"Jasper and Thomas? Who the fuck are they?"

☆

Carlos' eyelids still felt heavy as he came around from his nap. The air is quiet and still in the confines of the car, with the slight build up of condensation on the windows, as a result of their sleeping breaths. The sky outside, dark enough to allow a scattering of stars, now the clouds from the earlier rainfall had parted. "We had better make a move..." He turns to face the driver's seat, but it is empty, with Rio nowhere to be seen.

Carlos sits up in a panic as he turns to look in the back seat, but he is well and truly alone. "Damn it!" He hits the dash with his balled up fists. The man had escaped after all, and now with information Carlos was a fool to divulge. He should never have trusted him. He should have just kicked him out or shut him up like his sister would have done.

He hears footsteps now approach the vehicle. His body is once again on high alert as he automatically reaches for his gun, as a hand begins to pull on the passenger door from the outside. It swings open and Carlos automatically points his gun. "Whoa whoa whoa!" The man stood outside raises his hands in defence "it's me it's me."

"Rio?" Carlos begins to scrutinise the male, with what light was available from the car's internal bulb.

"Who else would it be? I thought we'd gotten over this gun pointing thing." Rio half laughs as Carlos finally lowers the gun.

"I thought you'd gone." He mumbles as he replaces the weapon in the inside pocket of his jacket.

"I had to pee and...." Rio leans in a little more into the passengers side. "That truck is going our way." They now both look out of the front windscreen at a truck, parked a few metres ahead.

"You mean, you still have the post it note, with the address?" Carlos utters.

Rio looks back at Carlos, as he taps his right temple with his forefinger. "In here. I never forget an address. We can't keep using my sister's car. She will have probably called the police."

"She said she wouldn't." Carlos reminds him.

"Remi tells people what she wants them to hear. She has to have the upper hand. Even if there is risk involved."

Carlos shakes his head. "She and Chanelle would get along."

"Chanelle?" Rio questions.

"My big sister, and the reason I'm doing this." Carlos gets out of the car and closes the door. He looks at the truck parked a little further along. "The driver. Are they trustworthy?"

"He seems genuine." Rio replies as they head towards the vehicle. "You get a feel for people who drive for a living. Like a code, a pack y'know."

"You're talking bullshit." Carlos mumbles.

It makes Rio smile. "Maybe I am, but when it comes down to it, if he is a real threat, you have a gun."

"A gun I cannot use properly."

"He doesn't know that, does he?" Rio points out.

Carlos looks at Rio's profile in the limited light. "You sound like you would have been better suited to my family business. I'm forgetting you are my captor."

Rio stops to look at the other male. He places a hand upon his shoulder. "I stopped being your captor when I decided to stay."

Carlos emits a small chuckle. He tries to focus on the vague features on Rio's face as his mind begins to wonder. "Why? Why are you still here? Really?"

Rio lets his hand fall as he looks up to the blackened sky. His breath slightly visible against the cold night. He looks back at Carlos. "I guess we both need to step out of the shadows of our siblings. "Remi and I... Well, she has never been the caring older sister. I guarantee she cares more about that car than me, I have always been her embarrassing twin brother who made nothing of himself."

"Well then." Carlos smiles. "Let's be liberated." It causes Rio to match the sentiment as together, they continue their walk towards the truck.

As they get closer, they see the driver's side open and a rather large built male climb down. "Jasper... and this is Thomas?" The man questions as they soon get close enough.

"What?" Carlos begins, but is interrupted by Rio.

"Yes, that's right. He's Thomas." He gives Carlos' arm a gentle squeeze, which causes him to agree.

"Yes....yes I'm Thomas."

The driver looks at the pair as he holds out a hand to Carlos. "Nice to meet you. I'm Jeff." The hand is firm and Carlos can feel his fingers in danger of being crushed in the hold as it finally lets go. "Head around the other side and get in. I'll be heading off in a few."

"Thanks Jeff." Rio says as he pulls a little on Carlos' arm in order to head around the other side.

Carlos waits until they are around the corner, before he pulls his arm away. "Jasper and Thomas? Who the fuck are they?"

Rio puts a finger to his temple for the second time that night. "Have a thought, would you? I'm not gonna tell him our real names, am I?"

"I get that, but why those names? I mean Thomas is ok, but Jasper?"

"I got it from a book if you must know. It was the last book I read and..."

"And what?" Carlos says, not even sure if he wanted to hear the rest.

"It kind of helped breed the lie." Rio gives Carlos an awkward smile.

"What lie?" Carlos replies, as he finds himself folding his arms.

Rio subconsciously bites on his lower lip, now questioning what he thought was a bright idea, before he finally tells the other. "I told Jeff we were lovers..."