The Syndicate

Author\'s Notes: Hello! Just wanted to thank all of my readers, raters and reviewers. As well as my excellent beta: Clover Reef. Without whom I would have had an extraordinaryly difficult time, with writing my first Slash fic. Well as always all feedback, both positive AND negative is much appreciated. Please enjoy.



"Dialogue."



Narrative



~Character Thoughts~



***Dream Sequence***



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Jack tossed and turned. But no matter how hard he tried he could not fall asleep. The lumpy loveseat made his back stiff and the confined space left little room for comfort.



The Under-Boss finally gave up on trying to fall asleep. Sitting up on the couch, he glanced over at the far wall; only to find the blaring red glare of the digital clock staring back at him. It was barely Eleven O’ Clock.



~I need a drink,~ was Jack‘s first coherent thought.



“Shit. Shit. Shit.” Jack muttered silently under his breath as he wiped a sweaty palm across an even sweatier forehead.



The Under-Boss knew full well, that he would never be able to sleep; without imbibing his precious elixir. Even if he did somehow manage to capture the ever elusive sleep that he desired; Jack would never willingly succumb to it. Due to an intense fear of what he would encounter in the realm of his subconscious.



The blonde stood on wobbly legs. His foot and fist throbbed in protest, making Jack instantly recall his earlier stupidity.



He limped down the corridor leading to his bedroom, supporting his weight on the nearest wall as he went along. The blond gently reached out and grasped the door knob. After giving it a few jiggles, he saw that it was still locked.



Jack’s body became taut like a bow with a deep seated fury, as memories of Eian’s actions flooded his mind. He ran a trembling hand savagely through his unkempt locks, gnawing and gnashing his lower lip ruby red in an effort to stifle his flaring temper.



But it was too no avail.



Rage bubbled deep within him and began to froth to the surface. But Jack quickly found the temperance needed to suppress the rage, that was all too eager to consume him.



Mustering up the necessary control; the Under-Boss gently knocked on the door.



The sounds of his gentle rapping on the door reverberated off of the walls of the lengthy corridor.



He waited as patiently as he could for a clear sign that the young man had heard him. And soon enough Jack received his reply.



“What do you want?” Came the muffled query.



Jack’s heart skipped a beat. The boy’s sleep muffled voice sounded far too enticing- But he would have to leave such thoughts for a latter time.



“I just wanna grab some of my things…” Rasped Jack. A full minute had passed and still Jack received no reply.



Heaving a rather deep sigh, Jack pressed forward. “I‘m gonna‘ go out for a bit… I ran out of booze a-and I just wanna‘ go grab some. Okay?”



Eian was at a loss, as for what to do. It almost sounded as if the Under-Boss was pleading with him.



The blond received no response. The only thing that broke the deafening silence, was the sound of the wind, gently whistling through the crevices in the door frame.



Jack’s hand trembled on the knob, he gave it a slight jiggle and to his utter chagrin it was still locked.



“Come on- Please just open the door I just want my things…” Jack said with a noticeable tremor in his voice.



Still he was greeted with that same callous silence.



Jack became anxious and that anxiety soon gave way to panic.



“Just open the door damn it!” Jack bellowed in desperation, as he gave the door a savage shove.



“No, I‘m not letting you in!” Shouted Eian through the door.



The veins in Jack’s neck and face swelled to twice their normal size. His face reddened and contorted in sheer rage.



“LET ME IN!” Screamed Jack as tears welled up in his azure irises, “LET ME IN YOU FUCKING BIIIITCH! I JUST WANNA’ FUCKIN’ DRIIIINK!”



“I SAID NO! YOU FUCKING DRUNK FUCKER!” Eian Screamed back.



Jack was startled by the young man’s outburst.



Memories began to flash across his mind’s eye in rapid succession.



Every single instance he turned to the bottle in order to avoid dealing with his problems head on.



Every single waking hour he spent huddled safely in his world of jaded glass and murky liquor.



Every time he crawled back into a bottle with his tail firmly tucked between his legs, in order to hide his shame from the world.



Jack relived every single moment in frightful detail and it shattered him.



It not only shattered him, but it left him bare for all of the world to see his many faults and imperfections.



The blond began sobbing in humiliation, as he came to the realization that he had become a shell of his former self.



Eian was right he had become nothing more than a ‘Fucking drunk.’



Jack readily succumbed to the spiral of helplessness that consumed him.



Yielding to forces greater than his own, Jack slid to his knees; relinquishing all hope.



All that he could think of was sating his body’s demand for alcohol.



A demand that he could no longer keep up with.



The Under-Boss couldn’t go a few hours without drinking, let alone a full day.



But Jack didn’t care anymore.



He accepted his lot in this twisted game called life.



No longer would he deny his body of it’s desires due to trivial things like shame or dignity.



He would cast aside all pretenses of honor and self-respect.



He would do whatever was necessary to get his fix. Even if it meant reducing himself to begging and pleading.



It was all just superficial now. As long as he got his fix he would be satisfied. That’s all that really mattered to him now.



“I just want a drink… I just want a drink… I just want a drink…” Jack listlessly repeated the mantra over and over again, as tears and snot openly streamed down his once impeccable features.



Eian’s frenzied thoughts greatly confused him.



Part of him wanted to yank open the door and embrace the downtrodden Under-Boss and promise Jack that everything would be better.



But a nagging voice in the back of his head, one that he reluctantly identified as logic; prompted him to remain safely hidden away in the bedroom.



~I should go out there and check on him-



"It‘s only a scheme…" A malicious voice whispered back.



What? Who are-~



The young man’s musings were cut short by the sounds of Jack emptying the contents of his stomach.



As if on auto-pilot, the next thing Eian knew he was out in the corridor kneeling by Jack’s head. The blond, for lack of a better word, looked like shit. His clothing was sweat soaked and clung to every inch of his lean body. Jack’s usually vibrant straw colored hair was darker and matted with sweat and bits of vomit. His beautiful complexion had taken on a dull, gray tone.



The Under-Boss was curled up in a pool of his own sick. Moaning and groaning like a wounded animal; unmoving, save for the occasional convulsion.



The boy lifted Jack’s head off of the floor and laid it to rest on his lap . Eian struggled against the overwhelming urge to panic.



But for some reason he remained calm, as if he was completely detached from the situation.



“Eian?” Jack groaned out, in a raw raspy voice.



That simple utterance seemed to jolt Eian back to reality.



“Yeah… I-I‘m here Jack. I‘m gonna‘ get you a doctor. Okay?” Eian asked tentatively.



“No! N-no doctors… J-Just g-get me a drink and I‘ll be f-f-fine.” Jack managed to gasp out.



The Under-Boss shivered violently. “W-why is it so f-f-fuckin‘ cold?”



Eian rested the back of his hand on Jack’s damp forehead. “You‘re burning up. We really need to get you to a doctor-”



“I s-s-said n-no!” Jack affirmed through chattering teeth.



“Don‘t be so stub-”



Eian didn’t even get to finish his sentence, as a new wave of vomit launched half way across the corridor.



The boy recoiled in disgust, instinctively turning away from the sickening sight.



Taking a split second to collect himself, Eian turned back around only to find Jack laying unconscious.



The boy hesitantly checked to see if Jack was still breathing.



Eian let loose a sigh of relief as he felt the moist, rattling breath caress his bare palm.



~Damn- At least I can get his stubborn ass to a hospital…~



Eian gently laid Jack’s head on the floor. After shimming out from underneath Jack, Eian went straight for the concierge phone.



After a few seconds on the line the main desk answered.



“I need an ambulance… No everything is not fuckin’ fine… Jac- I mean Mr. Hatcher isn’t feeling too well… No, I don’t know what the hell is wrong with him…Just get me a doctor damn it! ”



Eian released a sigh of pent up frustration. Now all that was left to do was to play the waiting game. The boy only had his turbulent thoughts to keep him occupied.



~ What the hell is wrong with me?! I should be panicked… But… I‘m not…Why?



“You don‘t care about him…” Something vile whispered back to him.



No, that’s not- Who are you?



“This… IS… the only opportunity to get away…”



Us? Get away?



“Or spend the rest of your miserable life being this maniac’s fuck toy.”



No I can‘t just leave- Jack needs me-



“He uses you…“ Said the voice with a malevolent chuckle.



That‘s not-



“You’re just a charity case-”



That‘s not how it is damn it! He’s just-



“And you know it…” The voice insisted.



But I can‘t they‘ll kill me- They‘ll kill us…



“ Do it now…” It whispered with finality.



Okay I‘ll do it! I‘ll do it- ~



Eian quickly scurried off the floor, making a bee-line straight for the master suite. He jerked open the large, dark armoire and yanked an empty duffle bag off of the top shelf: all in one fluid motion.



The young man squatted down on his haunches; reaching for the bottom drawer. Said lone drawer contained everything that he had to his name.



He carelessly began to stuff what little personal possessions he had into the duffle bag.



After the drawer was emptied, he turned around the room; frantically looking for a pry bar or something similar.



~Shit! Nothing-~



Eian ran out of the room at top speed. Having nearly slipped in vomit and tomato sauce he safely made it to the kitchen.



The boy rummaged through the drawers for a minute and found his prize.



Eian pulled out a large butcher’s knife. He took a second to marvel at it’s size and was almost entranced by it’s malicious gleam.



The old adage of ’Don’t run with scissors,’ came to mind. So, Eian carefully made his way over Jack’s unmoving body; into the bedroom.



At the doorway the boy came to a dead stop. He stared down at the large granite tiles. Eian moved forward with a look of sheer concentration plastered on his face.



~Alright what was it again?- Oh yeah! Eight straight from the doorway and then two to the left…One… Two… Three… Four… Five… Six… Seven… Eight…~



Eian glanced over at his left .



~One… Two- There it is…~



He glanced down at the large tile. It was obscured from view by the bed post.



Using all of the power his lanky body could muster; Eian shoved the bed completely off of the tile.



Scrambling to his hands and knees, he cleared the thin film of dust that covered the tile.



Eian took a firm grip of the Knife and wedged it in between the tile’s outlying crevice. Once the knife was fully sheathed; he pried the surprisingly heavy granite slab upwards.



The boy pushed the tile back and was flabbergasted by what he saw.



There was a hollow space under the tile, large enough to fit a small child comfortably. Except this space was not empty.



Large rolls of hundred-dollar bills were neatly stacked one on top of the other, from base to brim.



The amount of money obscured underneath the inconspicuous tile was ridiculous.



Eian began to wonder.



~How many people did you have to kill, Jack?… How many lives were ruined?… How many families were left broken because of your deeds?…~



They were all questions that the boy was not ready nor willing to contemplate.



Without any further hesitation, Eian dipped his quivering hands into the crevice and yanked out as many of the rolls as his nimble hands could reach. He stuffed each roll haphazardly into the duffle bag.



~Just a few more…~



Feeling satisfied with the amount of money he had, Eian catapulted off of the floor and made a mad dash for the exit.



He stood over Jack’s still frame for the briefest of moments, allowing his eyes to linger on that which he knew he could never truly posses.



Remorsefully Eian trudged on.



Making it to the door of the suite, Eian jerk the door open and took his first step towards freedom. But not before flashing a fleeting glance at the life that he was about to leave behind and at the man that would forever hold his heart.



“Goodbye, Jack…” Eian whispered softly.