Realistic or Modern Two Unlikely Hearts

[Prizzy Kriyze]

Mikhail "Mike" Yenin
"Bet, I'm making carbonara. You know the code? Eight, four, eight, three to get to the stairwell, then top floor. A'ight, love you, see you in a bit."

A gentle breeze rolled through the open window of his kitchen, pushing and pulling on the steam rising from a pot of boiling water. Leaves from the old oak scraped against the glass. The landlord had been saying they were going to get rid of it, but honestly Mike kind of liked a bit of greenery greeting him in the morning. It was a humble two room apartment he'd moved to after meeting Riley. It's not like he could've invited her to a roach infested motel room with piss stains on the walls. There were still boxes piled in the corner of the kitchen that he hadn't bothered unpacking yet, but the living room and bedroom were finally set up.

With a smile still on his lips he went to put his phone down, and hesitated before the countertop. He wasn't used to things being clean like this, and as a force of habit couldn't put things down without making sure it wouldn't be in some mysterious stain. A sigh escaped him, still with that inescapable smile glued to his face. It was all thanks to her. It was easier being strong for someone else, and it was much easier to make changes to your life if you had a reason to do it. And she was worth it, every little bit of it. But it was funny, he thought as he put pasta in the water, that he'd ever had a chance at all.

--------

It was one of those early mornings when the October winds blew straight through your clothes and chilled you straight down to the bone. Mike dropped the key at least fifteen times trying to get the door to the pizza joint open, but his hands were trembling too hard from the oxy withdrawal and the cold wasn't helping. The early morning sun peeked over the horizon, but its warmth was nothing compared to the 30mph shit winds that kept blowing rain down his collar. "FUCK!" He cursed and tossed the keys at the closest streetlight, breaking the key chain and scattering the 10 or so keys on it over the concrete. His head was pounding, and he was still supposed to pull off eight hours in this fucking pizza joint. After night of selling dope with his gang they'd sat down to pop pills and get wasted, and he'd completely forgotten about this until his manager called him at 7am to tell him he better be at the joint now.

Sitting down on the steps he just barely managed to light a cigarette while mumbling under his breath. "I could make fucking twice this God damn cash in ten minutes why the hell am I even here." With his head in his hands he took a huge drag causing him to cough, and halfway through the attack this girl he'd never seen before opened the door behind him. He was about to tell her to fuck off when she asked him if he was alright. Turned out she was a new hire, and he was supposed to show her the ropes and that she didn't need to be there for the first hour of prepping but she figured she'd do it anyway. Here he sat, having damaged company property, unable to control his hands, smoking a wet cigarette in soaked clothes, bruised knuckles, saucer-size rings under his eyes and obviously wasted; he couldn't even get a door unlocked, yet still she smiled and introduced herself like it was nothing.

God damn. She was the first person who talked to him like a human being there. She kept small talking with him for the entire shift, and smiled at him in a way that made the day feel worth it. She didn't even rat him out when he passed out during lunch and when he woke up he had her jacket on him. They started talking on the daily, switched numbers, and eventually he asked her out. He didn't even think she'd say yes, that she was only being polite because they worked together, but she did. Mikhail knew he didn't deserve her, but he would damn well try to.

--------

He brushed a few beads of sweat off of his forehead and placed a bowl of freshly grated Parmesan next to the big pot of carbonara, then stood back to look at his masterpiece. A bottle of wine, a candle, the vintage plates he got at a local Goodwill. It'd been little over six months since they got together and they had both been busy on the 6 month day, but he wanted to do something nice for her. She deserved it.

He didn't have a balcony, but being on the topmost floor his kitchen windows were in this hollowed out part of the roof. He shuffled out there and leaned against the side of the roof, and sparked another cigarette. The sun cast long shadows now, bathing the city in a golden orange light. Like an unreachable itch, memories of what he'd usually do on nights like this cropped up in the back of his mind and clumped up just to move down to his chest. Most of all, he just really didn't want her to get involved in this.

Then a familiar car rolled up the street, and he smiled.

He tossed his half-finished smoke in a can he kept out there and climbed back in to greet her.​

 

[bubblefly]

Riley Jane Meyer

A tall gentleman stood behind a cluttered desk, his hands on his desk and his head hung low. The uniform he was wearing indicated he was a police chief, the navy blue uniform with a collar embellished with an insignia told the story of his journey to where he is now. He was holding a small meeting between himself and a couple of FBI agents. Within this meeting, he explained that their department had eyes on a certain someone, who was deeply involved with the criminal world and they hadn't been able to collect enough evidence to put him away, so the FBI were needed. They did what their criteria said for over two months, and nothing showed up, so the police chief called one of the FBI agents back, to discuss further plans. But they weren't at all ethical, nor were they going to be open to the general public or the rest of the task force on this investigation. It would only be shared between the two of them. The chief had called in Riley Jane Meyer, an FBI agent who had only been working full time for a year, but was very intelligent and able to work harder than those around her. She was tasked to follow this criminal, learn about him, work with him, start up some sort of relationship, which was exactly what she did.

Riley had taken up the opening job in the pizza place he worked out, the first step to intercept his life and learn everything she could about him. She decided to take the route of being friendly and caring towards him, so that he'd believe she was on his side. She found it hard at first, trying to get a criminal to fall in love with her, but eventually, she fell in love as well. She did wanted to complete her task, but she also wanted to live a life with the man she loved. Two tasks that couldn't be completed together, not if she wanted to be happy. She stayed within the role, still relaying some information, but not enough to get him in trouble, trying to lead them on, taking some attention away from him. But she knew she couldn't do it for much longer, one or the other would catch on and she didn't want to lose him or her job. She hadn't told him she was FBI yet and he hadn't shared his highly criminal background. Him knowing who she was, she believed it would be the demise of their relationship, so she stayed quiet, trying to keep it a secret as long as she can. She was now over six months into this relationship and she was starting to break.


Preparing herself for an evening at Mikhail's, Riley had dressed up nicely; she was wearing a floral mesh midi dress, with a pair of short heeled black sandals, she had put her hair up in a ponytail, a small amount of makeup caking her face. She always wanted to look nice for him, so she always tried her best. And even if she didn't want to admit it, she loved dressing up for someone else, being able to love her as much as he loved her. She was so excited for tonight. They'd barely spent that much time together, as they'd both been fairly busy; Riley being in a long meeting about her investigation had been set on their 6 month day, so she herself couldn't let him know it was because of that. Knowing that, Riley wasn't too keen on the re-arranging, as she felt haunted by her mission, but she knew that she'd love whatever he had done and they'd have a blast.

With that in mind, Riley hopped into her car, with a small bag containing everything she needed: phone, keys, wallet, ID, etc. She set out to Mikhail's apartment, leaving so that she'd be able to arrive just on time. The drive was short and listening to music on the way only made it shorter. She sang her heart out until she reached the road his apartment was, slowing down and shutting the music off. She pulled up outside, parking in the only empty spot she could see. Grabbing her bag, she exited the vehicle, heading to the keypad on the outside door. She entered the pin, repeating the code in her head, "Eight, four, eight, three. Eight, four, eight, three." She wasn't great at remembering numbers, so Mikhail reminding her was something she always counted on. Her stomach began rumbling and grumbling as she entered the building, deciding the walk up the stairs singing the last song she heard in the car. Her mood was happier than before, the feet springing when she stepped. When she reached the top floor, she hunted for his door, spotting it and freaking out inside. It wasn't a bad freak out, it just smelt like someone had released millions of bees into her stomach, as if she was buzzing with excitement. With a giant smile on her face and a firm fist, she knocked his door three times, patiently waiting to be let inside.

 

[Prizzy Kriyze]

Mikhail "Mike" Yenin

It didn't take much more than a minute for Mikahil to finally hear that familiar knocking at the door. Gentle but exact, and Mikhail rushed over. With practiced precision he simultaneously unlocked the door lock and door chain and bumped the door open with his shoulder. He paused in the doorway for a second when she came into view, and as hard as he tried he couldn't force the corners of his mouth to stay put. With an poorly disguised grin he stepped forward and sent his hand around her hip, then pulled her into a kiss. It didn't get better there, as his awkward smile only meant her lips met with his teeth. As he laughed it off her glittering eyes caught him and pulled him back into the moment he'd almost have butchered if it wasn't for her unerring gaze. Her steadfast love. His queen.

"Hey..." Was all he could utter in that short moment. She had a little make up on, and what looked like a sun dress but he'd never been good at the terminology of clothing. It was touching, nobody else had ever bothered dressing up just for him. And she was classy, not like runny mascara and two day old lipstick. Well, she wasn't a stripper. It almost made him ashamed of his messy hair and white tank top and cardigan combo, but he knew she wouldn't mind. Still, he couldn't compare with her if he tried. He gave her a proper kiss.

Then finally, he let go of her and stepped back to hold the door open for her. "Welcome finally, and look I know what you're thinking. The answer is yes, MTV Cribs are coming tomorrow." The short hallway lead straight down to the kitchen. An empty doorway on the left of the hall lead to the living room, and the bathroom was directly opposite that. The bedroom was accessible through the living room. Not waiting for her to get her shoes off he hurried into the kitchen to light the candle before she'd come in, a bit of a blunder of his part. "How's your day been? Sorry I didn't text ya this morning, I overslept and had to hurry."

 

[bubblefly]

Riley Jane Meyer

Riley only waited a few seconds until Mikhail opened the door, revealing her to him. She smiled as soon as she heard it unlock, getting excited to see him standing in front of her. Her smile extended whether when she finally saw him, feeling like all her worries had vanished in that moment. When his hand met her hip and he came closed, she expected a short, romantic kiss, but she was left with her lips against his teeth. Her eyes shut closed for the kiss, but opened to chuckle, a trace of confusion flushing over her. When she pulled back to view him, she placed her cold hand against his arm, sweetened by his adorable actions. She couldn't believe someone involved in criminal activity could be so charming and kind. This is what made her fall for him in the first place, and she's still falling for him, even in that very moment.

"Hey." Riley replied, appreciating Mikhail's laid back appearance. She liked it when he was his authentic self when it came to spending time with her. She wasn't too big on guys constantly thinking they have to wear fancy suits and shoes to impress her. She found humour and honesty far more reliable for love. When they kissed again, this time successfully, her fingers ran over his cardigan, completely comforted by the fabric. Pulling away, she smiled up at him before he disappeared into the kitchen, Riley proceeding to remove her shoes and watching him close the door behind her. She laughed at his comment, trying to chime in with a witty comment, "MTV? I'd expect them to be here right now, this is a spectacular mansion you have." Riley placed her bag down onto the floor by her shoes, neetly keeping the strap together, following Mikhail's path to the kitchen.

"My day's been good. A bit of a headache this morning but I think it was just stress-" Riley's words were cut off by the presence of the meal. "Oh my god, you didn't have to do this. Oh my god.." Her mouth was ajar, eyes full of surprise and joy. Diverting her eyes from the beautifully decorated table, she placed them on Mikhail, smiling in shock at him. "You're too sweet, you know that right?" Riley walked over to him, planting a small kiss on his cheek and looking back at the table. "It's smells so good!" Riley was dying to dig into the food, not eating much today, anticipating eating here.

 

[Prizzy Kriyze]

Mikhail "Mike" Yenin

"Hahaha, It'd be rude of them to interrupt dinner." He replied while she was still coming in from the hall. Standing with his arms held apart he offered a half-hushed "Tadaa!" as she trailed off in the middle of a sentence. He smiled almost as if to apologize as she looked at him, but her smile was nothing short of genuine. What kind of people had she dated if she was impressed by this? He wondered, but he didn't let it slip. Following her kiss he scratched his neck and replied "Really not, haha. It's like the only thing I know how to make." Then wrapped his arms around from behind and let his face fall into her hair. It'd been one of the first thing he noticed about her. There was this... sort of smell that permeated everything he was used to. No amount of cologne or deodorant would hide it, nothing could really wash that kind of filth. She was the first thing he'd felt that didn't have it. It made him calm down.

He pulled on her shoulder so that they came face to face again and caressed her face along the temple. "You're feeling better than this morning then? Pretty sure I got some Advil somewhere." Leaving her with a little peck on the forehead he moved around her and pulled a chair out. "Or maybe dinner will help you feel better. C'mon, sit down, I'll get you whatever you need."

 

[bubblefly]

Riley Jane Meyer

"Even if it is the only thing you know how to make, it's still amazing." Riley's voice was so soft and sincere, she knew he'd be happy with her enthusiasm. She felt his warmth cover her body when he embraced her, her hands finding their way to his, overlapping his grasp, gently holding them. She loved it when they were this close and it felt just as good as every other time, yet the smell of his food creation was making it so much better. Turning to face him, she let go of his hands, smiling at his worry. "I'm okay now, but if you insist the food will make me feel better, I better eat as much as I can." Riley flashed Mikhail a grin and a wink, sitting down in the chair he pulled out for her. Sitting down now, she could feel the heat coming from the food, the smell causing her mouth to water.

"Oh my god, I forgot to ask, how was your day?" She asked, watching Mikhail move around. The shock of the meal he had prepared in such a romantic way, completely took Riley off guard, she forgot what they were talking about. It only now came racing back to her when she had the chance to calm her enthusiasm down. She had a tendency to forget certain things and remember them a few minutes after, usually conversations and task.

 

[Prizzy Kriyze]

Mikhail "Mike" Yenin

Happy to see she'd sit down and patiently wait for him he turned away to hide how childish he felt himself looking. "You're too nice to me." Came a whisper under his breath, but he doubted that she'd even hear him. Instead, he pulled out a drawer a grabbed the cork opener, then stood behind the chair opposite her and grabbed the wine bottle. Grillo. Honestly, cheap red wine, but it tasted just fine and hey, it's organic. "Love, I can see you salivating from here. Help yourself while I get this open." Mikhail hadn't ever gotten addicted to alcohol, but damn if he hadn't tried. His words were just an excuse, the cork was out before she'd had the chance to indulge herself.

"Oh, it's been a'ight." He continued as he filled their glasses more than was commonplace, but he didn't exactly know. "Efraim hasn't been complaining about me too much lately. I think Sam might've told him I'm looking for a new job, hah." He put the bottle aside. "Oh, nearly forgot." He turned around and plugged his phone into a little speaker he'd just been able to afford. It wasn't fancy, but it's better than the screeching tone of a smartphone speaker. He put on some low lounge music. They could always put something else on when they were tipsy and conversation overflowed.

Finally he sat back down and filled his own plate. "I hope you like it." He smiled sheepishly. At this point she ought to know that it was his favorite dish, but he wasn't sure if she'd ever tried it before. Who would've imagined cream, eggs, cheese, salt and pepper could manage something so divine, he wondered. He took the Parmesan bowl and poured a generous layer over his own plate before lifting the wine to his mouth. "Have you had any luck finding other work, by the way? Can't imagine you'd wanna stay at Efraim's anymore than I do."

 

[bubblefly]

Riley Jane Meyer

Riley plated herself a portion of the food, her eyes fixated on it, ready to dive into it. Just as he began pouring the wine, she grabbed the parmesan, sprinkling a hefty amount over the top of her meal. A glimpse of pure happiness flashed in her eyes as she stared at the food, lifting her cutlery, waiting for Mikhail to sit. She didn't like starting food without everyone at the table; it was a silly tradition her family used to do and it's stuck with her ever since. Riley loved hearing about Mikhail's day, she felt connected to him when she learnt about how he was feeling and what he did that day. When the music began playing, she was astounded by how much he thought this all out. She felt so special and guilty; she was in love with this guy and she wasn't being honest, even though it was the most important thing in a relationship to her. She wanted to spill everything and get it all off her chest, but it would ruin them... And her investigation. She wanted to excel in both her career and relationship, but in this very moment, she decided to shove her career aside and fully focus on him; her love.

Although Riley was filled with joy, then Mikhail brought up the job, her face fell ever so slightly. "Oh, uhm. I think I'm okay there right now, not needing any extra cash or anything." The chief of police had set up a small apartment for her so that Mikhail thought she wasn't getting enough money to afford anything else. She actually lived just outside of town in a small one bedroom house, but with the pay at Efraim's, it was impossible to get anything other than the apartment she was given. She had to conceal her identity as much as possible, so almost everything from her daily life had changed. She quickly picked up her wine, downing it all, taking a deep breath afterwards. "Just what I need knowing I'm still working at a shitty pizza place." She smiled through her lies, trying to make a joke out of the situation.

 

[Prizzy Kriyze]

Mikhail "Mike" Yenin

After a few overfilled glasses of wine and a generous portion of Carbonara, at least for Mike, he'd somehow convinced her to come out with him onto the roof outside of his kitchen window. A nearby bar blared live music loud enough that their loud laughs and half-assed attempts at singing along wouldn't catch him any noise complaints. He stopped his own laugh at some crude drunk joke with a cigarette and leaned against hair while taking a drag. With his free hand he filled another glass, and continued on a bad story he'd been telling for a while. "So, so, anyway right, Clyde wakes up in bed with this girl afterwards, still with puke in the bed, realizes that she looks nothing like he remembers her, and gets up butt ass naked to put some clothes on. Then the door opens, and a bunch of teens and the college administrator peek into the dorm. Turns out the girl had agreed to let the school see her room in a tour, hahahaha!"

He took a sip and a quick drag and added "So yeah, I don't feel like college is my gig. I'd only end up embarrassing myself. Of course you'd never get that baby," Keeping the cigarette far from her face, he leaned in and hugged her closely with his free arm. His voice was muffled by the side of her neck but he managed to get out "You're not a fuck up like the rest of us, you're really smaaart, and niceee, and really, truly, unfairly gorgeous." He let go and fell away from her a little. "Can't believe any of your friends had boyfriends in school, bet you got jealous looks all the time, haha."

 

[bubblefly]

Riley Jane Meyer

Wine glass after wine glass, Riley had picked up a slightly drunk attitude, her feet stumbling and a few mumbles and stutters here and there, but she wasn't anywhere near black out, so she continued, enjoying the taste of the wine she had. Sat on the roof with Mikhail, she laughed and joked, both of them keeping up the conversation as if they'd known each other for decades. The darkening sky was soothing for Riley to witness, making the whole scene romantic in her eyes; both of them huddled together, drinking wine and sharing stories under the stars. she couldn't ask for anything more perfect. "Oh my god! If that's not a story to tell his future kids, I don't know what is."

Riley didn't feel comfortable with Mikhail putting him down this much, enough though she knew a lot of the horrible things he'd done in his life, she felt like their was a real potential for him to change and start a life completely different to the one he had now. "You're not stupid, you're far from it. I know my looks can be intimidating," Riley jokingly said, flicking her hair back and taking a sip of wine from her glass, "But you're an amazing guy, who loves hard work and has a knack for practically everything. But on the lines of looks and jealousy, I did have a few of them pass at me a few times, and I am so glad I have a good slap." She nudged his shoulder with hers with a quick wink and giggle, taking a large sip from her wine this time.

 

[Prizzy Kriyze]

Mikhail "Mike" Yenin

"You'd be the only one to think so." He thought to himself as she commented on his intelligence. He held her closely and buried his face in the hair around her neck again as she kept talking and let himself be soothed by the pure sound. At the comment about her slap he jerked backwards with a laugh ringing forth through his teeth as he smiled. "Oh, I didn't know you had that in you. You've got to show me that 'good slap' sometime." He replied with a sly grin and a wink.

Closing the distance between their lips he shifted his glance towards to her cute lips, and was then suddenly and rudely cut off. A faint ringing was heard from within the apartment. His gaze scaled up to her eyes once more and he whispered a "I better get that." before getting up, dusting his pants off and flicking the cigarette into the little tin can. With practiced elegance he step in through his kitchen window and rolled his shoulders, then sent a glance over towards his phone which was still connected to the stereo, albeit now silent.

And he felt a cold shiver down his spine.

Before then he hadn't realized it, but the ringing he heard wasn't his usual ringtone. No, it was the standard sound of an old flip phone, distantly ringing from his bedroom. Riley didn't know he had a second phone. He made sure to always turn it off before meeting her, or just leaving it at home. Today though, he'd put it to charge and he must've forgotten about it.Instinctively he rushed down the hallway, through the living room into the bedroom and shut the door hard behind him. He locked himself in, then fell to his knees at his nightstand and yanked out the charger as he flip it open at put it to his ear. With a hissing whisper he spoke "Who- what? What is it?"

Through the sparking of static from his half broken old phone he heard "Yeah, fuck you Mikhail. Don't talk to me like that." It was Gabriel, no doubt. A 6'7" tall black beefcake of a man, and the oldest friend Mikhail had ridden with through hell and high water. "D-dude! Fuck, my girl's here and-" "Shut the fuck up. We're doing it." Mikhail was quiet for a few seconds, and accompanying the chill in his spine what felt like a heavy boulder formed in his gut. "Bro, what, you can't be saying-" "With or without you man. You were supposed to be here for this, you know it." Mikhail was exasperated, and his voice was getting tired from the hissing. "No no no, you'll get yourself killed- you need ME for this-" "Well I guess then you should've been here. Time's up. The Chengs have had it coming and we're not standing down. We're going now. Call me when you're man enough."

"No no wait!" He almost shouted but managed to keep hush, then he realized that he was already hung up on. There he sat, on one knee and just staring at the cracked screen on his phone. Feeling like the world was crashing down on his shoulders.

 

[bubblefly]

Riley Jane Meyer

Riley was just about to close her eyes and kiss Mikhail, but they both heard a quiet ringing in the background, in which sounded like a phone. Riley pulled away, feeling disappointed and sad, the moment they were having ruined by the sound of someone calling Mikhail. In that moment, Riley didn't particularly care for who it was and what the matter was about, wanting to forget about her police work for the night and focus on them; she hadn't had many chances to recently, so tonight she wanted it to be special, even just a little bit.

Once Mikhail left, she pulled her legs up, setting her wine glass down after downing the rest of it, wrapping her arms around her legs and looking up at the sky. It wasn't that cloudy and the stars were slowly starting to shine through, a smile soon creeping up onto her face. She wasn't a huge morning person and would thrive at night, her late hours and long shifts stopping her from having a 'normal' life, so she'd usually be up until the morning and sleep through the majority of the day. And although she sees the night sky every day, she still loved taking some time to relax and look up, taking in everything and anything that could be out there; planets, solar systems, aliens. All those things fascinated her, but she didn't have time for hobbies, so the night sky was all she got.

She was only looking for a brief 5 minutes before pouring herself another glass of wine, about half way full and taking a sip. The alcohol was really starting to hit her now and she didn't have the logic in her right now to slow down. Thankfully, she could unusually control how drunk she was for a while until it truly did take over her. Time seemingly slowing down, she shouted back at Mikhail: "Is everything okay?"

 

[Prizzy Kriyze]

Mikhail "Mike" Yenin

There was a cold drop of sweat running down his forehead when he finally managed to stand up from the floor. He wiped it off his brow and opened the door to the bedroom to walk back out. Just as he reached the hallway he heard Riley call out to him. "Uhh, yeah... It's all good babe!" He called back, and entered the kitchen once more. But his steps were heavy, and his gait was aimless and slow. As he reached the windowsill he just leaned his palms against it and leaned out a little. "It was just uh, Efraim, about uh... the..." He knew how dishonest it sounded but all energy just kind of leeched out of him. His eyes shifted all over the place until they finally landed upon her, her beautiful silhouette in the faint light from the city, the way the moon reflected from her eyes as she looked over to him. He loved her, but still...

Then it hit him. That harsh, panicking sort of feeling. No matter how many times it rushed over over him he wouldn't get used to the adrenaline, the guilt, the fear. He swallowed hard as he ran a hand through his hair and stared down with his eyes wide open. "Oh fuck..." He whispered. "I gotta go." He stated suddenly. Then he turned on his heel and sprinted to the hall, just yelling excuses. "I'm sorry- I just- I need to-..." His cardigan had slipped off way earlier, so he just grabbed his leather jacket off its hanger and threw it around himself to put it on. Simultaneously stepping into his sneakers and lifting his car keys off their hook he fumbled with his elbow to unlock the door.

 

[bubblefly]

Riley Jane Meyer

Something clicked inside Riley's mind the moment he spoke, a sudden urge of distrust and insecurity in herself. She had allowed herself to let him leave to take an unknown phone call while he was under investigation, by her, and now he'd obviously lying about it. She heard him lie before and not brought it up, not wanting him to be on edge or to catch onto her, but this time it was their night, not his criminal hustle. She stared at him as he spat lies at her, clearly covering his tracks and acting like she was witless enough to believe anything that ran from his mouth.

With determination in her heart and alcohol flowing through her veins, she hastily stood, marching back into his apartment to witness he scrambling to leave. Her eyes narrowed towards him as she paced closer, crossing her arms in an attempt to show him she was annoyed. It was their date night, celebrating their relationship and he's just going to up and leave her in an instant, after having such an amazing time so far? He'd done this a few times before; cutting their dates short and disappearing off into the distant unknown without a valid action. But this time Riley wasn't having it, she was putting her foot down and hard. "Where are you going?" Her voice was clearly agitated and she didn't look at all pleased, with her stern physique and furrowed eyebrows, constructing an angry look across her facial features, tightening them together.

 

[Prizzy Kriyze]

Mikhail "Mike" Yenin

He could hear her walking down the hallway behind him, but he didn't want to look at her. He didn't need to see her to feel those beautiful burning holes in his neck, to know her face was sterner that he could possibly handle. No he just shoved his car keys in his jacket and push the door open with his shoulder. Then, at her voice he seized up, just stood there in the doorway. The boulder in his stomach grew impossibly heavy and branched out to tie a knot in the back of his throat. "..." Slowly he turned around with his head low and sent a sideways glance to her. As if to speak his mouth was agape, but he couldn't say anything. No gun barrel compared to her anger, no knife could cut him so deep. He felt a warm drop run down one of his cheeks, and it was frighteningly unfamiliar.

"... I love you so much." He managed to choke out, then he shut the door behind him and rushed down the staircase.

--------

He stomped hard on the gas and steered with his knee out of the parking lot. His cheeks were rosy from slapping himself, and he frantically dialed a number while passing through the red lights just outside his apartment building. The beat up '03 Altima sped down Belle Street towards the harbor as the answering machine immediately cut off his call. "FUCK!" He exclaimed and tossed the phone hard against the passenger door. Beneath his now sweaty hairline his eyebrows were furrowed and his demeanour was slowly breaking down into his old self as he lit a cigarette in the sweeping rays from the streetlights. He turned the music up, loud enough that it hurt his ears.

"My boy, you are nothing more than a thief and a whore in a suit of the finest of armor!" It screamed at him as a tattoo on the inside of his left arm started to burn.

"To live is to suffer,"

 

[bubblefly]

Riley Jane Meyer

Riley's foot almost began to tap on the floor, the feeling of her hands beginning to shake in anticipation to his response, hoping he'd stay, but ultimately knowing he'd rush away and leave her for the night. With every second that passed between them, the tense only grew thicker, the shame on Mikhail's face blasting into Riley's distraught look. With that very timid, but meaningful 'I love you so much', Riley's heart sank, the consciousness of something truly horrible waiting to happen. But as she went to reply, he flung through the door, it crashing shut behind him. "Mikhail!" Riley shouted, rushing her shoes on and grabbing her phone, not wanting to leave any later. She rushed out of his apartment, chasing him down the stairs, not able to keep up with his pace. She thought about calling out once more, however an idea sprung into her mind; tailing him and secretly following him would probably be her best bet. She didn't want him to know she was following, or even have the skill to drive so fast and well, thanks to police training. As far as he was aware, she was no where near that skilled, she played it off to him previously that she was calm, steady, almost shy with driving, which in this case, gave her the upper hand.

"You're kidding me!" She groaned to herself, stumbling around in her bag to find her car keys, slamming the door shut as she jumped in, speeding out of her space onto the road. Thankfully, it wasn't that busy at this time, so she could keep an eye on his car, knowing what turns to make and roughly where he was heading. His car sped away, Riley quickly following after him. She stayed far enough back that he wouldn't spot her, practically guessing where he was going, a few cars blocking her view, but her lucky choice of turns kept her on his path. Her adrenaline was keeping the alcohol from completely destroying her mind, a few swerves here and there, but nothing she couldn't control. Her eyes were beading at the end of his car, a frantic fire burning inside of her, longing for him to stop and come back. With his speed and clear determination, she could tell something was wrong, very wrong, but she couldn't simply stop him. It was either let this be and spy on him until needed, or make it apparent that she was following him and try to make up a good enough excuse he wouldn't catch onto her.

She knew that if she was there and he needed help, she had her firearm in the car, along with handcuffs and a police radio. She would always keep these things on her, knowing what she knows about Mikhail's secret life. Although it was almost all speculation and nothing could be proven so far, the entire police department and the FBI knew what he was like and what he had done, and although Riley knew him better than all of them, she didn't know the others in his line of work nearly as well. So protecting and arming herself, even around Mikhail was in her best interest.

 

[Prizzy Kriyze]

Mikhail "Mike" Yenin

Mikhail was so lost in planning ahead that he hardly even noticed the blue lights reflecting off of a window around a bend ahead. He swerved, almost hitting an oncoming truck in the process, and was met with loud horns blaring as he sped down a back road leading down to the docks. "Fucking close, that was." He thought to himself as he rolled along the harbor down towards the storehouses.

About a block away from where he was heading he slowed down to a stop when he saw two familiar cars parked along the side of the road. "Shit..." He whispered under his breath as he pulled in behind them and turned the music off. The driver side door slowly opened and the lights on the ceiling came on, illuminating the car and drawing his eyes toward the glove compartment where he knew there was a hand gun. A 9mm missing exactly one bullet that he never bothered replacing. Instinctively his hand went for it, but Riley's face flashed by his eyes and he retracted his arm as if burned by something. No, he wasn't walking down that road now. He couldn't.

Silently he closed the door behind him and kept low to the ground as he started making his way between shipping containers and crates.

 

[bubblefly]

Riley Jane Meyer

After some rapid driving and halting on a back road that lead to the docks, Riley stayed far back, noticing Mikhail was finally slowing back, indicating he was going to stop at any moment. She parked herself in a narrow alleyway that lead off from the back road, parking her car quietly and getting out. Before she exited the vehicle, she strapped the police radio onto the fabric belt tying her dress together and grabbing her Glock 22, not bothering to bring extra ammunition, hoping she wouldn't need it. Following the path Mikhail took, she only peeked around the corner slightly to view his activity; he was getting out of his car and taking it slow, possibly to conceal himself. She didn't want to spy on Mikhail, but it was her job and if she thought he'd be in any danger, she wanted to be there and watch, just in case chaos broke lose and she could help him. She knew that wasn't a good mindset, but she loved him and at this point, she didn't want to lose him at all.

As he moved forward, so did she. She kept herself close to a small block of houses, leaning against the wall, the gun firmly in both of her hands. She tried staying in the shadows as best she could, hiding herself using the night as a crutch to her advantage. Watching where she was stepping, she missed the various cans, glass bottles and general waste, barely making a sound, even though Mikhail was far a head of her, she still wanted to be as silent as she could. He soon disappeared from her sight and that's when she sprinted to his car, ducking behind it and taking a breath. She wasn't sure at all what was happening that was so urgent, nor did she think she should be the one to find out, but she'd already made that choice. Her hands began to shake slightly, somewhat due to the alcohol finally kicking back in and fear; fear of witnessing something that may completely change her perspective of Mikhail for good.

 

[Prizzy Kriyze]

Mikhail "Mike" Yenin

Ever since he got involved with the Sin of Eden gang, smuggling drugs across the Mexican border and being the face of the southern operations for a good few years, there'd always been that overhanging threat of the Chengs. Some offshoot of the chinese triads that operated independently on the west coast. Here in LA Sin of Eden wasn't exactly the biggest gang, but some of the members still thought they were hot shit because of the shit that they'd managed to pull off in Dallas. Nobody gave a shit about SoE here, but the Chengs? This was their fucking headquarters, and trying to steal coke off of their warehouse was a death sentence. That's what kept Mikhail in the game. He knew the kids that were left behind after he left were going to get themselves killed. Especially when the only person standing between them and getting themselves killed was Gabriel.

So he held his breath to the bare minimum as he crept up on the storehouse that'd been under the Chengs even before the jokes about contacting Coca Cola for a sponsorship were circulating. There was a light coming through one of the upper floor windows, barely visible through the tarp but Mike knew the layout well. The alcohol in his body didn't faze him, not after all these years of abuse. Rather, it made him ballsier than he would've been these days, considering what was on the line for him. He pressed his back against the wall as he rounded the building and tried heavy metal door he recalled had its lock broken last time he was through here.

Inside he saw no one. There was a catwalk overhead with its stair just to the left of the door, but it wouldn't be taken well if he was caught sneaking up on them. No, this was more a place for diplomatics. Up ahead there was a largely empty storage part of the building; or well, it looked completely full, but he knew all the crates stacked to the roof here were empty. Rather, rounding all of those and getting further inside there was a corner of the warehouse that was entirely sectioned off with two layers of large plastic drapes hung from the catwalk. That's where they'd be.

And he was right. When he got closer he started hearing a voice. A familiar voice. Leo Cheng. Fuck.

"- and this is how you repay me, hm? After all the hospitality we've shown you." He heard. "Fuck you!" Sounded Gabriel's voice. "Pressing OUR blocks for protection money? What kind of shit do you think you can-" His voice was cut off by a loud SMACK and a shriek of pain. "I don't think you understand your situation here, Gabriel."

Leo went quiet when the plastic drapes were suddenly pulled aside so forcefully that the wheels they balanced upon high above rolled all the way to the wall, revealing the entire scene. Gabriel's bloody face, the brawny man with the knuckle dusters next him, four pissing-themselves-terrified Sin of Eden kids Mike wasn't even sure if he'd seen before, Leo Cheng with his big Desert Eagle that he no doubt was compensating for something with and all the henchmen behind him. "What the fuck is going on here." Mikhail exclaimed.

"Oh, ho ho ho. Well isn't this a nice surprise? Welcome Mr. Cross, I thought you'd given up on this entirely. Haven't seen you for months." Leo mockingly called out. Mike took two quick steps up towards him and repeated "What. The. FUCK. Is going on here?" The big man with the dusters took a step closer but Leo waved him off with his gun. "I thought I'd at least get a 'hello' today, but I see you're not as patient as you've been. Has that got anything to do with the fact that we're executing these troublemakers once and for all?"

Leo was tall for a chinaman, only slightly shorter than Mikhail, so he didn't exactly tower over him when he got up in his face. "These idiots have crossed the line this time, yeah, in fact I think they're so fucking dumb that they wouldn't even die from a bullet between the eyes, but they're kids, Leo!" He practically spat in his face. "Don't fuck around, you know the deal. Reprimand is given by their own bosses out of good faith. You don't kill." Leo just smiled at him, and Mike was close enough to feel the smell of expensive cognac coming from him. "I apologize, Mr. Cross, but you've let your boys go too far this time. Our respect only goes so far." Then immediately turn his head towards one of the kids and raised his gun.

Time seemed to slow down for a moment.

Out of the corner of his eyes Mike could see the kid, couldn't have been 18 yet, attempting to scream through the fabric that'd been shoved into his mouth. He was on his knees, lined up next to the other SoE members, arms ziptied behind his back. And Mike did what he could at the moment.

The deafening sound of a gunshot echoed through the warehouse, and a fresh hole in the wall just barely above the teen's head gave off smoke. The Cheng henchmen were frozen in their tracks towards Leo, whose gun was now grabbed by the barrel and pressed firmly against Mikhail's forehead by none other than himself.

"No, me first, asshole."

 

[bubblefly]

Riley Jane Meyer

Riley stood, slowly shifting around the car and heading towards a large blocks of storehouses, seemingly only one occupied at the moment, a dim light shining from a the top floor, no movement being shown through the glass. With no other walkways out from this area, she assumed Mikhail had entered the one with the light, making his way inside and travelling up. But that wasn't going to be as easy for Riley; she'd never properly been around these parts, only heard word of some criminal activity. Finding her way around would be hard, but she took her time, creaking open every door and double checking every doorway, making sure no one was around to spot her. Practically every door was open, damaged one way or the other, bullet holes, scratched metal, broken hinges. The stairs she made her way up weren't old or noisy, but her heels started to sound against the hard floor, a few echoes sounding off through a short hallway. "Shit." She mumbled to herself, quickly taking her heels off and placing them quietly onto the stairs. Her only option was to leave them there and make her way to the lit room, there was no time to move them outside or to carry them and risk the inability to use her gun, so she left them in the middle of a staircase, gun back to the correct position.

The back slid against every wall she walked against, until she saw a dim light beaming out of a doorway. Crouching down, she shuffled to the entrance, moving her head around to take a look. Only a few seconds into peering around, she could see people, but only a few, one holding a gun and the other standing beside him, holding his fist, some blood staining his skin. She could've sworn she'd seen a glimpse of metal around his fingers, but she quickly snapped her head around, not wanting to be spotted or look for too long. With the little information she had, she didn't want to call in the police if it weren't an emergency, but when she heard a gun shot, her head snapped back around to witness Mikhail with his forehead pushed up against a desert eagle. That was it. She stood up and moved back from the doorway, grabbing her radio: "This is Agent Meyer, calling in to report a 10-71, possible 207. One individual is armed and has fired." Riley spoke as quietly and softly as she could, still trying to express a level of urgency.

The radio crackled and a voice soon responded: "What is your location Meyer?" Riley quickly hesitated before speaking, snapping her head back to the doorway, a sense of guilt and disloyalty sounding off in her mind. If she were to call this in, it could get Mikhail in serious trouble, but if she died, from what she saw, she believed he could die tonight. "I'm in a storehouse on the docks. My phone is in my car, so you should be able to track me that way." With that, she silenced her radio, cutting off any further communication, not wanting to make any more noise than she already had.

She slowly and quietly moved back to her position by the door frame, closing her eyes for a moment, keeping the gun to her chest and hoping for a miracle; hoping that squad cars would come as quickly as possible and wouldn't have to give herself away so easily.

 

[Prizzy Kriyze]

Mikhail "Mike" Yenin

Every second seemed an eternity as he stared Leo down by the barrel of his gun. At first Leo had tried to pull the gun away, but Mikhail's grip was stronger. The henchmen in the background stood down, but they looked perplexed. In a sudden motion Mikhail threw his other hand up and cocked the gun to his forehead. "Is there something wrong with it? Come on!" He exclaimed as a perfectly good bullet hit the floor a little bit away. The whole world seemed to be holding its breath, then Leo sighed.

"You get this one. Don't show your faces around here again." Mike's glare was as intense as before as Leo slowly put the safety on and removed the gun to hand it over the large muscular man. Then he turned on his heel, snapped his fingers and started walking out of there with his entourage following. As soon as they were out of view Mikhail turned around and forcefully pulled each one of the SoE members onto their feet and removed their gags. Gabriel was groggy and struggling to stand up straight. One of the kids said "In my back pocket, I got a pocket knife."

Mike grabbed it, cut away the owner's ziptie and then Gabriel's who immediately collapsed onto the former. Soon they were each free, and Mikhail pushed for them to leave through the door he'd come through.

---------------

They were silent all the way out to the cars, when suddenly Gabriel got his bearings and, while leaning against the open passenger door of his pickup, said "Cough Hey uh... Sorry about earlier man... You saved our fucking lives..." Mikhail walked up to him and got nearly as close as he had to Leo and hissed "You almost got four fucking kids killed Gabe. Do you think that's a fucking joke?" By the other car, a kid smoking a cigarette interjected "Hey we were completely up for it-" "You shut the fuck up if you know what's best for you." Gabriel interjected. Mikhail's gaze rested on the kid for a moment then went back to Gabe. "You pull some shit like that again and the Chengs won't have a chance to kill you, because I'd have already done it. Got it?"

At first Gabe just looked up at him through his one eye that wasn't swollen over, then he started laughing. "Haha, sounds like we got our old leader back!" First with disbelief, then with glee Mikhail looked back at him. Then he buried his fist just below Gabe's ribcage, and Gabe coughed hard to catch his breath. Blood ran from his mouth where one tooth was missing and several other were cracked or bent. "See this as a fucking favor. Don't pull me into this shit again." Mikhail pushed him down into the passenger side and slammed the door behind him, leaving him struggling to catch his breath in the front seat. Then he passed the other car and snatched the cigarette from the kid's hand. "Get the fuck out of here."

He walked back over to his car and took a long drag while the other cars rolled past him away from the scene. Soon they rolled out of his line of sight, and immediately he doubled over and sent a mixture of wine and carbonara out over the concrete. "Fucking shit..." he whispered as he stood up and wiped his mouth.

Then he heard the sirens, and saw the blue lights reflecting over the water in the direction that Gabriel had went.

 

[bubblefly]

Riley Jane Meyer

After she took her final look, seeing the gun lower, Riley decided to speed out of the building before anyone left her way. She stood, looked around for a moment and quietly jogged to the stairwell,running down them, remembering to grab her shoes on the way. She exited the building, taking the biggest breath she could, trying to relax her anxiety and stress about the whole situation. She knew she couldn't leave yet, as the police would be coming and she'd have to fill them in, hopefully privately so Mikhail doesn't catch on. Putting her heels back on, she held her gun in one hand, walking back to her car. She stopped just before Mikhail's car was out of sight, crouching out and watching from a distance.

Unfortunately, when they all came out, she couldn't hear a word, but she was able to remember some of their faces, hairstyles, injuries, clothes, but she had no clue as to who they were and why they were there. She knew very few people that were involved with Mikhail, as one of her tasks was to find those who were connected to him and bring them down with him. Even from this distance, she could tell that Mikhail was either furious or didn't like those he was currently chatting to. He shoved another into a car, slamming the door and walking back to his own. She saw sick spew from his mouth and she got up almost immediately, wanting to go to him and help him, but she couldn't possibly do that with a gun in hand and radio strapped to her dress. So she stood still, watching him in the alleyways shadows, her face screwing up with guilt and pain.


As Riley hadn't mentioned anything about her task, the police station only sent a few cars, five officers exactly to follow up on the matter. They were very fast in their actions, preparing and leaving within seconds, charging towards to docks after successfully tracking Riley's phone. They'd actually taken a different route to Riley, diverting away from the traffic and going along the shore roads, reaching the outskirts of the docks in five brief minutes, chasing to see anyone or anything they thought was suspicious. One of the cars went straight to the incident, rolling up to the back of the warehouse and storming it, shouting and crashing around, checking everything room to find anyone. Whereas the other took a different trail, moving themselves into the docks and rolling their car around, waiting to spot cars that exit the docks.

 

[Prizzy Kriyze]

Mikhail "Mike" Yenin

He'd been halfway inside his car when he could suddenly swear he heard something shifting somewhere behind him. Swiftly he clicked his glove compartment open and turned around simultaneously as he cocked it and pointed it to an alleyway just a bit further back. He scanned the scene and slowly let his pointed gun drift back and forth between possible spots. "Who's there?" He almost called out, but kept his voice down to avoid the cops. The harbor-side streetlights were dim, but he was under one and whoever was out there wasn't so his eyes just couldn't adjust enough to the darkness. In his periphery he saw the blue lights getting brighter and cursed under his breath, then jumped into his car and sped off the scene.

One of the most convenient things about the docks was that there were plenty of back roads that nobody unfamiliar with the area could ever catch him through.

---------------------------------------

Halfway home he noticed that the lights had stopped following and he for the first time that night slowed down in accordance to the speed limit. A sigh of relief left his lips, and instead his eyes rolled over to the fuel gauge. He'd been running on empty and lord knows how long, so he pulled over to a conveniently placed gas station.

As he was waiting for the tank to fill up, impatiently with an unlit cigarette hang out of his mouth, he noticed that the station carried an antiquity. There was a phone booth just off the side. With one eye on his watch and one on his second phone that he could hardly call Riley from, he swallowed his pride and walked over. Closing the door hard behind him and nearly dropping a quarter with his trembling fingers he managed to finally dial her. Slowly the air became thicker in the little booth as he nervously puffed away at his cigarette. Tone after tone went through, then when the other side finally came through he was so neurotic that at first he didn't realize it was just her voicemail.

"Hey-..." He started, before falling back against the wall of the booth and letting out a long breath in frustration. Finally the beep came and he started "Hey, it's me. I'm going back home now, I still want to see you, I'm sorry. It was nothing important, I just... I'm sorry. Call me." and he hung up. For a minute he just stood there, looking up through the glass roof at the stars while his cigarette sizzled out in his hand, then he was snapped out of it by a hard knock on the glass. It was the clerk, a shorter older lady in her fifties or sixties with a fat mole on her lip and a "I'm too old for this shit" look on her face. "No smoking in the phone booth." She said, and pointed at a sign clearly dictating the prior. "Sorry..." He managed to force out while stumbling out along with a huge cloud of smoke. "Your car's full." She simply replied with a thumb pointing back towards it.

---------------------------------------------------

As soon as he made it through his front door he called out "Hey, baby, are you here?" and when nobody responded he rushed over to the kitchen to see if he'd missed a call on his phone. Nothing new. With a sizeable boulder in his throat, he collapsed in a kitchen chair with a hand over his face. Why'd it always have to be like this? Every time he tried to make something right, to get somewhere proper in his life everything from his past would come back to haunt. What's the point, even? Over and over he'd fallen in and out of it, and if the profession wouldn't kill him the burden certainly could. His fingers ran across his tired eyes and he caught a glimpse of the half-filled wine bottle on the table. Angry, he grabbed out and started chugging. Could he still get to a heaven if he just offed himself? No, he stopped chugging. His heaven was here now. But then, what if this was the straw that broke the camel's back? He opened his cabinet and grabbed his bottle of Yamazaki that he'd been saving. Lord knew she had stood out with so much of his bullshit already. He grabbed a glass, tossed a few ice cubes in it. Filled it. Maybe he'd never hear another word from her, maybe she'd grown tired of his unexplained disappearances. He took a drink.

The thoughts crashed through his mind like a migraine, but those kinds of pains weren't comparable. Still then, if she was done now, if that was it, then this heaven turned hell on earth wouldn't be space enough to take back what he'd done. The glass was empty. Fucking shit, what if she thought there was someone else? Would she think that of him? He took a swig from the bottle. God, don't let her believe that she wasn't the only one he loved, don't let her think he'd ever do something like that, don't, don't, no. He bashed his skull on the bathroom floor on his way for a piss. The bottle was empty. If she needed him to be anything, could he be half of what she'd need? She'd be smart to go, the demons chasing people like him never leave. In the mirror he saw the blood from his eyebrow run down over his nose and dripping into the sink. There was a little spot on the floor too, and there were another few wine bottles in the pantry. He never deserved her. She deserved to be happy. There was spilled wine on the coffee table in the living room. There was a dash of red on the pillow where he'd finally collapsed. There was the nervous, arrhythmic breathing from uneasy dreaming.

Please don't go.

 

[bubblefly]

Riley Jane Meyer

With everything running through Riley's head, she escaped the scene, speeding off into the traffic, leaving no trace of her behind, her eyes welling up. The core thing drowning her thoughts were the lies she was telling her love, but also the lies he was telling her. She knew who he was and what he'd done in the past, but she still had this twisted dream of the stereotypical girl who wanted to change the bad guy. With every car passed and green light crossed, her head began to clear and her thoughts dispersed into what he was doing now. The first red light she hit, she turned her phone off, cutting off all communication she could have with Mikhail and the police. She just wanted time to think and be able to get home before anything else happened.

Within a short time, she arrived home, her real house, parking her car into the drive and grabbing everything from the car, making her way into the house. She shut and locked the door, throwing everything down on the kitchen table and pulling out a bottle of red wine from her cupboard, pouring herself a glass and walking upstairs. She changed into a vest and pyjama shorts, wanting to physically and mentally relax. She walked back downstairs and grabbed the bottle of wine and her phone, falling down on the couch in her living room, putting her feet up and drinking as much as she could before turning her phone on. She saw she had a missed call from an unknown number and a voicemail, without even thinking it could be Mikhail she listened to it, her heart aching as she listened to the pure misery running through his voice. She didn't have the nerve to call him, text him or anything. She wanted him to know she was pissed at him, yet all she felt was sorrow, but he couldn't know that, or her alternate intentions could become apparent and the truth could slip.

So she slept. Wishing the emotions she currently felt left by morning.

 

[Prizzy Kriyze]

Mikhail "Mike" Yenin

"Ugh..."

The pounding of Mike's heart was only matched by the pounding of his head, and together they tapped out the beat to the shaking of his fingers. The blind cut the rays of sunlight into bright razor blades across the living room table where a small pile of ashes and cigarettes were piled up. The air tasted like stagnant smoke, almost what you'd expect the flavor of asphalt to be. The apartment was old, shitty and on the top floor, maybe the landlord wouldn't notice.

When he tried to get up the pillow he grabbed fell out of the couch and took him with it. A glass shattered on the floor as he bumped into the table and cut his leg and left arm up when he tried steadying himself. Blood ran and dripped but he was far too fucked up to care, instead shuffling his way into the kitchen. There were two empty wine bottles on the table, one knocked over with a sticky stain underneath it and one neatly stood up by the window. The place was a mess, all the silverware and leftovers from yesterday were still out. It hadn't gone completely bad yet, but the food was the last thing on his mind. He tried to look for his phone, only to find it was dead. A low sigh escaped him as he plugged it in and slumped down into a chair with his head in his hands. Judging by the color of the sunlight it must've been somewhere between eight and ten in the morning. Unless it was next to Riley, he couldn't sleep well if he'd been drinking anymore.

"Fucking mess..." He muttered. Still sedated by the pounding pain now not only in his eyebrow and his head anymore, but also his cut up leg and arm, he looked over the scene and thought. He needed to call Riley, that much was clear, but enough synapses had died of alcohol poisoning that he didn't feel all the guilt anymore. Still, there was the dark, towering cloud of worry. Was it over? Did he fuck it up completely? Everything was a haze, even now, but he knew that he could never call her over with his place looking and smelling like this.

He opened up the window to let in some fresh air, and upon trying to throw the leftovers away he noticed that the garbage bag was full. He'd have to bring it out. In only his grey sweatpants, black tank top and a pair of crappy sandals he headed down from his apartment, not even bothering to lock his door behind him. Over the grass just outside the apartment, over to the sand and dust by the dumpsters he walked. As the lid slammed shut he dusted off his hands and turned around. From the dumpsters you had a clear view across the parking lot, but also the sun in your eyes. Mike raised an arm over his eyes to get a better look, and to his immediate annoyance he saw someone had smashed his car window.

Slowly but surely he was getting the hang of walking properly as he made his way down, but the hangover was making him sweat. The dry dust from the sand clung to his exposed arms and forehead like a thin film of filth. It was the driver door, and there was a little dent on the frame as if whoever had broken the window had used a baseball bat to do it. It was slightly askew, and the entire front seat was covered in glass. He threw the door open and leaned in to find that his car radio had been removed, but once they realized what a piece of shit it was they must've given up, because it was just laying in the back seat.

At first Mike laughed to himself. What a poor bastard, spending all that time to get in and try to steal his radio just to realize it was worthless. Then he had a sudden realization, and quickly reached for the glove compartment. With a sigh of relief he found that his 9mm was still there, and he stood back up outside the car to check through the clip to make sure nothing at all was taken.

"Hey, what are you doing there?" A stern voice called out. Still a bit foggy, Mike raised his free arm to get a better look at who was shouting across the lot. Then he froze.

A cop was walking towards him with a less than pleased look on his face. There was another one at the side of the road, leaned against a squad car. Mike looked down at himself, still out of view from the officer thanks to his car. He looked from the dust caked on his skin to the red that had started bleeding through his pant leg. He looked from the broken window of his car to the bleeding cuts all over his arm. Then he looked to the gun in his hand. The haze in his head melted away as adrenaline started pumping through him.

Taken aback, Mike kind of stumbled in place and his mind raced with unclear thoughts. "Hey! Hands where I can see them! What's going on here?" Without really thinking it through Mike started walking backwards, away from the cop who was coming up at quite a brisk pace. He started making his way up between the cars, away from the officer. "Stop! Where do you think you're going?" Slowly picking up speed, Mike only sent quick glances over his shoulder as the cop rounded his car and finally saw the broken window. "What the-... HEY, FREEZE!"

The familiar words instinctively sent Mike diving low behind a car with his hands over his head, which, was the worst possible thing he could've done at the time.

"HE'S GOT A GUN!"

Bullets rained and bounce around him, his heart was beating through his chest, but Mike wasn't inexperienced. He kept his head low, moved between cars, looked for a possible escape route. Both the officers were now moving through the lot towards him, back up was no doubt on the way. This day just never seemed to end. Every time a bullet hit a little too close he could feel his anger surging, but every time he wanted to turn and fire back Riley's face flashed through the back of his head. He just... couldn't.

He slipped into an alleyway, seemingly having given them the momentary slip, and started bolting. This wasn't the time nor the place for his new life's sentimental values or morals. He needed to go, and quick. He arrived on another street with a few cars parked by the side of the road. One had a guy in it, seemingly sleeping. Golden opportunity. Mike ran up to the driver's door and pulled on it as hard as he could. Luckily it was unlocked, and he grabbed the woman who had been asleep inside by the collar and tossed her out into the road, carefully to keep his face out of her field of view. A cloud of dust was kicked up as he sped off down into town. He need a place to hide.

He needed to go back to the hangout.