Six Crimson Seeds (A VegasPete Persephone AU)

Chapter 21: All Things End...

Vegas felt ready to vibrate out of his shell, his leg jumping as he wordlessly urged Kinn to drive faster. The pressure in his chest was building as he felt them getting closer and closer to Pete. He needed to see that Pete was okay, he needed to hold him again, only then would he be able to relax again.

    "So this string is just coming out of your chest?" Porsche asked again.

    Kinn let out a sigh. "My guess is it's something to do with his mark. It's on his chest." Glancing at Vegas, he carefully asked, "Has anything weird been going on with your mark?"

    Vegas felt his jaw stiffen. It felt very personal, to talk about his mark. About the changes. But maybe it would help them get to Pete faster.

    "Sort of."

    "Sort of?"

    Vegas sighed. His father would tell him to keep the information away from Kinn, but his father wasn't there. Still, he fought his instincts as he carefully said, "It's been changing color."

    "I thought I was the only one with a mark that wasn't black," Porsche said, turning his head to look at Vegas. The motion almost placed his head close enough to rest on Kinn's shoulder, and Vegas saw Kinn's hands clench around the steering wheel before he forced them to relax again.

    "You are," Vegas said. "But lately, mine has been turning dark red. Little by little. It started as just a crack, and I thought I was just imagining things."

    "When did it start?" Kinn asked. His tone made Vegas think he already knew the answer.

    Porsche blinked slowly, watching Vegas as Vegas stared unblinking at the red thread.

    "When you brought Pete to Olympus."

    Kinn was speechless. He was just left with questions, but they could all be answered once they had the others home safely.

    Vegas continued giving directions. The thread began to flicker, and he started to panic. He didn't want it to vanish before he found Pete. The thread began to turn and Vegas told Kinn to keep an eye out for a turn. Shortly, they found a dirt road that led somewhere off the main road.

    "We should get out here and walk," Kinn said, parking on the side of the main road and shutting off the engine. "We must be close."

    Arm pulled in behind them and quickly they all got out of their cars to tell the others they must be close. Arm nodded. Tay looked a little more sober, luckily. Kinn and Kim were armed, at least, but Vegas knew he could handle the room mostly on his own. Even if there were more than a dozen men, he would get rid of them quickly to get to Pete. He would deal with as many more tortured souls as it took when he was back in the Fields. Gladly.

    With a crisp nod from Kinn, they all began to follow Vegas down the dark road.

_____

     After the cuffs were off, Pete wasted no time in getting the chains off as quietly as he could. He was amazed the men hadn't come to check on them yet. They were probably still busy negotiating. He didn't know how much time he had, and the iron in the general vicinity was still giving him trouble. Pete could hear the men at the large entryway they had brought them in through, and he only saw one other door. Moving silently, he heard men shuffling outside of it, the smoke from their cigarettes tickling Pete's nose.

    He moved to the far end of the warehouse, whispering a reminder to Khun and Pol to stay quiet as he passed them. Pete listened carefully but didn't hear anyone. He was grateful for the dirt floor of the old warehouse once again as he got down on all fours and concentrated as close to the wall as he could.