Atlas
Chapter Twenty-Three
Maizyn
I give a tiny nod of approval. His eyes drop to the screen as I watch him scan over the message.
I know when he realizes just how bad the situation is.
He squeezes the phone in his grasp until his knuckles turn white.
I expect him to blame me for making him lose his best friend.
I brace myself for the fallout from him reverting to his old self, and this becoming a screaming match.
What I didn't expect was for him to sigh in defeat before telling me none of this was my fault.
He places my phone back onto the table before he takes a steadying breath, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear before pulling me with him as he lies down on the couch and cradles me to create a safe place for me to feel all of my emotions.
He doesn't tell me that I'm too much or that my chaos only ruined his life yet again.
No, he rubs soothing circles across my back, while giving me all the time I need to put myself back together.
He helps calm my anxiety while simultaneously dealing with his own emotional warfare.
I don't know how he does it. How was he able to remain in control while we are both sitting here falling apart?
“Having my feelings hurt sucks. Don't get me wrong, but I at least deserve the respect of him telling me to my face.”
“I agree. So what do you wanna do about it, Chaos?”
“I want to go find him and make him face his choices. I want him to tell me to my face why he keeps running from this when we know we work well together.” I can't hide the exasperation i currently feel.
My hands clench into fists as I try to keep the lid on my emotions.
“You deserve answers too. You've been friends forever. We can make this work, I know we can, I just have to convince him to try.”
“Then, that's exactly what we will do. My buddy, Kyle, should be able to track down his car.
That's probably our best place to start. Let me give him a quick call.” Atlas digs his phone from his back pocket, scrolling through contacts before clicking on one and turning it on speaker mode so that I can hear as well.
The line rings for a while, finally connecting moments before going to voicemail.
“Hey, Atlas. What’s up?”
“Hey, Kyle. I am sorry I am only calling because I need a favor, but I was wondering if you could track Gavin's car for me.”
“Yeah, man, of course. What's the tag number? If you got it, if not, what's the make and model of the car?”
I let Atlas lead the conversation with Kyle. I’m not sure how much help I will actually be when I don’t have all the information needed.
“The tag number is tz64pq.”
“Are you sure that's the tag number?” His voice sounds strained.
Atlas’ brows scrunch at the question. “Yeah, why?”
The sound of Kyle typing vigorously on a keyboard is the only thing coming from the other side of the phone before an exhale is breathed through. “Because a black RS6 with the same plates was just reported abandoned at the corner of Concourse and 5th.”
“Fuck. Okay, I will go check it out to see if we can find any leads and to double-check that it’s actually Gavin's car.
My mind runs a mile a minute, trying to figure out what I am supposed to do right now.
I feel powerless as my self-doubt climbs up my throat.
I can feel myself shutting down. I see Atlas’ lips moving in front of me but it sounds muffled.
I assume he asked me a question, nodding my head, hoping it’s the answer he was looking for as he uses my arm to guide me out the door and to the car.
Atlas
I can physically see Maizyn put her walls back up.
Her eyes glaze over as if she shut herself off from the rest of the world.
I wonder if her mind is safer than reality or much worse.
No matter how bad I want to sit here until she snaps back into reality, we don’t have the time.
I try pulling her out of it, rubbing her arms, and asking if she is okay with coming with me.
Her head nods up and down, but I have no way of knowing if she actually heard me.
Gently grasping her arm, I guide her to the car.
I assist her into the seat before buckling her up, then round the front of the car to climb in myself.
The intersection Kyle told us is on the other side of town.
I have no idea what Gavin was doing over there.
But I'll find out. The drive there feels 10 times longer than it actually is.
I'm trying to remain in control, but I can physically feel everything slipping through my fingers.
I've been here before. My chest aches as I replay the last time it was in a similar situation.
Last time it was Maizyn; this time it's Gavin.
The common denominator is me. Maybe I'm the fucking problem all along.
They both decided to leave for one reason or another.
I can't help thinking this is yet again all my fault; my mask is fracturing more and more, the closer we get to his car.
I don't know how much longer I can keep it together.
Will Maizyn leave too if I can't figure out how to mend all the broken pieces?
Will our lives always be a constant circle of someone running away?
Will we be as lucky this time?
We found Maizyn alive and healthy. What are the chances we'll find Gavin the same way?
As Gavin's car comes into view, my world tilts on its axis. Not this shit again. I'm not fucking doing this again.
We will find him. We have to. I slow to a stop behind his wrecked car, putting my car into park and turning it off.
I pick at the skin on my thumb as I try to process the scene with a level head.
The car is pinned to the railing. It was hit hard enough to deploy the airbags, and there is no sign of Gavin anywhere.
I wish I could say this wasn’t his car. That it was a simple mix-up, but I would recognize this car anywhere.
Any hope I had of this being easy vanishes.
What the hell did you get yourself into, Gavin?
“Is this what it felt like when you couldn't find me?” Maizyn's soft-spoken whisper snaps me out of my thoughts. Seeing Gavin’s car like this must have jostled her from her thoughts as well. It’s the first thing she said on the entire drive over.
“Yeah, Chaos, pretty close.” My pain is barely concealed, the only thing keeping me from snapping is the fact she is here with me.
She sniffles, wiping her nose as her voice cracks. “I'm so sorry.”
“Hey, hey, hey, none of that. It wasn't your fault. I should never have let you leave that night. And we will find Gavin, too. I promise.” My own despair contorts the words to sound anything but hopeful.
Before I have a chance to inspect the car for any clues, my phone rings in my pocket. I scramble to retrieve it, not seeing the name on the screen that I was hoping for.
“Is it him?” The hope in her voice stings a little, knowing my answer won’t be the one she wants.
“No, it's Ramos. Normally, I would decline any work call, but Ramos doesn't call often; it might be important.” I shift my weight side to side, weighing my options.
“Go ahead and answer it.” She squeezes my forearm in support, rubbing her thumb back and forth.
I put the phone on speaker as I answer it. “Ramos, it's not the best time, so if it's not important, can we-”
“It's about Gavin.” Neither his words nor tone give anything away.
My body goes completely rigid. Maizyn scrapes her nails against the nape of my neck, grounding me enough for me to have this conversation. “What about Gavin? We just found his car. What the hell do you know, Ramos?” I don’t intentionally take my frustration out on him; it just comes out.
He doesn’t react to my outburst, instead pushing forward with the conversation. “He was helping me with a job. I don't know what he told you, but he told me not to tell you. He was hacking into accounts. That belonged to Vincenzo Zanelli.”
“The Vincenzo Zanelli?” There is only one man I know of by that name. If it’s him, then we may actually be fucked.
“The one and only.”
“Who is that? Why do you say his name like it’s a bad thing?”
“Because it is. He is a very dangerous mafia boss.”
“What does this have to do with him leaving?” She directs the question at Ramos but her eyes are locked on me as we both brace for his answer.
“Vin found out it was him. The strange man Maizyn mentioned stopped her on the sidewalk fit the description for him perfectly. Gavin was trying to protect you both by leaving.”
“He wasn’t the easiest on the eyes, but I guess if he is a mafia boss, he doesn’t need to be good-looking to get his way. Shit, you mean to tell me I threatened to stab a mafia boss with a fork?”
“That’s what you're focused on right now?”
“If I focus on the fact that a dangerous man took Gavin, I will lose my shit, so pick your battles.” Her bratty attitude is coming out in full effect.
“Wait, you did what?” He sounds completely dumbfounded.
“It’s not important right now, Ramos. Both of you focus. Why was he hacking Vin's accounts to begin with?” I can’t help asking the question. Gavin had no business getting involved in mafia business. Whatever the reason, it had better be a good one.
Ramos sighs before continuing. “We were tracking down proof that Vin rented his men out to another mafia boss to kidnap and kill his wife. The wife ended up surviving, and her people are looking to serve justice to anyone involved. When Gavin told me Vin was onto him, I told him he could back out, but he refused.”
“You don't think it was because of what happened to me, do you?” Maizyn's melancholy voice asks what I was already thinking.
“It's possible, but I don’t know for sure.” She nods her head and I direct my questions back to Ramos. “Where is he now? Gavin? Why the hell am I staring at his wrecked car?” My calm facade cracking at the seams.
“He was on the phone with me when it happened.”
“When what happened?”
“His car was rear-ended, and he was pushed into the railing. From what I heard, two men cornered him and pulled him from the car. I was able to pull the CCTV cameras from the bank across the street. They were known goons for Vin, but we have reason to believe we know where they took him.”
“So what's the plan? I know you wouldn’t call unless you also had a solution.”
“You would be right. You know my background, Atlas.”
“I do. What about it?” My annoyance continues to build as the conversation turns. This would be a lot easier if he would just say whatever he was going to say without leading me in circles.
“He was doing a job for the family. We are going to get him back.”
“How?”
“I don't want to say too much over the phone. Can you meet me somewhere?”
“Yeah, that works. Where?”
“Do you still have that encrypted texting app I asked you to download a while back?”
“Yeah?”
“I’ll send you an address through the app from now on; all communications go through there, understood?” His tone leaves no room for argument.
“Understood.” Maiyn and I answer in unison.