the screen into Evan's face. It was his missed calls list and at the top, the last call was around the time they were having lunch at the taco place, was Tyler's name.
"Happy?" Evan nodded, not wanting to push it anymore. Jonathan sighed as he put his phone away. "Sorry… I'm sorry. You're right. I should have called. I'm sorry."
"It's okay." Evan smiled reassuringly. "I shouldn't have pushed it. I trust you." Jonathan smiled and hugged Evan tightly. Evan tensed for a moment before he slowly relaxed and wrapped his arms around Jonathan, closing his eyes. When Jonathan broke away from Evan, he noticed the sad expression on Evan's face.
"What's wrong?"
"I just got a lot on my mind." The hug had reminded him of his mother and the last hug she had given him.
"Have you ever done the 'writing it down' thing?" Evan gave Jonathan a confused look. "When I've got a lot on my mind, I write it down. You can throw it out or rip it up afterwards, but writing it down makes it better somehow." Jonathan explained.
"I'll try that."
Red flowers danced in the warm breeze.
There was someone waiting for them when they returned to the blue BMW. Evan's chest tightened, stepping behind Jonathan who stopped when he saw the man leaning against his car.
"Playdate's over. Hand over the kid. Carefully though, he's expensive." The man said, standing up to face Jonathan.
"I've never seen you before...Why should I do what you say?" Jonathan snapped. The man raised a gun. "That's a shitty answer." Jonathan raised his gun. "I got one too." Evan looked up at Jonathan than back to the man, hardly able to breathe. A cord suddenly wrapped around Evan's neck, choking the air from him as it tightened and pulled. Evan gasped and struggled frantically against the second man who held onto the cord around Evan's neck tightly. Jonathan looked back before turning back to the first man and fired at him. Evan and the man fell to the pavement, his jeans ripping at the knee. Blood soaked into the blue fabric. Evan tried to scream, tried to get away as the world blurred and fell out of focus. He could barely make out Jonathan as he grabbed the first man and smashed his head off the trunk of the BMW. Evan clawed at the cord around his neck, gasping for air. The man holding the cord was suddenly pulled away, the cord digging into Evan's neck. He gasped as the pressure was released, air flooding his bruised lungs. Evan rolled onto his back, pulling the cord off his neck and throwing it onto the pavement.
He turned his head in time to see Jonathan empty his gun into the man's chest. Evan had to stop himself from screaming in horror at the sight. The gun clicked when he was out of ammo. Jonathan threw the gun down when he saw Evan staring at him and dropped to his knees beside him, pulling him into a gentle hug.
"You're okay." Jonathan said against Evan's hair when he felt him shaking uncontrollably. He nodded, still trying to catch his breath. He couldn't stop the fear he felt towards Jonathan now. He knew Jonathan was a killer, but he didn't want to see it. After a moment, Jonathan helped Evan to his feet. He watched as Jonathan took pictures of the bodies on the hot pavement.
"What are you doing?" He knew what Jonathan was doing. He didn't have to ask but he did anyways.
"Collecting their bounties."
Evan stared at the bloodstain on the carpet of the BMW's trunk as Jonathan pulled the plastic bag containing their take-out sushi out of the back before slamming the door shut. Jonathan had quickly thrown the bodies of their attackers into the trunk while Evan watched, feeling sick. He didn't say a word as they drove out of town. He didn't say a word when Jonathan stopped the car in the middle of nowhere and ditched the bodies.
Now, he followed Jonathan through the parking lot to the elevator in silence. His neck was purple.
"I'll have Craig take a look at it." Jonathan said when they got into the elevator. "You should be okay though. Nothing to worry about." He managed a smile. "You're safe here." A few moments later, the door opened and they stepped out onto the floor. Jonathan unlocked the door only to hazy with an unsettling tension. Something was wrong. Evan stayed behind Jonathan as he walked into the apartment. At the dining room table, Craig was patching up a wound on Marcel's chest while Daithi was trying to get blood out of clothing. "What happened?"
"We were on our way to Lui's for the ammo run when some guys just attacked us." Smitty explained. Evan's gaze turned to see him sitting on the couch, a dark bruise going around his eye.
"Why didn't you call me?" Tyler was suddenly in front of Jonathan.
"We were busy."
"Doing what? Sightseeing?"
"Yes." Jonathan said bluntly. Evan met Tyler's gaze which widened when he saw the bruise around his neck.
"What happened?" Tyler gently pulled back Evan's red lapel to see the bruise. "Did someone choke you?"
"Just like what Smitty was saying…These guys attacked us."
"What did you do with the bodies?" Tyler whispered his eyes on Evan's bruise. Judging by the look in his eyes, Tyler would have killed them just as brutally as Jonathan did.
"Dumped them outside of town." Jonathan explained. Tyler nodded, glancing back at Craig.
"It's not urgent, but please take a look at Evan." Tyler instructed him. Craig nodded, giving Evan a small smile before returning to Marcel. Evan noticed that Marcel was staring at him. There was something in his gaze.
What did he know?
Evan tore his gaze away from Marcel and looked back up at Tyler who gave him a smile. Evan recognized the look in his eyes. His mom had looked at him like that before. Tyler was sorry.
"I'm going to lie down if that's okay." Evan said quietly. Tyler nodded, stepping aside to let Evan walk past to the hallway.
"Is he okay?" Tyler whispered to Jonathan. Evan didn't hear his answer. In the large bedroom, Evan closed the door and kicked off his shoes. He pulled off the red jacket and placed it on the dresser beside the roses. He wondered what kind of flower tattoo he'd get if he stayed. He liked roses but he also liked daisies. His mom had tried to grow them. He noticed a small stationary pad on the dresser and a pen. He looked back at the door then to the paper. He was sure that Tyler wouldn't mind if he took a page. He ripped a page from the pad and sat down on the bed, thinking of everything that was on his mind. He doodled while he thought about what to write. He could write how he felt about everything that had happened to him, or he could write about one specific thing. He had too much running through his head, he didn't know what would help him most to write down.
Looking down at the little drawings on the page, his eyes widened. Among the odd, sketchy doodles was the code. He had written the code without even thinking about it. He lifted the page to rip it in half but stopped. It felt good to have the code somewhere other than his head. Instead of ripping the page, he folded it into a small square and tucked it into his jacket pocket. He sighed as he laid down on the bed, pulling the heavy blanket over his head. He felt lighter already now that it was out of his head.