"Get out!"

Snapping out of the trance, Luka stepped back until he was in the doorway. He parted his lips. "Iris, I..."

On the bed, Iris knitted her brows and cupped her head in her hands.

"I hurt you," he managed, cocking his head to the side because that was the obvious. Really, he saw no other words except the one stamped so harshly into his brain; he was delusional.

He breathed heavily, for the world as he knew it had distorted to something so unrecognizable that—no, thought he. It hadn't distorted.

Luka had simply been closing his eyes. Turning his head. Sticking fingers in his ears at every thing Dimitri would do.

"There's... there's no excuse. I should've known that Dimitri was capable of this. I didn't know, but I should have. And if... if you want to press charges, I'll help you. Any way I can, I—I'll be your witness. In court. If you decide to sue him, or. Whatever you want to do." Luka exhaled, shaking his head at how useless he was being. "I should've never let him near you, Iris. I should've listened to you because... I don't know everything. Or anything, for that matter. Even though it was obvious. After all, Dimi, he... he made it clear what kind of person he is, but still, I didn't see it. Or I did see it, but I... I guess I didn't want to see it, and so I hurt you. Iris, I'm so—."

"Stop... talking." Desperation laced her voice. "Stop it."

"Okay."

"Fuck, Luka." She brought her knees to her chest. "Just shut up. Shut up, shut up..." Tears ran an uncontrolled race.

Luka had moved across the room to wrap his hand across her head, burying her ear in his shirt. She showed no resistance, so he remained in the position. "Shut up," she repeated, this time muffled into his chest.

Mixed in with the sudden silence were her occasional sniffles.

"We shouldn't be together," she whispered.

Luka tightened his hold on her. He stilled his tongue from the retaliation it so desired to make. To fight for their relationship, regardless of how badly he fucked up.

But there was no saving

What had for so long been breaking.

"I know."

Iris dropped her forehead onto his chest, grasping the fabric on his sides. Her voice croaked, "I don't think I can love you the same anymore."

The words were blades, and so close to his chest.

Iris extended her hands to push him. "You should leave."

She looked at her lap. Thinning his lips, he looked at her a final time. The last thing he did was wipe a teardrop from her cheek.

"Okay."

"Okay."

"Goodbye, Iris."

***

Luka neared his sedan, parked carelessly from when he'd rushed to her flat. It was only in placing his eyeglasses on that he noticed the line of thin indentations just above the handle.

"What....?" He squinted, trying to gauge any meaning from the markings scraped into the metal, likely by a key.

GE, crossed out.

The connection was made as instantly as the frown on his face appeared. But, once more, the muscles on his face shifted to make out an expression in the middle of terrified and nauseated.

He had done it again, he registered.

Before reading the print, not once did he suspect his cousin to be the culprit. Other scenarios of reckless children scribbling on his car, or drivers angry at his poor park job.

"What is wrong with me?"

Such scenarios would only make sense in a world where Dimitri was the nice guy who could never be responsible for keying his car.

He slapped himself enough to leave a mark.

As much as he wanted to, he couldn't dwell too long on the lingering delusion in his head. What mattered most was Evaughn's safety.

He got in his car and grabbed his laptop from his school bag  on the passenger seat. Then he adjusted his glasses.

There was research to be done.

***

A balled fist hovered over an office door. It waited until its person had his feelings under control. Until he was ready, Luka stood still before his dad's office.

A sigh later, he knocked three times.

When it opened, his face moved not an inch.

"Finally going to talk to your old man?" his father joked, reaching over to tap Luka's shoulder. "I was starting to get lonely."

Luka jerked his shoulder away. "What do you know about Evaughn Ruhl?"

Any curve on his lips straightened. "Uh, I'm not... sure who that is."

"Yes, you do. He's Neo Ruhl's nephew," Luka stated, his tone flat. "What do you know about them?"

"Okay, uh..." His dad adjusted his stance. "Luka, what's going on here?"

"I need to know what they're up to. Dimitri's family."

He shook his head. "I told you I'm not letting you get involved with them. What makes you think I'll tell you?"

Luka's gaze was fixed. "I already know about how you became commissioner, and why you're indebted to Aunt Celine."

He thinned his lips. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes you do."

It hadn't taken much searching, really. He read a simple news report from decades ago that stated that their town's previous police commissioner had been brutally murdered— to this day, the culprit hasn't been found. The murder happened coincidentally during promotion season.

"The Leroux helped you. They killed the last guy so you could take his place. In return, you cover up their tracks because you can." Luka clenched his jaw.

"Where did you hear that?"

"It doesn't matter. Just tell me what'll happen to my friend."

"Luka, I will not do that." The statement was firm. "You... you're right, I am their accomplice. I made a stupid mistake—I wanted the money, and... and now I'm trapped. If I don't do what your aunt asks, she'll do terrible things and not only to me," he stressed. "So take it from me—."

Brows pinched together, he shook his head. "You're the reason they get away with everything, Dad. If you don't tell me what they're up to, you'll be the reason why my friend gets... whatever they plan to do with him."

"Take it from me who knows exactly what Celine is capable of. Allowing you to get in their way is... it's dangerous, Luka. Do you have any idea how that would end, especially with your condition? What kind of a father would I be?!"

"What condition?"

"Nothing, I..." Cameron shook his head. "I won't let you. That's final."

Exhausted, Luka's voice quieted. "Why don't you fight this hard for the ones who actually need it?"

His lips, then parted, were unmoving for a while.

"Because your father... is a coward." He curled his lips in, eyes weary. "He's a pathetic man who's scared of his little sister, and he can blame nothing else but his own stupid decisions."

"What happened to putting others before yourself? It's all you've ever taught me, but now you... sound like a different person..." For a while, Luka stared at nothing.

"Luka."

"I'll find out by myself. I'll save him alone if I need to."

"Are they really important to you? The values I taught you."

"I looked up to you..." Luka pushed his lips together. He squeezed his eyes shut and advanced. "Ugh, I'm so stupid."

"...It's an auction."

The immediate halt of Luka's steps would fool anyone to believe that time stopped.

Behind, he heard his father suck in a breath. "In three days, Ruhl will be auctioned in a trafficking market."

Luka halted.

All of him did.

The beat of his heart, any thought in his mind, the step he would've taken forward...

"Do you understand now, why you have to leave it alone?"

In silence, he urged himself to move forward.

***

The Next Evening

If you asked Luka exactly what he was doing, he couldn't tell you.

His heart had spoken in place of his mind, and yes, such was characteristic of him, but this?

He breathed manually, for the aura that surrounded him was dark and thick.

The man he stood before wore a fitted long-sleeve that he had bunched up to reveal defined biceps. Veins drew shaky lines from his wrist to his forearm. The side of his mouth held a cigarette.

Neo Ruhl asked bluntly. "The hell do you want?"

So this is him...

He gathered himself by straightening his torso. "I was wondering if Evaughn is here."

"He isn't."

"But... his bike is right there."

He exhaled a smoke. "Who are you?"

"His classmate. We have a science project together..." Luka craned his neck upon seeing a moving figure behind Neo. "Evaughn."

The shock on his friend was expected.

Slowly, the boy with long hair approached the door, his thoughts shaping his expression. He mouthed a what the fuck?! to Luka who in turn rubbed his nape.

Neo alternated from one teenager to the other before stopping at his nephew. His eyes must've spoke volumes, because Evaughn tensed at the sight of them.

"I don't know who he is."

Neo raised an unamused brow at Luka who answered with a laugh. "That's funny. Our grade won't be so funny if we don't finish that project."

Before Evaughn could say something, his wrist was grabbed by Luka.

"Let's go finish it."

He yanked his hand away. "Stop. Get out of here. I-I don't know even you." He snapped his eyes over at his uncle. "I promise, Neo, I don't know who this guy is."

Luka understood the desperation. Of course he did, but he, too, was desperate. How interesting then, that the same emotion was being conveyed for two different reasons. The boys exchanged a look of strained grimaces.

Neo the onlooker shook his head. "Learn to lie better, Eve. It's embarrassing."

They blinked when he shut the door and left the scene.

Immediately, Evaughn fumed. "Are you crazy? What happened to you staying out of my life? And how did you even know I live here?"

"I looked for your bike."

"Wha—? Don't just answer the one irrelevant question."

Luka scrunched his lips to the side. "I wanted to ask you something."

"What's so important you couldn't wait until school?" Evaughn studied Luka's expression and his gradually chin drew backwards. "What's that face about?"

Green eyes diminished in laughter.

Evaughn stood in wait, watching intently as Luka's laugh faded and the solemn cloak returned to cover his face. He spoke with half a smile. "I was thinking... we should go on a road trip. Visit the city. It'll be cool. I've gone there before."

Evaughn was thoroughly amused. "What?"

"What do you think?"

"I think you're losing your mind," he concluded, bending to position his bicycle upright. "You can't be serious."

Luka knew not where to begin.

"Oh." He paused. "What's going on?"

"It's what you said about Dimitri and his family. About how we should stay out of their business because they have nothing to do with us." He shook his head to emphasize the next part. "That's not the case. They have everything to do with you, and I just... I can't stress enough that we have to leave this place."

"What are you talking about?"

"We have to run, Evaughn."

"Good joke." He plopped himself onto the bike seat.

"I'm not joking. You really are in danger."

In response, Evaughn scoffed.

"They're planning on—I can't even say it." Luka swiped both hands through his hair. "They're planning on s-selling you."

What followed was a series of misleading events.

First, Evaughn snorted. Luka would have pushed further, but then the facial muscles on his friend dropped. Luka was sure the look stood under the umbrella of fear. At last, Evaughn... scowled? Was that a scowl?

"I'm serious. I'd never joke about that."

"As if I know you well enough to believe that." Evaughn rolled his eyes, adjusting himself on his bike. "Believe it or not, I'm not stupid, Luka."

"I don't think you're stupid. Look, if you still don't believe me, I can get proof." He pointed across the street. "Come over to my car, you'll see what I'm talking about."

"To be honest, I don't believe anything that comes out of your mouth. I knew something was wrong with you from the moment you called Dimitri a nice guy." He stepped on a pedal and pulled his eyebrows in. "It's no wonder you're related. All this is some kind of a scheme to get me to be alone with you for whatever sick reason you have. Honestly, I don't want to find out."

Before he could pedal away, Luka held the bike in place, eyes ablaze. "Three days. It'll happen Wednesday. If we manage to hide until then, and maybe even for longer than that until we're safe, we have a chance at saving you."

He gave him a look, up and down and full of disdain. "You are... so fucking weird."

"Evaughn, I promise I just want to help you. You have to believe me."

"Help me by staying away from me."

Luka sighed heavily.

"Let go of my bike, you... you psychopath." He pedaled, and soon he'd disappeared behind a corner.

Luka stood with the word in his chest. 

First, delusional. Now, this.

How pathetic.

He crossed the street, the ground in his view the entire time. Before getting in his car, Luka kicked his shoes on the ground, a habit of his. When he did, the leaves scattered, uncovering the edge of paper stuck between blades of grass. White with black print.

He picked it up and dusted it off to read nice handwriting.

Evaughn and Daddy
First Tooth, woo!

Turning the photograph around, Luka found that it was exactly as labeled. The duo's cheeks were pressed together, with the latter's eyes shaped like a crescent moon, and the child mid-cry.

Luka stuffed the square in his pocket, making a mental note to give it to Evaughn sometime soon.

That is, if he ever wanted to talk to him again. After all, he was a delusional psychopath.