Evan was dreaming. He was sitting at the table on the patio of the restaurant, the blue umbrella turning everything under it into a neon blue glow. Jonathan sat across from him. In between them on the table, was Jonathan's phone. Neither of them said a single thing. Evan looked down at the phone as it began to ring. Slowly, he looked back up at Jonathan who stared back. Thorny roses grew from the phone, obscuring Jonathan from view.
Evan's eyes flickered open. He stared up at the high ceiling for a few moments before slowly sitting up. The clock on the bedside table read four thirty in red numbers. His throat felt dry. Evan threw off the blanket and got up, walking towards the door. He slowly opened the door and tiptoed down the hallway past Craig's bedroom. Smitty and Brock were asleep on the two couches, while Marcel, Daithi and Jonathan were sprawled out on the floor in sleeping bags, some of which had been kicked away due to the heat. In the dim light, Evan saw a flash of yellow on Marcel's shoulder. A bundle of black eyed susans were tattooed onto his arm, the warm yellow flowers tied with a string.
Evan carefully stepped over Jonathan and Daithi, making his way into the kitchen where he quietly found a cup and filled it with water from the sink. Taking a sip, he glanced out the window where it was slowly starting to brighten. He walked around the counter, starting back towards the bedroom when he stopped. He looked back over his shoulder at the door near the entrance. It wasn't right to snoop, he had learned that the hard way when he was nine and his mom caught him looking for Christmas presents. However, he couldn't help his curiosity when he looked at the door. He was sure it was just another bedroom but now would be the perfect time to find out. Everyone was asleep.
Setting his cup down on the counter, Evan slowly made his way towards the door. He turned the handle and stepped inside, closing the door behind him. It was dimly lit, white neon light coming the wall opposite the door, it was covered with weapons. Everything from machine guns to a small decorative oil slick coloured knife that had probably been bought from one of those rave websites for decoration instead of use. On the other side of the room was a map of Los Angeles and a desk with papers and a couple of laptops. Evan stared around the room, his eyes wide. Now he felt like he was in a movie.
Seeing Tyler's handgun on the wall, as if in a trance, Evan started to walk towards it. He took it off the mount, the weight surprising him. The metal was cold in his hands. He thought about how Brian had hit him with his gun. He thought about Tyler standing over him with a pig's head. He thought about how Tyler saved Craig's life and Jonathan's. He thought about how Jonathan had saved his. How many bullets had he shot into that man's chest? He thought about the innocent man shot dead by Ryan. He thought about how he wanted to be stronger, how he wanted to fight back, how he wanted to no longer be afraid.
He turned, looking up at the map of Los Angeles. He wondered where Brian was and if he was thinking about the code, the code in his head. He wondered if Brian had come up with a way to get it out of him yet. Evan looked back down at the gun. He wondered if he could aim it.
Slowly, Evan raised the gun, using both hands to keep it steady. He imagined Brian at the end of it. He imagined Luke and Ryan. Evan smiled.
"Bang."
Sitting beside Jonathan on the couch, Evan was having to resist the urge to fall asleep. They had done nothing all day. Tyler had gone out again, now looking desperate to find a way out of Brian's ultimatum.
With stress weighing him down, Evan leaned onto Jonathan, laying his head on Jonathan's lap as he stretched his legs out.
"Are you okay?" Jonathan asked softly. Evan nodded.
"Tired."
"You can sleep." Jonathan smiled and turned his gaze back to his phone in his right hand. His left hand threaded through Evan's black hair gently, soothingly playing with his hair. Evan closed his eyes, letting out a content sigh.
After the day before, he felt closer to Jonathan. He trusted him with his life. He hoped that when he went home, he'd still be able to see Jonathan, Tyler and Craig.
Evan opened his eyes, looking up at Jonathan who didn't notice his gaze. Jonathan seemed distant, thinking about whatever it was he was looking at on his phone.
"Can I see your tattoo?" Evan asked quietly, startling Jonathan who gave him a confused look before switching his phone to his left hand and lowered his right so Evan could see the rose on his wrist. "Why a rose?" He traced one of the red petals. Jonathan shrugged.
"I don't know much about flowers…But I know roses. You gotta be careful around roses." Jonathan smiled.
"Because they have thorns." Evan breathed. He wanted to have thorns.
"Exactly." Jonathan giggled. Evan smiled and rolled onto his back, his head resting against Jonathan's thigh. "Don't worry Evan… You won't get pricked." Jonathan smiled. "I like being a flower."
"Why?" Evan looked up at him, meeting his gaze. There was something happy but also sad about it.
"Because everyone who isn't a part of this family thinks we're weeds."
"I don't think that." Evan whispered. Jonathan ran a hand through Evan's hair.
"I know you don't."
The clock ticked past nine. Evan's hand reached for his jean pocket where he was sure that his phone would be only to remember it wasn't there. He wondered if his mom had texted him, had called him, leaving message after message wondering where he was, begging him to come home. Tears welled up in Evan's eyes at the thought. All he could think about was how scared he was. The day had been full of tension, of waiting. He just wanted this day to be over.
"I'm going to bed." Evan said to Craig as he got up. Jonathan had left a few hours ago but had promised to be back soon.
"Are you doing okay?" Craig looked up at him with a soft smile. Evan thought about the three deals Brian had given them and how heartbroken and angry Craig would be if he knew.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Evan nodded. He stood there for a moment longer, wondering what Craig would do if he knew before turning away.
"Aw, you're going to bed?" Marcel suddenly asked, startling Evan. Marcel and the others stood by the door, getting ready to go out. Evan nodded again. "Cause we were gonna ask if you wanted to come with us."
"Where?" Evan asked cautiously. He remembered Marcel's stare from the day before.
"A club." Marcel smiled.
"Just go to bed, Evan." Craig said quietly.
"We just wanna have some fun, Craig. Lighten up. You can come with us if you want. It's been pretty tense lately, we just wanna blow off some steam." Marcel explained with a casual shrug. The others nodded.
"Go to bed, Evan." Craig said again. Evan looked at him with a confused expression. He didn't understand why Craig seemed so worried all of a sudden. Did he not want him to have fun?
"We just want to get to know you, Evan." Smitty smiled.
"Have you asked Tyler?" Craig demanded. "Does he know what you're doing?"
"He's not our mom." Daithi laughed. "It's not like we're sneaking out like kids. You know where we are." With that, the group headed for the door, into the hall. Evan looked back at Craig, a pleading expression on his face.
"Please! I've never even been to a school dance." Evan pleaded. "I can take care of myself." Craig narrowed his eyes at that comment as if doubting him. Craig said nothing. Evan didn't wait for an answer. He turned and ran into the room for his jacket where he had left it the night before and hurried to catch up with Marcel and the others.
"You can ride with me." Marcel smiled, ruffling Evan's hair before playfully shoving him into the elevator with the others. Evan nodded as the doors closed.
The Charger sped through the night, music playing loudly from the speakers. Evan sat in the back alone. Marcel didn't check on him like Tyler or Jonathan did. Sitting in front of him, Brock didn't look back. Evan didn't notice. He watched the city fly by, listening to the music. The wind whipped through Brock's open window, pulling at his hair. Behind them, Smitty and Daithi followed in Daithi's car, keeping pace with Marcel who took every advantage he had to speed up.
The cars finally slowed on a small street. Evan could see people lined around the corner of a building, most dressed up and looking like their shoes were starting to hurt. Marcel and Brock got out, leaving Evan stuck in the car until Brock pulled the passenger seat forward and held the door open for him. Evan followed them across the street to the building, past the people waiting to get inside the club. Evan's chest tightened a little.
"I don't have an ID though…" Evan said quietly to Brock who laughed.
"Don't worry about it." Marcel said, looking back at him with a smile.
"Stick with us and you'll be fine." Smitty said as Marcel waved to the bouncer and the group headed inside. The hallway they entered into was lit with a harsh neon red light. Loud music crashed over Evan as lights flashed at the end of the hall. The hall opened onto a large room, a bar at one end and a crowd of people dancing in the middle. Neon lights flashed in time with the music. Smitty playfully grabbed Evan's hand and pulled him into the crowd. For the first time, Evan realised that Smitty was barely three years older than him, the look of a wild teenager still present in his bright eyes. They stumbled through the crowd, dancing most of the way to the middle. Among all the people and the noise, Evan wasn't a missing kid with the weight of keeping Tyler's puzzle of a new family together alive. He was simply a kid. Yet when he took a deep breath, raising his arm in the air, Evan's pained lungs reminded him of the kicks and the punches. His chest tightened and the crowd seemed to close in on him.
Stumbling out of the crowd, awkwardly pushing his way past people and avoiding those trying to get through with drinks in their hand, he finally made it out of the crowd.
"Having fun?" Marcel suddenly asked, wrapping an arm around Evan's shoulders and guided him up a small set of stairs to some couches where the others were sitting.
"I...I'm just...That's a lot of people." Evan managed to call out over the music. Marcel nodded as they sat down.
"Got you a pop." Daithi slid the brightly coloured can towards Evan across the low table in between the couches. Evan stared at it, then slowly raised his gaze to Daithi and Brock. Daithi smiled, Brock did nothing.
"Thank you." Evan looked away from Brock, picking up the can and took a sip. The cold sugary pop was a relief.
"Do you think you're one of us?" Marcel asked. Evan's brow furrowed.
"No...Tyler said I was going home when this was over." Evan said before drinking more of his soda.
"Even so...Do you think you're one of us right now?" Evan glanced at Daithi and Brock. In the flashing lights, Evan could see the blue burst of hydrangeas on Brock's wrist. He didn't have any flowers on him, but neither did Smitty yet. Having a tattoo meant nothing. He didn't want to lie to Marcel and tell him that he hadn't been thinking about how he wanted to see them even after he went home and how he wanted to be brave like Tyler; like all of them.
"I don't know...I...I just...You saved me and-"
"Look…We're a family for a reason. We depend on each for survival. Tyler liking you means nothing. You gotta prove it." Marcel said, leaning back on the couch. "You gotta prove that we can like you. So far, we all doubt you."
"I have nothing to hide! You know everything about me!" Evan cried, feeling attacked. He should have seen this coming.
"What about the code?" Marcel asked, raising an eyebrow. Evan's right pocket felt heavy though there was nothing in it but a piece of paper.
"I can't tell you that…" Evan whispered.
"What was that? I didn't hear you." Marcel snapped.
"Marcel." Brock warned. Evan almost jumped at how stern his voice sounded. It was the first thing he had said all evening. Marcel sighed.
"We just wanna trust you is all...And we can't right now. We work as a group. The last job we did before you showed up was the first time doing a job with everyone. It felt right."
Water splashed up around the speed boat every time it hit a wave. Marcel's hair was damp with salt water, but it didn't distract him from the task at hand. On the other side of the boat, Tyler stared at the yacht ahead of them. The duffel bags in between them held their guns.
Jonathan slowed the boat down as it approached the yacht. Overhead, Lui's helicopter continued towards the large boat. Marcel could just make out Smitty and Daithi taking aim out the side of the helicopter. It was the first job he'd done since John and they were all worried about how he would perform now. Tyler looked up as Smitty opened fire, bullets raining down on the boat as the helicopter flew over it. They could hear the yelling and the gunshots firing back. In the front seat of the boat, Craig got up as the boat sped up towards the yacht only to come to a sudden stop beside it. Craig managed to scramble onto the yacht and tie the speed boat to the yacht with a rope to the side as Marcel, Brock, Tyler and Jonathan made their way onto the boat, their guns at the ready. They could hear the helicopter take another pass overhead, keeping the men on board distracted while they infiltrated it from the inside.
"Hey!" Someone called out. Jonathan opened fire on the man, bullets ricocheting off the metal of the machinery and walls.
"Careful, don't wanna blow it up!" Tyler warned, his voice muffled under his pig mask.
"That'd make everything easy." Jonathan giggled. He was smiling under his mask. Marcel shook his head and pushed past them towards the stairs. There was another man at the top which startled Marcel but with one quick shot, he fell to the floor, blood spilling onto the polished marble. Marcel lead the way, stepping over the body and down the hall. The sight of blood still phased him, so he couldn't look down at it as he walked past.
"Don't get sick." Craig said quietly behind him.
"I'm not looking." Marcel said, glancing back at him over his shoulder. Craig smiled a little but it quickly faded as they rounded the corner only to duck out of the way as they were shot at. Tyler stepped out from behind them, firing down the hall at the men. Once the hall was clear, they made their way through the boat, searching for the 'packages' they had been hired to collect. With Jonathan watching his back, Marcel darted into one of the bedrooms, finding one of the packages on the bedside table beside a vase of roses. A bullet flew past Marcel's ear and hit the wall. He swore, turning to see a man duck behind the bathroom door. He shot at the door, chips of wood flying through the air. "Fuck!" Marcel spat when his gun clicked, forcing him to reload. The man behind the door ran at Marcel, forcing him to the throw the heavy package at him as hard as he could. There was a gunshot, the package exploding in a burst of white powder and blood as the man dropped to the floor. His blood turned the white drug red.
"Why did you throw it?" Jonathan cried. "Now we're short one."
"What else was I supposed to do?" Marcel spat as they hurried back into the hallway towards the stairs. On the deck, the warm sun shone down the bloody scene. Tyler, Craig, and Brock had grouped together and were now keeping the deck clear as they waited for Daithi to drop the ladder from the helicopter to make their getaway. Jonathan and Marcel made their way across the deck towards the group, each taking a corner of the deck and fired at anything that moved. In their bags was the drugs they stole.
The ladder dropped from the sky above them. Tyler grabbed hold of the end, keeping it steady as they jumped onto it and climbed up towards the helicopter. Putting his gun in his bag, Marcel jumped onto the ladder after Jonathan, climbing as fast as he could despite how hard it was. His arms ached. He looked down, seeing a man running at Tyler with a gun in hand. "Smitty!" Marcel yelled when he looked back up. Seconds later, a gunshot crackled through the air. The man dropped dead with a burst of blood. Looking over the water, Marcel could see speedboats coming towards the yacht. They weren't police. "Tyler! We gotta go!" Marcel yelled down at Tyler before climbing the rest of the way to the helicopter where Brock and Smitty pulled him over the side. Tyler jumped onto the ladder as bullets ricocheted off the helicopter.
"Go! Go!" Jonathan yelled. The helicopter rose into the sky, heading towards the shore. Marcel looked down to see Tyler looking back down at the boats from where he swung on the ladder. Tyler looked up at Marcel and managed to give him a thumbs up without falling off the ladder. Marcel smiled.
"Nice job kid." Marcel said as he turned back to the others, high fiving Smitty who nodded shakily.
"I'm glad I could do you guys proud." Smitty laughed.
"We were worried you'd crack." Jonathan said bluntly.
"I had faith in him." Brock smiled.
"Thank you, Brock." Smitty said, a small smile playing on his lips. "I guess I'm over what happened." He shrugged. "I trust you guys and I'm glad you trust me."
"Smitty proved it to us when he could have very easily have chosen not to. He told us his story and wanted to be a part of this family." Marcel finished, meeting Evan's far off gaze. He was imagining himself on that ladder, the wind whipping around him, the ocean sparkling below him. "Finish your soda, Evan. I want to hear your story." Snapped out of his daydream, Evan no longer felt welcome among the group. Doing what he was told, he finished his soda, setting the empty can down on the table before getting up and walking away from them. He wasn't sure how true Marcel's story was but he got the point.
He made his way back down the stairs, feeling Marcel's gaze on his back. He stumbled through the crowd, starting to feel dizzy. He ignored it, pushing through the crowd to find Smitty who was nowhere to be seen. The music almost became overwhelming, the lights flashing brightly around him. People seemed to move without reason or warning. Something wasn't right. He didn't feel right. He had to find Smitty, had to ask him what was happening, why Marcel didn't like him. His breath shortened, his head spun as he struggled to push through the crowd. What was happening?
He was floating. Evan stopped, his eyes wide. Everything looked like he was underwater. The crowd became a dark mass around him, interrupted by the flashing neon lights. Everything felt heavy; so heavy he thought he would sink through the floor. Slowly, he began to walk forward again, every step feeling heavier than the one before. A hand suddenly took his, pulling him further into the crowd. Evan blindly followed. He could barely make out Smitty's features through the dizzying blur. He found himself dancing again, sweat dripping down his neck. He heard Smitty laugh. He waved to someone behind Evan who barely noticed. Hands grabbed Evan's arms, yanking him out of the crowd. He tried to struggle as he was dragged from the club. He couldn't focus on what was happening but he knew he was surrounded. Red neon flashed around him. The hard pavement met Evan's face when he hit the ground a few moments later. He gasped in pain, hot blood filling his mouth as he bit his tongue. A hand grabbed the back of his collar and hauled him to his feet, slamming him against the wall.
"Tell us the code. That's all you gotta do." Marcel said sharply. Evan shook his head weakly. "But you think you're one of us? You think you can cosy up to Jonathan, Craig and Tyler?" Evan didn't respond. "No more games." Marcel spat. "You're gonna tell us the code."
"I-I…" Evan stammered. He was pinned with his chest and face against the wall, the brick scratching his cheek painfully. Marcel put more pressure on the back of his neck. "I can't…"
about the two other deals. How did they know?
"N-No...I just...Tyler's going to fix it…"
"He can't fix shit at this point." Daithi snapped from somewhere behind Evan.
"Why did you do it? Why did you turn Brian down? It could all be over!" Marcel yelled in Evan's ear. He flinched. "Why? Are you working with Brian?"
"I'm not! I-I'm sorry!" Evan cried. "I just...It was bad...Tyler said Brian would screw me over!"
"Tyler said this, Tyler said that." Marcel mocked him. "We aren't going to be responsible for your fucking mistakes! You aren't one of us! You've just proven to be a fucking waste of our time! And now you're gonna get us all killed if you don't tell us the damn code!" Tears welled up in Evan's eyes as he shook his head. He felt so heavy, he couldn't fight, he couldn't run.
"I c-can't tell you!" Marcel pulled Evan off the wall and threw him down on the road. He cried out in pain as he hit the pavement, his palms scraped and bloody. Struggling to get to his knees, he looked to his right, seeing a black car stop at the intersection. A sudden kick to his ribs threw him onto his back. Evan screamed in pain, covering his head with arms to brace for the impact of more kicks.
"Evan it's for your own good, just tell us!" Brock cried. Evan didn't say a word. The world blurred around him. He felt like he was going to black out. There was another kick.
"Tell us!" Marcel yelled. Again, Evan could say nothing. "Smitty." There was the sound of a gun being cocked. Evan slowly lowered his arms, looking up at Smitty who stared back down at him, a gun in his hand. It was aimed at Evan's head. There was something apologetic in Smitty's gaze. Flowers growing up alongside the building swayed in the breeze.
"Killing you puts all of us, including Brian, back at square one. The bounty is gone...The deals are meaningless." Smitty said quietly. "Or you can tell us the code and we will protect you. We will see you home." Evan took a deep, shaking breath. He had made Adam a promise. He couldn't tell. He stared at the end of the gun that was pointed at his head, his breath catching in his throat. The world was spinning.
"Evan." Marcel warned. He opened his mouth to say it but couldn't. Smitty's grip tightened on the gun. Evan's gaze was locked on the barrel of the gun. He couldn't say it.
Headlights on either side of them suddenly illuminated the dark street, making them jump. Smitty turned away from Evan, pointing the gun at the white Corvette that sped towards them, screeching to a halt as the blue BMW on the other side of them did. Evan wanted the world to stop spinning, to stop blurring in and out of focus.
"Put that fucking gun down now." Tyler yelled. Evan could see him as he crossed in front of the Corvette's headlights. Smitty looked back at Marcel, confused and terrified. Tyler grabbed Smitty's hand that was holding the gun and hit his elbow before kicking his legs out from under him, sending Smitty crashing to the pavement as he yanked the gun from his hands. "What the fuck are you doing?"
"You picked some fucking kid over us, Tyler!" Marcel yelled. "You picked his life over ours!"
"I didn't make any fucking choices except for choosing to continue to pursue the code! This could be the last job we ever have to do!" Tyler yelled back.
"Why didn't you tell us about the deal Brian want to make with Evan and the threat he made to you?" Daithi demanded.
"We're your family, Tyler! You promised you'd tell us everything! You promised us no one was going to join us or come between us after Luke!" Brock cried.
"You lied to us?" Attention turned to Craig who stood beside Jonathan, his eyes wide and locked on Tyler.
"I didn't lie! I wasn't going to fill your heads with mindless fear over Brian!"
"We're here so you don't have to do this alone!" Craig yelled.
"Oh, that's a fucking relief!" Craig almost screamed at Tyler.
"Because you didn't tell us...Brian is coming for us tomorrow!" Smitty cried. Evan couldn't move. He laid on the pavement, looking up at the light polluted sky as they argued around him. Tears fell down the sides of his face, dampening his hair and falling onto the pavement.
"Just give him the kid. What the fuck is the point anymore?" Marcel snapped.
"Don't say that, please!" Tyler cried. "I knew you would all react like this whether you found out on your own or I told you. I can't have that. Not now. We are so close. Evan knows the code. We just have to wait for the location. If we can wait that long, we've won. No more Brian. You know that! I have been working my fucking ass off trying to get that location. I've done it all for you! I know you can fight back! No matter what Brian does! We can fight back!" Tyler was desperate. He was trying to hold the broken pieces together, trying to gather the petals up.
"Flattery will get you everywhere." Marcel snarled.
"Can you stand?" Craig said quietly as he knelt down beside Evan who slowly turned his gaze to look up at Craig. He nodded. Craig wrapped Evan's arm around his shoulders and gently pulled him up to his feet with help from Jonathan. "I'm sorry you got caught up in this." Craig lead Evan to the blue car, not looking back at Tyler and the others. The others hadn't stopped fighting but Evan had stopped listening. The world blurred in and out focus. His ribs felt like they were burning with every breath he took. Jonathan opened the back seat of the BMW, helping Craig get Evan inside. Craig turned back to the group, a hurt look on his face.
"What did they give you?" Jonathan asked Evan quietly, leaning down to be level with Evan who laid his head back on the headrest.
"A-A...soda." Evan managed to say. Jonathan sighed and started to stand up to close the door. "Jonathan…" Evan weakly grabbed his blue sleeve, making him lean back down to meet Evan's blurry gaze. "Are you going to kill me?" Jonathan paused, staring at Evan.
"No, Evan." Jonathan finally said. "I'm not going to kill you."