"You should be scared of me, cuffed to a chair, begging for your life." 

☆

Carlos exhales a sigh as the sound of the woodland world makes its morning call, but he doesn't mind. Even in the cramped back seat of the four by four, he had slept like a baby. Not once did the situation he had fallen into, permeate his thoughts. The fear of being caught, a mild inconvenience, the loss of those precious diamonds, a small blip in the plan. The fact that he still hadn't reached his destination, a tiny hurdle.  Was this because he now had something else to consume his mind?  That word he dared not mention. The 'L' word?

He shifts onto his side, he opens his eyes and smiles at the notion. He wasn't in love. That would be crazy. No, this was just a feeling he liked. A feeling Rio ignited within him and a feeling which seemed to make all of his troubles pale into significance. The once hostage turned partner in crime and now a close companion, was still sound asleep. Rio looked different somehow. The constant thinking frown he seemed to adopt, appeared to be absent as light snores left his parted lips, his face content. 

Carlos lifts a hand and reaches up, pinching Rio's nose with his forefinger and thumb, causing a snort and gasp to leave his mouth. "W… what…." He bats the hand away as his eyes open, focusing on the man sharing the makeshift pillow. 

"Just…" Carlos replies, pulling his hand back under the blanket. "Good morning."

Rio adjusts his head as he reciprocates the smile. "What time is it?" 

"I don't know? Maybe late morning?..."

"Late morning?" Rio attempts to get up as if in a panic but Carlos is quick to pull him back down. 

"Where are you going? What's the rush?" 

Rio settles back down, but his body still felt that tense eagerness to try and get up once again. "We have to be one step ahead. We are in a stolen car. They're gonna come looking."

"Five more minutes won't hurt." Carlos insists as he scooches a little closer to the other male, which was easier said than done in the limited space. He stops nose to nose in front of Rio. "Remember, it's me who they are after. Not you." He places a hand on Rio's cheek, leaning in to kiss his lips, but the other male pulls back. 

"Don't distract me." He grins.  "If we get complacent, then it will all be for nothing.' 

Carlos sighs as he rolls onto his back once again. "My plan has failed already. The diamonds were my protection. They're gone. I'm really doing this on my own now." He feels Rio's chin rest upon his shoulder. 

"You're not on your own, remember?" He kisses the exposed neck on show. "What were the diamonds for anyway? And why the coast?" Rio questions as he looks up to Carlos. 

"I want to disappear. To start a new life. One thing Chanelle has taught me is that people will be bought for the right price. The diamonds were in exchange for a house, built on the edge of nowhere without her knowledge."

"That must be one hell of a house." Rio says with amusement. 

"It didn't all go on the house. It was to buy silence and a story of my departure. But now I have nothing to give, she knows  what I have done. That house won't be safe. Without the diamonds, they will turn on me and remain loyal to Chanelle." Carlos exhales a sigh. "This plan was flawed from the start. I am not a leader or a businessman. I can't even commit a crime properly." He looks down at Rio and smiles. "You should be scared of me, cuffed to a chair, begging for your life." 

Rio places a hand on Carlos' chest. "We can still do that if you want. Sounds fun." 

Carlos places his hand over Rio's, he lifts up the limb, examining his wrist. "Don't put these thoughts into my mind. You wouldn't let me do anything more than cuddle you last night. Maybe you'll be the one who has me begging for mercy." 

"Maybe." Rio smiles as he sits himself up, to look out of the condensated window. "There is one thing I don't get." 

"What?" Carlos replies as he adjusts his position, resting his head on his upturned palm. 

Rio looks back at Carlos. "Why couldn't you just talk to her? She's your sister after all."

Carlos looks at Rio with a more serious look. "Chanelle. She used to have compassion. She used to be reasonable, but something happened not long after my parents died. All I know is that she had to step up and it changed her. She's still my sister, I'm still her brother, but the blood between us has gone cold. Now I know what she says she will do and what she actually does are two different things. As for the diamonds, that's what started it. The result of the tangled mess my father got caught up in. Maybe it's best that they're gone, but she won't see that." 

"Problems of the elite." Rio puts his hand on his stomach. The grumble noticeable in the quiet. "But I have a more serious one." 

"You said you have money." Carlos says as he looks down at Rio's stomach. "Right now, all I want is food." 

"Then you'll need to earn it " Rio begins to edge towards the door, opening it up and letting a cold shot of air in. "We need to ditch this car, remember, one step ahead." 

"Do you mean we have to walk?" Carlos groans as he finally gets up. 

"Yes we have to walk. '' Rio snaps back. "It's no different from orienteering in scouts." 

"I didn't go to scouts " 

"Just… come on rich boy…."

***

The nail on her thumb had been chewed within an inch of its life, as Remi gazed out of the large Georgian sash window onto the well cultivated lawn. Her mind was a mess. Going from one thought to another. Was she doing the right thing by being here? How was this helping? The underlying guilt of her selfishness surfaced every now and then. Was this even about saving her brother or saving herself? 

The grand home had been a mild distraction. A place she was free to roam to a degree, with locked doors in certain places. Remi dared not ask what was behind them. No one seemed to venture near. The keys, most probably in the possession of just one person. The true keeper of the grand house's secrets. 

She tenses as she sees the car approach, feeling the need to stand up as if to be inspected.  She watches the car pull up the long driveway. The driver gets out and opens the car door to find the lady. The familiar heels make an appearance as they hit the gravel as Chanelle approaches the grand door. 

Remi heads into the hallway, feeling a mixture of fear and anticipation as the woman returns home. Chanelle closes the door behind her, dropping her briefcase on the side table, her long coat being whisked away by the paid help. She looks at Remi, staring at her as if she is a child waiting for her mother. "Did you miss me?" 

"Any news?" Remi asks. The words eager to leave her lips. 

"Not, how was your day?" Chanelle shakes her head as she walks past the other. "I hope your bedside manner is a little more considerate." 

"You said me being here would help. I have done what you have asked, but I know nothing. Why can't you answer the question?"

Chanelle stops in her tracks. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, composing her disposition before turning back around. "I am totally famished. Won't you join me for dinner and I promise we'll talk."  Remi looks at Chanelle. Aware that she was treading maybe a little close to the edge. She relents as she nods and to her relief, sees Chanelle's shoulders relax. "Good." She smiles as she turns her back once again, her cheery disposition dropping as soon as it's out of shot. Remi follows obediently behind, her mind already busy as to how to play her next move. Making an enemy of Chanelle Matheson was a foolish mistake to make. So she would have to play a different game. She would have to be patient, find a weak spot. She would have to make her an ally. 

A/N. So my friend just asked me Jojo, what you doing? I said, just writing. He said, read a bit, so I did. He said. Wow that sounds like a professional book. I was like, oh thanks:).