The Syndicate

Author\'s Notes: Hey Lisa, I am very sorry that I didn\'t address the pronunciation issue sooner. It is pronounced exactly like Ian except the different spelling of course. So... I\'m still kind of looking for an artist to sketch out Jack, Marko, Eian or any combonation of the three. It doesn\'t have to be professional or even colored for that matter. Thanks to all my readers, raters and reviewers; I know it\'s taken me a while to get this out. It\'s just that I haven\'t been feeling so motivated lately and the lack of feedback has got me feeling down. I\'m just saying that ALL feedback and/or constructive criticisim is much appreciated. Well enough rambling, with out further delay; ENJOY!



"Dialogue."



Narrative



~Character Thoughts~



***Dream Sequence***



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The wait in lobby was frustrating at best. Eian resisted the urge to pace the length of the security desk again; only after recalling the less than friendly look the guard shot him, the last time he had interrupted his reading of the sports section.



~What the hell is taking him so long! It\'s been half an hour already...~



"Could you please page the penthouse again?" The boy asked pleadingly.



The disgruntled guard peeked over the newspaper, giving Eian a dirty look. He picked up the phone and pushed a series of buttons on the switchboard in front of him, sighing rather loudly at the incessant buzzing coming through the receiver.



Thirty seconds passed and the guard slipped the phone back into it\'s stand.



"No answer." He said with out even looking at the boy, as he reached over for his paper.



"Thanks..." The young man mumbled dejectedly.



~Damn him... so he is allowed to take his sweet ass time getting ready and I can\'t---~



The chime of the elevator arriving pulled the boy out of his sullen thoughts.



Out stumbled an extremely hammered Jack, with a half empty bottle of his favorite whiskey in hand.



"You\'re wasted again, aren\'t you?" Asked Eian incredulously.



"I just had a pick me up. What are you mad for, sweet cheeks?" Jack slurred.



A blush rapidly spread across Eian\'s face. He almost forgot that they had an audience. The boy shot an embarrassed glance at the guard, who by now had put down his paper; giving the pair his undivided attention.



"Don\'t call me sweet cheeks." He mumbled embarassedly, " And why am I mad, you ask?"



Eian did not wait for Jack\'s drunken response, "Did you forget that I was waiting for you in the lobby for half an hour, while you were getting plastered?"



"It\'s alright, Marko is always late." Blurted out Jack as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I thought you knew?"



"How the hell am I supposed to know- Whatever it doesn\'t even matter." Sighing in exasperation, he combed his perfectly manicured fingers through shoulder length ebony hair.



"Can you at least call Marko and find out where he is?" He asked cynically.



"Yeah, sure." Jack set the bottle down on the marble floor with a clunk. He quickly leaned his back against the nearest wall to steady himself. Rummaging through the pockets of his black cashmere suit, his unsteady hand brushed past the blood red Tye adorning the midnight black, silk button down.



Jack\'s clumsy fingers, struggled to grasp onto the phone. Bringing the phone up to his face, it suddenly vibrated. The screen flashed with the callers id: \'Marko\'



Jack clicked on the green \'Answer\' icon. "Where are you?... Outside?" Jack peered over the boy and glimpsed sight of the German made beauty idling outside. "Speak of the devil... We\'re on our way out... Yeah I said we... later."



"Let\'s go." Said Jack as he picked up the bottle.



Stumbling out of the lobby and towards the car; both Jack an Eian sidled into their respective seats. Jack drunkenly slammed the car door shut, with all his might. The loud bang, reverberated through the car\'s plush interior. One sure fire way to piss Marko off, was to abuse his car.



"Hey! Take it easy on the damn-" Marko stopped mid-rant and took a good look at his friend. All traces of anger dissipated, "Wow, you would be shit-faced this early in the morning." Said the brunette with a chuckle.



"Yeah... well... day drinking is the best kind of drinking. That way I can have a good nights sleep." Explained Jack, as a far away look overtook his features.



Eian chose not to comment on the pairs conversation, at least not out loud. If it was up to him, he wanted to remain unnoticed by the pair. In fact he wished that he could be swallowed whole by the cushy, leather clad seats.



At a red light, Marko suddenly turned around in his seat and regarded Eian with a raised eyebrow. "How are you doing, Eian?"



Eian was taken aback by the simple question. He had expected to be asked something more complicated, like why he was there or worse why he looked so bruised up.



"I...I\'m...o-okay." Stuttered Eian, nervously.



~Yeah... Except for the fact that the bastard almost killed me a few hours ago~



"Well, that\'s good to hear." Said Marko, with a smile plastered on his face.



Eian however, noticed that it did not quite reach his flawless emerald eyes.



"So Jack, where are we going?" Marko asked.



"To see Chase..." Jack\'s simple reply, hung thick in the air.



Shocked emeralds locked onto jagged aquamarine. Eian could feel the sudden shift in the atmosphere, Marko\'s knuckles turned stark white on the wheel.



"But why? It\'s too early to go there and why is the kid coming with us?" Marko\'s question trailed off into the silence.



"Because he-" Jack pointed over his shoulder at Eian, "Needs to know what happened and I\'m hoping that I\'ll be too fucked up to remember this whole damn thing."



"But Jack... he\'s got nothing to do with this-"



"He has everything to do with it!" Shouted Jack, a maniacal gleam reflected off of molten pools of silver.



"Take a good look at him Marko! Look..." Jack pleaded with the brunette.



Upon hearing the desperation in the usually stoic man\'s voice, Marko spun around in his seat and started scrutinizing the boy\'s features.



Eian was feeling very self-conscious; it felt like he was being examined under a microscope.



~What the hell is he looking at?!~



"Tell me you don\'t see it?" Jack asked frantically.



"What am I supposed to see, Jack?" Replied Marko, casually.



"His eyes, his hair, his face, hell even his... his fucking scent. EVERYTHING!"



Marko was taken back by the erratic emotions rolling off of Jack. He realized that he had to approach the situation in a soothing and cautious manner.



"Okay Jack, I won\'t deny it. He does look a hell of a lot like Chase. But it\'s just a coincidence." Marko said, leveling Jack with an even stare.



"Coincidence?..." A mirthful chuckle erupted from Jack\'s throat, "What the fuck do you mean a coincidence?! This fuckin\' brat has got me believin\' in reincarnation, Marko."



"Jack..."



"Marko, don\'t you dare try to fuckin\' baby me! I know what I\'m talking about. Its like, Chase has come back to punish me.



"Jack-"



"To punish me for not being able to... not being able to..." His somber cerulean eyes misted over. He was unable to finish his sentence.



No matter how hard he tried, he could not dislodge the baseball-sized lump that was jammed in the back of his throat. Jack took a deep swig from the bottle and turned to face the window.



A shaky sigh rushed past his lips, as he set the bottle down, between his thighs.



"I can\'t do it anymore Marko. Ever since I saw this kid, my life has become one big mind fuck."



The brunette brought the car to a screeching halt, jarring Eian out of his catatonic state. Eian felt the intense heat of Marko\'s glare burning into him



"It\'s gonna\' be alright, Jack." Marko cooed, as he ran his fingers through the hair at the nape of Jack\'s neck.



The blond leaned into the comforting gesture and nuzzled against Marko\'s firm chest.



Eian was stunned at the open display of affection; the two older men were obviously comfortable being intimate with each other. He couldn\'t help but feel a pang of jealousy at the attention that Marko was lavishing upon Jack.



What really caught Eian off guard, was the intense amount of hatred directed at him, from Marko.



"Just tell him everything... from the beginning. Okay?"



"Alright Jack, I promise."



"Thanks." Whispered Jack, as he leaned up to peck Marko on the lips.



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The urban skyscrapers, soon gave way to the lush scenic views of the country side. Forest and rolling hills surround the occupants of the car, for as far as the eye could see. The remainder of the drive was silent. Eian thought that it would be best if he didn\'t speak at all, even though his mind was racing with a thousand and one questions.



They had veered off of the main road and onto a narrow dirt road. After a few minutes on the dirt road, the car came to a halt in front of an entrance to a large cemetery. The awning above the golden, double gates read: \'Sunset Hills Cemetery\', in gorgeous, curvy calligraphy.



Jack was first to get out, he slipped on his sunglasses and looked back at Marko over his shoulder. "Marko, are you coming in?" Asked Jack.



"No." There was no hesitation in Marko\'s voice.



"Alright... Then the kid is staying with you."



With that said Jack walked through the gates, bottle in hand. The liquor sparkled and dance in it\'s glass container, as it gently sloshed around to the rhythm of Jack\'s unsteady gait.



Ironically, a small smile tugged at the corners of his lips. He imbibed another mouthful of the foul tasting liquid and disappeared out of sight, into the terrain\'s curvy slopes.



As soon as Jack was out of sight and more importantly out of ear shot, Eian whirled on Marko. For some strange reason Marko felt like a cornered animal, he didn\'t know whether stand his ground or flee from the intrusive look in Eian\'s eyes.



"So did you two fuck?" Eian asked nonchalantly. But, he could not subdue the rage that seeped into the blatantly asked question.

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After much walking, Jack had finally made it to the perfectly manicured plot. He did not care, that his designer Italian dress boots had got scuffed, during the mile long hike; in his opinion the end had justified the means.



Ambling up to the headstone, he gently caressed the smooth marble; savoring it\'s remarkably cool feel.



Jack took of his shades and knelt down on the grass. He sat back on his haunches and leveled an even stare at the name etched into the white marble: \'Chase Petit\'



"I know it\'s kind of early... but you always did like surprises." He said, with a faint smile tugging on his full lips.



Jack unscrewed the cap off of the bottle and took a deep swig, embracing the stinging after-burn. He then poured out a cap full of the amber liquid and spilled it on the lush grass beneath him.



"It\'s good. Huh?"



The silence that greeted him was not unexpected, but it was a refreshing change from the hectic circus his life had become.



~You\'ve always been a good listener...~



He couldn\'t help the lighthearted chuckle, that escaped him at the random thought.



Jack looked up at the sun, it\'s heated rays etched small circular bubbles and squiggly lines in his sight.



An air of seriousness washed over the Under-Boss. Grimacing he looked down at the tombstone and said, "We have a lot to talk about..."



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Sage green eyes widened, comically. Marko\'s mouth opened and closed repeatedly, but nothing came out. To say that he wasn\'t prepared for the bluntness of the question, would be a vast understatement.



He quickly regained his composure, narrowed eyes regarded the boy sittting across from him.



"I don\'t think that\'s any of your business." Marko chastised Eian, as if he was addressing a petulant child.



"Like hell it isn\'t! Just answer the damn question!" Eian wasn\'t going to let Marko off the hook that easy.



"Listen,brat! I don\'t care how you talk to other people, but you ain\'t talkin\' that way to me. You got it?"



Heated walnut, clashed with electrically charged jade.Both men glared at each other intensely, as if by sheer power of will, one could make the others head explode.



Ultimately Eian conceded, it wasn\'t such a good idea to get into a row with Jack\'s long time friend.



~Damn! If Jack finds out that I\'ve been arguing with Marko... I\'m gonna\' be so dead...~



"I.. I\'m sorry..." The words were forced and insincere. For added effect Eian had his head down cast, he felt spent. It took every ounce of his control, to spit out that meaningless apology.



Marko scoffed, "Whatever... Anyway Jack told me to start from the beginning. So here goes nothing..."