Caught In-Between

Broadening Horizons

Warning: Male x Male; contains strong language; Rating- Fiction T; some may find this story offensive; don't like, don't read

Notice: this story is fictional. If any events occurred or sound similar, it's sheer coincidence. Some of the names mentioned in this story were made up.
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Previously...
      As we sit around, Xavier's phone rings. The conversation involves a lot of sighing, sympathizing, and wow-ing. He hangs up shortly after, his eyes wide like he saw a clown.
      "You know the apartment we went to," he asks me.
      I nod.
      "A body was found in the kitchen. Officers identified Jay Michaels as the victim."
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      "Coincidence," my brain says.
      "Fate," my hands say.
      "Revenge," my heart says.
      Child after child. Sibling after sibling. Life after life.
      Worry knocks on our door, and we answer it willingly. Our eyes dart from one pair to another, wondering why this madness is happening. We wonder if the madness will come to an end.
      Benson leans against my cubicle, shaking his head.
      "Who found him," he asks Xavier.
      "His wife. She's still at the scene. They plan on interviewing her; see if she knows what happened."
      Benson chuckles incredulously.
      "This is the third murder, guys. The third murder..."
      "Shit's getting out of hand," Jones says from his cubicle.
      Everyone nods in agreement.
      "Did they find anything," I ask.
      "Four rings. And get this: they're identical to the ones found at Jose Robles' crime scene."
      My eyebrows rise.
      "Interesting..."
      "That must be a signature of theirs," Avery mentions.
      "Which means Jose's killer could also be Jay's killer," I add.
      We shake our fists with enthusiasm.
But rings... Why rings?
      A phone vibrates on a desk, causing the whole room to rattle. Avery reaches for his phone and answers.
      "Detective Avery. Yes, we heard the news. Mm-hmm... Okay..."
      He looks up from his computer.
      "Okay, sir. I'll let them know," he replies, hanging up.
      He gathers a few of his belongings.
      "Captain says anyone can come to the crime scene, especially Benson and me. They need as much help as they can get," he informs us.
      "I'll help out," Jones says, leaving his desk.
      I feel Xavier's eyes burning through my skull. My head wants to turn, but I keep it in place. The three of them look back to see if we make a move. We don't move a muscle.
      As soon as they leave, I look over at Xavier.
      "You didn't want to go," I ask. "I know you enjoy investigating crime scenes."
      He shakes his head.
      "No, I figured I would stay. We still have this case to solve. Besides, they probably have enough people there," he responds.
      "Yeah, you're right."
      We sit at our desks to get nowhere. All we can do is revisit the same evidence we have: the video surveillance, interview recordings, and the picture of the rings.
      My face scrunches up. Annoyed with having no new leads, I decide to look for his social media accounts.
      I search Jose's name on Instagram and immediately find his profile. A picture of the Eiffel Tower, Statue of Liberty, and a historical building appear. I use my mouse to hover over the tall, run-down building. A caption pops up.
"'Panamá es un país hermoso,'" I read.
      I scroll through more photos, finding out that he loved traveling. My heart thuds in my chest when I come across a picture with three people in it. The picture was taken at a beach; the turquoise waves flow across the sand.
      That's not making my heart scream anxiously, though. It's the people. Jose stands in between his mom and a man. I place my mouse on the photo, and a caption appears.
"'Siempre te amaré, mamá y Jay. Familia para siempre.'"
      My eyes can barely believe my screen.
Family?
      I push my chair back to look over at Xavier.
      "Xavier."
      "Hm?"
      "Do me a favor. I need you to look up Jay in our system."
      He looks at me with curiosity, but he doesn't question me. His fingers type faster than a jet.
      "What are you looking for?"
      "A picture."
      Xavier takes his phone out and moves it toward his computer. Once he snaps the picture, he walks over to me. I look at the two images, and my brain celebrates.
      "This is him," I exclaim.
      "Who? What did you find?"
      "I decided to search for Jose on Instagram, and I managed to find his profile. Jose, Amelia, his mom, and Jay are in this picture! Here, read the caption," I say enthusiastically.
      He leans in closer; our cheeks nearly touch.
      "'Siempre te amaré, mamá y Jay. Familia para siempre,'" he reads out loud.
      His jaw drops to his knees.
      "Woah, they're related?"
      "Yeah! This could help us out a lot," I point out.
      I dial a number using the phone on my desk.
      "Seth, who are you calling?"
      "Amelia. Call me crazy, but I think these cases are gang-related."
Xavier fixes his mouth to say something; he decides to hold it in once Jose's mom picks up.
"Hello," she says, her voice shaky.
"Hey, Ms. Robles. This is Detective Young. How are you?"
"I'm hanging in there... Please, call me Amelia."
"Of course... Amelia."
She exhales deeply.
"I heard what happened to Jay Michaels," she mentions, sniffling. "Mi primo..."
I look at Xavier.
"Cousin," he mouths.
I nod my head.
"My condolences go out to you and your family. We are working to find out who did this to your cousin...
"Do you know if he had issues with anyone?"
"No... not that I can recall."
"Okay..."
I pause a second before speaking.
"Do you know if Jose or Jay were in a gang?"
As soon as I finish my sentence, Amelia starts crying. Her world crumbles more, her soul slowly deteriorating.
"T-they were not... part of... a g-gang, but... my middle child... is."
My mind slowly builds a puzzle. A piece lies in its place, but hundreds, maybe even thousands, remain.
"What's their name," I ask.
Xavier reaches for my notepad and pen.
"Diego... He's seventeen, and the gang he's affiliated with is called... 76th 'N' Bay."
I swallow a massive rock.
"Diego is Jose's brother and Jay's cousin, right?"
"Yes," Amelia confirms.
"Okay. I don't want to frighten you, but I believe your son, Diego, is the target. If he is, they will continue killing his relatives and people he associates with until they get to him."
"Oh, no! Esto no puede estar sucediendo! Le dije a Diego que se convertería en un blanco! Mi bebé está en peligro!"
Panic is evident in her voice.
"Amelia, do you know if Diego's gang is fighting with any other gang?"
"No! Any time they're fighting with someone, he lets me know!"
"Okay, okay. For the sake of you and your family, all of you need to leave that house. Do you have somewhere to go?"
"Yes, my mom! She lives in Louisiana!"
"Good. I recommend you and your family go there for a while. We need to figure out who's doing this before you return."
She calls out to her son and tells him the news. Chaos takes place. The phone picks up every shoe that hits the floor.
"We're going to start packing," she exclaims.
"Okay. If you need me, call me. I hope you have a safe trip."
"Thank you, Detective."
The call ends. Xavier stops writing and looks at me. His eyes smile.
"I think you're right! This could be gang-related," he says. "I mean, they killed Diego's brother and cousin. Normally when gangs do this, they're retaliating."
"Right. They hurt whoever is near and dear to their target until they find them."
"There's only a matter of time before they get to Amelia."
"Yeah," I say, looking back at the phone.
My mind begins to wander. He looks at me curiously.
"What's wrong?"
I hear his voice, his concern, but my lips don't move. My eyes devour the phone.
How dumb am I? What was I-
"Seth," Xavier calls out.
"Yeah?"
"What's wrong?"
I clear my throat.
"Nothing! Nothing. I was just..."
I tap my finger on an armrest.
"Do you think I made a mistake? You know... telling Amelia to go to her mom's house?"
"No, not at all," he replies with confidence. "For all we know, you just kept someone from losing their life today."
I look down at my hands.
"Do you think you made a mistake?"
I nod slowly.
"The last thing I want is to cause someone to lose their life again," I say.
"Woah, woah. 'Again'? What do you mean 'again'?"
I keep my head down like a child who got scolded.
"Look at me."
He realizes I don't make an effort, so he grasps my chin gently. We make eye contact.
"You are not the reason why they died. Neither of us are..."
My eyes enlarge at his last statement.
"Yeah, I started wondering the same thing. It's crazy, I know, but it's not our fault. Their lives are out of our control.
"It's unfortunate what happened; though, we're not in charge of their outcome. We're in charge of bringing justice to their families, okay?"
I smile slightly.
"Okay," I reply.
He returns the smile and releases my chin.
I watch him as he walks to his desk. He maneuvers some items to find his keys.
"I'm going to see if anyone on the streets heard anything about gang retaliation. You coming?"
"You can go without me. I want to look over everything we've got so far."
"Okay. Call me whenever you need to."
"I will. Be careful."
"You too," he says before leaving.
I roll my chair closer to my desk and revisit my past. Three distinct faces invade my mind. Two of them make my heart smile, the other makes my stomach hurt.
I can only imagine what he thinks of me...
For a moment, I travel back in time. The day I left Chicago forms in front of me as if it happened yesterday.
There I am, standing in my living room, looking out a window. Leaves move side to side as they fall; the trees are lifeless. A group of birds fly by as they ignore the clear droplets of nature on their backs.
I sigh, dreading what's to come.
The drive to his house is overwhelming: my heart rate increases, my hands tremble, and I can barely focus on the road. I look in my rearview mirror, mentally waving at my happiness. I know my life will not be the same when the house waves back.
      I arrive at his house. The moment he sees me, he showers me with affection. I try to play the part. I act like I'm ecstatic to see him, but I'm not; not in this situation.
      When I tell him I'm leaving, his heart splits in two. He grabs my arms and looks directly into my eyes.
      "Why are you doing this," he asks me. "Why are you saying this?"
      I tell him the best lie I can come up with. If I speak the truth, he'll say any and everything to stop me. He will not support me.
      He realizes my mind is made up. It has spoken, and it's not taking the words back. His eyes show pain and betrayal.
      My heart cries as he slowly removes his hands from my arms. He shakes his head and steps backward. Step. Step. Step. He fights the river in his eyes.
      I walk up to him, trying to explain who I'm leaving for. But he ignores me. He cuts off my sentence. My hand touches his arm, but he jerks it away, snatching my life with him.
      I stop moving. I stop talking. We look at each other.
      "If you want to leave us, leave me, then fuck off," he says angrily.
      He starts walking away.
      "Hey," I call out.
      He stops in the middle of the living room. His head turns slightly, listening to me, but refusing to acknowledge me.
      "At least... at least tell them I said goodbye..."
      He stands motionless for a second before walking away. I leave his house full of despair and determination.
      Suddenly, a tickle forms in my throat. My cough brings me back to the present.
      I shove my thoughts to the side and focus on my computer screen. Three tabs pop up in my navigation bar. My throat goes dry as I search for the faces burned in my brain.
      When I see their faces appear, I nearly sob.
      Just how I remember you, I remind myself.
      "Carlisle Ramsay Briar."
      I imagine his arm around me as he tussles my hair. I remember times when our legs would be intertwined and our backs sweaty as we rolled around on a mat. I giggle at the thought. My eyes dart to the second tab.
      "Kai Booker Evans."
      I imagine us making funny faces in a mirror. The sound of his laugh travels through my head. I mentally hug him.
      Then, my eyes slowly look at the third tab. I hesitate to click it.
      The picture appears, my smile nowhere to be found.
      "Milo... Ray... Hope..."
      Shivers run up my spine. My tongue tries to escape to the back of my throat. I suddenly feel like I swore in front of my grandmother.
      Who do you think you are, my brain asks me. How dare you fix your lips to utter such words?
      I stare at his picture, and my hand decides to reach out and touch it. It feels like his hand grasps my own. The feeling is so powerful that my body could jump through the screen.
      I retract my hand, showing off my smile. He doesn't want to see it, but I show it anyway.
      I look at their last known address. All of them show up in the same city: Chicago.
      I take in a deep breath and place my hand on my chest. When the organ slows down, I remove it.
      If there's anyone that can help us, help me, it's them...
      I close out of the tabs when Xavier enters the room.
      Perfect timing.
      "Well, that was a waste," he says, sitting by the door.
      His face is flushed.
      "How'd it go?"
      "Not well. People acted like they never heard the word 'gang' in their life. All they did was deny everything. Not to mention the scorching heat outside."
      He wipes his forehead, clearing away the sweat. I give him some time to cool off before I hit him with insanity. It's not long before I see my opportunity.
      "Xavier," I say.
      "Yes?"
      "Have you ever been to Chicago?"
      I answer for him mentally.
      "No, I haven't," he replies, his head leaning back, looking at the ceiling.
      I muster up some courage.
      "You want to?"

TBC