|WARNING‼️ DESCRIPTION OF GORE IN PAST TENSE|

Since my body was taken over completely by adrenaline, I'd hardly been able to pay attention to my surroundings. I at first was focused on keeping my breathing even and holding myself together. All while looking behind us to make sure there was nobody following us. To my surprise, no one was. And for that I was extremely grateful but I know it's much too soon for me to feel comfortable.

When I'd glanced behind us for like the thousandth time, I came to a sudden realization that there were 4 confused faces staring back at me like I had gone mad or something. Hold on a second. Am I hallucinating now? I blinked profusely and wiped my eyes, thinking I'd just imagined the huge individuals crammed in the back seat.

But when I cleared my vision nothing had changed. There were still 4 pairs of eyes staring at me filled with caution and concern. "Angel. You don't look so good man." I glanced to the far right and saw Torrence, who waved his large hand in front of my face for a moment to try and snap me out of it.

I blinked again. "Huh? W-what? When did you guys get here?" I asked, looking at Nas for a moment. Had he made them come along? If he did then we're going to have a long talk because I did not want for this to happen. More people involved means the possibility of more lives lost if we are caught.

Chance blew a bubble with his gum with a raised brow and popped it. Lucien tilted his head with a worried but disapproving look on his face. "We've been here the whole time...are you okay?"

I let out a frustrated sigh and nodded my head, trying to keep my thoughts from going all over the place yet again. The last thing I need to do is to panic. I need to stay level headed right now. I took deep breaths and glanced in between their heads to see if we were being followed and again saw nothing.

It's still way too soon to feel comfortable. Zhayne and his crew could really pop up at any moment so I have to keep watch because my life and 5 others depends on that. Now on the other hand I need to speak with Nas immediately when things calm down.

When we get somewhere safe I will make him give me answers as to who Zhayne really is. He knows something that I don't and it doesn't sit well with me. I don't care if I have to be forceful at this point to make him speak up. I will not allow Nas to beat around the bush any longer. What I just witnessed back there was enough for me and I refuse to go on without any answers.

I saw Zhayne kill a man with my own eyes without remorse. And everyone in the room with us besides me acted as if they'd seen him do something like that before many times and did nothing but stand by.

He had men waiting to do as he said and even had them murder two of Eliseo's backup. And not to mention there were drugs involved...He obviously isn't just some rich CEO, or owner of the most popular club in LA. What happened proved to me that Zhayne was something far worse.

I resisted the strong urge to bang my head against the window and took in another deep breath to calm myself. I feel so frightened, angry, and confused all at the same time. I don't think I'd ever felt this way before.

Suddenly Nas speaks up, taking my focus away from my thoughts which only seem to progressively get worse. "Where are we going? I don't think I can drive around all night. He might catch up." He says, looking around at the rest of us for answers. In less than 10 seconds, Chance was the first one to raise his hand with an idea. I hoped it was a good one.

"We can stay at the hotel that's not too far from Torrence's mansion. It's kind of expensive but rumor has it that's it's like super nice. My mom used to-" his sentence came to an unfortunate halt as the back of his head was met with the palm of Lucien's hand.

Nas joined in, turning away from the seemingly inevitable road to look at Chance with a deadly glare. The blonde haired boy rubbed the back of his head, wincing and looking at Lucien confused. "Are you stupid or fucking stupid? That's his bosses hotel, genius. Just in case you didn't remember that's who we're trying to avoid."

So he told them? I mentally face palmed. I definitely need to figure out a way to get them out of this situation before it's much too late. If Zhayne does find me and sees me with them they're 100% going down as well. Like I've said so many times before. I don't need that. I'm kind of already pissed that Nas allowed them to come here in the first place.

Chance scoffed. "Well if I knew that ahead of time then I wouldn't have suggested it." He trailed off briefly, crossing his arms. "You didn't have to hit me Lu." The dark haired boy said nothing in response.

While the car was silent, I pondered for a minute thinking of any possible place there could be for us to stay for at least a night. Somewhere safe, at least. I do know for a fact that it can't be anywhere near this area. Though I'm not really familiar with the outskirts of LA, which sounds depressing. That's because of my inability to go out and explore. But I do happen to recall one place...

"W-wait- Nas I-I um. I know somewhere we can go." I said to him. Nas didn't look at me. He only nodded his head in approval and waited for me to continue all while keeping his focus on the road ahead. I gave him the name of the place and gave him directions on where to go since I remembered by heart.

I remember because I'd stayed there for a long time when my mom and I first moved here, when I turned 6 years old. A little over a year after my dad had disappeared into thin air.

Speaking of my mother, I haven't spoken to her in ages. I know for a fact that she's worried about me. I bit my lip as I reached in my back pocket and pulled out my phone, wasting no time dialing her number. Hearing her voice right now is exactly what I need. She is the closest thing to comfort. And it sucks I can't be with her right now.

It didn't ring long before she picked up. I felt my breath get caught in my throat as I heard her speak. It feels like I haven't talked to her in forever when in reality it's only been a couple days. Literally. "Hello? Ange?" I inhaled sharply, trying to ignore the fact that I was totally getting emotional over hearing her voice like some wuss.

I wouldn't normally react like this. I could usually go weeks and on end without seeing my mother, and I wouldn't have a single emotional thought until we meet again. But given the situation I'd gotten myself into, these past few days have really caused me to miss her deeply. More than anything. A mother's love during times like these is really important. At least to me, since she's all I have. "Hey, mom."

I heard what sounded like a playful scoff on the other end, making the corners of my mouth lift up a little. "You haven't called me in days young man. What happened to checking on your mother? Anything could have happened to me you know." She said in a teasing tone. Although she was joking, there was a hint of worry in her voice.

"I-uh. Sorry mom I-I guess I just got too carried away." I lied, feeling guilty immediately afterward. She laughed lightly.

"You're not having too much fun, are you? My house better not be out of order or I swear to god I will-"

I shook my head and cut her sentence short before she could even finish. "Mom- Mom. Stop. Everything is okay." Another lie. "The house is fine, you don't have to worry about anything." At least that wasn't a total lie.

"It better be." She giggled. My heart swelled at the sound of it. Holy crap I'm not used to being like this. I'm never emotional over something as small as her laugh. Man. Fearing for my life and sanity has really changed me, huh?

"You know me. I wouldn't."

I reassured her. My mom released a small sigh. "I really do miss you kiddo. It sucks I have to be away from you for so long." She told me. And boy I miss her so much more. More than words can explain. I wanted nothing other than to see her.

"I miss you too mom. So much. I-I know it's only been three days since I last saw you but, I guess I have a lot on my mind and I wished you were here with me. I just really miss you..."

"Hun...are you okay? You don't usually act like this." She said, her voice taking on a much more serious tone.

"I'm fine." I said, feeling my throat start to burn due to holding back the tears which were threatening to fall again. I'm so tired of crying already. The longer I talk to her the more the tears will build up and it will get harder and harder for me to hold them back.

It would eventually lead to me having an ugly crying session and that's not something I ever want anyone to have to witness. Not even my own mother. And I wouldn't dare be a burden to the boys when things are already depressing enough. "I love you mom. I just wanted to tell you that, okay?"

She paused for a moment, before huffing a little. "I love you too...but you know I hate when you beat around the bush. You're lucky I have to get going, otherwise I'd make you tell me what's going on right this second." A lighthearted chuckle followed after. "I will though tomorrow, so make sure you call me and talk to me about what's going on. You sound alright but I know my son. I know when you're not feeling okay."

A single tear finally managed to escape at her words. But I kept it together. I have no choice but to. "Okay, I will." Lie.

"Alright, love. I'll talk to you soon." She said, and as soon as she did the sound of keys and rushing footsteps in heels could be heard in the background.

"Alright, bye mom. Talk to you soon." Hopefully. My mom made kissy sounds before bidding me goodbye. When the call ended, I pulled the phone away from my ear and stared blankly ahead for a moment.

Torrence leaned up from the back seat. "Hey man, are you okay?" He placed one of his large hands on my boney shoulder. I turned my head to meet his gaze, trying my best to give him the most reassuring smile I could muster. I'm still suppressing more tears from falling despite the fact that my face is practically aching right now.

"I'm alright Torrence. Thank you."

"Angel is your location on?" Nas suddenly asks me. I glanced at my phone for a quick second in confusion before looking at him again. I responded with a low 'yes'. Lucien gasped while Torrence yells "oh my god!"

Nas quickly reaches over and snatches my phone from my hands and chucks it out of his window. My jaw dropped in astonishment and I reached over to hit him but he stopped me before I could and reminded me of something. "He was probably tracking you."

And that was the last thing that was said for about another 45 minutes to an hour, besides when I was giving Nas brief directions on where to go. The rest of the car ride was spent in a comfortable silence which everyone needed.

But that was soon interrupted as sounds of displeasure could be heard coming from the boys when we pulled up to the place I told Nas we could stay at. Even he dropped his jaw in disbelief. My bottom lip poked out as I thought: I mean, it's bad but it's not terrible.

The complaints continued as the red head pulled into a parking spot. Everyone exited the vehicle one by one. "So, Angel. Is this the place you were talking about?" Asked Chance as he was the last one to get out of he car. Nas pressed a button on his keys to lock the doors. Then we all stood in front of the black jeep, staring at the large run down building in front of us.

"Red roof? What the fuck is that?" Asked Torrence.

"When you said place, I didn't exactly picture a crappy motel dude." Said Sterling.

"Damn, we're really staying here? I'd honestly rather stay at Mr. Donovan's and risk getting caught. That blinking sign alone is enough to let me know this is probably bad news." Lucien remarked.

He wasn't kidding. The motel definitely looked a lot worse than I remembered. The sign really was blinking with a few of the letters already dimmed out. It literally read; . It just looked to be in poor condition all together and I won't lie, I think I'm starting to have second thoughts about staying here.

And to add onto it, the parking lot was completely empty aside from Nas' Jeep being the only car there. That didn't make anything any better. But at the same time, we are smack in the middle of nowhere right now so that doesn't seem too suspicious.

"I think I'll just bounce and sleep in the car. Nas open the doors bro." Torrence demanded and pulled on one of the handles. The grumpy boy blinked at him, looking irritable before shaking his head. Torrence rolled his eyes at that. "You're so annoying."

"You weren't saying that when you begged me to come along. Now come on. We need to stay together, that is the better option. We can't afford to be separated right now." Nas stared, beginning to walk ahead of us and toward the entrance of the motel. "Plus," he said, "we all have to suffer together." A rare smirk was thrown over his shoulder.

When we walked in, what my eyes were met with was exactly what I was expecting judging from the outside. The interior of the building was just as bad as the flip side.

The red carpet we walked on was tacky and brittle. It looked as if it'd definitely lost most of its color over the years. Many, many stains. Small and large speckles of dust were scattered across the floor.

Even the walls were terrible. The paint was chipping and the designs that are on it looked like it used to be appealing but now it just looks distasteful. The cracks and dents in the art really took away from it.

There was no furniture in the check in area. Only a plain wooden, broken down desk with a red bell placed at the top right corner of it. Everything was already weird enough. But it seems as if the nastiness of this motel wasn't all. There wasn't even anyone present at the front desk. And Nas looked over it.

He moved me to the side and stepped up, tapping the bell multiple times. Lucien shot him a dirty look that he wasn't paying attention to, and put both his hands over his ears in attempts to block out the obnoxious sound of the chiming bell.

This continued on for about another minute or so until a man was spotted walking in from what looked like was a hallway to our right, looking very unbothered. If I'm being honest the man didn't even look like he belonged here. He was very tall, and super charming, actually. His skin was a beautiful caramel color, and was littered with so many different tattoos. He had a nicely trimmed beard encompassing his thick pink lips (that he obviously took good care of) to compliment his handsome face.

I couldn't see what hairstyle he had because his head was covered with a blue New York snapback. But I did see a few braids hanging loosely. He had on a plain white t shirt with a silver chain, some regular black jeans and some kind of Jordan's. I'm not an expert on Jordan's so I will not try to figure out which ones they are. There's too many of them.

I noticed that as he approached the desk that he was holding a bag of sour skittles in his hand. Occasionally he popped one in his mouth as he got closer. When he stood behind the register, he tilted his head to the side and studied each and every one of us one by one. Analyzing us.

"What y'all want?" His deep voice spoke into the silent and slightly awkward atmosphere. He's definitely not from around here. A sly half smirk made its way onto his beautiful features. Another skittle was dug out of the bag and tossed in his mouth.

Nas raised a brow, looking unimpressed with the mysterious man. "We need a room." Was all he said. He wanted to keep it short and sweet.

The man mimicked Nas' facial expression. "The fuck? You ain't come here to bu-? never mind." He stopped himself. "One for the 6 of y'all? That's not even enough room." His eyes traveled down the line of our bodies again.

"Just get me a fucking room dude. Don't be a dick." Nas jeered. The stranger stilled for a moment, before looking behind him on both sides then proceeded to look at each of us again. The guys and I just exchanged confused looks.

"You not talking to me." He said nonchalantly, taking out a couple more pieces of candy only to shove it in his mouth. Nas was getting angry quickly. I could tell simply by the redness on his neck beginning to travel up to his face. I know I have to step in and say something before Nas ended up trampling a stranger.

I took his hand in mine and slowly ushered him away from the attractive man. I guided him so that he was standing behind me, and instead I was facing the odd worker. I squeezed Nas' hand gently with mine, silently telling him to calm down. The heavy breathing on the back of my head was not going to make me feel any better.

"Sir how much for one room, for one night?" In asked him politely. He tore his gaze from Nas and looked down at me. Then, he smiled, flashing his pearly whites.

"A boy with mannas. I like that."

"Will you just give us the goddamn room?!" Shouted Lucien from the side of me. The man lifted his hands in surrender before eating a green skittle.

"Fine, damn. Chill the fuck out. That'll be 60." I said nothing as I immediately used my free hand to dig in my pocket and take out my wallet. But Nas gently tapped my hand with one of his fingers, making me look up. He had already handed the money to the man who was putting it in the beat up register. I mouthed to him 'thank you'

After putting away the money, the stranger then pulls out a key from the inside of the desk and handed it to me with his pointer finger and thumb, smiling brightly. "Enjoy y'all stay." He dropped the key in my hand. "Name's T if you need anything." He winked curtly at me before walking away.

"What in the entire fuck?" Questioned Torrence as he watched the weird man's retreating figure as he disappeared. Even after hearing what Torrence said he hadn't glanced back once. He really didn't care.

"Let's go."

We all headed away from the check in area and strode down the hallway. We checked doors continuously until we ended up in front of the room we'd be staying in for the night. I unlocked it and each of them piled into the room one by one.

It was a simple setup. Not like I was expecting much anyways, but it was plain. It had two queen sized beds, a regular desk with a spinny chair, a dresser with a small flat screen tv on top of it and that was it. To be honest I wasn't even sure if I wanted to touch anything, it all looked so old and dusty.

Nas plopped himself down on one of the mattresses along with Chance and Sterling. Lucien and Torrence got in the other one while I on the other hand was comfortable with sitting in the chair. I don't trust those beds.

"So..." Sterling started. "Whats after this?" He asked, laying down with his hands crossed behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling with an unreadable expression. Lucien yawned and got up under the covers along with Torrence.

"I don't know, but we can worry about that tomorrow. Right now I want to get some sleep and you guys should too. We can talk in the morning about our next move." He said before switching off the lamp on his side of the bed and got comfortable. The rest of them made sounds or agreement before doing the same.