DANGEROUS ELYSIUM

PART TEN

SHARNA

"Yes dad I know…."

"That's the thing you don't Sharna, you don't know how to do anything right and hearing it from Morgan just makes things worse…."

"I don't care what…."

"Stop! I don't want to hear anymore. I've told you so many times to sort yourself out and stop being a brat, you're a grown man for christ sake. Your not a kid anymore, you have to grow the fuck up and be a man for once. Do you see Morgan acting the way you are? No, he has his head on straight and you can't even do the simplest thing and go to class."

I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose to keep from telling him it's all Morgan's fault, but then again he'd just laugh it off like it's a joke. "Are you finished?"

"Sharna, I'm not nearly finished with you, but I have business to attend to. I'll deal with you when I get back in a few days until then keep fucking shut and do as your damn told."

"And you call me an adult when your ordering me around like a fucking kid?"

"While you live under my roof you will do as I say, end of."

"Maybe I don't want to live under your roof! Maybe I want to live in a fucking yurt in the mountains and chop wood for a living."

"Pathetic. You are a pathetic excuse for a son, just like your damn mother was a pathetic excuse for a woman. Either deal with life under my roof or get the hell out of my life."

"I bet you've been waiting to say that for a long time?"

"Oh I have son, I have. I'm going so sort your shit." And the line went dead. Couldn't believe Morgan went behind my back….actually I could. I'd started to realize that this really wasn't about a bet or even really Oliver, this was about Morgan getting rid of me so he had everything all to himself. Oliver was just an extra bonus on his part. All Morgan needed to achieve was getting me out of the family picture and hurting me at the same time, right in my heart. Once I'm gone he'd have his hands in everything and as Much hate them all I didn't want to give Morgan that satisfaction. Why the hell should I? So I decided I had to go to Oliver and tell him everything. I mean everything. Me. Morgan. Raine. The bet that to me was never a bet. He had to know. He had the right to know about every little detail. This wasn't about guilt or closure although they had attributed to a lot of what went on, it was about Oliver knowing that all these years….all those long years….I stopped, because it hurt just thinking about it and even as the chilly October air settled around me and impatient passerbys bumped my shoulders as they rushed past to get to wherever it was they were going, I quickened my step and sent up a silent prayer that the coffee shop Oliver worked at would somehow miraculously not be busy this morning. I had memorized his classes and days off and times he worked. Predictably, my prayer went unheeded. The line was as long as ever. As soon as I got inside, I moved to the side a bit so I could see if he was actually working and frowned when it wasn’t him behind the register, but a girl I recognized from an afternoon shift.

I moved to the opposite side of the line and saw that Molly was working her usual spot behind the espresso machine. I tried to catch her eye, but she was caught up in her work. I shifted again in the hopes of spying Oliver coming out of the back room, but he didn’t appear. A niggle of concern went through me, and I bypassed the line and made my way up to Molly’s side of the counter. Her eyes lifted to meet mine as I moved toward her and my step faltered when I saw the tension in her gaze. Where the fuck was Oliver? Molly met me on the far side of the counter where the numerous bottles of syrup were kept. "Where is he?" I asked.

"Why? What's it to you?"

"Molly, please." I begged, then something in her green eyes softened and she ushered me away where it was almost private.

"He's gone, Sharna."

My stomach dropped out. "Gone. What do you mean?"

"Look. I'm gonna be deadly serious with you. I don't know what the fuck you and your brother or even mine are up to…."

"Wait what? You….you know about Raine and Morgan?"

"What? You know too, right?"

"Look, let me get this right. You know they're friends….I mean Morgan and Raine."

She shook her head. "Hold on….okay, right. You look lost and to be honest I'm lost too, now. So I think we need a chat….away from here and prying eyes and ears."

I nodded. "Okay."

"Let me get my coat. Meet me out back and we'll go for a drive."

"Okay, sure." Holy fuck! What is going on? Then I shook myself and rushed out the shop and took a quick scan. Honestly it probably wouldn't make a difference. I don't know half the people Morgan does, but I intended on finding out what the hell is going on. So I rushed around the corner and down the side of the cafe to see Molly already waiting for me.

"Come on," she whispered. "My car is just up here."

I followed closely behind Molly, watching out for anyone who looked suspicious or even looked at me funny. "Molly…"

"Shush….just get in quick and duck down."

God! The girl was actually a little terrifying. But I complied and did as she instructed, but I looked pretty stupid hunched up in her front seat of her small car….really small. "Molly."

"Just hold on," then she grinned and pushed on the gas. Holy fuck! I'm going to die. The girl was a fucking nut. She was in some kind of trance as she pushed on the gas and then shifted gear like some kind of aged race driver. "Are you still alive?" She sang.

"Fucking barely…..holy shit!"

"I love this car. It's old but it's fast. It was my dad's. We used to rag this old thing on the tarmac at night in the supermarket car park."

"I….fuck….I thought as much."

"You can get up now."

I breathed in and let out a long breath as I finally made myself comfortable. "You can like, slow down now."

"Sure sure. Anyway, there's a place just up the road I go to think sometimes, it's safe."

"What's going on?"

"Hang on," she said softly and pulled up into a garage lot that looked like it was rotting away. "Right. Look Sharna. I don't know what to think, not anymore but I've seen that look of love before, so I'm going to be brutally honest with you and you cannot under any circumstances lose your head."

"Lose my head? I'm not sure I can make that promise."

"Fine….I don't know about you or Morgan but what I do know is that Raine and Morgan are more than friends. I've seen it first hand…."

"When."

"Let me finish."

"I'm sorry Molly…."

"Look," she said, placing her hand over mine. "I saw them the other morning. All over each other and believe me I was surprised. My brother has never told me he liked guys or anything at that matter, but I know what I saw. I told Oliver too."

"You saw Oliver?"

"Yes, yesterday and do you know what else?"

"What." I murmured, worried to death at what she was going to say next.

"Whenever I was on a break with Oliver and Raine and the subject of two brothers came up, Oliver would screw up his nose and usually snort whenever Morgan was mentioned, but with you he'd just….drift off, staring into the middle distance," Molly chuckled a little as she pictured Oliver, hell I was picturing him too. "You know the eyes speak a thousand unspoken words. Oliver's would glaze over and he'd get this longing look in them. I know you two have history together and I also know how hard it's been for him and I feel so guilty because I wasn't there for him. Then I felt even worse when he told me yesterday that Raine really hurt him, he didn't say why and I didn't ask. Whatever it is it's very personal."

"Where is Oliver? Please Molly…."

"He left. He promised me not to tell anyone….god, I'm so sorry," she muttered. "He'll either hate me or love me, but he's gone to his uncle's."

"Right, shit. Could you give me his cell number?"

"As much as I want to, I can't. You'll just have to figure the rest out. Sorry."

"No, that's fine."

"What will you do now?"

"I don't know, honestly I just don't. Morgan has it in for me."

"If you left too, that would be okay, right?"

"No. Leaving wouldn't make Morgan happy, seeing me dead would though…."

"Oh my god! Has he threatened you?" She started to panic and I set my hand on her arm, which instantly calmed her.

"Not really, but with me still breathing he wouldn't see a penny from my dad."

"If your dad cuts you off he would, right?"

"Yeah, but Morgan would still have in the back of his mind that I'd come back and he'd end up losing everything."

"Is Morgan actually capable of doing….you know, that?"

"Killing people?"

"Yeah. Like you or your dad?"

"Not himself, no. But he has people who have dealt with business before."

"Jesus, he's fucked up."

"How do you think I feel, I've lived with that for years."

Molly sighed and started chewing on her lip and stupidly I started doing the same. "Just leave Sharna. You have the means to do it. Just go to Oliver."

"I don't know where his uncle lives."

"I do, well kind of."

"How?"

"He sent a package to Oliver once to my mom's place. I saw it, but only quickly. I cannot give you the exact address but I can tell you where, then you're on your own."

"Alright."

"Eden. It's a long ass drive, but it's a very small town with a lot of cattle and horse ranches. I'm sure he won't be hard to find. That's all I can do."

"Have I ever told you how amazing you are?"

"Nope, but you can." She said around a huge smile.

So I quickly cupped her pretty cheeks in my hands and kissed her lips. "You're amazing. Thank you." I whispered and watched her face blow up.

"Oh god, no….no wonder he loves you. Fuck, I think I just fell in love with you." She giggled.

"Really?"

"No idiot, but I like you now. That's at least something. Anyway, give me your number and I'll call or message if anything comes up."

"Right, sure," I stuttered and pulled my phone from my pocket. "Just stick your number in and I'll message you."

"Okay. But one more thing," she said, taking my phone. "My brother keeps this journal of information." then she snorted. "Who keeps journals anymore right? But he does and maybe there's stuff in there that can help. I'm not completely sure to be honest, I just know he's keeps tabs on anyone who crosses him."

"You'll risk it?"

"Yeah….yeah I would. For Oliver," Okay so it stung a little when she said just for Oliver, but the sting didn't last for very long before I was feeling like I could really do this. Go to him. See him. Touch him and not in a sexual kind of way, although that would be nice. But I mean hold him and know he's really okay. Then I'll get everything out of him and deal with Morgan and Raine another time. My top priority was getting to Oliver. "Here's your phone. I'll drive you back to the cafe and then you're on your own. Just let me know that you're both okay and I'll start digging. If it's one thing I do know, my brother has enemies. My boyfriend told me." She said proudly.

"Thanks Molly, really thanks."

"Anytime. Let's get going back." I nodded and shoved my phone back in my pocket. I was happy. I had a way of getting to Oliver and nothing is going to stop me.