Arachna

Chapter 18: Rob

Lance's thoughts jumbled into a maelstrom. He'd eaten the steak and potatoes and left only a bite of bread on his plate. Eric had slithered out once the worker left. Lance stared down at his nearly empty plate, his stomach aching from forcing the food down.

It was as good a distraction as any.

A man like Eric was his father, begging for his son to take over the business, pretending that everything he did was actually for him.

Lance grimaced.

The man was delusional. He was backed into a corner like a wild animal, and now he was desperate.

There was another knock on the door, and Lance's heart skipped. He tossed the plate onto the tray next to the nightstand, where it clattered against the silverware.

Lance opened the door, his thumb over the switch of the cane.

He relaxed. Derek was standing at the door, a toothpick popped in his mouth.

"Enjoy your meal?" Lance asked as he stepped aside.

Derek stepped in with a "hmph" and said, "As long as it's been since I had a good meal, I almost did a backflip." He sat on the bed.

Lance crossed his arms, the words spoken between him and Eric still resonating in his head. If only Derek knew his leader had been reduced to a teary-eyed wreck and that he was looking at that same leader's son.

"Lance?" Derek called out to him.

Lance blinked, and he was staring at the floor.

"Everything okay?"

Lance stuttered to find the right words, tried to wring the conversation out of his mind. "Yeah, just... stomach troubles."

Derek hummed. "You've really taken an initiative here," he said. "Chief's dead because of you, you came face-to-face with Caleb and took a punch from him, and you had to lead for a few days... All that, and now you have a broken leg."

"What's your point?"

"You've been through a lot, Lance. I wanted to come check on you. See how you were doing."

Lance couldn't keep eye contact. If Derek only knew the real reason for his discomfort.

"I'm doing alright," Lance said. The words came out faster than they should have.

"Try again."

Lance sighed. "I'm not the best... I'm sick of having to use this stupid thing." He gestured at the cane holding him up. "And I never knew when I agreed to be a part of this that it would turn into being a fugitive." He scratched the back of his neck.

"We'll get through it," Derek said. "Somehow." He stiffened. Something was eating at him.

"What about you? Are you okay?" Lance asked.

Derek stared down at his feet for a long moment before he said, "Yeah, just... can't stop thinking about Rob."

The image still hadn't left Lance's mind—the flash of Rotoya's smile and the bang of a gun. He couldn't imagine what it was like for Derek.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No, no," Derek said. "I came here to check on you, not the other way around."

"Trust me, I've had enough of talking about my issues for one night... I'd like to get my mind off of it for a while."

Derek sighed and rubbed his hands together.

Wow, he really is nervous.

"I miss him, Lance."

"I didn't know him that well," Lance said, sitting beside Derek. "Why don't you tell me about him? How you guys met? How he came to work for you?"