Don't Stand By Me (COMPLETE) - Chapter 32: Chapter 32

VIOLET
August 6th: 11:19
"It is hardly the time for this right now." Dixon said, his voice muffled by the pile of clothes in his arms.
"If my father is hunting for me, this is the exact kind of place he will look." Pearl turned her nose up, then glanced around, "But we need to be careful. Just tell daddy that you're my new friends I found in Malibu. He won't suspect a thing."
Her phone buzzed and she cheerily tapped back a reply as Dixon's arms wavered under the weight of all the clothes. I rolled my eyes, taking the top half of the pile away from him, finally revealing his strained face.
"Thanks." He grunted, readjusting the weight of the pile in his arms.
"You know, you guys should maybe buy something too." Pearl suggested, "No offence, you look a bit grimey."
"I'm fine. I showered in that horrible fucking hotel you set us up in last night." I snarked, "Can you pick what you want so we can drop this shit already?"
"Hey." Pearl pouted, "What's with the attitude?"
"I'm sorry but I'm stressed. I'm worried about everyone else. I wish we could call them."
"Me too." Dixon sighed.
Pearl gnawed on her lower lip, then nodded, "I know. Me too. Look, I'll go to the checkout, why don't you guys pick something out and we can go get lunch, on me."
"Thanks, Pearl." I smiled at her gratefully, watching as she summoned a sales assistant to grab the clothes from us both.
I was delighted to be able to pick out a dress, as I had stupidly only brought jeans before we left the RV. Arguably, very cute Escada jeans that had flowers embroidered on the back, but they weren't the best for potential escape routes. I picked out a knee length flowy dress and a pair of comfy looking trainers to accompany it. Dixon seemed to have a similar idea as he grabbed a pair of loose fitting shorts and tshirt. We threw our stuff up onto the till next to Pearl's and watched her swipe her card. I missed shopping. New York was the perfect place for me and my Saturday morning shopping trips. I had managed to drag Kiara a grand total of three times while Elvis was a lot easier to convince. He loved window shopping but I would always sneakily buy things he liked and give them to him after. I couldn't wait to do that again.
We exited the boutique into the midday sun, sliding sunglasses onto our faces. There was a small restaurant a few doors down and we decided to stay there, lounging in the comfortable outdoor seating. Once we had ordered, Pearl began rambling about her father.
"He's really just a big old teddy bear." She beamed, "He loves me more than anything. I'm excited for you to get to meet him!"
"Sounds like a treat." I muttered, rolling my eyes at her 'teddy bear' of a father that shot people in the head like he was trying to beat a high score.
In the days of Richard Price's trial, Marcus Montgomery had been his right hand man. He had testified for him, and praised him to high heavens. And disappeared as soon as Richard was found guilty. My father hated the man, almost as much as Richard - their names were banned in our house from the moment the trial ended. Until Richard escaped prison and was slapped across every paper in the country. It was always assumed he and Marcus were hiding together. Now, with Pearl, I realised it was likely very true.
"You can hardly be so judgy."
"I'm not judgy. Just...you realise he's a mob boss, right?"
"Nobody's perfect." She shrugged.
"I forget that this is just everyday life for you." Dixon noted, smiling at the waitress who delivered our drinks, "This is nothing to you."
"I guess. That's all I know really. I've seen people die. You get desensitised."
I decided to zone out at this point, glancing at my phone frequently, waiting for the text from Fitz.
August 5th, 11:42 - Fitz: So am I getting my explanation for your mysterious behaviour today?
August 5th, 11:42 - Violet: Yes. I promise. Just not sure what time yet.
August 5th, 11:43 - Fitz: I don't mind waiting. Hope u know how special you are, I don't hang around Albuquerque for just anyone
August 5th, 11:45 - Violet: I would hope not ;)
I had contacted Fitz late last night in hopes that I could text him and give him a proper explanation. Imagine my surprise when it turned out he was still super close by. It definitely raised my suspicions that he was after us, but I figured that today would have been the best way to figure out if I was who he was after, or if it was all a coincidence.
"Are you texting that FBI agent again?" Pearl broke through my reverie sharply, glaring at me across the table.
"Yes." I continued before she could begin shouting at me, "I have a plan. I promise. A fail safe in case things go to shit."
"Are you going to tell us?"
"Not yet. Just in case. Just trust me."
Pearl raised her eyebrows, but didn't comment. Our food arrived shortly after but I couldn't manage more than a few bites, my stomach in knots as I tried to imagine what the rest of the day would bring, only able to draw a blank. I went over dozens of scenarios in my head, but nothing felt like it would actually happen.
"You know there's a funfair like three blocks away." Dixon noted between bites, "Might not be a bad place to hide out."
"We aren't hiding." Pearl insisted, ignoring the look Dixon and I shared, "Daddy will come to help us. We're just staying here so he doesn't think to go after Kiara and Brent, is all. He would never hurt me or my friends."
"But he'd kill Kiara and Brent." Dixon said.
"Well they are carrying his daughter's boyfriend's corpse so..."
"What do you think he would have done if we had all stuck together?" I asked, "Genuinely?"
Pearl gnawed on her lower lip, face contorted, "I don't know...I feel like he would have just taken me away and left the rest of you with Richard. I don't think he would have killed you, because you're my friends, but I can't say the same for Richard. It made more sense to lure him somewhere else."
"And where does Richard think Charles is?"
"I texted Jeffrey that we had a massive fight in Little Rock and he left me there. So hopefully Richard is running around Arkansas like an idiot."
"Do you think he's there?" Dixon asked.
"I really do!" Pearl smiled, "I have a really good feeling about this. My father will bring the three of us back to New York. When we're back, I'll sort getting the rest of them home. It is pretty foolproof."
"What about Charles being missing?"
"Simple, the FBI got him. Give your agent boy his phone, let him take credit for it. Everyone lives, end of story."
"This seems a little...fragile." I said.
"Well, if you have a better idea I would love to hear it!" Pearl snapped, spearing her salad angrily.
"I'm sorry, I'm not trying to undermine you, I'm just scared. Those are my people in there, Dixon's sister! Your...Brent. I can't help but wonder what if something goes wrong?"
"We can't think like that." Pearl said simply, "If we don't remain optimistic, then what's the point?"
"I agree with you, I just..." I sighed, "I don't want anything to happen to them. Especially when we got the safest job of them all."
"I get that, but - Oh, daddy's here!" Pearl squealed, throwing a fifty dollar bill on the table.
I glanced down, adding another fifty and rolling my eyes. I watched as Pearl dashed down the street and into her father's waiting arms. Dixon and I walked onto the street but didn't approach them, gauging her father's reaction. He wasn't like what I had expected. I figured he was a fat middle aged man in a pinstripe suit and a cigar between his lips. Instead, he was young and handsome, dressed casually with a pair of sunglasses and a hat to cover his face. He was one of the FBI's Most Wanted, so it made sense to be discreet. But Pearl was anything but.
"I missed you, daddy!"
"I missed you too sweetheart. But why on earth did you take off and just disappear? You know there is a bounty out on us!" Her father spoke abruptly, leading them down a small alleyway.
Dixon and I moved to the entrance of the alleyway, peeking around the corner. Thankfully, Marcus' back was to us.
"Well...there's a bounty on you."
"Do not talk back to me, young lady. What is going on with you?"
"I followed Charles out here. Did you not hear from Jeffrey? We had a fight in Little Rock and he ditched-"
"Right. Where's your friends?"
"My friends? How did you know..." Pearl glanced around her, not spotting us in the awning of the restaurant, only a few feet away but hidden by the shade.
"Pearl...sweetheart. Don't do something you will regret. Those...brats, have to pay for what they've done."
"They are my friends. They didn't do anything wrong!"
"Really? They killed your boyfriend, did you know that? Of course you did. You ungrateful brat, you were meant to marry that boy!"
"Daddy...why are you speaking to me like that? Marry him? He didn't love me...why would I-"
"Love? Who cares about love? Do you have any idea how powerful we would be if you married Richard Price's son?"
"Daddy...he was a monster. He killed for fun, he tried to kill them first-"
"If you think that Charles is the only person like that, you're stupider than I thought. This is our business, our legacy. I would have been proud to pass it down to him someday."
"But not me." Pearl scoffed, "You are not the man I thought you were."
"I do what needs to be done so you can live your lavish lifestyle." Her father snapped, "You have never had to want for anything your entire life, you should be grateful, not scampering off with the people that killed your boyfriend."
"I'm glad they did!" Pearl screamed, attracting the attention of passersby on the other end of the alleyway, "Them killing Charles is the best thing that's ever happened to me! I want nothing to do with you...any of you anymore!"
"That is enough. I have played your game for long enough." He grabbed her arm roughly, tugging her close to his side.
I noticed a slight bulge in his jacket pocket, poking tightly into her side.
"Oh my god!" I whispered, "He has a gun!"
"We'll see if your so-called friends care now, won't we dear?"
"You're a monster." Pearl gritted her teeth, "You are not my father."
"Dixon...what do we do?" I bit my lip.
"We...we have to save her."
"How? He has a gun?"
"Element of surprise, I guess?"
"Fuck, this is bad." I closed my eyes, exhaling and weighing our options.
We could either abandon this girl in the hands of her father, who wouldn't actually kill her. Or put our own lives at risk to save a girl we knew for two days. A girl who was kind, generous and funny, who just wanted to be part of a team. A girl who just wanted people to care about her for something other than her money. But our Marcus would certainly kill us without batting an eyelid. But Pearl...
"Fuck it, let's go. Make a scene. Someone will call the cops. It'll spook him."
Dixon nodded, paling slightly.
"Hey! Montgomery!" I yelled, stepping into the alley, "You old fuck!"
"How eloquent- Oh my goodness, you're that Hastings girl." He smirked, glancing at me over the edge of his sunglasses, "I knew your father very well back in the day."
"You mean when he sent your bestie to prison? Let her go."
"Why would I do that when I have the upper hand? I have you all trapped here, while your little friends are led to their deaths."
"W-what?" Pearl gasped, wriggling in her father's grasp, "What have you done?"
"I learned a long time ago to bug your phone. We heard every little detail of your stupid plan."
"Fuck...I am so sorry guys." Pearl's head dropped, "I'm an idiot."
"So what? You're just going to kill us?" Dixon asked, clearly trying to sound authoritative but it came out shakily.
"In broad daylight? In an alleyway?" Marcus said dryly, "No. I'm not an idiot. Jeffrey's gone to collect your friends with the RV while Marcus is gone after the pair with his son's body. It only seems right to take a page out of your book, and throw you right off the Canyon."
"No!" Pearl screamed, thrashing in his grip, "Don't you dare hurt them! I'll kill you! I'll fucking kill you!"
"Pearl!" Marcus gasped, trying to keep ahold of Pearl with one hand and failing.
Pearl continued to scream and thrash, eventually somehow managing to knock Marcus to the ground. I bounded forward, reaching into his pocket and grabbing the gun. He grabbed my wrist and I frowned, stamping on his wrist and smirking as he let out a howl. I tossed the gun to Dixon who caught it with about as much finesse as I expected and I grabbed Pearl's arm, dragging her out of the alleyway.
"You saved me." Pearl breathed.
"Yeah, we can focus on that later, right now we need to run."
"You could have left me." Pearl stated as the three of us bounded down the street, "You could have escaped everything and you didn't."
"We weren't just going to leave you there." Dixon wheezed, "You're one of us, right? We're a family."
"Yeah," Pearl sniffled, stumbling slightly, "A family."
"Where do we go?" I glanced behind me, thankfully not seeing Marcus bounding behind us.
"The fair." Dixon exclaimed, "It's the perfect place to hide. And crowded enough so he can't cause a scene."
"Then we go."
We bounded down the bustling streets, frequently bumping into passersby and apologising profusely. Dixon had thankfully shoved the gun into the waistband of his shorts so he was no longer waving it around like a madman. The sound of the funfair hit us before we could even see it, showing us we were on the right track.
"Dixon...give Pearl the gun." I said urgently.
"What?" They both exclaimed.
"Just do it!" I snapped, continuing to weave the busy streets, willing myself to spot the stupid funfair. Then a thought hit me, "Guys...Fitz is in the city. I could call him...he could help us." I panted as we finally saw the funfair in the distance.
"Could he get backup out here?" Dixon asked, handing the gun to Pearl who tucked it into the waistband of her shorts, covering it with her shirt.
"Definitely. He said he was in the area for work. Which I'm hoping is less about us and more about tracking down who killed their informant back in the RV park."
"Call him. Dear God, call him please." Pearl wheezed, slowing slightly.
We stopped running once we reached the ticketbooth, smiling fakely at the disinterested teenager running it and handing him a twenty dollar bill. He passed over three tickets and a handful of quarters, pointing us in the direction of the fair as if it wasn't directly in front of us. I moved to grab my phone and paled as I realised.
"My phone is dead."
"Do you know his number?"
I shook my head, eyes welling up with tears. How could I have been so stupid? Now we were trapped here. Our friends could be dead and we were stuck surrounded by screaming children and clowns.
"There you are! You fucking fools!"
"Shit!" Pearl wailed, backing up as her father advanced, eyes blazing, "What do we do?"
"Violet." Dixon eyed me up carefully, "Run."
"What?"
"Run. Borrow a phone. Call the cops or warn Kiara or whatever you think needs to be done right now. Go."
"Are you insane? I'm not going to leave you here with him!"
Three more men advanced behind Marcus, each dressed in suits.
"Violet, you need to run right now." Pearl said quietly, "You are our only hope."
I fought the urge to cry as I looked at them, both stoic. They nodded at me eagerly.
"I can't leave you guys here."
"If you don't, we're all screwed. Try and get help, we'll hold them off for as long as we can."
"Don't you dare die." I pointed at them, "I mean it."
"We'll see you soon, Vi." Pearl smiled, but it looked sad.
"Hello? You can't just ignore me!" Marcus snapped.
"Go!"
I turned and bolted, ignoring the shouts behind me. I didn't turn around, I didn't glance back. I bounded forward, praying no one was behind me. I ducked into various exhibits, house of mirrors, haunted house, anything I could do to stop the trail on me. I kept running, vision blurred by tears when I literally smacked directly into someone.
"I am so sorry! Please, I'm-"
"Violet?"
I glanced up from where I had landed on my ass to see Fitz standing over me, a deeply concerned look on his face.
"Fitz!" I sobbed, jumping to my feet and leaping into his arms, "Thank God!"
The relief that flooded my body as his arms wrapped around me tightly was unparalleled. A rush of warmth spread through me.
"Woah, woah, what on earth is going on?"
"We have to keep moving...they're coming-"
"Who's coming-what?"
I grabbed his arm to tug him along but he was steadfast, grabbing my wrist with his free hand and fixed me with a steely look.
"I'm not going anywhere until you explain."
"Marcus fucking Montgomery is currently chasing me so can we just go anywhere else and I'll tell you everything?"
Fitz froze, "Montgomery is chasing you?"
I stared up at him with wide eyes, "Yes."
He exhaled deeply, pinching the bridge of his nose, "You're part of the group that killed Charles." It wasn't a question.
"So you have been chasing me!" I gasped.
"No, well yes, but not you. I had no clue that you were even involved. We've been tracking the Price's and the Montgomery's for years. When news broke that Charles was murdered and Richard was tracking down the killers, we knew this was our one chance to get him."
"Can we please continue this conversation anywhere else?" I begged, "I really need your help here, he's got my friends."
"Okay." He sighed, "We are going to go sit in my car, you are going to tell me every last detail of the last week and then we are going to go save your friends. Alright?"
"But...he's got them now and-"
"I need time to call backup, Vi."
I deflated, "Okay."
"Great." He glanced at me awkwardly, before sighing and reaching down to grab my hand, holding it tightly in his as he led me off of the fairground.
"I don't want to stay in your car. I need to go somewhere." I said quietly.
Fitz grunted but made no other acknowledgement of my statement.
I glanced over my shoulder to see Pearl and Dixon being led by the four men into a slick black limousine. Pearl's gaze swept over the fairground until she saw me. She gave me a small smile, right before her head was forced into the limousine, the door slamming behind them.