Chapter 41

I ran a shaky hand over my face.

"Nate, do me a favor and don't lie to me." I said quietly and he looked away, resting his back against the wall, elbows propped onto his knees and gun held firmly in his hand.

Downstairs we could hear the men, making no attempt to be quiet. They were sloppy if you asked me. I imagined the sensible thing to do would be to enter quietly, surprise us using stealth rather than announcing exactly where they were. It was clear they weren't professionals but it didn't take a professional to end a life.

I worried my bottom lip between my teeth and glanced at Kyle, who had moved to sit between John's legs, his own elbows resting on his lover's raised knees, and his back against John's chest.

John's easy acceptance was worrying, and I clenched my fists, trying to keep my hands from shaking.

"We've just gotta protect each other. We'll find a way out of this." Kyle whispered.

As always he was filled to the brim with optimism, but in light of our current situation, his words did nothing for me.

"I can't believe this is happening." James whispered brokenly.

He had tears streaming down his face and no matter how much he swiped at them, they just kept coming. I reached over and dropped a comforting hand on his shoulder.

I could understand how he was feeling, at least the five of us knew each other. James, though, James was all alone up here, with no one to assure him but a bunch of strangers, and despite the fact that he may very well be the reason I'd been wrongly convicted; I couldn't just sit here watching him suffer.

"Kelly just wants his son back. What if we use him to negotiate?" John said and I was already shaking my head when Eddie spoke.

"Simon told me earlier that Kelly's with him. I don't think he's involved in this and if he is, he's one sick bastard getting his kid mixed up in this mess." He finished and Nate let out a string of curses.

"It's just one shit storm after another." John commented drily.

"Who the hell are these guys?"

"T-they want me...because I know too much." James whispered through his tears, and we all turned to face him. Completely alert.

"What do you mean? What do you know?" Eddie prodded, and James shook his head then took a shaky breath.

"I know about...." Another deep breath. "the drugs and the people they killed, the guards, everything...but they made my dad do it, he'd never just get up and kill someone; they forced him to do it, I swear!" he hissed. By now his face had gone red and splotchy and I patted his shoulder again, trying to calm him.

"Wait, wait, wait..." Nate began, his brows furrowed in obvious confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"Start from the beginning and hurry up." John told him, glancing around the room as if he expected someone to burst out of the shadows at any moment.

"Wait gimmie the phone." Kyle said to Eddie who pulled it out, but didn't pass it on.

"Why?"

Kyle pulled it from his hand without a word and fidgeted with it for a second, before placing it on the floor in front of James. "I'm recording it, just in case...in case we don't make it." He said and I swallowed past the lump in my throat.

John looked away and Eddie nodded. If anything, I think it put more stress on James, who wrapped his arms around himself, while Nate only watched, his face devoid of emotion.

"Awhile back my dad told me he had a plan to set us up for life." James began. " I won a scholarship, but he wanted me to go to college feeling comfortable, without having to work while going to school, but we didn't have that kind of money and..." he wiped his eyes with the tail of his shirt.

"Anyway, I didn't really take him seriously. He always has all these plans and schemes that never work...but... it wasn't long after he told me that he started bringing in cash...buying me things, things we couldn't ever afford before." Another deep breath.

"I knew though, I knew he couldn't be getting the cash legally, I just knew, it but I didn't care...for the first time we had things and my dad was happy so-"

"We don't have time for this." Eddie interrupted. "The longer we stay here the closer they come to finding us."

"Unless they have intimate knowledge of this place, it'll take them a good while to find us." John told him, but Eddie wasn't having it.

"Yeah well I'd rather not sit here and wait for them. We've gotta make a move."

"With what? We've got four bullets between us. We're not exactly equipped to start a war with these people." Nate responded. "If there's a chance we can get information to use against them...information to scare them, or bluff our way through, then we'd better take it." He finished.

Eddie shook his head, but otherwise remained quiet, and Nate nodded at James to continue.

"One night my dad came home...he was a mess. Been crying and...just a mess, and that's when he told me everything. About where he got the money and that he was dealing drugs and..." James wiped at the fresh tears again, then jerked when he heard something downstairs smash against the floor. When he realized we were waiting intently for him to continue he did.

"My dad saw some things...people getting killed, and he couldn't stand it anymore so he told them he wanted out. They threatened him, threatened to kill both of us, and his boss is somebody really powerful so he told me he didn't have a choice.

"When he came home that night, he'd just killed somebody. They made him do it. The guy at the party...they made him kill him." James continued, his red, watery eyes pleading with each of us to believe him.

"Joseph Menza you mean." I said quietly and James nodded.

I looked at Nate, my heart in my throat, not sure how to feel now that we'd finally discovered the truth. I suppose I should feel relived, or even angry at James for not coming forward with the information as soon as he'd found out, but I only felt sick to my stomach.

"Why'd they make him kill Menza?" I interrogated but James shook his head.

"I don't know. He was one of the dealers, I think he owed money...I don't know."

"So the guys after us now, they think you have something on them and that's why they're after you." John said and James nodded.

"Is that why your dad left the apartment? Because he knew they'd come after him too?" Kyle questioned. This time James looked a bit uncertain.

"It's why he sent me to a university out of state. He wanted to hide me, just in case they tried anything, but they didn't have a reason the come after us. My dad was still on board...well he was until they killed Malone." James trailed off and I leaned closer.

"Malone?" Nate questioned, his brows knitted together in confusion.

"This guy I knew back in high school. He was my friend, I was stupid, I told him, and he went to the prison and they killed him because he was gonna talk."

I gasped. "Malone, oh my God, the guy who came to talk to me in prison." I turned the Nate. "The one who said he had information that could get me out!" I hissed and everyone turned back to James in what I could only guess was surprise.

"My dad said they killed him because of what he knew, and it wouldn't take them very long to realize how he came by that information."

"So the day Riley made that call to Jerry, you father was monitoring the call, and relayed that information to his boss." John said to clarify, but James was already shaking his head.

"No the other guards...they were monitoring, they informed the warden and he took it from there."

"The warden?" John turned his wide eyes onto Nate, who looked as shocked as he was.

Eddie let out a breath as if he'd been punched in the gut.

"Yeah, the warden...my dad's boss." James confirmed.

"Holy shit." John expelled.

"Holy mother fucking shit, we just blew this case wide open." Eddie exclaimed as low as he could.

"This whole time...this whole time they were connected." Nate murmured almost to himself.

"What? What's connected?" I questioned in confusion.

"Both cases." Eddie explained, his eyes, for the first time since Kyle and I had caught up with him, were brimming with excitement.

"Your case, and the case we've been working for two years. We just found a witness." he continued, looking at James as if he'd been sent from heaven.

"We've got two." Nate added, before scooping up the phone and pushing a few buttons. "I sent the recording to Simon. You said he has Kelly?" he looked at Eddie, who nodded.

"Good."

"What about the breakout? I'm guessing he had something to do with it." John questioned and James shrugged.

"I don't know the full story, but my dad said his boss was planning something big. It could have been the break out, but I don't know."

"It would explain why our escape was so easy, and why it took them so long to send out a search party, and to set up roadblocks even after we'd escaped for more than an hour." John surmised. "But it still doesn't explain why he'd do it. His negligence alone would put him under review...why would he shed so much light on himself if he's trying to keep his own muddled affairs under wraps?"

No one had an answer for that.

"I think the question we all need to focus on right now, is how they found out we had James." Nate added.

"You're right, if they actually were tracking his phone, then why didn't they grab him when they had the chance? Back on campus before we got there?" Eddie contemplated and John's brows knitted together.

"Unless that was their plan, they came to the campus to get him, but we got to the kid first." Nate guessed.

"Then why wait until we were out of state to try to get him back? These guys waited hours before they made a move. If they suspected he was gonna talk, then why give us so much time with him?"

Downstairs, something was scraping against the floor, not loud enough to cause a racket, but low enough to make me wonder just what the guys were up to down there. Nate pushed up from the ground, as did Eddie, then finally John and I watched as Kyle leaned forward to allow him to get up. My hackles rose just a bit.

"What? What's wrong?" I hissed in question, and Nate waved at me to be quiet.

I glanced at Kyle, who looked just as puzzled as I felt as he watched his own lover. James, who still sat beside me, had his head buried between his knees as he fought to control his breathing.

"You guys stay here." Nate issued, before signaling to John and Eddie, who were already making their way silently across the room.

"Please don't go down there Johnny." Kyle pleaded quietly, his eyes were wide with trepidation.

John looked back and lifted a finger to his lips; a warning for us to be quiet, and a moment later he was out the door, Eddie and Nate at his heels. I watched as my best friend closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and opened them slowly, intently watching the door the guys had just gone through.

I sent up a silent prayer in hopes that we would all come out of this unscathed. Then I wiped my runny nose against the sleeve of my shirt and slumped against the wall, feeling miserable and helpless. Kyle reached over to press an unsteady hand against my forehead, and I offered him a small grateful smile. For him to actually be concerned for my health in this time of terror was heartwarming.

"I've got a bad feeling about all this Riley." He said, pulling his hand away.

"You were just saying how we'd all get out of here if we protect each other, what changed?" I asked and he bit his lip.

"I don't know, something just doesn't feel right." He said seriously, then I watched with wide eyes as he pushed up from his spot and crawled across the room.

I followed him without a second thought, afraid he would do something stupid. When he stopped at the door, looking out into the other room, I grabbed his arm and he looked back at me.

"Don't Kyle." I warned him and he shook his head.

"I'm not, Johnny would skin me alive if I followed them." He said seriously, but I could practically see the inward battle he was having on whether or not to take the chance.

I kept my hand securely fastened on his; just in case.

I could still hear the scraping downstairs, as if someone was pushing metal along the concrete, but that was it. I heard no footsteps, no voices; nothing. Just scraping, and it rattled my already fucked up nerves.

I peered out into the other room, as Kyle was doing, but I didn't see the others moving about the dimly lit space. They were either blocked by the shelves and never-ending stacks of metal, or they'd already made their way down the stairs. It was the latter thought that scared me. I didn't want any of them near those crazy assholes. I wanted them up here with me and Kyle where it at least felt safer.

When I heard the faint sound of the sirens in the distance, I rocked back on my heels and clutched at my chest in relief. Kyle glanced around at me, his expression hopeful and I pushed up from the floor, tiptoeing back over to where we'd been sitting, so I could look through the small window.

It was no use. The windows were so matted with dust and dirt, that they barely shed light throughout the room much less provided a decent view of the ground below. Downstairs I heard scurrying and an unfamiliar shout.

James, who'd had his head between his knees, looked up at me with wide eyes, and I looked at Kyle who was still staring intently out the door, across the room. Something fell downstairs and smashed against the floor, then the scraping grew louder before it suddenly stopped all together.

I heard more shouts, a curse and feet pounding against the concrete floors as the sirens became louder. A minute later, and I could just make out the red and blue lights flashing through grimy window.

The confusion going on downstairs only served to rattle my nerves, and when the shooting started, I ducked automatically, despite the fact that it was clearly nowhere near me. I fought the urge to scream Nate's name into the chaos, and focused instead on taking deep breaths, all the while assuring myself that it would all be okay.

I could hear the screeching of tires outside, and a moment later the far away sound of a voice over a loudspeaker. Downstairs the shooting continued sparingly and I wondered if we were finally out of bullets, or if Nate and the others were simply making the other guys waste their own ammunition.

When I heard the sound of pounding feet coming up the stairs, I dove behind the stacks of metal where James still sat, and picked up the empty gun. I felt safer with it in my hands, despite the fact that the most I could do with it by way of protection, was to chuck it at my enemy. I could see that Kyle had also lunged for cover, through the small cracks in the stacks, and I felt better knowing he was at least hidden.

Then I heard those same feet in the other room, quickly approaching, and I felt my heart jump. I wiped my suddenly sweaty palm against my jeans, and worked at keeping my breathing under control. James wasn't doing a very good job at it, and knew we'd be found the second the intruder entered the room.

Through the cracks, I could make out the blue jeans, ripped in one leg; looking more like a fashion statement than a result of the job.

Eddie.

I exhaled, and pushed up from the floor to greet him, but froze when I took in his appearance.

"Oh my God you're hurt!" I exclaimed when I saw the blood on the front of his shirt, but he waved me off, heading quickly to the small window.

"Not my blood." He said breathlessly, then I watched in confusion as he pulled his shirt over his head and wrapped it around his knuckles. A moment later he was slamming it against the window, gun still in hand, and I shielded my eyes from the shards when the pane shattered from the force.

"How many men are out there?" I questioned quickly, my gaze travelling from the window to him, and back.

"Four it looks like...the others must either be dead, or still searching for us in the trees." He said, leaning out the window, as if searching for something.

"Jesus, how many of them were there to begin with?" I asked in surprise but he ignored me, instead waving his hands wildly, and I guessed he was trying to signal the agents.

I approached the window, trying to catch a glimpse outside. I could hear the speaker more clearly, but I found that it was hard to focus on the words being spoken. I glanced down at my arm when I spotted a small red light moving along my skin, and I watched it in confusion as it moved slowly upward and onto my chest.

Before I could blink, I was being tackled to the ground, and Eddie was pulling the useless gun from my hand. I hadn't even remembered I'd been holding it.

"Are you insane? You're still a fugitive remember? The very fact that you're here, means that the agents outside believe you're a part of this. They will not hesitate to gun you down if they feel threatened." He shouted and my eyes widened in horror as I imagined just how I'd looked, standing behind Eddie at the window with a gun in hand.

I nodded, sickened by my own thoughtlessness and after a breath, Eddie pulled me into a crouch.

"Keep your head down and stay away from the windows." He commanded and I nodded.

They were no longer shooting downstairs, instead it was eerily silent, and I crouched by the door with Kyle, straining to hear. Behind us, Eddie was back at the window, still telling the agents something with his strange hand signals.

"Give it up D-fox, they've got this place surrounded!" I heard Nathan's voice break through the silence and I froze.

"D-fox is down there?" I asked in surprise. I could picture the big scary man from prison, always surrounded by his cronies; always so high and mighty.

"I didn't think he'd want to get his hands dirty, being a boss and all." I whispered.

"He was a hotshot in prison, but out here, he's nothing but a common thug." Eddie explained as he crossed the space.

We watched him pull the shirt back over his head, and run past us and into the other room. Then he disappeared behind the stacks, and all was once again quiet. D-Fox hadn't replied and my chest tightened in anticipation.

Outside, someone was still talking on the speakers. I didn't recognize the agent's voice as he urged the guys to come out with their hands up...just like in the movies. I heard not a shuffle down stairs though, and I figured that was their answer.

James was still hunched over in his corner, too scared to even move and maybe a year ago I'd have been just like him, but I'd been through so much these past months, that what we were now going through felt like just another terrible life experience, rather than an outright nightmare; a petrifying one, but an experience none the less.

I glanced back into the other room, and jumped when I heard the loud crash as if something had just been rammed through a door or a wall. Shouts rent the air, boots pounded against the floor, then the shooting began. I covered my ears against the sounds, my beating heart sounding just as loud as the noise I was trying to block out.

I almost fell when Kyle pulled me away from the open door and slammed it.