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Chapter 24

We set out at night this time, fully decked in our disguises and making sure to keep our heads down or at least hidden from the strategically placed street cams. The air was cold but it was the atmosphere that was the killer. Nate broke the news to us earlier that Eddie was dying, by now probably already dead and even as the hours swept by, I still couldn't fully grasp it.

Eddie; the only one who'd ever given a damn about me when I first joined the crew, the man who had been kind enough to talk to me when the rest of the crew hadn't seen a reason to. One of only a few guys in that place who I could actually call a friend. It was hard to swallow and I sat wishing Nate had heard wrong, Eddie couldn't die, he was the sweetest, kindest man you could ever meet, he didn't deserve to have his life cut short.

I could see him in my head with his ever present welcome smile, his corny jokes and that look he'd get every time he talked about the things we couldn't have in prison; like those double cheese burgers and his favorite chocolate milkshake. I smiled at that. I would miss him.

Nathan seemed much the same as always, but it was John who was unusually quiet; even for John. After expressing his obvious shock at the news he hadn't said one word and Kyle as expected, was doing his best to comfort the man, though I wasn't exactly sure he was getting through to him.

For a while I had watched him as he leaned forward, his hand resting of John's shoulder as he leaned in the talk to him. I didn't have a chance of hearing what was being said over the sound of the wind skating across the windows but occasionally John would nod and all the while Kyle continued to speak.

Nate on the other hand looked completely unruffled, but then Nate was always pretty strong, someone to lean on in times of trouble. It was the reason he made such a good leader.

"What happens when we get to the cabin?" I asked to dispel the silence.

"We lay low for a few days, figure out our next plan of action." He glanced into the rearview mirror and took a sharp right turn.

"Do we really want to waste a few days doing nothing? The sooner we get on the case the better right?" It felt like action got you where you needed to go. I never did like to sit and plan.

"We don't have much of a choice. We plan this out to a tee or we get caught."

I nodded and sat back. He and John seemed to know what they were doing. I'd just have to follow and hope they were making the right choices.

................................

Two left turns, a short grocery stop, one bumpy drive way and an hour and a half later we were transferring our things from the car, into the massive structure in the middle of nowhere. When Nate had said we'd be going to a cabin I'd pictured a small wooden building, with a cute little fireplace, no TV and one small bedroom.

This edifice before us didn't belong in the mountains. It looked like it had been stolen from the suburbs; white stone walls, fully equipped kitchen, three bedrooms, a bathroom and a television set that must have cost a fortune. All the cupboards were stocked with canned food and the fridge was almost packed with beer. I helped Kyle load the fresh foods in, my eyes never straying from the opulent decorations.

I didn't bother asking Nate how he came by a place like this because something told me his answer wouldn't exactly satisfy my curiosity.

"It's kinda cute huh? My dad's cabins don't look anything like this. It's cool how they kept it simple." Kyle looked around the place, running his hand along the wooden surface of the counter top.

Cute? Simple? "This place is bigger than my own house!"

Only rich people could talk like he did. I shook my head and dropped another loaf of bread into the bread basket in the center of the table.

When I turned back to face him he was leaning against the counter lost in thought.

"You alright Kyle?"

He looked up, shook his head then he offered me a small smile and nodded. "Yeah I was just thinking about my dad. I bet he's pissed after everything he did to help me."

I hadn't even allowed myself to think about that. I wondered how Jerry was doing, if he was worried or disappointed. I wondered if Nate would say it's okay to give him a quick call to let him know I was alright but I knew the answer to that already.

"I wish I could talk to him, just to explain what happened."

I threw him a box of milk and he caught it just before it hit the floor.

"We'll get to talk to everyone we want to talk to once this is over." I assured him.

He shrugged and deposited the carton into the fridge.

"I don't have a case to solve remember? I'm screwed either way." It was the first time I'd seen him even remotely upset about the situation we were in and a wave of guilt washed over me as I watched him exit the room, leaving me to the task of unpacking everything else.

"You didn't force any of us to come after you. He'll be fine." Nate offered when he entered the room and I watched him deposit our knapsacks onto the floor before I spoke.

"What about you? Will you be fine?"

He paused, looking at me in confusion. "Wha'd you mean?"

"I'm talking about Eddie... John's trying to act like it doesn't bother him but we all know he's hurting, how are you feeling?"

He shook his head. "Eddie was like a brother to him." his expression was stoic as he reached into the fruit bowl and extracted an apple.

"Same as he was to you" I moved closer, "It's not a bad thing to show your grief you know. You lost someone really close to you. We all lost a friend. It's okay to mourn."

He took a bite of his apple and distanced himself from me by moving around the counter.

"Eddie knew what he was getting himself into. He knew the stakes." He said simply and I frowned.

"What are you talking about Nate? No one expects to be killed when they get thrown in prison. Don't be callous."

That seemed to give him a pause. He looked as though I'd caught him off guard then a moment later he masked his expression and cleared his throat.

"He knew what he was doing when he broke the law...it's what got him there in the first place."

"Yeah and so did you and John and Kyle but that doesn't mean any of you deserve to die, least of all Eddie. Whatever he did to get himself in trouble doesn't matter. He was the nicest guy I've ever met." I swallowed against the lump which had formed in my throat "He didn't deserve to die. Not him."

The words came out in a whisper but I knew he heard them and instead of replying he dumped his half eaten apple into the nearby trash and left me standing in the kitchen alone.

I sighed. Seemed like I'd succeeded in upsetting two people already in the space of ten minutes.

...............................

It turned out that the television was only good for watching DVD's so without really reading the titles on the stack by the small bookshelf I slipped one into the player and lowered myself into the couch right in front of it. I didn't have much appetite for a movie but anything to drown out the silence of the room was welcome.

As I sat there I allowed my mind to wonder and in doing so I thought of Jerry, of Eddie's family and of how Kyle was going to get out of the mess he was in. Then I thought of the cabin and how Nate and John were getting access to all these things. It led to the thought that maybe whatever they were arrested for was something big, like maybe drugs or larceny or worse.

The first person they'd asked for help had been Ringo, who was clearly involved in the drug trade but even that didn't seem right. I couldn't imagine either of them doing that. It was hard to even imagine them as criminals but then you could never judge a book by its cover.

I released a sigh and slumped lower in my chair. There really was no point in thinking about all that, whatever they did was in the past and Jerry always said you should always focus on the present because that's the only thing that could alter your future. It was just too bad that things were easier said than done.

I heard the scraping of a chair across the floor and craned my neck to see John getting up from the dining table to plant himself directly in front of the kitchen window. He seemed lost in thought and I decided I might as well go have my little talk with him too but the moment I stood Kyle passed by me and I grabbed hold of his arm.

He looked back at me in surprise and I released him.

"I know this is hard for you, I just want you to know I'm sorry I dragged you into this and I'll do everything I can to make sure it works out for you. We all will."

He shrugged.

"It's alright, I was just feeling sorry for myself earlier, I know it's gonna work out. Don't worry about it."

I nodded.

"How's John holding up?"

"I don't know, you can never really tell with him." he looked over to where the big guy stood and shook his head. "I've just gotta be there for him, maybe he'll talk to me about it eventually."

"Yeah." I wasn't too sure of that but who was I to shake his optimism.

"I'm gonna go get some sleep." He announced then and made to move away.

"Kyle." I called and he turned to face me.

"What if he doesn't want to be comforted, what if he doesn't want your help, what then?"

"Then I'll push and push until he has no choice but to accept it."

Yeah things were always easier said than done.

I made my way over to where John stood, not really sure why I even wanted to risk him telling me to shove off, but wanting to offer him something. He'd helped me out this far it was only right that I at least tried to be there for him.

"What're you thinking about?" I offered in my most cheery tone and he glanced my way briefly before turning his attention back to the window.

"The escape. You don't just blow a hole in a prison wall and run away, it's never that simple." He began. "It must have taken them months, maybe even years to plan the prison break. There were only a few guards in the cafeteria that day. I never thought about it then but there were usually more."

I pondered his words.

"Then they blew up the wall, escaped and not one guard followed us. Something just doesn't make sense. How could it have been that easy? We had a clear path from the prison straight to the woods and you're telling me not one guard came after us?" it really seemed to be bothering him and I didn't really know what to offer.

This seemed like a conversation he should be having with Nate; something they could sift through and come up with solutions, but the only thing that mattered to me was that we'd escaped. I didn't care how easy it had been or how long they'd been planning it. Though if I could choose; freedom or Eddie's life, my friend would still be alive today.

"I don't know, I'm just glad we're not trapped in that place anymore and I'm glad you came after Kyle...that means everything to him." I offered with a warm smile and he grunted in response.

"He's in love with you you know."

He stiffened but didn't turn to face me. His next words wiped the smiled completely from my face.

"Love doesn't mean shit when you're on the run."

I thought of how sad it was that someone could actually think like that and I felt bad for Kyle.

We sure knew how to pick em.

.............................................

It was much later that night when I was sure everyone was asleep that I left Kyle snoozing on the bed beside me and went to grab a snack from the kitchen. I don't know what made me look out the window as I passed. Maybe it was the rustling of the trees outside or just the ability to look out a window simply because I could, but when I did, it was to the shocking sight of Nathan standing among the trees not far from the house.

From the weak porch light I could just make out his frame. He stood with his back to the house and hands at his sides as he seemed to survey the forestry. His shoulders were drooped which gave me the first clue that something was wrong. He looked so frail standing there with nothing but the wind and the trees for company and I ached to go to him.

Instead I stood watching him, wondering what he would do and what he was thinking about, when he looked to the side for a fraction of a second and my heart constricted. It was just a brief moment but what I saw had me pulling the porch door open and stepping out into the cold air. His face, shrouded in darkness and only illuminated for such a short time, yet I had managed to catch a glimpse of the anguish there. It was such pure, uncensored grief that I wondered how he could even take a breath.

"Nate." I called softly, my voice carrying in the wind. I saw the muscles of his back bunch as he tensed at the sound of my voice and I watched as his fists clenched but he remained in that position.

"Go back inside." His voice was firm but it sounded different to me, almost like it was heavy with pain or discomfort and I took another step toward him.

"Nate I-"

"I said get back inside Riley." There it was again, that barely concealed pain settling just under the surface, altering the smoothness of is voice just so.

I took a few more steps, refusing to be bullied into retreat. "Just tell me what's-"

He spun to face me then, his face alive with anger, "For fuck's sake, what's wrong with you!" he roared and for a second I froze unsure, but no; there it was, hardly masked by his anger; the pain, the anguish was there, in his eyes, etched deep in his expression and with a heavy heart I closed the distance between us, wrapping my arms tightly around his torso and clutching as if for dear life. He tensed and his hands dropped to my shoulders as he made to push me away.

"It's okay Nate, he was your friend. It's okay to let it out. Just this once." I shouted the words against his chest, tightening my hold offering him my comfort even if he didn't want it.

"It's okay, we all loved him. We'll all miss him." I said the words over and over again until the hands on my shoulder tightened and with a vicious curse Nate was sinking to the ground, too sapped of strength to hold himself up. Hurting too much to endure it any longer.

I knelt in the grass with him and when the torrent burst forth I still held him, offering my support, comforting him as much as I could. His head dropped to my shoulder and his hands slid to my forearms where he held on tight, his nails biting into my flesh.

"Goddamnit Eddie." He cursed brokenly and not long after that I felt the wetness of his tears seep through my shirt and his shoulders began to shake. For the first time since I'd known him I watched as Nate fell apart in my arms, weeping soundlessly as if his world had just shattered and he had nothing left.

It took a man with heart to have held in so much pain and I was fine being his strength just this once. Sometimes a man just had to let go and be human and so as the minutes ticked by and he bared his soul for a man he had considered a brother, I held him and told him it was okay.

AUTHOR'S NOTES

VERY SHORT AND UNEVENTFUL CHAPTER BUT THERE YOU HAVE IT.

THANKS FOR READING AND REMEMBER I UPLOAD EVERY SUNDAY NIGHT!

-DoUbLe.A

-unedited.