Don't Stand By Me (COMPLETE)

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

VIOLET

August 6th: 11:19

"It is hardly the time for this right now." Dixon said, his voice muffled by the pile of clothes in his arms.

"If my father is hunting for me, this is the exact kind of place he will look." Pearl turned her nose up, then glanced around, "But we need to be careful. Just tell daddy that you're my new friends I found in Malibu. He won't suspect a thing."

Her phone buzzed and she cheerily tapped back a reply as Dixon's arms wavered under the weight of all the clothes. I rolled my eyes, taking the top half of the pile away from him, finally revealing his strained face.

"Thanks." He grunted, readjusting the weight of the pile in his arms.

"You know, you guys should maybe buy something too." Pearl suggested, "No offence, you look a bit grimey."

"I'm fine. I showered in that horrible fucking hotel you set us up in last night." I snarked, "Can you pick what you want so we can drop this shit already?"

"Hey." Pearl pouted, "What's with the attitude?"

"I'm sorry but I'm stressed. I'm worried about everyone else. I wish we could call them."

"Me too." Dixon sighed.

Pearl gnawed on her lower lip, then nodded, "I know. Me too. Look, I'll go to the checkout, why don't you guys pick something out and we can go get lunch, on me."

"Thanks, Pearl." I smiled at her gratefully, watching as she summoned a sales assistant to grab the clothes from us both.

I was delighted to be able to pick out a dress, as I had stupidly only brought jeans before we left the RV. Arguably, very cute Escada jeans that had flowers embroidered on the back, but they weren't the best for potential escape routes. I picked out a knee length flowy dress and a pair of comfy looking trainers to accompany it. Dixon seemed to have a similar idea as he grabbed a pair of loose fitting shorts and tshirt. We threw our stuff up onto the till next to Pearl's and watched her swipe her card. I missed shopping. New York was the perfect place for me and my Saturday morning shopping trips. I had managed to drag Kiara a grand total of three times while Elvis was a lot easier to convince. He loved window shopping but I would always sneakily buy things he liked and give them to him after. I couldn't wait to do that again.

We exited the boutique into the midday sun, sliding sunglasses onto our faces. There was a small restaurant a few doors down and we decided to stay there, lounging in the comfortable outdoor seating. Once we had ordered, Pearl began rambling about her father.

"He's really just a big old teddy bear." She beamed, "He loves me more than anything. I'm excited for you to get to meet him!"

"Sounds like a treat." I muttered, rolling my eyes at her 'teddy bear' of a father that shot people in the head like he was trying to beat a high score.

In the days of Richard Price's trial, Marcus Montgomery had been his right hand man. He had testified for him, and praised him to high heavens. And disappeared as soon as Richard was found guilty. My father hated the man, almost as much as Richard - their names were banned in our house from the moment the trial ended. Until Richard escaped prison and was slapped across every paper in the country. It was always assumed he and Marcus were hiding together. Now, with Pearl, I realised it was likely very true.

"You can hardly be so judgy."

"I'm not judgy. Just...you realise he's a mob boss, right?"

"Nobody's perfect." She shrugged.

"I forget that this is just everyday life for you." Dixon noted, smiling at the waitress who delivered our drinks, "This is nothing to you."

"I guess. That's all I know really. I've seen people die. You get desensitised."