Chapter 33

The doorbell rings, and he wonders who it could be. It is in the middle of the day, and no FBI agent with the right mind would be home at this hour, and definitely not Rainer Clarke. Agent Clarke was too much a workaholic to be at home, and he had a strong feeling that it wasn’t his ex-girlfriend visiting him either.

More wary about opening doors to strangers after Tyler’s breaking in, he retrieved his brother’s spare revolver (which Rainer had thought it a ‘secret location’) from behind the shoe cabinet and hid it behind him on the wheelchair before he wheeled over to the main door.

The doorbell rang again, followed by an impatient rasping of knuckles on the door.

Wary, he opens the door and gasps at his visitor.

He doesn’t know what to be more surprised at –the fact that his ex-girlfriend’s childhood friend was standing before him, or the fact that he was supposed to be missing from the hospital, riddled with cancer.

Jeremy looked ready to fall from his feet, but determined eyes with fire stared back at him, taking him in too. It was the first time both of them were seeing each other after Nick’s departure from Hayley’s life.

“I presume you don’t want me to call Hayley, but you might want to take a seat.” Nick stated, and much as Jeremy didn’t seem very willing to be here, he nodded weakly. Third-stage brain cancer was nothing to toy around with, and while morality dictated that Nick should call for an ambulance immediately, he knew Jeremy would only escape again.

“You’re in a bad state.” Jeremy observed as he shuffled his feet in the apartment, taking an uninvited seat at the couch. The pale face against the lamplight was further emphasized, and Nick saw the sunken cheeks, and endless twitching of his fingers.

“So are you. In fact, you seem in a worse state than I at the moment.” Nick observed back in reply, afraid of offering the man anything that could potentially kill him. He wasn’t even sure if giving Jeremy tea would be a nice thing to do at the moment.

“I don’t care about that.” Jeremy sighed, rubbing his eyes, blinking furiously. It didn’t take a doctor to know that Jeremy was obviously suffering from visual problems already. “I care about what you plan with Hayley now that you’re back in her life.”

“I plan to attempt to make up for everything that I’ve done wrong. I plan to support her and give her everything that I have. I plan to help her get what she want, and return her Hayden. I once took Hayden from her, and I once took her heart. I want to give it all back, and give mine to her.” He pledged, despite the doubtful look that he received.

“Your passion is easily surpassed by Dorian. What makes you so important to her?”

Nick shook his head. “Dorian is young and hankering after the one woman who he can’t have. Dorian’s fire and passion ruins himself. His savagery and desperation turns Hayley off. I am not more important to her than Dorian, but I believe that someone else deserves that role better than either of us.”

“Hayden.” Jeremy answered, but Nick chuckled.

“No. You.”

Jeremy turned to give him an incredulous look.

“I am nothing but a friend. There is no point venturing further than that, for it is useless. There is no need to mash words with a fellow con: I will not be on the face of this Earth in a few weeks’ time. I need to set everything that has been wrong in my life right again. One of it includes Hayley’s future where it concerns me.”

Nick laughed this time, genuinely amused at how metaphorically blind this man was. He could give the excuse that Jeremy was too debilitated by third-stage cancer to think properly, but he was willing to believe that Jeremy could still form coherent thoughts.

“If she concerns you, then you would not be driving her crazy. Do you understand that she has attempted to resign from the Bureau to find you before Rainer rejected it?”

In that one movement, Hayley had unwittingly told him, and everyone who knew Hayley well exactly how much she cared about her ‘childhood friend’. While there was still a tender area in his heart that bled at the knowledge that Hayley’s heart was taken by someone else now, Nick was more proud and happy for his ex-girlfriend to know that she’d moved on –despite how unconscious of it all she was. Hayley Seyfried would never give up any con or job halfway, unless it was for the most important people of her life.

Hayley had never done such a thing ever for Neal before.

“She’s just overwhelmed by everything that has happened to her in NYC. Finding Hayden, getting shot, declaring war with Tyler, Dorian’s betrayal, finding out that you’re alive, and now me… I understand if she has reached her point of tolerance. She is merely taking the long-due step back.” Jeremy excused, by even as the man spoke, he understood the weakness of his argument. Both men in the conversation knew the woman in topic enough to know that Hayley was never the sort to ever give up for her own personal problems.

Nick, trusting that the air between them wasn’t riddled with anger and hatred for his past leaving of Hayley 7 years ago, wheeled himself closer to Jeremy.

“You understand how much you mean to her, Jeremy. I cannot do anything to interfere, but I can tell you that if you mean something to her, you shouldn’t be running. That’s not what she wants. She isn’t going to be happy until you show her your face –alive –once more. Don’t terrorize her by showing her your face one last time through the coffin window.”

The pain that flashed past Jeremy’s face was more than physical. Nick could understand the tear that must be ripping through Jeremy’s heart. Once, he had chosen the same thing, and now, he understood that sacrificing himself for the welfare of the woman they both loved was a useless thing to do. Once, Nick had chosen to leave Hayley for seven years, to keep her safer by removing her weakness –him. Now, Jeremy was trying to do the same, to remove himself from her side to make sure that she would focus on the reality, and keep safe.

Both of them were on the same boat, faced with the same choices. Nick had seen the consequence, but there was nothing he could do. This was something that Jeremy had to learn about on his own, not something that Nick could teach him.

The conflict is clear in Jeremy’s eyes, and Nick understands the pain.

“Why did you leave Hayley seven years ago?” Jeremy asks suddenly, the conflict still in his eyes.

Nick looks away immediately, the flashes of images in his mind. In an instant, he remembered himself on the plane that day. He was sitting comfortably in the velvet-lined chair of the private jet. It was the last few times he would ever have use of his legs again. Someone had called him, and he had picked up the phone. It had been Tyler Yule. Immediately, he was wary.

“You’re up to something. Leave Hayley alone.” He had warned, but he knew the futility in that threat. He was talking to Tyler Yule.

“You don’t have to worry, I will. I thought I would just check in on you. I heard some bad news.” Tyler’s voice had been confident and in his usual sneering manner. Alarm bells rang immediately, and he stood up from his seat restlessly, waving the concerns of the only flight attendant on the flight with him away.

“Something happened to Hayley, didn’t you hear?”

And even though Tyler could be lying, there was only one person who could make Neal lose his sense.

“What happened?”

There was a short laugh. “She heard you crashed.”

“I didn’t-” The phone hung up, and the next moment, the bomb detonated that day.

“Neal?” Jeremy’s question brought the scarred man back to reality, and Nick jerked when he realized Jeremy’s hand was on his in concern. He hadn’t even been aware when his visitor had moved close to him.

“I was her weakness. The bomb on my plane detonated because there was someone who wanted to destroy her through me. I guess they did. When I realized I was already pronounced dead, I realized I didn’t want to do it anymore. I didn’t want to come back to give her hope again, and let her be destroyed again when I got into trouble again. I’m in this state because I was too close to her. I left her broken because I wanted to protect her.”

Neither of them had expected the sudden confession from Nick, and long silence spanned between them. Neither moved, and neither dared to think about what Nick had just said.

But the words had been out in the open. Words that Nick hadn’t ever wanted to reveal.

“You’re in the same position as I was now, Jeremy. You are now her weakness. Leave her now, die, and break her heart. Stay, die and break her heart. Will you stay and give her hope? Will you make her happy now, or happy in the future?” Nick pursued on. The words couldn’t ever be reclaimed, but he could make the best of this learning point. What Jeremy was going through; it was the same as his own experience. He made his choice, and while it had hurt, he couldn’t regret.

Now it was Jeremy’s time.

“Can I trust you to ever stay true to your heart, Neal? Just your heart.”

Though questions could be posed on the intent behind Jeremy’s question, there was no hesitation in the answer given.

“I will.”

“Then I know you will never betray Hayley. Even if you will, it will be for her good. Please take care of her for me when I’m gone.” With that, the runaway patient stood up, swayed a little, and walked back the way he came, looking unsteady on his feet. Nick followed the man worriedly, yet unable to offer any help. This was a road that Jeremy would have to walk alone.

“What are you planning to do?”

“I want to do all I can to help her now. Let my last actions be ones that would help her.”

“And you will leave her in the hard world?”

Jeremy stopped at the doorway, and looked over his shoulder. In a moment, Nick saw the man that Young Hayley once fell for. His back of strength, his posture of confidence. Even debilitated by illness, he still held himself like a perfect man.

“I will leave her in this world with Hayden and you. Both of you will be true to yourselves, and will be true to her. You might not be able to make her happy. But I will be satisfied when she’s safe. Your heart is out to make her happy, Neal. Mine is to keep her safe –even if she might cry over my dead body.” Jeremy said stoically, and there were no more words to say.

He trudged out, and that was the last time Nick ever saw Jeremy.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

He shivered in the cold that was both inwards and outwards. He had screwed up. He had screwed up bad, and he knew it. He wasn’t even aware of what he had been thinking, but looking back now, everything was so clear in front of him.

He had screwed up extremely badly and he was paying for the mistake he had made. He didn’t know what to do. His life had been fulfilled so far, and suddenly, it all left him.

Suddenly, he was all alone in the world again.

In the pouring rain, he sat himself against a wall and huddled, hugging his knees close to his body in an effort to preserve some heat. His pockets were filled with wallets that were beginning to get soaked, but he didn’t dare to touch them. He didn’t dare to do anything –for fear of wrath.

After his mistake, he had boarded the first plane out of White Collar Paradise, and had been hiding in Miami ever since. Miami was no New York, but it was enough for him to survive –just barely. His moment of painful revelation struck him when he touched down on Miami, unable to come up with something to do. He had turned his back on his mission, and he had screwed up. Bad.

He tried to call her, but her number had cut off. He tried to get her through her contacts, but none of them gave him a definite reply. He tried to reach Jerlyn and Mabel, but they were unreachable, until a few weeks ago that he found them leaving New York.

He was scared; scared of the world, scared of himself. She had helped him control his inner demon, but he was afraid that without an aim, he would let lose his inner demon. He was afraid that the world would degrade him morally, and he would end up a serial killer. Now that he had chosen a con route, there was no way he could ever strive to be a musician. The only choice he had now was to remain a homeless, helpless con or…

He looked up at the cold, grey skies, the rain pelting down on him. His jacket was beginning to soak through, and he was shivering hard. It was not that he didn’t have the skills to survive. He did.

But without her… he didn’t know how to. It was like a kid had been given all the money in the world. He could spend, but he didn’t know what to spend on. Right now, he had all the skills to live in this hard world, but he didn’t know how to. He didn’t know what to do.

He had tried to find Tyler, to take revenge. But as if after his task was done, Tyler had abandoned him entirely. There was no sort of communication he was ever able to take to reach anyone, and he felt abandoned; completely alone in the world full of people. Once, he stood over all of them, with power over them. Once, he had goal in his mind, and he was not afraid.

There was no one out on the street of Miami in this large storm. He considered getting up from his place to walk to somewhere with shelter, but he decided that there was no point. There was no point being healthy and perfectly fine when he didn’t know what to do with his life. No point extending his lifespan when he could not do anything with conviction. No point living on when he replayed his mistake over and over again in his mind.

He shivered again, this time from the internal coldness of desperation. The chill began from his heart, and spread everywhere. He closed his eyes, and drowned out the sound of rain splattering on the pavement.

 ______________________________________________________________________________________

The road was busy and the sun was shining. The cars were honking and rushing by. It was the usual busy New York day, and he walked down the street with conviction in his stride. His heart was filled with venomous jealousy and anger. His mind was filled with injustice thoughts. His soul told him to stop, but he didn’t. He wanted to make something happen for himself, instead of submitting again. He failed to see that she had been the one still holding on to him, keeping him safe. He thought he was free.

His right hand in the pocket of his hoodie, he tightened his forefinger over the trigger. The cold metal was comfortable in his hands. Seyfrieds never liked or encouraged guns, but guns were terribly convenient. One shot, and everything is over.

He followed his target down the relatively busy street, keeping himself inconspicuous.

A sudden longing to listen to her voice one more time sweeps through him, and he hears the dial tone even before he realizes that he had already dialed her number. She picked up quickly.

“Hays, will you stop whatever you’re doing now? Will you stop going after Rainer to make him stop? Will you stop digging yourself this hole that you’ll not be able to come out of? For me?” He asked, fearing her convicted answer even though he knew it was there. It was as Tyler said. She was determined, and he knew that there was no changing her mind when she was determined.

Unless he forced her hand.

“I’m not going to stop, Dory. It’s for you, the girls, Jeremy and Hayden.” She excused, and he felt himself get a little angrier. Was she so blind to not see that she was doing the same thing she’s out to stop? If she continued, she would get everyone in danger! It wasn’t only the FBI, it was also Tyler Yule.

It was also him.

“That’s what you say. But what you’re doing. It’s going to harm everyone. Everyone that you’re out to protect.”

“You don’t know that. I can handle Rainer Clarke; I can handle the FBI.” She said confidently, and it should have been in his heart to trust her abilities. But in that one moment, he didn’t. He was dead set on believing that she –Hayley Seyfried –could not do it. It was the stupid thing he had believed –because Tyler Yule convinced him that she couldn’t.

“You can’t and you won’t. I won’t let you do this anymore, Hays. I’ve taken a step back long enough.” He replied, heart amped with determination. He hoped that after this, she would come to understand that he would give up everything to love her. He had just been there, serving her hand to foot. How could he be overtaken by Rainer Clarke? How could Rainer Clarke deserve her ‘love’, when he had been the one to stay beside her through all those years?

“What are you saying, Dorian? What is this all of a sudden?” She asked, suddenly wary. It sounded almost as if she were figuring everything out. Clever Hayley –though he knew better than to be surprised.

“I’m saying I’m going to stop you. You’re really not going to stop, even for me?” He asked, trying to be hopeful. But there was no point. She was past listening to.

“Don’t do anything stupid, Dorian. You’re not going to like defying me. Just stay on plan and nothing is going to screw up. I’ll have everything thought through. And if this new thinking is Tyler’s fault, I’m going to screw him up so bad that he’s never going to return on his seat on The Circle. So don’t you believe a single word he says and just listen to me.” She replied strongly, and he could hear the threat clearly in her voice.

A strange, empty feeling filled his heart as he laughed hollowly. He picked up pace, watching as Rainer Clarke turned around the corner, and into a dark alley. The dark alley wasn’t the best of a place, but it would have to do.

“It’s too late, Hayley.” He said, and removed the phone. He didn’t want to hang up. He wanted her to hear –to know all that he had done for her.

He walked a few more steps to catch up, then turned the alley. He wasn’t surprised to find Rainer Clarke looking at him suspiciously, facing him square.

“Agent Rainer Clarke?” He asked, stopping with his foot in a puddle of water.

“Yes?” The suspicious flared very obviously in blue eyes.

“This is for Hayley.” He whipped out the gun from his pocket and took aim quickly. There was a second of lag time, and he squeezed the trigger.

Rainer fell backwards to the floor, and clutched at his shoulder. He stood there, looking at the injury he had inflicted, and the gun in his hand.

He hadn’t done it. He hadn’t…

What was wrong with him? How could he have missed?

It didn’t matter –he had shot an FBI agent.

“You heard it all, Hays. This is all for you. I’ve helped you clear your last hurdles. Pack up and leave with me. Tyler Yule can’t touch you anymore. Just leave with me. Hayden will understand. Jeremy will understand.” He said, but the spiral of fear had started deep within him. His mind screamed to him. He had done something wrong. He had done something badly wrong here.

“You are not my student.” The hardness of her tone of voice shocked him, and he never knew he could ever be spoken to with such acidity by his master. Hayley had never spoke to him like this before… not even when he screwed up once.

“Hayley, I-” He wanted to say that he was sorry, that he didn’t know what he was doing, but she didn’t give him leave to say anything more.

“I don’t know who you are anymore. I didn’t make you to be like this. You are not the Dorian I came to help. You are not the student I put with me on The Circle.” She spoke with finality in her tone, and he was suddenly very afraid.

“You might hate me, but this is for you, Hayley.” It had been, but now, he wasn’t so sure. Was it really? His words suddenly sounded so foreign in his own ears.

“No, this is for you. Leave. Leave NYC. I don’t want you here. I don’t need you here.” She said firmly, and he knew that tone of voice. No one could ever go against that tone.

“I just-” He didn’t even know what excuse he wanted to come up now, but he knew he needed to come up with something. Surely he could beg for some sort of forgiveness?

“We’re through. Leave, and don’t come back. Leave, and be yourself until I find it in myself to forgive your stupidest mistake so far.” She ordered, and before he could say anything more, she hung up.

She cared for him. Even angry, she still cared for him enough to ask him to leave. He needed to wipe his own ass. He needed to help with the situation.

He rushed forward, and found Rainer already dipping into unconsciousness.

“I am so sorry…” He begged, tearing the hem of Rainer’s shirt in a strip. The blood was soaking through jacket and shirt, but at least he hadn’t shot in the heart. He had shot in the chest. There was most probably a lung grazed, but it was clearly not the heart.

He grit his teeth and made a makeshift bandage for the unconscious agent. There was nothing more he could do.

He cleaned up the gun, left it in the dumpster nearby and ran.

 ______________________________________________________________________________________

It continued to rain. The storm continued to rage, and he felt himself getting colder and colder by every minute that passed. He shivered endlessly, his teeth chattering. Where he once had the strength to stand up to walk towards the nearest shelter, he now found an absence of determination. All he could do was sit here and wait for comfortable, endless unconsciousness.

Perhaps he would die peacefully of hypothermia. Perhaps he would contract pneumonia and die of it quickly. That would be an easy way to disappear from the face of this earth. Would his death forgive his mistake? Would Hayley cry at his funeral?

The coldness was beginning to set a chill in bones, and his muscles ached in the cold. He could feel the undercurrents of pain, but it was numbed. He focused on a spot on the ground and battled to hold on to consciousness.

He thought about the people he left behind thanks to his mistake. It was not only Hayley. There was Hayden too. There were so many people –the woman at the café near Hayley’s apartment, that hookup the other day. And there was Jeremy too.

He prayed silently for his friend. J never made a good friend with his narcissistic ideals, but Dorian had enough ego to fit the man. Together, they boasted about themselves endlessly, and it was entertaining how they had boasted about themselves endlessly. Both had reputations, and both were unafraid of using it. J had been a delight to work with.

Until cancer struck.

He had only visited the poor man once on his hospital bed before his surgery. When Jeremy had been going through his surgery, he had been out to shoot Rainer.

He prayed that the surgery had gone down well. Much as it wasn’t expected, Dorian hoped that J would survive. If Dorian ever died here, at least he would die knowing J would be there, taking care of Hayley. He could trust J to watch Hayley.

While the thoughts flooded his mind, his eyes focused on a pair of shoes stationary in front of him. He was suddenly aware of a new sound –rain hitting a hard plastic layer. He was suddenly aware that he was a little less cold –without raindrops hitting him.

He looked up from the pair of feet in front of him and gasped.

A weak man smiled back at him. The paleness of his face shocked Dorian terribly.

“You’re a healthy man, Dory. Don’t kill yourself before I die. I want you to see how popular I am through the number of big shots at my funeral.” The man joked, and he stared. How could he…

“J… you shouldn’t be here.” He said weakly, still looking up at the friendly face. He could see pain in Jeremy’s eyes. He could see the shaking of Jeremy’s hand as he held on to the umbrella.

“Neither are you. But since we’re on the ‘should-not-be-here’ boat, we might as well stay a little longer.” Jeremy replied cheerfully, and he couldn’t understand how the man could sound so happy in such a gloomy weather.

“But… what are you doing here?”

Jeremy bent down and extended a hand towards him. “To help you, you idiot. I don’t want to be talking in the rain, so let’s go. You wanna die of cold? Wait until I’m safely down sleeping in the dirt, alright?”

Numbly, he took Jeremy’s hand, and both of them staggered slowly out of the rain at a nearby warehouse.

Soon, a fire started between them, and he sat at one side of it, watching the cancer-ridden man extend his hands gingerly towards the fire as if afraid of burning himself. He could not see any weakness displayed, but he could see the uncontrollable shaking of Jeremy’s hands, the occasional twitching of his fingers and the paleness of Jeremy’s face.

Long silence drags out between the two men as he tries not to shrink smaller. The sight of J only reminds him of his stupid mistake. He wished the floor would just open up and swallow him whole now. He could not stand the thought of J coming all the way over here to find him.

“I’m sorry.” He whispered, his voice soft against the loud splattering of raindrops hitting the metal roof.

“What?” Jeremy asked loudly, “If you think cancer is going to give me super hearing, it’s not working.”

He chances a look up into the eyes of his friend. He had never thought he would come to such a situation, and he had never thought that he would see only J here, standing beside him. Nothing in J’s eyes and posture said that there was any anger. Nothing in J’s voice said that he was here to condemn. No, J was here to help –even at the expense of himself.

“You need a doctor, J.” He said, refusing to repeat himself. The more he said sorry was the more he would hate himself. And if he continued hating himself, he would never live it down. He would never bounce back up, and never try to go back to Hayley.

“Why does everyone I meet tell me that? I get it: I have a death wish. Can everyone just stop pointing out the obvious?” J asked with his entertained smile, and he felt even more at home. It felt as if they’d been transported back in time, and they were both waiting for Hayley to come out of her room. The jokes between them, the sarcasm at each other and the subtle digs at each other. Everything was coming back, and he was utterly grateful that J was trying to restore some semblance of normalcy back in his wrecked life.

“You must have lost your mind. I’m not sending you back to hospital even if you fall unconscious on me now.” He replied evenly, but Jeremy didn’t even make a move to leave.

“Why, I’m surprised you even had the thought, Dory.” Jeremy replied with such surprise that both of them were amused at the act.

“You’re here for a reason, J. And that reason is never far from Hays. Tell me.” He cut to the point, tired of the waiting. It seemed like he was suspended on the idea of going back to Hayley, and he clung on to the stupid hope that he would ever be forgiven even after he screwed up so badly.

“Isn’t it obvious? I ran away from Hays like you did.” J replied in an incredulous tone, as if surprised that Dorian could not figure it out.

He stared. “Why?”

Jeremy shrugged. “I was tired of lying on the hospital bed waiting to die. If I want to die, at least I die with a flair. At least I die with my name on cover pages. More importantly, if I die, I die knowing I made Hayley safe.”

But that was impossible, wasn’t it? “She’s a con.”

J nodded. “Yes, she is. But there’s no reason why cons can’t be safe.”

“She’s on The Circle, J. There’s always going to be someone out there, trying to harm her.”

This time, J smiled condescendingly. “You don’t understand. I keep her safe by letting the people I believe will do her good stay by her.”

It takes a short moment for Dorian to understand what his friend is saying.

“You want to know if I am worth staying by her?”

J’s smile grew brittle. “Are you?”

He shook his head, unable to meet J’s eyes any longer. Much as he wanted, he belonged here, outcasted and unable to reclaim his life. He’d made his mistake, and he would never wish to be back, to remind Hayley that he once betrayed her, and might be able to do it again.

“I failed her. I betrayed her because I thought I knew better. I don’t belong with her. My skills are not even close to anyone. I am out of my league.” He confessed, watching the fire crackle. He wished he could have picked up more from Hayley, wished that he would have a future of success like Jeremy. He had never gone out to do any cons on his own, had never been famous with his name on newspapers, FBI agents in a mess over his cons.

He would never be able to do it now.

“Given enough practice, you could.” J suggested, but he shook his head again. There was no point in the man trying to comfort him.

“There’s no point. I’ve got impulse of a serial killer. You’ve seen me lose control before. I can’t be a perfect con like this.”

J stood up, walked over and took a seat beside him.

“Matthew Seyfried once told me that he wasn’t the best con out there –because he had feelings. He had emotions and feelings, and he let it all dictate him. If you want to be perfect, you don’t feel. If you want to be the best out there, you don’t feel.”

“But I do.” Dorian insisted. “I can’t help it.”

J shrugged. “Neither can I. There’s reason why we aren’t on The Circle. We have feelings we can’t stop. Hayley… she’s able to push her feelings aside temporarily. But when you push her down, she teeters towards the edge.”

“I know. New York’s been giving her hell, but she’s just holding on. I don’t know how she does it, but she just does.” He admitted, and found J looking at him curiously.

“Knowing that, you still shot Rainer?”

The heat of embarrassment drops his eye contact and Dorian looks back at the fire, feeling stupid and childish all over again.

“Tyler got to me. I am weak, J. His words just got right through me. It was as if he could read me like an open book. He knows the words to say; he just touches all the tender points.”

“But you know you’re wrong?” Jeremy asked, as if surprised. Did the man not expect him to wake up back to reality after everything that he had done in New York? Did the man not expect him to realize his mistake?

“Of course I do. I was stupid, and I regret every moment. But I’ve committed too serious mistakes to go back begging for forgiveness. You’ve made a wasted trip, J. I can’t be there for Hays.”

Jeremy stood up, and on instincts Dorian looked up to see the pale man frowning down at him.

“She is alone, heartbroken and in pain. You and I both know we will never stop feeling for Hayley. Are you sure you can abandon her and your past self, and stay here, huddling like a worthless hobo in the rain? Do you think she will not care for you? She has not talked to The Circle; has not declared you officially out of her protection.”

It was Dorian’s turn to stand up, feeling indignant. “You are in no place to lecture, J. You are her main concern, and you just up and leave like that. I’m sure she’s worried sick about you. In fact, she’s more concerned with you than me. You made a wasted trip, J. Maybe you should go back. Don’t worry, I won’t be plotting to ruin her more than I have already unintentionally done.”

“None of you are going anywhere.” The strike of a sudden voice in the warehouse causes both conmen to turn towards the intruder, only to find the man pointing a steady gun at Jeremy.

“Tyler.” Dorian growled, ready to launch himself on the man, but Jeremy stopped his friend before anything stupid can be done.

“Greetings to you, my little dog. I see you’ve thrown yourself in a sad, pitiful state. But no matter; you are no concern.” Tyler smirked, but attention was quickly shifted to Jeremy, who still stood at point blank range, staring down the barrel of the gun. “My concern is Jeremy. You see, Dorian has done perfectly what I’ve tasked him to. But a certain ex-boyfriend of Hayley seems to have other thoughts. Neal is not as obedient, and he has forced my hands to more… dirty measures.”

Dorian’s hands slowly clenched, but he saw the need to protect Jeremy by staying perfectly obedient at the moment.

“You shouldn’t meddle your hands with me and Hayley, Tyler.” Jeremy vocalized clearly, and there was no fear in that voice. Dorian figured out that this man was no more afraid of death by shooting than he was of death by his own illness. Jeremy had come to terms with the fact that he was going to die soon.

“It is not my fault that Hayley is out to do me wrong. I have warned her countless times. I will only allow one Seyfried in the con world. I will only allow one Seyfried on The Circle. It will either be her or Hayden. She doesn’t listen, and she will face consequences.” Tyler clicks back the safety, his grin widening.

“Killing me won’t do anything. I am good as already dead. Wait a few weeks more, and it will be my funeral that you attend. Shooting me now only gives you more dirt marks on your records, and nothing achieved.” Jeremy stated evenly.

“Nobody said anything about killing you, Jeremy Stiles.” Tyler smirks, and Dorian sees the second intruder almost too late.

With a shout, he lunges forward, knocking Jeremy out of the way as the blow lands heavily on his shoulders. Driven to his knees by the sudden force, Dorian hears a shout.

Then, nothing.

Coldness wraps from his chest and the tendrils of pain creeps across his flesh like invisible spiders making their way across his body. Numbness fills his body, and he blinks a few times, sluggish to understand.

Smoke rises from the barrel of the gun. Tyler’s face is unchanged.

He falls backwards, and suddenly, he doesn’t feel like getting up anymore. The force of gravity was too hard for him to fight against now, and he looked up through darkening vision. The ringing in his ears fades away, but he hears a voice muffled in his ear. It sounds as if someone is shouting his name.

Jeremy’s face appears in his darkening vision, looking worried as hell. Warm hands grab his, and he distantly hears Jeremy telling him to hold on.

Jeremy tried to press something on his chest, but a second blow lands on the back of Jeremy’s neck.

He watched as Jeremy’s eyes roll back, and the man crumpled on top of him. He, with diminishing strength, forces his eyelids open, his eyes to tag on the laughing man and his sidekick.

The laughing man raises his gun again and points at him.

Another gunshot rings out.

Everything becomes black.