Cell Mates (boyxboy) (Book 1: Behind Bars)

Chapter 24: Eddie.

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Chapter 24

We set out at night this time, fully decked in our disguises and making sure to keep our heads down or at least hidden from the strategically placed street cams. The air was cold but it was the atmosphere that was the killer. Nate broke the news to us earlier that Eddie was dying, by now probably already dead and even as the hours swept by, I still couldn't fully grasp it.

Eddie; the only one who'd ever given a damn about me when I first joined the crew, the man who had been kind enough to talk to me when the rest of the crew hadn't seen a reason to. One of only a few guys in that place who I could actually call a friend. It was hard to swallow and I sat wishing Nate had heard wrong, Eddie couldn't die, he was the sweetest, kindest man you could ever meet, he didn't deserve to have his life cut short.

I could see him in my head with his ever present welcome smile, his corny jokes and that look he'd get every time he talked about the things we couldn't have in prison; like those double cheese burgers and his favorite chocolate milkshake. I smiled at that. I would miss him.

Nathan seemed much the same as always, but it was John who was unusually quiet; even for John. After expressing his obvious shock at the news he hadn't said one word and Kyle as expected, was doing his best to comfort the man, though I wasn't exactly sure he was getting through to him.

For a while I had watched him as he leaned forward, his hand resting of John's shoulder as he leaned in the talk to him. I didn't have a chance of hearing what was being said over the sound of the wind skating across the windows but occasionally John would nod and all the while Kyle continued to speak.

Nate on the other hand looked completely unruffled, but then Nate was always pretty strong, someone to lean on in times of trouble. It was the reason he made such a good leader.

"What happens when we get to the cabin?" I asked to dispel the silence.

"We lay low for a few days, figure out our next plan of action." He glanced into the rearview mirror and took a sharp right turn.

"Do we really want to waste a few days doing nothing? The sooner we get on the case the better right?" It felt like action got you where you needed to go. I never did like to sit and plan.

"We don't have much of a choice. We plan this out to a tee or we get caught."

I nodded and sat back. He and John seemed to know what they were doing. I'd just have to follow and hope they were making the right choices.

................................

Two left turns, a short grocery stop, one bumpy drive way and an hour and a half later we were transferring our things from the car, into the massive structure in the middle of nowhere. When Nate had said we'd be going to a cabin I'd pictured a small wooden building, with a cute little fireplace, no TV and one small bedroom.

This edifice before us didn't belong in the mountains. It looked like it had been stolen from the suburbs; white stone walls, fully equipped kitchen, three bedrooms, a bathroom and a television set that must have cost a fortune. All the cupboards were stocked with canned food and the fridge was almost packed with beer. I helped Kyle load the fresh foods in, my eyes never straying from the opulent decorations.

I didn't bother asking Nate how he came by a place like this because something told me his answer wouldn't exactly satisfy my curiosity.

"It's kinda cute huh? My dad's cabins don't look anything like this. It's cool how they kept it simple." Kyle looked around the place, running his hand along the wooden surface of the counter top.