As the two of them approached the building, two large men clad in black came into view at the entrance. It was the only way in, if Chris remembered correctly, so hopefully Evelyn wasn't taking appointments nowadays. Chris pulled the band from their hair, allowing it to flow and bounce gracefully as they walked, adding something seductive to the air around them.
The bouncers noticed the two people walking up to the base and immediately put up their defenses. "State your names and what business you have here."
Chris cocked their hip, smiling coolly. "I'm Christina, this is my partner S. We're here to speak to Evelyn, she's an old friend of mine."
Just as one of the men was about to say something, Chris leaned up to whisper something into his ear. An expression that was almost like worry crossed his features before he nodded. "Go on through…"
Without a word, Chris sashayed through the entrance, swaying their hips methodically. Keep it cool Shane, you'll be fine, I'm not going to let anyone harm you.
Shane gulped as they walked through the entrance, eyes darting between the burly guards and the thick, unforgiving walls. He could barely give a moment of thought to their aliases before the door slammed behind them, causing him to nearly jump out of his skin. The seams of his bag dug into his fingers as he clutched the bag to his chest, and their footsteps echoed through the stone hallway. Why did he get involved in all of this mafia shit? He could have been a malpracticing doctor in the countryside somewhere, making loads of money at nearly no risk to his own life. Alas, Shane was a foolish man. He was startled out of his thoughts as an enormous door in front of them slid open.
Chris offered Shane a warm smile, gently rubbing his shoulder before turning to the opening door. They slipped through the gap, keeping calm, just like they had been trained to do. Chris knew full well that hidden guns would be trained on them from the moment they both walked through the door, but it was safer to act like they weren't nervous than to give Evelyn's men a reason to shoot.
A desk sat by the large window in front of them, and a tall curvy woman stood looking out of said window. She turned upon hearing footsteps enter the room, and her eyes narrowed, not unkindly. "I hear you wish to speak to me? What can I do for you?"
Was Evelyn aware of who the two of them were?
“Hello ma’am. My name is S, and this is my associate.” Shane gestured to Chris, who was looking a bit confused. Shane was a little concerned too -he was banking on Chris knowing Evelyn to get out of here alive- but he continued nonetheless. “We’d like to propose a collaboration between our… families, as it happens.”
"Oh?" Evelyn strode over to the pair, looking down at Shane, placing two brightly polished nails under his chin and lifting his head up. She leaned in, searching his eyes for something before smiling wickedly. She let go of Shane and moved to Chris, doing the same to them. Only this time, she hesitated before letting go. "Which family would you be from, might I ask, and what can you offer me?"
Shane tensed as Evelyn looked him straight in the eyes, but he looked straight back, determined not to show any weakness. He trembled under her gaze, however, and let out a relieved sigh as she let go. “You may not have heard of us, we’re a rather new coalition,” he said breathlessly. “But what we may lack in influence, we make up for in information. We have the inside scoop on many of the families of power, which may be of great use to you.” Shane glanced over at Chris, silently asking if he was convincing enough.
Nemesis turned to them both, hands on her hips, a dangerous glint in her eyes. "I haven't heard of any new families in this neck of the woods. There are only three around here, and they're all well known. My men would have alerted me otherwise. Although we have only just returned from a gathering in the Alps…" In a flash she was behind Shane, one hand over his mouth while the other held a knife to his neck. She glared at Chris, as if she could see their eyes through the sunglasses. "What are you doing here, Snake Charmer? I thought you'd learned to keep your distance from the nest."
Chris removed their sunglasses and stared back at Evelyn with equal ferocity. "Neither of us are going to harm you or your family, so let him go. Only then will I talk." Chris didn't even bother masking their voice anymore, Evelyn wasn't playing around.
She let go of Shane, pushing him into Chris' arms, before circling around the two of them. "What could have possibly brought you out here, to a place where you know one wrong move will result in your death?"
Shane gasped at the shock of cold steel against his throat, only to then be shoved back into Chris’s grasp. Shit. Shit. Shit! “Ma’am, with all due respect, let’s put the weapons aside,” he managed. “We mean you no harm, really. We only want to have a peaceful discussion.” He shot a glare at Chris, having to look up to meet their eyes. “My associate neglected to inform me of your difficult relationship, and I apologize for any inconvenience we have caused.”
"How cute." Evelyn smirked, looking between Shane and Chris. "Associates, so that's what they're calling it nowadays." she let out a loud laugh that stopped abruptly as she hissed at Chris. "1093 days I slept with you and you still wear that wretched cologne you know I hate."
Chris shrugged, not realising that they were still holding onto Shane. "Had I planned to meet you again, I would have worn something different. Besides, I don't follow your orders anymore"
"You never followed them anyway." Evelyn spat, laughing once more. "To think I was so foolish to assume I could manipulate and control one of the world's greatest spies to do my bidding. You played me for a fool, and now you have an informant apologising on your behalf."
His eyes darted back and forth between the pair, and his face felt like it was in fire. First, Evelyn had the gall to imply that he and Chris were… you know what? Shane didn’t want to think about that. And now, it turned out Chris and Evelyn had been in a relationship?! A relationship that of course ended badly, because of course it did. Honestly, why did Shane even bother anymore? “Clearly, you two have your own problems,” he said, prying himself free of Chris’s grip. His limbs felt ice-cold without his new companion’s reassuring warmth, but he knew that Chris couldn’t protect him for much longer. “I have no intention of getting in the middle of a lover’s quarrel. If you could just give me some documentation proving your location on the night of the 15th, we’ll be on our way.”
As Shane prized himself out of Chris' arms, the latter averted their gaze from both Evelyn and Shane. The two of them hadn't been in a relationship, it was something more complicated than that. Chris could hear the ice in Shane's voice, and for the first time in a long time, Chris' heart felt weak.
Evelyn seemed to notice the change in Chris' mood, for her eyes saddened a little. She dug around the drawers in her desk before pulling out a letter she had received from one of the Italian families, requesting her presence in the Alps. "I was there with five of my men, we returned yesterday. I don't know what you need this for, but take it and get out." her voice was no longer harsh, which surprised even Chris, who still refused to look anywhere but the ground.
Shane took the letter in his hand and tucked it in his bag, amazed that he had actually gotten what he had asked for. “Uh, thanks. Thank you very much, ma’am.” He shot a glance at Chris, who was refusing to meeting his gaze. As he turned to head out the door, he brought his fingers up to his throat and traced the knife’s path, still reeling from how close he had been to death. Lost in thought, he tripped on a loose stone and his files scattered across the floor, the papers on Bear’s death clear for anyone in the room to see.
Evelyn made her way over, picking up some of the papers off the floor, and her eyes widened. "Bear's dead?"
Chris hurried to pick Shane and the papers up, snatching the one Evelyn was holding from her hands. "Where's your proof?" they smiled dangerously and took Shane by the hand. They mouthed one word before the world became a blur. 'Run'. Chris began running, holding Shane's hand tightly so that the guy would stay up to speed. It would take Evelyn a good couple of seconds to recover from initial shock before barking any orders, which gave them enough time to get a head start.
They made it out of the entrance before hearing a loud shout. "FIND BEAR'S CUBS, BRING THEM TO ME!"
Shane barely had time to think before Chris grabbed his hand and dragged him out of the room, their rapid footsteps keeping in time with his racing heart. The fallen leaves crackled under his feet as they sprinted through the woods, but all he could think about were his lost files, gone forever. “I’m sorry,” he gasped. “Now they’re gonna be after us, and-“ He skidded to a stop, all of his attention on the three guards that now stood between them and the car.
Chris let go of Shane's hand and shoved the flies into his arms. "Don't drop them again." they hissed, making eye contact with him for a moment before charging for the three men. It was a beautiful sight to behold. They attacked Chris almost instantly, but Chris fought back. Every movement from Chris flowed gracefully like dancing. Fists and boots flew everywhere before two of them were left unconscious, the final was stuck in a headlock under Chris' arm. "I'm sorry, I have to do this." they whispered sadly, turning the guard and themselves away from Shane. In one swift movement, the guard's neck was snapped, and the body fell to the floor.
"Come on Shane, we need to go." Chris got in the car, waiting for Shane to get in.
“Jesus Christ, Chris! What the hell was that?” Shane shouted frantically, shoving the papers back in his bag. His feet were frozen in place on the forest floor, and he stared at the guard’s bodies in shock. With effort, he pushed himself forward and into the passenger seat, forgetting to fasten his seatbelt after he slammed the door shut. “What the hell was that?” he repeated.
The engine roared to life and Chris wasn't hesitating on their exit.
They sped down the road, not looking back for a moment until the park was safely out of sight. Chris was silent but their hands were shaking and their eyes were a little dazed. "You're alive, that's all that matters."
“No, the hell its not! We can’t go back to Bear’s headquarters ‘cause Evelyn’s gonna raid the place, so that’s a bunch of resources lost, and she’s gonna be on the hunt for us! This is real bad, Chris! Real bad!” Shane was, in the simplest of terms, losing his shit. He flailed his hands around wildly, smacking the dashboard for emphasis. “It’s my fault the whole investigation’s gone down the fucking toilet, and if we’re lucky, we’ll get to die! That’s the luckiest we’re gonna fucking get!” There were tears in his eyes now, tears of desperation.
Chris' heart raced and they pulled over into a small alcove at the side of the road. Their body shook a little, perhaps from all the adrenaline, but in the next few moments Chris' hands were either side of Shane's face and their lips were pressed together. It was a hard kiss, one that could have easily become a hungry one had Chris been that way inclined, but when they pulled away their eyes were glistening in the setting sunlight. "Shut up will you? There are some things you should know, and one of them is that you're going to be safe at Bears."
Shane’s breaths were shallow and quick, his hands shaking like nobody’s business. Numb with shock, his returning nod was near imperceptible, a fractional dip. “Ok,” he whispered, the word as fragile as spun sugar.
Fuck. This is Stephen all over again, isn’t it? I-I can’t go through this a second time. Too many people get hurt when feelings are involved. I have to shut this down, now.
But what if it isn’t? Maybe I get another chance.
Chris floored the acceleration, the world around the car raced by as though it was nothing but a smeared painting. They bit their lip harshly, trying to keep their eyes from glancing at Shane every so often. What had they done? It was so unlike Chris to do that to someone…
Soon enough they were back at bears house, the car parked in it’s usual spot, now hidden by the darkness rather than the trees on their own. Chris sat in silence for a moment, just steadying their thoughts.
They had a plan for where to go from here, but whether or not it would work was another matter.
“What’s your plan?” Shane whispered softly. “Do you know what we’re gonna do?” His voice seemed deafening in the silence of the car, rattling around his eardrums. “I mean, I hope you have a plan, ‘cause I got nothing.” He twisted his hands in the fabric of his shirt, searching desperately for something to say.
"Of course I have a plan." Chris lied. "I always have a plan." Another lie.
Chris preferred to make things up on the spot, it was more fun that way. However, this time, they would actually need to come up with a plan just for Shane's sake. All the documents were safe and secure in the car, they had proof that Evelyn was not involved in Bear's murder, however now they had to take into account that the woman would be wanting sufficient evidence that Bear was in fact dead.
Find Bear's planner, write down dates and locations. That was step one. Throw them off the scent.
Step two would probably be to remove evidence of Bear's death.
Keep them on person at all times so as to not let Evelyn get her hands on them.
Next thing to do would be move from the area. Move somewhere that Evelyn, or anyone else, would never think to look. Only thing was, Chris was a wanted person in most countries. There was only a handful of places left that they would actually be safe.
They turned to Shane, staring him square in the eyes. "Where is the one place you feel most at home?"
“Uh, that’s a little… personal,” Shane said hesitantly. He dropped his eyes to the ridges of the car’s leather seats, tracing them with his finger. “I’ve lived at Bear’s for the last five years, and I was in prison before that. I had a tiny little shithole apartment back when becoming a doctor was the foreseeable future, but it was sold to pay for bail.” His eyes met Chris’s. “Other than here, I don’t know.”
