Page 42 of Perfect Chaos

“Did the man say something?” Atlas asks the question first.

“That's the weirdest part. He smiled some typical creeper smile, said I should be more careful because I never know what type of people could be around me, and then walked off.”

Gavin seems to pale at what I just said. “What did this man look like?”

“Thinning black hair swooped to the side to hide his bald spot, olive skin, dark, dead-looking eyes with a scar across his cheek. Your basic weirdo.”

“Yeah, that's creepy. Glad you're okay.” Gavin slams his computer closed, causing Atlas and I to both look at him.

“Everything okay?” My voice comes out tentative. This is not the reaction I expected from Gavin and I am not sure how I feel about it.

He stands abruptly before answering, “Everything is fine. I will be right back. Ramos needs me for something.” He rushes out the front door without another word.

Silence settles over the kitchen as I try to figure out what just happened. “That was weird, right? It’s not just me?”

“That was odd, even for Gavin.”

Atlas agreeing with me makes me feel a little better. At least I know I’m not imagining anything. “Any idea what that was about?”

“No, not really. But he gets a little weird anytime he does side jobs for Ramos. I wouldn’t stress it too much.” His words sound nonchalant.

I want to believe him. I really do. The timing seems off. It’s making my chest feel weird. The rumble of a car engine can be heard from outside.

“Did Gavin just leave? I swear I heard his car pull out of the driveway!” I rush to the door to check outside, confirming my suspicion. I rush back to Atlas, my arms flailing around as I most likely overreact to the situation. “He is gone. Why did he leave without saying anything?”

Atlas reaches for my hand, pulling me to him to get my attention. “Relax, Maizyn. Ramos probably needed help with whatever side job they are working on. I wouldn't worry too much about it. He'll be back later.”

"But why would he do that right when I finish telling you two about the creepy encounter?" Confusion and hurt battle it out for control over my emotions.

“Sometimes that's what Gavin does. I don’t think it’s related to what you said.”

He places a kiss on my forehead and I let his touch calm me even if something is setting off warning bells in my head. “You're probably right.”

Chapter Twenty-Two

Gavin

I slam my laptop shut, grabbing it in a hurry as I rush outside, snatching my keys from the hook on the way out. I activate the lock on the door as my panic begins to claw its way into my body. There is no way that was a random man who stopped Maizyn today. My brain works in overdrive as I connect all the pieces, pacing back and forth down the driveway as I try to come up with a solution. I thought I was careful. I thought I took the necessary steps to make sure it isn't traced back to me. If they found Maizyn then I truly fucked up. My fingers combed through my hair on instinct. Pulling out the strands until it's painful. What the hell am I going to do? Each breath I take feels like broken glass in my lungs, the ache only intensifying with my panic. I can't stay here keeping both of them in danger. It's bad enough that Vin already knows about Maizyn. If he found her, he would be able to find Atlas too.

There's no way Vin’s threat wasn't aimed at me. He targeted her as a warning. He wanted me to know that he is capable of getting close. He wanted to scare me into stopping. But what he doesn't know is him threatening the people I care about makes me want to bring him down even more. I'm going to stop Vin, even if it kills me. I just have to make sure Atlas and Maizyn are taken care of first and that I am far enough away from them when everything hits the fan. I don't drag them into this. I'm not exactly sure where to go, but I know somebody who would. I pull out my phone and dial Ramos' number. He answers on the third ring.

“I know you wouldn’t be calling if it wasn’t important.”

“Vin knows.” The words come out rushed as I try to mask my panic.

“What do you mean, he knows?” His monotone cadence grounding me enough to bring my voice back to normal.

I take a deep breath to center my thoughts. “Maizyn said a man cornered her off a side road on her way home today. She described Vin’s exact characteristics.”

“And you don’t think it was a coincidence.” It's a statement, not a question. I answer it anyway.

“No, because he showed up with a veiled threat, telling her she should be more careful because she never knows what type of people could be around her. There is no way it wasn’t because of me. I can’t drag them into this, Ramos.”

“You can back out of the job, man. You know I would understand.” A small amount of compassion bleeding into his voice.

“I think it’s already too late for that. I am already in too deep.” The sentence feels heavy on my tongue. I can’t back out even if I wanted to. If I quit now, it would all be for nothing.

“Then what do you need? What can I do to help?”