Don't Stand By Me (COMPLETE) - Chapter 35: Chapter 35

ELVIS
August 6th: 12:23
After staying the night in some horrific motel near the front of town, we rose bright and early to camp out in Kelly's Diner, which had not changed at all in the two years since I had been there. It was a charming town, small and a bit backwards, but welcoming all the same. In the four hours we had been there I managed to drink at least six cups of coffee and two stacks of pancakes. Cassie had been oddly talkative, filling the tense silence with random anecdotes about Dixon which were - while endearing - only adding to my fears for his life. I hated to admit it, but I missed him a lot. I missed just the peaceful energy of him by my side, making random comments quietly into my ear whenever someone did something stupid, which with these people was quite a lot.
It had even been a struggle to get to sleep the night before, in a stiff single bed with Cassie snoring softly nearby. I had grown used to falling asleep with Dixon wrapped around me, muttering in his sleep and leaving sleepy kisses along my collarbone. I had somehow become completely whipped in such a short space of time. But I refused to think negatively about the entire situation, as unlike me as that was. Dixon, with his endless supply of love and optimism, made it difficult for me to remain a pessimist.
"You know he talks about you constantly." Cassie said slyly over the rim of her coffee mug.
"Really? Kiara talks a lot about you herself."
"Interesting." She hummed, attempting to look nonchalant but she really just looked like a deer in headlights.
"You're so whipped." We said at the same time, "Hey!"
We burst into a fit of laughter, Cassie putting her coffee down so her shaky hands wouldn't spill it all over herself.
"How long are we gonna wait here, El?" She said suddenly somberly, "What if she never comes?"
"She will." I said certainly, "Don't you have that like twin telepathy? Can't you just lure him here?"
"Haha." She said dryly, "You're so...Violet!"
"Wha-" I turned my head to see where she was looking to see Violet and Fitz enter the diner, hand in hand.
I leapt out of my seat, ignoring the confused looks being sent my way and bounded across the room, throwing my arms around Violet and holding her tightly. Her arms wrapped around me as she giggled into my ear, gripping me harder than she ever had.
"Thank fuck you're alive!" I breathed, planting a kiss in her hair, "I was so scared you weren't coming."
"And leave you to have all the fun? Please." She laughed, "I can't believe you're here! How did you even end up here?"
"I was hoping you'd come here if you were in town." I pulled away and smiled, holding out a hand to 'Fitz' aka the FBI agent, "Elvis, nice to meet you."
"Fitz, likewise."
I grinned at Violet, "So, where's Dixon?" I bounced on the balls of my feet, glancing over her shoulder in anticipation of him opening the door.
Violet's face fell, "El-"
"No." I shook my head, "No. Do not tell me right now that they have him."
"El..."
A broken sob over my shoulder jolted me to reality, glancing over to see Cassie with a hand clapped over her mouth, shaking her head rapidly.
"You did not lose him!" I took a step back towards Cassie, wrapping an arm around her shoulder comfortingly, "You tell me right now you did not lose my boyfriend to the fucking mob!"
Violet's eyes watered and she bit her lip, shoulders shaking.
"Oh my god!" Cassie turned her head and sobbed into my shoulder, "No! No!"
I felt like sinking to my knees and letting the ground swallow me whole.
"I am so sorry." Violet sobbed.
"How could you leave him?" I whispered, "What the fuck happened?"
"He and Pearl..." Violet sniffled, smiling softly at Fitz as he wrapped an arm around her, "They distracted them so I could run and find Fitz. So he could call for backup."
I shook my head, "Damn him. Too fucking noble for his own good."
"Can we...sit?" Violet said shakily.
I nodded and guided Cassie back to the booth, where she curled into my side wordlessly, watching Violet with teary eyes.
"I didn't want to leave them." Violet said, "But they said I had to go call help."
"You did the right thing." Cassie said quietly.
"What?" The three of us stared at her, to which she shrugged.
"I am devastated and terrified and I wish it didn't have to be him but...if all three of you had been taken, we would all be screwed, Brent and Kiara included. It was the right thing to do."
"He's going to be okay, Cassie." Violet soothed, "I promise we'll get him back." Then she frowned, "Not that I'm not delighted but how did you two end up here?"
"We got attacked by Jeffrey and his men. He told us that Marcus and Richard knew of our plan all along and that they were trying to capture us all and throw us off of the Canyon." I explained.
"Fuck." Violet tilted her head back and groaned, "So what now?"
"They have Dixon and Pearl, which means they're heading to Arizona for Brent and Kiara. If we leave now we should get there before the sun sets. Did you call for backup?" I directed the question at Fitz, who nodded.
"All available units should be closing in on the Canyon by nightfall." Fitz said, playing with Violet's hair absentmindedly, "Richard and his men will be surrounded."
"What?" I said, frowning as I noticed Fitz had a strange look on his face.
"Richard is known for being reckless. He doesn't care about casualties."
"Meaning?"
"He will allow any number of his men to die to get what he wants. And since his son is gone..."
"He's angry enough to kill us, even if it means getting himself killed." Cassie said blankly, holding her now cold mug of coffee, "Great."
"We can still win this." Fitz said, "But we have to be careful. No rash behaviour, he will try to push your buttons. You cannot let him."
We nodded stiffly at his words.
"We should get going." Fitz stood, "If we want to get there on time. Would you be able to contact Kiara?"
"Can I use your phone?" I asked, "I don't know where she is but if I google enough hotel numbers in Grand Canyon village, surely they're staying at one of them."
Fitz unlocked it and handed it to me wordlessly. I held the phone in my hand as we left the cafe and felt...strange. Holding an FBI agent's phone in my hands. It was likely a non-work phone but still. I spent the majority of our car ride calling every single hotel and motel in the village and surrounding area, which was surprisingly dozens. I felt tears of frustration boil up as yet another hotel told me there was no Kiara Rinascita or Brent Williams staying at their establishments.
"Hello?" I said boredly, staring out the window as I called yet another motel.
"Yeah?" A man grunted down the line, causing me to frown and wonder if I had dialled the wrong number.
"Is this Grand Canyon Motel?" I said hesitantly.
"Yep."
"Right...I'm looking to speak to a Kiara Rinascita. Is she staying with you?"
"Nope."
I resisted the urge to snap down the line, taking a deep breath to calm myself, "Is there a Brent Williams?"
"Yep. Him and some grumpy bitch arrived earlier."
"Oh thank fuck." I breathed, "Can I speak to him?"
There was no reply, just a long dial tone that had me nervously chewing on the pad of my thumb.
"Hello?"
My heart dropped out of my chest at that moment.
"Kiara?"
Cassie jolted by my side, grabbing my arm and holding on tightly, shuffling in close to press her ear next to mine. The next few minutes felt like a dream, finally getting to talk to her and hear that she was alive. I felt like nothing could knock me down.
Until Cassie started screaming.
"Kiara! Kiara, what is going on? No! Let her go, you motherfuckers! Kiara!" She wailed.
I grabbed the phone from her, putting it on speakerphone to try and better hear the commotion in the background. Various crashes sounded.
"Let go of her!" Brent roared in the background, "I'll fucking kill y-" He grunted loudly as a loud thump echoed.
Cassie continued to bawl by my side, while Violet was turned around in her seat, watching the events with wide eyes. Fitz' hands were tight on the wheel, occasionally glancing back with the rearview mirror.
"Oh you motherfucker!" Kiara yelled, laughter in her voice, "That's all you got? One kick in the balls and you're floored? Haha-"
Her voice cut off with an oof and a thud as she was likely floored. Nausea swirled through me as I resisted the urge to vomit everywhere. This was horrifying and we could do nothing but listen as they were beaten across the room.
"Fuck you!" Kiara screamed suddenly, her voice growing more distant, "Guys do not come here! Save yours-"
And her voice disappeared.
"Kiara." Cassie whispered brokenly, voice cracking.
"Now that that's been settled." A deep voice spoke down the phone, "Listen to me very carefully. If you bring my son's phone to the Canyon by nightfall, I will spare your little friends. If you don't? They're dead. You have three hours."
And the line went dead.
"So, I'm guessing we aren't listening to Kiara?" Fitz said dryly, turning the radio up slightly.
"Not a fucking chance!" Cassie snapped, then looked sheepish, face still red and blotched with tears, "I mean, obviously you guys don't have to risk your lives-"
"Not a fucking chance." We all said at once, before laughing lightly.
It felt good to laugh, even if it felt a bit strained.
"You have Charles' phone, right?" Fitz asked Violet who nodded, "He cannot get his hands on that. It's evidence that will help put him away."
"But, Kiara-" Violet began to speak but he shook his head.
"He's not getting anything he wants." Fitz snarled, gripping the wheel tightly, "I have been chasing this man for the last four years. I refuse to let this end with anything but him behind bars."
I stayed silent, knowing the same was likely for all of us. There was no way we could escape this unscathed. But I didn't voice it, content to see Fitz as an ally for as long as possible. Because without him, there wasn't a chance in hell we were getting out of this alive. The rest of the drive passed in relative silence, with a few passing comments. I had noticed that Violet was surprisingly smitten with Fitz, giggling at his cheesy jokes and telling him - nonincriminating - stories of our adventures over the last few days.
Anytime Kiara or Dixon's names were mentioned, it felt like the knife in my heart was being slowly twisted. Even Brent was mentioned every now and then and I felt a pang of sadness towards the guy. As annoying as he was, he did try to keep Kiara safe and that is all I could have asked for. At least Pearl would be safe with her father, that was something at least.
Eventually, Fitz pulled his car at the base of the Canyon. We clambered out of the car.
"This is massive." Violet gaped, "How are we supposed to find them?"
"He'll go to one of the restricted areas." Fitz said, walking towards a signpost with a large map, "Somewhere the general public isn't allowed, so no witnesses." He hummed thoughtfully, before pointing on the map, "Here we go. He's marked it..."
"What?" Cassie said, stepping forward, "What's with that tone?"
Fitz turned around and gulped, "He...marked it with blood."
"I'm going to fucking rip his head from his shoulders." Violet said darkly, clenching her fists, "This motherfucker is going down once and for all."
"Can we really take down a mob boss that the FBI has been trying to get for years?" I noted idly, staring up at the stars to calm myself.
"I mean this is the closest we've ever gotten." Fitz said, "We've never been able to schedule a meeting with him or his son..except for our informant but we know how that ended. Also now he has a weakness. Charles."
"His phone." Violet nodded, patting her pocket gently.
"Let's do this." Cassie exhaled loudly, fidgeting with the waistband of her jeans idly in a way that made me narrow my eyes.
"Cassie...tell me you do not have Jeffrey's gun in there."
"I do not have Jeffrey's gun." She said innocently, her eyes sparkling.
"Cassie." I groaned, pinching the bridge of my nose, "If they find you with a gun they'll shoot you."
"I'm not giving it to you unless you physically take it from me." She folded her arms.
Fitz glanced up from his phone where he had been furiously typing, "Where on earth did you get a gun?"
"Long story. You can't have it. Arrest me if you want."
Fitz slid his phone into his pocket and raised his eyebrow, "I didn't hear a thing."
"Good man." Cassie smiled, "Lead the way."
I considered yanking the gun from her waistband but didn't really want to run the risk of accidentally shooting her in the ass or something. The walk was peaceful, under the night sky with the stars twinkling so brightly. That was one thing that was impossible to see in the city, with the lights blaring constantly.
"I always love looking at the stars." Cassie said from ahead of me, head tilted slightly up, "I feel safe."
"Hopefully they grant us some form of protection tonight." Fitz said.
Cassie nodded, arms wrapped tightly around herself, "I think they will."
"What are you guys going to do if we survive this?" Violet asked quietly, walking hand in hand with Fitz.
Go to prison, my brain supplied sarcastically and I resisted the urge to snort out loud.
"I want to move back to Italy." Cassie smiled, "Go home and explore my mother's heritage. Feel close to her."
"That's beautiful, Cassie." Violet said, "Elvis?"
It was at that moment I realised that throughout this entire trip, after everything we had all been through, that we had never told Violet that we were moving away.
"I uh...I actually got offered an internship in France. A chance to work with a designer involved in Paris Fashion Week."
Violet whirled around to face me, her face highlighted by the glow of the moon. Her jaw had dropped and her eyes were wide as time had crawled to a snail's pace.
"You...I...Why didn't you tell me?"
"I was scared." I shrugged, "I was afraid you'd be mad."
"Mad?" She exclaimed, "I couldn't be happier for you!"
"W-what?"
"I mean..." She shrugged, "If you had told me before all of this I would have majorly flipped out. And I'm not thrilled you've been hiding it from me but...this is the opportunity of a lifetime, El. I'd be a pretty shitty friend to hold that against you."
I teared up. I couldn't help it.
"You...you continue to surprise me." I chuckled breathlessly, "Thank you, V."
"What can I say?" She smirked, turning back around and walking once more, "I've grown up." She paused, "Also I may be in something of a similar boat myself."
"You what?" I asked the back of her head, which was now pointedly not looking at me.
"My father wants me to run his London office. I don't want to go but...knowing you won't be so far away does sweeten the deal a little."
"Violet...don't base your life off of me...or your father for that matter." I strained to keep my voice quiet, but I knew everyone was listening anyway, "If you don't want to go, don't go."
Violet remained silent.
"Guys." Fitz said after a few minutes of walking, holding out a hand to stop us from walking any further. He pointed ahead where a black car was parked haphazardly.
"How did he even get a car up here?" Cassie asked, "The path is way too thin."
A man dressed in black was leaning against the car, holding another man tightly by his side. His free hand held a gun swinging lightly.
"Dixon!" Cassie breathed, stepping forward, "Oh my god he's okay!"
Fitz gently shushed her and I grabbed her arm, holding it tightly to stop her - and myself - from doing something stupid. He was barely visible in the dim glow of the moonlight but he looked exhausted, with a bruise shining on his right eye. He was slumped against the goon, his head tilted back to stare up at the stars. I glanced at Cassie to see her smiling softly at the sight, likely connecting to their mother like I knew Cassie often did under the stars. Dixon had mentioned it one night when we couldn't sleep, that he wanted to move to the countryside somewhere, to be one with the night sky. I had teased him gently and he had poked my sides until we were wheezing and red in the face.
"How do we approach this without getting Dixon sh-" I began.
Before I could even finish my sentence, Fitz had pulled out his gun with a silencer out of his holder and fired it, only a slight whipping noise sounding through the air as the bullet met its mark. The man collapsed to the floor immediately, the sudden motion dragging Dixon down with a yelp. Cassie bounded forward, speeding up the path until she was in front of him. She reached out, grabbing Dixon by the shoulders while he gaped at her.
"Oh my god!" She said quietly, yanking him to his feet and pulling him into a tight hug, "You're alive!"
Dixon stumbled as he was dragged to his feet, accepting the hug and looking around, dazed. Once he got his barings he grinned that megawatt smile, closing his eyes and holding his sister tightly. We moved closer, being careful and glancing up the cliff to make sure no one was approaching us.
"Thank God you're alright. I was so worried when Richard was talking about his plans." He squeezed her, "Where's-" He opened his eyes, widening as he noticed me approaching and my heart seized in my chest, "El." He breathed, his voice feeling like a caress.
Cassie let him go, smiling and moving back. Her smile wavered and her eyes began to water as she glanced further up the cliff, biting her lower lip. Dixon moved swiftly towards me, grinning widely. I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face as he reached me. I opened my mouth to speak but he shook his head, grabbing my jaw and pulling me in roughly for a kiss. His other hand settled on my hip and pulled me closer as he kissed me hard, tilting his head and pressing in further. When he eventually pulled away with a soft bite to my lower lip, his eyes fluttered open as he looked up at me.
"Hi." He flushed, "I missed you."
"God, you have no idea." I chuckled, pressing my forehead against his, "We have a lot to catch up on."
"You bet we do."
I leaned in and kissed him again while everything, for a brief moment, was absolutely perfect.