I’ll be the first to admit, it was kind of scary, preparing to go back home. Ever since the incident, AJ had been kind of floundering. I say incident because, even now, it bothers my Alex to think about what happened. The loss of a friend; the injury to myself. He took that very personally. Very, very personally. In his mind, he should have been able to stop it.
Ugh. I had to argue with Alex for a moment there. He was saying that it was his fault and he should have known, blah, blah, blah. All the arguments I’ve heard him give before and that I told him were shit back then. I still say they’re shit now. He couldn’t have known what was going to come at us. But I accept that this is one argument I’m not going to win. He’s convinced of his way of thinking and anyone who knows him knows that when he sets his mind on something, he doesn’t just let it go. (Right guys?)
Pardon me, I’m deviating. Ugh. Now he’s mocking me for using big words. Well, who cares, right? Back to our story. So, Alex finished off that last bit by telling you guys that we were ready to go home. I’ll add to that by saying that, once the decision was made, Alex had a single-mindedness that was almost frightening. I said before that he’d been floundering since the ‘incident’, but once the decision was made it was like he became someone else entirely. Someone that didn’t really scare me, so to speak, but that was foreign to me. I’d never seen him like that, not ever. Not even when he disarmed that guy at the club, or when we first ran. These people had done one thing that, in Alex’s books, was the biggest crime of all. They’d hurt me.
He was intent on making them pay for every drop of blood I had shed and for the life of his friend. How he wanted to make them pay, I was scared to even contemplate.
Our flight back in was simple, flying under our assumed names. But once we arrived, Alex took us first to the bank to withdraw quite a bit of money and then straight to a motel that required no ID to check in. Then he changed our clothes, shaved off his goatee and buzzed his hair short and told me it was time to do some work…..
~~~~~~~~~~~~
“What kind of work are you talking about?” Brian demanded. He didn’t like the sound of this. The look on AJ’s face was so stern, so serious. Almost like it was carved of stone. He’d been this way since they’d made the decision to come back to the states; to confront these people on their turf. Better that than hiding out at the Chateau for the rest of their lives.
Faced with the hardness of AJ’s expression and the fear at what this ‘work’ might mean, Brian almost wished they had stayed there to hide out.
AJ looked up from tying his shoes. Some of the hardness faded from his eyes a little. Just a little, though. “I need to get some tools of the trade. I won’t go into this unarmed, love. I can’t. If I do, I’m dead.” He said that so calmly that it made Brian shiver slightly, but he was unable to deny the truth of the statement.
“I need supplies to survive and a few things to help us along. I’m even going to teach you how to fire a weapon. We’ll take a week, max, to get these things and train. Then I’m going to trace this to the source. I need to deal with things here in the states before I find my way to the base.”
“The base?”
“Yeah.” That hard look came back to AJ’s face, tenfold. “I’m taking the organization down, Brian. I won’t let them do this to any more kids. I won’t let them play their political games. Because that’s what I’m terrified this is. I’m absolutely terrified that I haven’t been helping this country at all, but the plans of an old politician who saw ways to curry favor or further his career or work in other illegal activity. I’ve been used. Their mistake was in letting me find out.” If anything, his eyes grew harder, until they were sharp as stone. “Their mistake was in trying to take me down and failing. They trained me too well. They won’t be able to take me down. They won’t even see me coming until I’m pointing the gun at their fucking heads.”
Part of Brian wanted to argue with AJ. To yell and deny this whole thing. He wanted nothing more than to tell AJ to take him back to the Chateau and they could spend the rest of their lives there in peace. But he knew he couldn’t. He knew that wasn’t a possibility.
They couldn’t spend the rest of their lives hiding like this. They couldn’t always be looking over their shoulder, wondering if someone had found them, if someone was coming for them. It wasn’t just AJ they were after anymore. Absently Brian rubbed a hand over his stomach. He’d received their message loud and clear. No, they didn’t want just AJ. They were willing to take out anyone around him. Marc was proof of that. Until this was dealt with, it would hang over their heads, a dark cloud always threatening them.
AJ’s hand covered Brian’s, the both of them pressing against the almost healed wound in his side. Brian dropped his eyes, looking into a pair of warm brown ones that held the most beautiful thing in Brian’s entire world; love. AJ’s love.
“I hate that they did this to you.” AJ whispered. “Can you see, Brian? Can you see why I can’t let this go? If anything else happened to you…” His words cut of, emotion strangling his voice. He paused, taking a deep breath before finishing. “I couldn’t live with myself if what happened to Marc happened to you. They had no qualms about taking out my friend. What would stop them from taking my loved one? I could handle them coming after me. That’s part of the trade. That’s the risk. But you? Nothing is more important to me than you.”
Brian moved to sit on the bed beside AJ. He reached out, lacing their fingers together, their joined hands resting between them. “Nothing is more important to me than you, Alex. I don’t want to lose you in this.” He admitted.
“I can’t promise that nothing will happen to us.” AJ’s words were serious. He wasn’t sugar coating things, something that Brian appreciated. “I don’t know the future. But I can promise that I’ll do everything in my power to make a safe life for us. A life where we can be together.”
“We’ll do everything in our power.” Brian corrected him. This was a point that Brian promised himself he would remain firm on. It was the one thing he knew had to be done in the center of all this. “We’re together in this, Alex. You and me. Whatever we do, we do it together. I won’t walk away from you. But I won’t be kept in the dark either. I’m your partner. Not just as a couple, but in this mess as well. We’re partners. That means we share everything.”
A shadow passed over AJ’s eyes. In them, Brian could see the internal debate. He could practically predict what AJ was thinking. Was it safe, to let Brian be his partner in this? AJ had always been alone when it came to this kind of stuff. He’d never had someone be there for the whole ‘job’. Would he be able to keep Brian out of it, even if he tried? Brian was determined not to let him.
He saw something else in AJ’s eyes and couldn’t resist a smile. It was easy to see what decision AJ had reached even before he opened his mouth to speak. “Fine.” He said finally. “Partners, in everything.”
Brian’s smile grew. “Partners.” He agreed. “Now, tell me what the plan is.”
Amusement lit AJ’s face. “You think I have a plan?”
“Psh. Come on, Alex. It’s me you’re talking to. Now quit evading and start talking.”
The soft chuckle AJ gave warmed Brian’s heart. “Ok, ok.” He relented. Shifting, he moved his legs onto the bed, crossing them in front of them without ever letting go of Brian’s hands. The both of them needed the contact right then. “First and foremost, like I told you, I need to get us supplies. Now, I took money from my bank here, so we luckily have funds to draw on. I have a few contacts around the states that I can hit to get some more cash and to get the weapons and tools we need.”
“Tools?”
“Yeah. I need at least a laptop to work with. I can’t be without electronics. I need to get a few burn phones—prepaid cell phones that they can’t trace. With the Feds on this, the aliases I use will have to be careful. I don’t know which ones they’ve tapped yet. I need to get into their files again and see what they have on me.”
Brian nodded. “Ok, that sounds practical. What do we do first?”
“First, we get a car.” AJ said. “We can’t be without wheels or we’re sitting ducks. We need the ability to move and move fast. I’ve got a car parked in a storage place about two hours from here. Now, we can try to hide out and get a bus or we can steal a car to get to there. Stealing a car would be easiest. We can drop it outside city limits and hoof the last part in. I’ve got this car stowed under an assumed name, so we’ll need to watch to see if it’s being watched by someone else. That’ll tell me if they’ve discovered it yet. If they have, I have another in the same city. In each place, I’ve got a car that’s packed full of some supplies, like weapons, and some cash as well. We were always taught to be prepared to run.”
As much as it went against the grain to admit it, Brian knew that their safest best was to steal a car. Less chance of being seen. He trusted AJ’s skills to be able to pull it off without getting caught. “So we steal a car, drive to find your car, hope it hasn’t been compromised, then travel to stock ourselves up in different places. After that?”
AJ gave him an appraising look. “You’re taking all of this pretty well.”
Shrugging, Brian gave his love an honest smile. “I’m practical enough to understand that whining won’t change anything. So, we do what we have to?”
His words seemed to surprise AJ. Their eyes locked for a long minute. Then, AJ suddenly let go of his hands, throwing himself forward so that Brian was tackled backwards onto the bed. He found his body pinned down by AJ’s familiar weight. His laugh was cut quickly short by a kiss that left his blood singing.
When AJ finally pulled back, the both of them were grinning. “Not that I’m complaining, lover. But what was that for?” Brian couldn’t help but ask.
AJ winked at him before rolling off and sitting up on the bed again. “Just for you being you.”
Rolling his eyes, Brian sat up as well, straightening his clothes. “Nerd.”
“You love it.”
“We all have our faults.” Brian shot back. He laughed when AJ stuck his tongue out at him. “Yeah, yeah, Age. I don’t French long distance.”
Laughter erased the mock angry look on AJ’s face. “Shut up and get your shoes on, man. We’ve got work to do.” AJ said between chuckles.
The tension nicely broken, Brian did as AJ said. He and AJ, they were going to be all right through all this. From the corner of his eye, he watched as AJ tossed a few things into a backpack, preparing it for them to go. They may have been stuck in shit, but they were going to make it out the other side. How could they not? They had each other.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Brian and I let that hotel room quite a bit more optimistic than when we’d entered. As always, Brian had found a way, in a short period of time, to break through everything I was feeling, all the rage and guilt and heartache, and remind me why I was doing all of this. Remind me of my reason for living. He brings out the humanity in me.
I don’t know if that’ll make much sense to any of you. Until you’ve lived the way I have, the way he and I have through all this, I don’t think you can fully comprehend what it makes you feel like to do these kinds of things. How it leaves you feeling on the inside. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; I was dead when I first joined the group. Inside, I was dead. I was lost. But Brian found me and brought me back to life. When I get to feeling like that again, all I have to do is look at him and I remind myself of the joy in life. Even now, when the nightmares plague me sometimes, all I have to do is roll over in bed and his arms are there to hold me, to chase away the darkness and to bring me back to the light. He’s my north star, always guiding me back home, no matter where I am or what I’m doing.
Well, enough of this sentimental stuff. This wasn’t supposed to be a book of my ‘feelings’. Though I have to tell you some to make you understand. But I don’t need to go sounding all mushy and shit. Keep it to the story, Mclean.
So, we loaded up our stuff-only two backpacks worth-and set out from the hotel. I will admit, with quite a bit of pride in my skills, that it only took me a half an hour to find the perfect car to steal. It was even easier because the idiot left their keys in the car. Come on now! When are people going to learn? I switched plates on it with a nearby car so that no one would run our plates on the off chance that we were pulled over, which we weren’t, and find out that it was a stolen car.
We had two places to call on once we reached the city. I had a bad feeling that it wouldn’t be as simple as getting in and getting what I wanted. Sure enough, I had to be right.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Arms linked, Brian and AJ strolled across the street toward the storage facility. So far, AJ hadn’t seen anything to suggest that the place was being watched. No surveillance cars, no snipers, nothing. Still, he couldn’t help but feel exposed as he used his access code to enter the locked facility. The place was manned by security codes and keys. That was one of the reasons that AJ had used the place. They had video, sure, and security patrols, but you had to have a personal code to be able to get in anywhere.
He kept his eyes alert as he walked in. Brian was silent beside him, most likely feeling his tension. They constantly reflected one another like that. The guys had teased them countless times about being so in tune with one another. It was like that even if they weren’t together. Brian just said that they were that close.
AJ reached the garage door for his storage unit. Squatting down, he inserted the key in the lock, unlatching the padlock at the bottom. Something prickled at the back of his neck, bringing his senses to life. There was something wrong about all of this. It was too easy. Way, way too easy. Some of his aliases had to be exposed. It seemed too good of luck to have his one be clear and now this one too. He didn’t trust good luck.
Casually AJ stood, his eyes scanning nervously, his ears pricked for any sound. “Same rules follow here, babe.” He whispered softly, his voice barely audible. But he knew Brian could hear him. “If I tell you to do something, I need you to listen to me, no questions asked. It could mean life or death. You understand?”
Thank God for Brian. He didn’t question AJ’s instincts, didn’t waste time asking what was going on; he simply nodded.
Just as AJ moved to open the door, one of the security guards came walking toward them. The worry in AJ grew even more. Something was wrong. Very, very wrong.
“Excuse me? Mr. Sanchez?” The man called.
For a half a second AJ debated ignoring it. He debated grabbing Brian and running for it. But the practical part of him kicked in. The man was armed. One hand rested near his gun. Because AJ knew how this place worked, he knew that there were two more guards patrolling who would make in there in no less than a minute. That wasn’t enough time to disarm this man and make an escape. No, it would be easier to play it by ear. Dammit! He should have listened to that little warning in the back of his mind that had told him something was wrong!
All of that passed through AJ’s mind in the blink of an eye. So by the time he looked over to the guard, he’d already made his decision. “Si?” He asked, slipping into the alias that he was using, Juan Sanchez, giving himself a Spanish accent. “Can I help you?”
The guard stopped next to them, one hand still resting casually in reach of his gun. “I need you to come with me for a moment, Sir.
“Is there a problema?” AJ opted for sounding innocent, hoping to keep things peaceful. Stay calm, Brian he prayed. Keep your cool. Don’t panic, please.
The guard shifted his stance. “I need you to come with me now, please.” He said firmly.
“Si, si, of course.” AJ assured him. He needed to keep it all calm. No risking Brian’s safety in this. That was his paramount concern. Even though he had a strong suspicion that it wouldn’t work, he turned to Brian and handed him the keys. “Take my keys, mi amigo. I will be done soon.”
“He needs to come too, Sir. The both of you. Now.”
Sighing, AJ nodded his head. When the guard motioned them forward, AJ tried to flash a look to Brian to warn him to keep calm and to remind him of his promise. The look Brian gave him said that he understood. Quietly the two walked, escorted toward a small office. Once there, the guard opened a door, ushering them inside. AJ knew exactly where they were being led to. His brain was already jumping ahead, trying to think of all possibilities and options.
They were led into a small room in the back that AJ knew was used to hold people until police arrived. Shit. Shit, shit, shit! How the hell was he going to get them out of here?
Two more guards walked in, stationing themselves near the door as the other guard gestured for Brian and AJ to take seats at the only table in the room. There were only four chairs. AJ’s eyes scanned the room, even though he already knew the inside. He made it a point to know the places he might come in contact with. When he’d opened up his storage here, he’d asked for a tour first so he could see the security on the facility to ‘make sure my things are safe’, as he’d told them. In reality it had been his training that required knowing all aspects of a place you might one day need to make a fast exit from.
There was one window, high up on the wall, too short and too narrow to escape from. Only one door, which led out to the main room and then to the outside. Three guards, all armed. And him and Brian with only a knife in AJ’s boot. He wasn’t stocked on weapons yet.
His eyes glossed over the table, bare of anything, and the walls, also bare. The only way he’d be able to have a weapon aside from his knife would be to use a chair or to relieve the guards of one or all of their weapons. Dammit. If it was just him, he wouldn’t worry about the odds. He’d be able to get out without a problem. But he had Brian to think of. Brian didn’t know how to play this kind of game safely. He might accidentally get in the way and get hurt or he might get in a position that a guard could grab him and use him as leverage to make AJ surrender any weapons he had managed to gain. This was going to take all of his skill to get out of.
And they definitely had to get out of it. There was no doubt in AJ’s mind that someone was going to be coming for them. It wasn’t a coincidence that they were being held here. No; either the FBI had uncovered this alias, or another assassin like himself had. It was possible that another trained like him was working in a police job. They could be using their connections to have him detained under belief that he was wanted for something, come pick him up and then take him off and kill him. Fuck!
AJ let Brian take the seat nearest the wall. He sat casually in the chair next to him, crossing his legs to the side so that he had easy ability to jump up from the table if he needed. The one guard that had grabbed him, Williams by his nametag, sat down across from them.
“What is the problem here?” AJ asked in his heavily accented voice. “I was just looking to check into my storage, si? This, it is not a crime, no?”
“You are Juan Sanchez, are you not?” Williams asked him instead of answering.
Stick to the alias. That was the safest route right now. Maybe, just maybe, this was something he could talk his way out of. “Si.”
“Would you mind taking off your coat, Mr. Sanchez?” Williams requested. “I would feel a mite more comfortable.”
His coat? They must worry that he was packing. Feeling uneasy, AJ shrugged out of his coat and went to hang it off the back of his chair. One of the guards by the door stepped forward and took it from him. That uneasy feeling grew.
It grew even more when he saw three sets of eyes flash toward, not where a weapon would be hid, but to his arms. He knew they were busted when one guard slid out the door, the one holding his coat, and shut it behind him. Fuck. AJ’s mind had made the leap even before Williams spoke again.
“Why don’t you drop the accent, Mr. Sanchez.” He said with a soft glare. “You and Mr. Littrell here are under arrest, to be detained until the FBI arrives to retrieve you.”
Son of a mother fucking bitch! The curses rolled through AJ’s mind, one right after the other, though no sign of it showed on his face. He was proud to see that Brian stayed blank. Only a quick flash in his eyes revealed his surprise at this.
This Williams was an idiot, though. Never, ever, tell someone all that you know. Never give them that kind of information. He had to know that a person in AJ and Brian’s position had nothing to lose. When a person had nothing to lose and you let them know that they’re backed into a corner, they’ll come out fighting harder than anyone else.
But, two could play this game. AJ changed his whole posture, grinning cockily, his body slumping slightly relaxed in his chair. “Really, Williams.” He said in his normal voice. “You think you’ll put me under arrest? Really? How on earth do you plan on doing that?”
Williams patted the gun at his hip and the other guard moved his hand to rest on his. “I believe you’re a little outgunned in this, Mr. Mclean.” He said nastily. The door opened and the other guard came in, instantly putting his hand to his gun as well when he saw the mood in the room. With his free hand he shut the door again. Williams smiled even nastier. “Outnumbered, as well.”
“Yes.” AJ let his eyes drift over the three of them, obviously appraising them and just as obviously finding them lacking. “Three of you against two of us. No, the odds aren’t fair at all.” Just to irritate, he let his smile grow wider. “How about I have Brian here go stand in the corner? That should even the odds up a little more.”
As he’d suspected, Williams’s nasty expression melted under one of anger. Good. Angry men were stupid. They made mistakes because they weren’t thinking clearly. That was what AJ was counting on. He ignored Brian’s hand on his leg, squeezing a warning to watch his mouth. He knew what he was doing. He had nothing to lose here. He wasn’t going into FBI custody. If he did, it would be nothing for someone to take him and Brian out. That wasn’t going to happen. He wouldn’t allow it.
Williams leaned forward a little on the table. “You’re a smart ass little punk, aren’t you?” he snarled. “Well you don’t look so smart to me. We caught you in here, didn’t we?”
“We all have our moments.” AJ said with a shrug. “I guess even you had to get something right one time.”
Shoving back, Williams stood up so fast his chair fell over. “Get up against the wall, punks. We need to search the both of you. Now!”
It seemed to infuriate Williams even further that Brian looked to AJ, waiting until AJ nodded, before he rose to his feet. The two moved over to the wall, Brian mirroring AJ. They placed their hands on the wall and spread their feet slightly. It wasn’t the first time AJ had been searched. Wouldn’t be the last, most likely.
Williams searched AJ while one of the guards from the door moved over to search Brian. If something was going to happen, now would most likely be the best time. After this, after they found his knife, after they found the knife that AJ had hidden in Brian’s boot, they’d be weaponless and in even more trouble. The FBI was probably on their way right this minute. Time was short.
Only one idea came to mind for AJ. It was stupid, and would probably make him look like a giant idiot, but it would keep them alive if he did it right.
Well, here goes nothing AJ thought with an internal sigh. He snapped his body taunt, letting out a guttural sound as his body collapsed down to the ground. He ignored the ache from hitting the floor, ignored the surprised shouts around him and simply started to twitch. Brian made to move toward him, but AJ heard someone shout for him to stay up against the wall. The others were shouting, trying to figure out what the hell was going on.
AJ rolled his eyes up in his head and convulsed harder. With his eyes rolled up, he couldn’t see around him, but he felt Brian’s leg near his shoulder. Good. He was close to where he needed to be. One of his hands smacked the wall as another fake convulsion ran through him.
“Help him!” Brian cried out. “Dammit, help him!”
“What the hell is wrong with him?” Another voice shouted.
AJ twitched closer to Brian, trying to make it look like his body was still seizing. Bless Brian’s heart, his lover caught on fast to what he was doing. He cried out “He’s epileptic, you ass holes! He’s having a damn seizure! You need to hold his head. Make sure he doesn’t swallow his tongue!”
God, but his lover was brilliant! AJ twitched again, one arm flinging sideways to smack Brian’s leg, making his lover stumble slightly. It was just enough movement that AJ snaked two fingers into Brian’s boot and palmed the knife. Then he convulsed again, slamming his palms into the ground as his head threw back and his chest rose.
Two of the guards were by the door again. The peek AJ took showed that one looked ready to escape to call for help while the other didn’t seem to know what to do.
Williams crouched down by AJ’s side, away from Brian, looking like he was going to grab hold of AJ’s head. Before he could, AJ suddenly stopped moving. The knife in his hand was against his arm, tip pointed toward his elbow. In a move like a flash he rose to a kneeling position, the hand with the knife coming up so that the knife still sat along his arm, sharp side out, blade pressed against Williams throat. With his other hand he was already reaching for Williams’s gun.
It was ridiculously easy to relieve him of his weapon. AJ had it in his hand and cocked at the other two guards before they even drew theirs. “Hands in the air.” He ordered harshly.
Hesitantly the two lifted their hands up on either side of their head. They knew they couldn’t grab their guns before he shot them. AJ looked at Williams and smiled. “On your feet. Now.”
Together he and Williams rose, the gun in AJ’s hand never wavering. The knife didn’t either. When they were standing, AJ didn’t look away from his targets, but he asked “You ok, love?”
“Peachy, Age.” He heard behind him. Then Brian moved up beside him, a safe distance from any reach but AJ’s. “What now?”
AJ flashed a look to the other two guards. “One at a time, take out your weapon with two fingers and put it on the ground, then kick it to Brian. Slowly. No sudden movements. Remember, we don’t have a damn thing to lose.”
His voice must have been convincing, because one guard moved his hand, slowly dropping it down. With two fingers he lifted his gun and then set it down on the ground. Once it was there, he used the toe of his shoe to kick it toward Brian.
Again AJ had to bless Brian. The man didn’t know how to use a sidearm, but he bent and lifted it, echoing AJ’s earlier movement and cocking it. His hand was steady as he pointed it at the two guards. “The other one, gentlemen.” He said in his musical southern accent.
When Brian had both guns, he pointed one at the two guards and one at Williams, allowing AJ to back safely away from them. AJ slid the knife into his other boot and relieved Brian of one of the weapons. Better he was the one to have two, seeing as how he was the one who knew how to use them.
Now, what to do? They had to move fast. Who knew how long they had before the FBI arrived. It would all depend on how close they were.
“Ok, Williams, I want you to take out your cuffs and handcuff your buddy. Then take his and handcuff your other buddy. Hurry up now.” AJ said, waggling his gun to indicate that he wanted Williams to move.
Williams glared at him. “And if I don’t?”
The smile that spread over AJ’s face was almost predatory. “Well, then I guess I’d have to kill you all.” He said with a shrug. “Either way, make up your mind. Times limited.”
A shiver showed that Williams was affected by his threat, but he was still trying to bullshit his way out of it. “I’ve been warned about you two. You may be hard, but your friend there is. He won’t let you kill us. Look at him. He flinched at even the thought of it.” Williams jerked his chin toward Brian smugly.
Before AJ could answer, Brian spoke up in a soft voice, shifting his gun toward Williams. “You want to bet on it?” He tipped his head a little. “There are plenty of shots we could take without actually killing you. I’m sure your FBI friends would find you in time to save you. Maybe. Want to take the risk?” When Williams said nothing, Brian smiled slightly. “That’s what I thought. I suggest you do as he says, now.”
In short order the other guards were handcuffed and Williams stood in front of them. “What now?” He snapped at AJ. “Going to cuff me now?”
AJ thought about it for a minute. “No.” He finally said. “No, I don’t think I will.” With no more warning than that, he switched his grip on the gun and used the butt to smash into the side of Williams head, dropping him to the ground like a rock.
He gestured the other two guards out of the way and then told Brian “Let’s go.”
Yet again the two men found themselves running fast. AJ took the gun from Brian, putting on the safety and sticking it in the back of his pants. He kept the other two out, though, as they ran. As sirens sounded in the distance, AJ turned them out of the facility and through someone’s yard, trying to cut past. Brian kept pace behind him easily.
Together, the two once again ran ahead of the police.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We ran and we ran. It was difficult to keep the weapons on me without the proper holsters and keep them hidden from the public eye. So, when we passed over a bridge, I let two of them drop into the river. One I kept, though. I didn’t want to be completely weaponless.
I refused to let Brian go into the next place with me. There was no way I was taking a chance that something else could happen this time. I knew I’d get out of it much easier on my own. He didn’t like it, but he listened to me.
Luckily, though, this place was clean. I went in, retrieved my car, loaded the trunk with the supplies inside and then I drove out and picked up Brian.
From there, we set off to our next stop. LA. The one town I probably should have avoided, but the one I had the best connections in. In a sense, I was going home.