Don't Stand By Me (COMPLETE) - Chapter 31: Chapter 31

Elvis
August 6th: 11:58
I awoke peacefully, without an outside disturbance, for the first time in days. Violet wasn't shrieking, the RV wasn't being rammed. The sunlight seeping through the blinds hit my face, gently stirring me from sleep. I stretched my aching limbs, stiff from being squished into the bunk bed. Dixon grunted at my side, shifting in his sleep, his arms ending up wrapped around my waist as his face snuggled into my neck. I smiled at the feeling, pulling him flush to my side and nuzzling my face into the top of his head.
"Morning." He muttered, kissing my cheek gently, eyes still closed.
"Morning." I smiled.
"I don't want to leave you."
My heart twinged, "I don't either. But we have to. You are quite the distraction, Mr Deluca."
"Hmm...true, you'd probably crash the RV staring at me."
"Exactly."
"Ugh, I need a shower."
"Me too."
"Should we...?"
"Let's go, quick before everyone else gets up." I snorted as he bolted upright, dashing towards the bathroom.
I watched him walk away with a sad smile on my face, trying to ignore the sinking feeling in my stomach. Shaking the thoughts away, I got up, stretching once more and quickly following him into the bathroom.
By the time we got out and dressed, everyone was milling around the RV silently going through the motions. Dixon moved to the kitchenette, making a few batches of pancakes to tide everyone over. We ate in silence, shifting glances around at each other. No one seemed eager to break the silence that had settled over us like a damp cloth, heavy and uncomfortable. Once the dishes were clean we sat on the couch, squished together as Brent announced we were about fifteen minutes away. No one responded to him, deciding to relish in the silence a few minutes longer, until Dixon finally decided to break it.
"I..." Dixon began, his voice cracking, "I know this was never a joke, but it's only starting to feel real now."
"I get that." Kiara chimed in softly, "It never felt actually dangerous, like something bad could actually happen to us."
"And now we could all die or go to jail." Violet said glumly, shrieking as I whacked her with a pillow, "I'm just saying!"
"Well stop saying." I sighed, "We need to go into this with a positive outlook. It will do none of us any good if we're convinced that everyone else is dead the entire time."
Everyone nodded their agreements.
"We're here." Brent announced, cutting the engine and standing, stretching and yawning, "We better get a move on."
We all stood, glancing around at each other.
Brent snorted, "Alright, hugs and kisses people then let's move on."
The next few moments felt like a blur, flashes of someone else's life and not my own.
"Be careful, I'm starting to like you." Pearl smiled, patting my shoulder before moving over to Violet.
"Hey," Kiara stepped to me, glancing up at me with concerned eyes, "Are you in there?"
"Just about."
"Good." She pulled me in tightly, wrapping her arms around my neck, "You better not die."
I clung to her, not able to let go just yet, "I'll haunt you if I do."
"I...you know I am not good with this emotional stuff, El. But...you know how much you mean to me, don't you?"
"Of course I do. You show me constantly."
"Good. Never forget that." She smiled shakily, "I don't want to say goodbye so let's just say...see you soon."
"See you soon, Ki."
She sniffed, giving me a gentle shove to break us apart, smiling at me and turning to Pearl, wiping tears from her eyes.
"We aren't having a big soppy goodbye...because I'm going to see you like, tomorrow." Violet cupped my face in her hands, "Don't do anything I wouldn't do. I love you, El."
"I love you too, V." I smiled, willing the tears to not fall, "I'll see you on the other side."
"Most definitely." She smiled shakily, giving me a kiss on the cheek before releasing me.
I glanced over to see Kiara and Cassie clung together, shoulders shaking. I looked away as my stomach turned at the sight. It felt too intimate to intrude on. My eyes flitted over to Brent and Pearl, heads close together and murmuring quietly as Brent smiled at her wider than I had ever seen.
"Hey there."
"Hey, D." I smiled as best I could.
"Last chance to run away together?" He smiled warmly, putting a hand on my arm and watching me with those wide eyes.
"Grab Pearl's wad of cash and I'm all yours."
He paused for a moment, analysing me carefully, "I'm going to see you again."
"Is that a threat?"
"Absolutely." He leaned in, kissing me fiercely, holding my bicep tightly. I chased his mouth as he pulled away and he pecked me once more, "I'll see you soon, I promise."
I nodded, pressing my lips together tightly. I held his gaze for a few moments, unable to look away as his eyes shone with tears. He squeezed my bicep twice more, giving me that look that I had come to love so dearly, before turning to Cassie.
"Hey, man." Brent clapped me on the shoulder, "Good luck out there."
"You too. Don't get caught."
"I'll do my best." He glanced over my shoulder, "I'll take care of her, I promise."
"Thank you. Just maybe have a second of hesitation before you give her up, okay?"
He grimaced, patting me on the back once more before turning away awkwardly. Once everyone was sufficiently in tears and had shared their kisses and hugs, we moved outside, each of us left with nothing more than a backpack of essentials and some cash. Pearl, of course, had thousands just lying around and was eager to be of help to the team, her days of being handcuffed far behind her. Despite the insane mental stress everyone was going through, she just seemed happy to be part of the team. She even got her phone back, to her utter delight.
"Remember guys." Kiara said, "Don't text each other. Nothing that can incriminate us. Violet has Charles' phone, and her own with the video of him, so hopefully that works in our favour."
Pearl, Dixon and Violet began to walk away as we all watched, waving sadly.
"Wait. Fuck." Brent exclaimed, breaking into a brisk jog towards them as Kiara, Cassie and I watched.
I couldn't help but smile as he reached the three, barely visible in the distance. He appeared to say something, his arms waving wildly but we couldn't hear him from where we stood. Then the small Brent figure pulled what I assumed was the small Pearl figure into his arms and kissed her. The three of us hollered and hooted at them and continued for the next few minutes until Brent returned, red in the face and shaking his head at us.
"Couldn't have any regrets." He smirked in that Brent fashion I had come to grow fond of, "Let's go."
I gave Kiara a sad wave as her and Brent drove off, leaving just myself and Cassie stood outside the RV, unmoving.
"Well, then." Cassie clapped her hands together, "Let's do a driving tour, I guess."
"Mhm." I said, gaze still trained on the trio slowly disappearing out of sight.
"Hey." She tugged my sleeve gently, "He's going to be okay. They all are. They have Pearl, they're probably the safest out of us all."
"And what if we die?"
"Then we leave a sexy corpse." She smirked, eyeing me up.
"Oh, sweetie." I wrapped an arm around her shoulder and guided us back towards the RV, "We are going to get on just fine."
I climbed behind the wheel, beginning a smooth drive forward.
"This is insanely fucked up." I muttered, smacking the wheel, "I cannot believe we all separated."
"I didn't want to let her go." Cassie admitted quietly, "I tried to talk her out of it but..."
"Kiara is stubborn as an ass." I snorted, "You never stood a chance."
"I really like her." She sniffed, "Like...so much. I don't think I got to tell her properly."
"You will. You won't get rid of her that easily."
"You love him, don't you?"
My eyes widened and my grip tightened on the wheel, "Hardly, it's been a week. Not even."
"Hmm..." She hummed, "Very defensive, aren't we?"
"Shut up. You and your brother share that weird sharp wit. I never noticed until you started talking."
"Takes me a while to warm up to people."
"Not to Kiara, clearly." I smirked, "Now who's in love?"
"Fuck right off."
The drive was oddly peaceful, blaring the radio and cracking jokes as we just drove. We made a note to stop at gas stations, anywhere with cameras that would allow someone to easily track us. If anyone caught us, it meant the others would at least be safe from them. The day dragged, with the heat blazing through the windows, but we both managed to squeeze in a quick nap so that was something at least.
"Is it weird that I can feel Charles' presence gone?" Cassie said out of the blue, "It's weird knowing he's not there anymore."
"I'm going to be honest, that thought has not crossed my mind a single time since his trip began."
"Great." She smirked, "So I'm the weirdo."
"Seems like it." I glanced in the rearview mirror, "There's a car that's been behind us for at least ten miles. It was at the gas station too."
"Who do you think it could be?"
"Could be undercover cops. I feel like Price's men would be a lot more aggressive."
"Should we pull over somewhere? Lure them in."
I contemplated it for a moment, weighing up the pros and cons in my head, "No. We need to keep whoever is distracted for as long as possible. Let's see how far their patience goes."
"They're getting very close to us right now.." Cassie moved to the back window, pushing the curtain gently aside and peeking out, "I think their patience may be waning."
"Any idea who it is?"
She was silent for a moment, then groaned loudly, "It's that Jeffrey guy, again."
"Looks like he saw the news. Can you see how many are in the car?"
"Looks like three men." She moved back from the curtain, "I have a feeling they won't believe the RV lie."
Suddenly, I jolted forward, my head smacking off of the steering wheel and briefly setting off the horn.
"I swear to God if he's ramming this RV again I am going to lose my mind."
Bang!
"He's an idiot." Cassie gripped the wall tightly, trying to keep her balance, "What are we gonna do?"
"I have an idea." I pressed down on the accelerator, pushing the RV until it began wheezing slightly.
"Jesus!" Cassie squealed, flying sideways into the couch, "Warn me next time!"
"Alright. Cassie, hold on."
"Wha-ahhh!" She flew again as I whirled the wheel around sharply, flying around a corner, "Damn it, Elvis! You're gonna give me a concussion."
"One more time!" I said, staring out the rearview mirror intently, noticing how the car was practically touching the RV, "Hold on as tight as you can to something, Cassie."
Cassie clung to the bunk bed, curling herself up tightly. Once seeing that she was safe, I took a deep breath, pressing my body far back into the seat and slamming my foot down on the break. Cassie screamed and I let out a yell as my body lurched forward, head smacking sharply off of the steering wheel much harder than the last time. The loud crunching of metal brought me back to reality as the RV stopped moving. A heavy breeze gusted in as a large chunk of the back of the RV disappeared.
I attempted to stand but swayed, hand gripping the headrest as my head spun. I was nauseous and felt like a tap on the back would send me projectile vomiting.
"C-Cassiiiiee?"
"I'm okay!" Her voice swirled around in my head, "Are you?"
I stood still for a few moments, willing the nausea to fade. Finally, while not completely gone, it subsided enough for me to fully open my eyes and stand. Cassie had found her way next to me, watching me carefully, "Are you okay?"
"Yeah...yes." I swallowed, "Have they moved?"
"No sounds...maybe their car is destroyed."
"The RV definitely is by the looks of it." I groaned, fishing my phone out of my pocket, "We're only a half hour from the next town. We could walk there, maybe find a payphone and call the others."
"Yeah..." Cassie looked at me warily, "And maybe get you checked out for a concussion, you seem shaky."
"I'm fine!" I insisted, bracing myself, "Grab your stuff and let's go."
Cassie nodded, grabbing her backpack and the cash Pearl had shoved into the glove compartment. We nodded to each other and moved to exit the RV into the blazing midday sun.
"Well, well, well." A gun cocked, the sound echoing throughout the valley.
We spun around to see Jeffrey, bleeding from a cut on his head and limping as he trailed towards us, gun pointed shakily.
"They're dead!" He snapped, "Two perfectly good goons - though stupid enough to not wear a seatbelt - dead! Because of you two idiots."
We stayed silent, standing our ground firmly. I refused to let this pathetic little man shake me. The gun though...that had the potential to shake me. Their car was surprisingly not destroyed, unlike the RV which now had a massive chunk missing from the back. The inhabitants of the car...also seemed to be missing chunks.
"You're all the fucking bane of my existence, you know that right?" Jeffrey growled, growing closer, "We've been tracking you for days. Somehow even in that tin can you are a tough group to find."
"We don't know what you're talking about." Cassie said smugly, folding her arms.
"Oh don't pull that shit on me. We know everything."
"You know nothing."
"I know that your little friends Kiara and Brent are gone off with Charles' corpse. The Grand Canyon, right? Beautiful this time of year."
My eyes widened and that seemed to be confirmation enough.
"You're fucking with one of the most powerful mob families in the country, hell, the world. You really don't think that Marcus doesn't have his daughter's phone tapped? You don't think we haven't heard everything you've said over the last few days?"
My heart splattered on the floor at his words. They knew where we were.
"You two? You're just loose ends. That desperately needs tying. Marcus is after his daughter and as for the other two? Richard is not happy about his son. He's heartbroken, if anything he is absolutely blinded by rage...maybe your friends will be the ones tossed over the Grand Canyon, huh?"
Jeffrey held the gun steady now, pointed directly at my head. I raised my hands.
"Don't make any moves, blondie."
"I'm not even blonde." Cassie frowned, head tilted to the side.
"Well brunette doesn't have the same biting tone, so -"
"That...that really hurts my feelings." She sniffled, eyes filling up with tears.
"What?" Jeffrey and I said, my head whipping around to face her.
"You don't get it! Either of you!" She snapped, "You have no fucking idea how it is to be a woman!"
"I'm so fucking confused." Jeffrey frowned, scratching his temple with the barrel of the gun.
"You and me both." I agreed, watching Cassie carefully.
"Enough of this!" Jeffrey screamed, pointing the gun up and shooting a bullet directly into the sky, startling us.
"Ow!" Cassie screeched, dropping to the ground and howling, "That fucking landed on me! I can't breathe! Mommy! Mommy!"
Jeffrey lowered the gun, tilting his head on her, "How is that even poss-"
I lunged forward, barrelling directly into the other man and toppling us both onto the ground. Jeffrey's grip remained tight on the gun so I shoved his face into the dirt, landing punches to the back of his head fluidly. He grunted into the dirt, wriggling his body around, trying to break free.
"Men are so fucking stupid." Cassie sighed, coming up next to us.
She stepped on Jeffrey's wrist, digging it deep into the ground until he squealed and his grip loosened on the gun. Cassie reached down and scooped it up, holding it out and pointing it at Jeffrey.
"Let him up."
"Are you sure?"
"Just do it."
I watched her warily, but moved off of Jeffrey, taking several steps back to leave some distance between us all.
"Are you okay?" I asked as Jeffrey slowly turned around.
"I'm fine. Took you long enough though, I was signalling at you for ages."
"Well, sorry, your signals are pretty discreet."
"Men." She snorted, staring down at Jeffrey who was looking up at her with wide eyes.
"I think I'm in love with you." He breathed.
"Get in line. Now. You're going to give us some answers. If you don't, you get shot. The more you don't give, the higher I aim."
"You're bluffing."
"Let's find out." Cassie held the gun steady, "What is Marcus going to do?"
"You'll have to kill me first."
"You'll only wish you were dead." She aimed the gun at his foot, "Last chance?"
"Fuck you." He spat.
"Fine." She raised her eyebrows, cocked the gun and immediately pulled the trigger.
Jeffrey's guttural howls echoed loudly, spooking a nearby flock of birds. He bolted upright, grabbing his profusely bleeding foot and rocking back and forth, hissing loudly.
"Oh my god, you shot me!"
"Oh my god, you shot him!" I took a step back from her, wondering where the fuck this girl had come from.
"I said I would, didn't I? Now, would you like to answer or would you like me to hit your knees next?"
I stood in awe, watching Cassie's confident stance and stoney expression as she looked down at Jeffrey who was cowering on the floor.
"Alright, alright!" Jeffrey snapped, "Richard is headed out to the Canyon to find the other two."
"And what does he plan to do?"
"He's the boss, how would I know?"
"Jeffrey, do you really want me to pull this trigger again?"
"There's no bullets left, anyway."
"Oh great then. Might as well press it so-"
"Okay, okay!" Jeffrey hissed, "He's going to take his son's body and then toss the over two off of the Canyon. Happy now?"
"He's going to kill them?" I breathed.
"All of you, technically. Marcus is gone to retrieve his daughter and drag the other two to the Canyon. My job was to get you two but...clearly not. Congratulations. You get to live. Run far away because once Richard finds out...you're done for."
"What are you saying?" Cassie frowned, gun shaking slightly in her tightened grip.
"I'm saying that this is your escape. Your chance to not die. Ditch the losers and run off into the sunset together."
"Fuck you." Cassie spat, "We aren't cowards like you. We don't run away from the people we love. We help them. Those are our people out there and I'll be damned if- Oh, he passed out."
"Yeah about thirty seconds ago." I noted with a smirk.
"Well!" Cassie breathed, going silent for ten seconds and then immediately burst into tears.
"Woah!" I moved to her, gripping her forearms, "What's wrong?"
"Did you see me? That was fucking terrifying!"
"You seemed so...murderous."
"I was acting. Jeez, do you know me at all?" She attempted to wipe her eyes but the tears kept coming.
"Technically not really, but-"
Cassie continued to sob, "I shot him."
I stared down at Jeffrey's limp body, profusely bleeding both from his foot and from a wound on his abdomen likely from the crash. It only took one glance at him to realise he was a complete lost cause.
"Only in his foot. He'll live. Just maybe minus some toes." I lied swiftly.
"Not funny." But she cracked a small smile as she said it, then she frowned, "I killed him, didn't I?"
"I think so. I'm sorry."
"It's okay. Huh. It doesn't feel as bad as I thought it would." She hummed, then promptly burst into tears.
"Hey, hey, it's okay!" I rubbed her back soothingly, "He was going to kill us! You saved us!"
"I know but- he's dead!" She bawled as I stood there awkwardly, rubbing her back and swaying uncomfortably on my feet.
"We should probably get moving." I noted as her sobs eventually died down, looking up at the sky, "It's getting dark out."
Cassie sniffled, wiping her tears away, "We can take their car. It's a bit battered but it'll drive by the looks of it. If we go now and drive through the night...we might reach the Canyon before it's too late."
"They won't be there yet." I noted, "And they can't do anything during the day time. They'll probably hide out in the town until nightfall. Which means we have about twenty four hours to get there and save them."
"How far are we?"
"We're eight hours from the Canyon, but I think we need to go back to Albuquerque and get the others. Marcus knows our plan, it's not safe to be apart anymore. We have time. It'll only take us a few hours in this car."
"Right then." Cassie tucked the gun into her belt and gave me a shaky smile, "Let's do this."
"We need to call them right now. This is fucked." I muttered, feeling in my pockets for my phone.
I groaned as I noticed the smashed screen, likely from how hard my body hit the wheel when we crashed.
"My phone's dead. And I don't know any of their numbers. Do you?"
"No." I groaned, "I'm terrible with phone numbers. Do you know Dixon's?"
"He just changed his number before we left home, I haven't even had a chance to memorise it." She sniffled, "What the fuck do we do?"
"Violet flew me to Albuquerque once." I realised, eyes widening, "There was some kind of tiny Pride festival that she demanded I had to see. Then we went for pancakes in this diner."
"You think she'd go there?"
"I think if she's stranded in a city she barely knows she would go somewhere familiar."
"Okay..." Cassie sniffled again, "Elvis...what if this all goes to shit?"
I snorted, shaking my head and walking towards the car, "It already has."