UNMASKED

#14

Eli had to wonder sometimes, at the speed with which things could go to hell. It was almost impressive.

For example, he'd started off his college life on a relatively good note. Granted, he was broke and had to work for a year before actually attending. But still, things had gone pretty well even if his boss was an asshole and his friends were unfairly tall. And then Matthew had gone and fucked it all up.

Not that he was particularly upset about that. It worked out in the end, and he liked being with Matthew. So really, even if things were not as perfect as Eli wished they could be—namely, his boyfriend being a weirdo—life wasn't terrible. To be honest, he'd actually been enjoying it as of late. He should have known better.

"What the fuck is it with you crooks and warehouses?" Eli asked, climbing out of the car Adria Fisk had sent to pick him up from the hospital and looking up at the warehouse in front of him. Granted, it was a nice warehouse. At least, it didn't look like anyone was up to anything particularly shady. Then again, neither did Matthew so appearances could be deceiving.

"Some of us run legitimate businesses, you know?" Adria said, walking over to him and Matthew—who was quick to stand next to Eli. Probably to keep Adria from stomping the redhead to death with her admittedly nice heels. Eli appreciated the gesture.

"Like your dear old dad?" Eli asked. And sure, he probably shouldn't be such an asshole, but he was still just a little bit upset about Fisk having his goons kidnap him. Also, having his giant boyfriend next to him usually made him feel just a tad bit braver.

"You know, now I get why someone would want to kill you." Fair enough. Still rude. "Just get inside, you little shit." She turned with what Eli was sure was a roll of her eyes and walked into the warehouse.

"How likely do you think it is that we'll get murdered in there?" Eli asked Matthew, pointing to the warehouse.

"We're not getting murdered," Matthew said with a tired sigh. "But please stop trying," he added after a moment.

"Rude," Eli muttered, but he did as told and moved to go in, all the while hoping this would be a better visit to a warehouse than the last. Granted, the bar was on the ground with that one.

They got up to a promising start, at the very least. The place looked like a genuine place of business. Or at least, it didn't look like anyone had ever been murdered there. Eli felt faintly relieved at that. Just not enough to not expect things to go to hell at any moment.

Adria was waiting for them. Apparently, they'd been taking too long, but it wasn't Eli's fault his paranoia was acting up after getting stabbed. If anything, it was a wonder he hadn't dragged Matthew out of the country to start a new life. He was just glad Adria didn't say anything as she led them to what could only be her office.

It was a simple room set up on stilts, with a narrow metal staircase leading up to it. The room itself was brightly lit, the windows lined up around the room provided a good view of everything going on in the wide space. Eli briefly thought that at least if Adria decided to murder them, there'd be plenty of witnesses.

She took a seat behind the wide, mostly cleared off desk, and motioned for Eli and Matthew to take a seat as well. As Eli sat on one of the cold plastic chairs on the other side of the desk, he couldn't help but think of how much it felt like he was there for a job evaluation. The thought almost made him laugh at how ridiculous it was. Especially given the situation they were in. At his side, Matthew gave him a weird look, the kind that told Eli he wasn't being all that successful at hiding his amusement—which, fair enough, was pretty weird all things considered.