Shattering Me

11~The Midnight Meal

"Has Kyle Cane given you any ideas for where the formula might be hidden?" the man over the phone asked. He was on speaker, but thankfully there weren't many people in the area this late. Ryan and his brother sat with the phone between them on the table. Kyle had gone over to the counter to place the orders and so they were free to take the important call.

"No, nothing yet. If his parents told him anything, he hasn't been able to remember it yet," Ryan answered. Most of the time Ryan spent with his new roommate so far had been going over information and past memories in hopes of figuring out where the cure's formula was hidden. They'd even gone over to the explosion site that Kyle used to call home and searched the wreckage. Yet, they found nothing that did anything more than cause Kyle's eyes to grow cold and glassy.

"But I can't shake the feeling that he has the knowledge. He may not know that he knows it, but he does," Carman added. "I've been looking into the staff at the Cane's lab and they all say the same. The kid's parents wouldn't have kept the formula at home. They would have hidden it off-site and somewhere tied to the family. Trust me, dad, we'll figure this out."

Ryan turned his head in the direction of a cool night breeze just in time to see Kyle pick up their drinks and start heading back.

"Alright boys, just keep me updated. The Helix is changing...changing too quickly. I don't like the way things are progressing, but that miracle drug would be a game changer. Keep looking, oh, and don't let Kion or Kiara slack off in their practice. I have a feeling the beaches may be too tempting for them," the voice of the head Krag said finally. The two sons nodded and the line cut off a second later as if their father had seen them do it.

Their attention opened up to the outdoor eating area that Kyle had chosen to bring them to. Being so late in the night meant only a couple of the tables were occupied by random groups of nocturnals. There were a few white-collar office workers at the table closest to Ryan's but they seemed more than occupied with themselves.

"So, banana bonanza smoothie and yellow rice for Ryan; cherry cola and a cheeseburger with extra ketchup for Carman. I'm starting to think you two have a serious color obsession going on," he stated after sitting down with his plate of fries and nacho cheese.

It was actually Kyle's idea to eat out tonight. He was having trouble sleeping, so when he saw that Carman was still around working on something passed midnight, he talked the brothers into the trip.

"Are you kidding? If I couldn't have any cherry cola in my life I'd probably be the one throwing myself off a bridge next time," said Carman. He laughed wholeheartedly even as Ryan and Cane both froze in shock.

"Bro, not cool."

"What? Was that too soon?"

Ryan simply shook his head as Kyle retreated to the back of his seat. He was probably wishing that he could turn himself invisible at that moment, but there was no such luck.

"So what? It's not like we all haven't had times where we felt like jumping off a building. Kyle just takes his crap seriously," he said again laughing carelessly.

Without a word, Ryan's hand darted below the table and grabbed onto one leg of Carman's chair. Then his hand flung itself upward and the entire chair toppled over, red-head included. "You'll have to settle for throwing yourself off your chair."

Kyle was quiet, but for the first time since they'd met, Ryan saw a true smile of the boy's face. Thin lips spreading gentle cheeks and partially revealing white teeth. He made those motions all the time, but the smile was only made complete this time by the wicked glint in his eyes. In Kyle's smiling eyes, Ryan could see a pure mischievous nature shining through for the first time.

It vanished as soon as he caught Ryan staring of course.

The white-collars at the nearest table took notice of the trio, however, and Kyle nearly jumped out of his skin when one of the guys came up behind him and put a hand on his shoulder. He had a bright pompous smile on his face and perfectly tousled black hair. His ivory silk dress shirt nearly glowed in the dark and the collar had been flipped up to give him a more wild and carefree look.

"How's it going my friends? My friends and I couldn't help but notice you guys," he gestured to the table with the rest of his well-dressed group. They all smiled and waved but for some reason, the sight made Kyle sick to his stomach. "My name's Lan. You two look pretty tough...and little scary. I bet your people can handle yourselves around a fight right?" He asked, grinning at Ryan and Carman.

There was something about his friendliness that made Kyle uneasy. The way that his black gloved hand felt while resting on his shoulder.

" 'Our people'? I'm not sure you want to find out what 'our people' can handle." Carman replied casually leaning back in his chair. He returned the newcomer's smile, but Kyle could see the dangerous glint in those scarlet eyes.

Kyle knew from experience that the brothers were proud of their heritage, but they didn't like being called out on it. Carman was raised in New York City while Ryan was raised in Tokyo. They were more than used to being the minority growing up, but that didn't mean they were okay with people pointing it out.

"I'm sure I don't want to, brother. Anyways," Lan's other hand moved onto Kyle's right shoulder and he squeezed gently. It may have looked like a friendly gesture, but it was way too friendly to be comfortable. "My friends and I have been looking for new recur- hands. Fresh new workers to help out at our company. You know how it is, right? When the company expands, it always helps to find strong workers."

His hands started sliding closer together ever so casually and soon the black leather of both gloves touched the skin at the base of the boy's neck.

The awkward situation made it feel like pins and needles were racing down his body. Ryan literally growled out loud this time as a warning. "That's more than enough. We're not interested."

"Are you sure about that, brother. My friend here probably agrees, right?" he said, adding another gentle squeeze to Kyle's neck.

Kyle had seen enough though, and he pulled the creeps hands away. Lan looked down in shock as if stunned by the mere act. "No, I don't."

Lan tried again. "You don't mean that, my friend." He reached for Kyle's neck again, but the gesture wasn't taken lightly this time. Ryan rose to his feet and closed the distance in a second, grabbing Lan by the wrist.

"He means it. Go away," he growled menacingly.

Kyle saw the situation and knew that the poor fool was about to have his wrist broken if he didn't step in. He jumped up and nudged himself between to two men, forcing them to part. He decided right then that he'd rather be the one in Ryan Krag's sight than some random creep. "Thanks, but like my boy said, we're good."

The man who called himself Lan stared at Kyle as if he had just shot him. Then he stared down at his gloves in confusion and back at Kyle. His jaw dropped a bit and then turned to walk away without another word. Whatever he expected to happen in that encounter with the trio didn't work and before the group of white-collars left the area, they made sure to snatch a few pictures of each of their faces.

If only Ryan had noticed the small white helix spiral on the palm of those gloves, then maybe they could have been ready for the next day.

Bet you thought I couldn't host a contest and maintain a regular upload schedule at the same time didn't you ;) 

You may have realized the made the connection between this chapter and the one last week pretty quickly, but tell me what you think. Did something much more significant happen in this chapter than any of the guys realized? Or was it just a strange little interaction between two unrelated groups? Leave a comment below with your answer, and a vote if you liked it ;3