I realize that I still don't have a name for my brother in this fic. I can not for the life of me think of a fitting one. To those who wish to send me names they like, I will choose one at random and give credit in the next chapter. Thank you! n_n

Chapter 17

"Planting the seed of betrayal"

The morning came slowly, and I expected us to be in jail. My eyes dialated to the sunlight that beamed through the window blinds. I looked down at Niko as he finally must have dozed off during the night. Poor guy was exhausted. Even in his sleep, he looked like he'd never wake up. I gave him a small kiss on his forehead and he stirred a little, getting more comfortable. I smiled at him, even though he didn't see me. I remembered what he told me. He has terrible night terrors sometimes, and it was best if he woke up on his own. I guess I was to remain on him to make sure I didn't wake him.

My eyes find that the couch on the other side of the mobile home was unoccupied. I panicked, thinking my brother escaped or get kidnapped during the night. I got scared, and I texted him on where he was.

His reply never came. The time was close to 9 am, and I figured it would be a good idea to try and find him. I ease off Niko's sleeping body being careful to not wake him. I looked around the home and outside the area. A few animals skittered away when I stepped outside, and the birds chirping was the response I got when I called out for him. I headed back inside and set my alarm for one minute to wake Niko up. I felt awful waking him up after he fell asleep at an ungodly hour.

The alarm beeped and still he slept. He must be out cold. My next option was to wake up Karen, and I really didn't want to do that. She'd go all bitch mode on me. I had no choice though.

I knocked on the door and waited. It was close to 9:30 in the morning and only I was awake. Go figure. It's an emergency, and nobody is awake. Lazy butts.

I tried calling Karen this time, and I got her voice mail. By this time, I thought my brother was dead in a ditch and nobody but me knew he was missing.

I swallowed hard and took my chances in waking Niko up. Hopefully he wasn't in one of his dark dreams.

"Niko?" I asked softly and tapped his shoulder.

He turned over on his side and swatted me away as his way of telling me he wasn't to be bothered.

"My brother is gone. I can't find him. I need your help."

"Did you look around?" He asked in his half awake state.

"I looked around the place and outside. I need to find him. I texted and called him."

He rolled back over stretched out his entire body to wake himself up. The infamous morning wood was aparent on him as he figuratively pitched a tent. There was no time to please him though. I was in distress.

"Where was he last?" He asked when he sat up on the couch.

"He fell asleep on that couch." I pointed out, and he looked over to see the couch was empty.

"Come on, let's look around."

He and I went outside to locate him. We ventured out dangerously far away from the trailer. I was hoping this wasn't a set up to get us outside to get picked off by the police.

"God dammit!" Niko shouted behind me.

I rushed to him and found him on his side. He tripped over a log that was hidden in the bushes. I checked out his leg to see if he was okay.

"I'm fine." He stood up and brushed off the dirt that was on him. "I have no idea where to look for him." Niko said, throwing his arms up.

"We gotta keep looking."

"Try calling him again. See where he is."

I dialed his number, and to my relief, he answered.

"Hello?" He sounded really groggy.

"Where are you?!" I asked frantically.

"I'm at the trailer. What's going on?"

"I thought you were kidnapped or worse! Why didn't you answer me when I was calling for you?!"

"Because I was sleeping?" He trailed.

I hung up on him and stomped my way back to the trailer. Niko followed suit, but he wasn't as furious as I was. I threw open the door and hollared out for him to show himself. Niko told me to be calm as I was about to give him a verbal onslaught again.

He came out of Karen's room with a towel around his waist.

"What's up?"

I almost died upon seeing this. Karen and my brother?! Oh my GOD!

"What the fuck?!" I shouted.

"What? She was being a total bitch. I thought if she got some, she'd be more calm."

"You idiot! What if you got her pregnant?!"

I pounded my way over to him, and he held his hands up in defense.

"I used your condoms. It's cool! You two were getting some. She and I were single, so I took one for the team."

"Well, aren't you just a champ. Wait...were?" I questioned.

"Yeah, she and I decided to give each other a try. She's four years older than I am, but so what?"

I had no idea what to say. I guess my brother sleeping with Karen might be beneficial to us because she had a short fuse these last few days, and I hoped to God that she and him were only a short term thing. Karen, a government official, and my brother, a wanted criminal? Together? I honestly can say I didn't see that coming. Neither did Niko as he had a matching surprise.

"So, what now?" Niko asked.

"Well, we'll just have to see. Hopefully she'll be more loose now that she's gotten some. I have to say though, she called out your name in bed."

"Mine?!" Niko asked.

"Yeah. That's why her date didn't go well. She called out your name when she slept with her date. She was dumped that night."

"She does still have feelings for you, Niko! I knew it!"

"Alright, Sharon. Let's try and go about this like sensible people. We can't let her think she is a bad person."

"She still has feelings for you!"

"Okay. There's nothing wro-"

"Now I gotta watch out for her as well as the cops! I don't want her getting to you! You're mine!" I clung to him possessively.

"Do you remember your first crush?" He said as I held him tight.

"My first crush cheated on me with another girl." I said.

"Okay, but you still had feelings for him, right?"

"Oh, hell no. He was a chump to me. He now has five kids with that woman, and she has no job. He got what he deserved."

"Okay, how about your second?"

"He and I went out respectable ways."

"But you still have feelings for him?"

"Nope. I have you. Why would I have feelings for other men?"

He chuckled. "Because I am trying to make a point here."

"To hell with your point, Niko." Another voice said.

The three of us turned attention to Karen, who's hair was a tangled mess. Niko held his lips shut about the information he was just told.

"Nobody cares about what you think." She said after she chugged from a water bottle.

Niko had a fake expression of hurt as he clutched his chest.

"That's rather rude of you. You hurt my feelings."

"You don't have feelings. You're a cold hearted killer. You should be dead inside."

"What's with the third degree? Couldn't sleep well?"

"That's none of your concern."

She sat down on the couch and held her head. I was sure she had a pounding headache.

"So, what's our plan today?"

Karen lit up a cigarette thinking hard.

"We still need to get that outfit for that party tonight." Niko mentioned.

"Already on it. My contacts are on their way with what we need. We will need another car as well. I am sure the police have my plates."

The doorbell rang and Karen answered. Her contacts have uncanny timing. I looked out the window and saw atleast five men standing outside waiting for the transaction to complete. There was another SUV with different plates. One man got inside Karen's SUV, and drove off with it. She held out a box and demanded Niko to try on the trousers. He was able to get the new ones on with no problem. All that for a fitting pair of pants he's going to wear for less than a few hours.

"They seem to fit alright." Karen said as she was looking at him.

I could tell Niko felt uncomfortable as he was being checked out.

"I think it is time we head out." Niko said, putting on the rest of the outfit.

I laughed so hard at the sight of him. There he was, in his complete stripper outfit. He looked so ridiculous. He sported himself around, getting me to laugh even harder. Karen hearded him off to her new SUV and he waved goodbye as they sped off. I watched him disappear from my sight and I already missed him.

I directed my attention to my brother who was sitting at the fold down table in the kitchenette.

"Just what were you thinking when you slept with Karen?! Were you thinking at all?!"

"Hey, easy! You and Niko have sex like junkyard rabbits, and all Karen and I hear is aggressive fucking in another room. How long did you think we'd put it off?"

"It wasn't aggressive fucking! It was making love. You wouldn't know the difference. And for your information, Niko and I only made love a few times."

"Well, that was a few times too many. Karen and I awkwardly sat in that apartment room while you two had at it in the bedroom. Do you think that's fair? You can't keep your hands off of him for for an hour."

"Because I love him! And I can too keep my hands off of him for an hour."

"You won't last five minutes. I am willing to put money on that."

"Are you making a wager?" I ask mildy annoyed.

"I bet you can't keep your hands off of Niko for a whole hour that I place $1,000 on it."

"And just where do you think you're going to get that kind of money? Put up, or shut up."

"I have $1,000 in my bank. You forget I had a life before I did heroin."

"I don't have $1,000 on me either. If you want to place that bet, you're on!"

I probably will lose.

We shake on it, and we both go to different parts of the trailer. My brother went back into the bedroom, and I stayed on the couch. From the couch, I kept looking outside to see if there was anything suspicious going on outside. I checked to see if there was any movement around the home. A black luxury car pull up moments later, and the inhabitants stepped out. It wasn't a police car, but I still kept quiet. There was a knock on the door, and I didn't move a muscle.

"Open up. We are Karen's friends. We're here to protect you."

I still kept low and out of sight. I hoped my brother was doing the same. There was a gunshot, and the door flew open. I dove behind the couch, but I was seen.

"There's no need to be afraid." The men seemed friendly even though they forced themselves in.

"Who are you?" I asked from behind the couch.

"I am Jed, and this is Nick. We were asked to protect you two by Karen."

"What happened to Chad?"

"Chad?" The men laughed. "He was an imbecile. He was the only one available to keep you from harm. You never send a woman to do a man's job." They both laughed again.

I was a little ticked off at his comment, but I let it slide for now.

I poked my head up and saw them still standing in the doorway. These two looked a little more casual then Chad did. They both wore black vests with grey undershirts and black trousers. They were both young looking for having a government job.

"Please allow us inside. We are not going to harm you or your brother."

I stood up and cautiously sat down on the couch. I motioned them to come in and sit down. They took my offer and asked where my brother was. I didn't think it was a good idea for them to know where he was in case they get the idea to turn him in. They would find out eventually though.

"He's asleep in the bedroom. He had a rough night." My words had a different meaning only known by myself.

"So, tell us about yourself, Sharon. How did you become involved in this? You have no file back at headquarters."

"It is a long story."

"We're here for a long time, it seems. Might as well fill us in."

I reluctantly filled them both in on mostly everything that we have been up to. The men nodded as I told them Niko's intentions even though I guessed his intentions were well known.

"Why throw yourself at him when you know he was a murderer?" Jed asked.

"I didn't throw myself at him. We met at a grocery store."

"And you started dating him? I don't get it. What do you see in him? He is well known in our line of work. He's killed people."

"You don't see what I see. I see a man ready and wanting to throw this all away and settle down. He told me so."

"And you trusted him?"

"Of course I did! People can change!"

"You have poor judgement. I'll give you warning. One simply doesn't walk away from this."

"You said you were able to help him!"

"I didn't say anything like that. Sure, he will have a cool off period where we won't need him, but give it a few years, and we will seek him again."

"He's doing one last thing for his freedom! He can't get married or have kids when he's in your pocket!"

"You may have noticed that Karen doesn't make the decisions. Niko is employed by us for his services, and he will continue to be so as long as he breathes."

I burst into tears. It just wasn't fair to him. He was promised that he would have his freedom at the end of all of this and here are these men telling me he won't. He has been betrayed too many times that I am surprised he even trusts people. He almost happily took this last favor, knowing his end of the bargain was coming. He looked forward to finally letting go and starting a new chapter in his life.

I called Niko to tell him the information I received. Jed jumped out of his seat and knocked my phone on the floor. He did answer, even though he had no idea what was going on on the other end.

"Zdravo?...Sharon?...Zašto me zoveš?" His voice was heard from my phone.

"Niko! Imam nešto da ti kažem!" Thank goodness he's been teaching me more Serbian.

"Šta se desilo? Zašto paničiš?"

I tried to pick up my phone, but Nick picked it up.

"Oh, don't worry, Mr. Bellic. Sharon butt dialed you, and her phone fell from her pocket. Her screen is cracked a little, so you might have to get her a new one."

"Can I talk to her?" I heard him ask.

"Sure thing." He handed me my phone and held his index finger to his lips.

"Sharon, what's wrong. Are you okay?"

"Saznao sam nešto o krompi!"

"Potatoes? Did you hit your head? What's going on?"

"Pričaćemo kasnije."

"Okay. Just make sure you've got your mind about you when you talk to me later. I love you."

"I love you, too."

I hung up on him, and held my phone close to my chest. I was hoping they wouldn't try to take it. Jed moved to me, and I recoiled. I had no training in self defense, something I wish I learned that instead of learning Serbian.

"Give me the phone." He held out his hand.

"No. It's mine."

He stepped closer to me, and my chances of escaping were thin. I looked at the shot open door, and I formulated a plan to get to their car. My heart was beating wildly. I thought: "What would Niko do?" and in a last ditch effort, twisted my body around Jed and darted towards the door. Nick got his arm around my waist and pulled me down as if he was playing football. My phone slid across the floor. I called out to my brother for help as Nick pinned me down. Jed found my phone under the kitchen table, and fortunately I turned off the screen.

"Unlock this thing now." He demanded.

"I will never betray Niko." I shout as Nick had my limbs subdued.

My brother came out of the bedroom and started to attack Jed with a lamp. He knew he was no match against a trained government official with a gun.

I managed to pull my arm out of Nick's grip and found his gun. Without hesitation, I shot Nick in the chest. His body thumped on top of mine, and I rolled out from under his corpse. Blood stained my clothes and my hair.

Jed took out his gun, and I aimed back at him. I was sure he could take me out if he wanted to, but I also knew he needed me alive with the things I knew. My brother decided to attack from behind with the lamp. He struck Jed over the head, and his body went limp.

"Come on. We need to get out of here."

"Where do you suggest we go?"

"I don't know. All I know is if we stay here, we're in trouble."

I find the keys to their car and take off in a random direction. I found a heavily wooded area where we could take refuge for the time being. I call up Niko again to let him know that Karen's contacts, and maybe even herself, are trying to screw him.

"They did what?!" Niko's rage blasted through the phone speaker.

"Jed and Nick tried to sabotage you. They said that even though you're doing this favor, they will still ask you for favors."

I heard tires screech in the background, and Niko shouting some awful language. I had no idea who he was talking to.

"Are you sure that's what's going on? Karen denies herself in trying to betray me." He said after a while.

"Yes! I shot Nick dead and my brother knocked Jed unconscious with a lamp. We are hiding out in their car in a forest as we speak."

"You killed someone!?"

"It was self defense! They attacked me! Jed wanted my phone to see if he can get any more information on you and your plan."

"Damn it, Sharon! This isn't going to go good for me!"

"I'm sorry. I had no choice!"

Niko paused for a long while, muttered the word 'fuck', and hung up on me. I was brought to tears again that he didn't forgive me. It wasn't a smart move on my part to kill Nick, but I wasn't going to let them cut off Niko's plans.

"So now what do we do?" My brother asked.

"I don't know! I'm tired of running! I want this to be over!"

I held the gun in my hand as I remember what I did a while ago. I started throwing up when the realization hit me. I took someone's life in cold blood. My brother held my hair back as I spewed in front of the car.

"You gunna be okay?" He asked.

"No. I won't be. I killed someone, Niko is pissed at me, and we are running from the law." I gathered myself together and sat in the car where it was more comforting and safe. I turned on the radio to keep me collected, and my favorite song came on. Of course, even the DJ's wanted me to be sad because the song brought me to thinking of Niko.

Hours later about 8:30 pm, Niko called me. I let it go to voice mail. A shocking thing by me and also an immature one. I was sure he wanted to apologize before he started this party sting. I couldn't bare to hear his voice. I was still upset that he didn't take into consideration my saftey over some stranger or even his plan.

He left a voice mail on my phone, and he rang again indicated by his picture on my screen. I still let it ring. I wanted him to take the hint that I was mad at him. Something I never dreamed I'd be at him. Eventually, he did stop trying to call, and I assumed he was about to start the sting operation. I prayed he'd be okay, and he'd come back safely. My brother turned to me in the car. His eyes basically told me to not be mad at Niko.

"You two look good together. You shouldn't let this thing get between you both. Listen to his voice mail. I'm sure he is really sorry."

"I can't. He seemed like he didn't care that my life was in danger. He only cared about this fucking plan. I'm beginning to think he doesn't love me." I felt my words kick my gut, and before I could stop myself, the hurt was said.

"You don't mean that. I can tell. He loves you. I can see it in him. He thinks you are his savior in a way. He sees you, and he sees his happiness."

"I'm his happiness?" I repeated.

"You make him happy. Listen to his message. I'm sure there is a reason why he hung up on you."

I take my brother's advice and listen to what Niko said.

Sharon, please pick up the phone. Answer me. I want to say I'm sorry. I don't want our day to end in anger. I have a few hours before we head into this. Please call me back.

His message was full of sorrow as I felt my hands loosen around my phone. I really wanted to call him back, but if I did now, I'd jeopardize the operation. I figured it would be best if I called him tomorrow or even on Monday when I was sure he was done at the party.

He called again as if he heard my mind from where he was. I felt myself answer, although I really couldn't handle him.

"Sharon. Why are you ignoring me?"

"I was hurt that you yelled at me. You didn't care if I was safe or not. You only cared about this stupid mission and how my self defense screwed it up."

"I know I was an asshole. I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you."

"I don't want to talk to you for a while. Please be safe and goodbye."

"I lov-"

I couldn't hear it from him tonight. I couldn't hear him say I love you. I knew it hurt him and myself, but I didn't want to hear it from him.

My brother only shook his head at my childish behavior. I didn't expect him to understand what I was feeling. All the women he's been with have been cheap sluts. He has no comprehension on how to be in love or the hurt I feel.

I again take us away from the hideout to another cheap motel. This one looked a little more up to date judging from the outside. The radio clock rolled over to 10 pm as we went inside the room. The two bed room had hardwood floor and ugly olive green walls. Still, it was a safe spot for now as we got ready to go to sleep. I turned the tv on to see if there was anything to watch. My brother decided to fall asleep early.

Police are looking for an Eastern European man with short brown hair and brown eyes. He is roughly 6 foot with a muscular build. He is wanted in the connection of the death of a government official. A $20,000 reward is being offered to anyone with any information that leads to the arrest of this man. They are asked to call the local police department.

I began to freak out. Who was this government official? It certainly wasn't Chad. He escaped from the police when we fled. It also wasn't...wait. We left Jed alive! He called police and is trying to frame Niko for the death of Nick! He wasn't even at the motor home when he was killed! I was the one who killed Nick!