The Criminal Diaries

      Five days fly by like one. Time is getting closer to lunch. Daniel joined Peter, who went to walk in the city with the dog Sammy, while Helene had to do some other important business. The men spend a wonderful time talking, laughing a lot, joking, and having fun playing with the retriever in the special area where all the owners of small and large dogs usually come together. Also, the friends do not let him forget all the commands he has learned in education lessons, make the dog do them more than once, and always give him a tasty treat that they have in a pocket. Besides, they meet some new people who really like such a beautiful, tough, and well-groomed dog and talk about their sweethearts who turn out to be friendly enough.       And when Sammy gets tired after a long and active game, Peter and Daniel say goodbye to their new familiars and their pets, leave the spot for dogs, and decide to walk slowly in the small park, using the moment to enjoy the warm sunny weather and trying not to think about what has lately happened to them.       “Edward is getting better and better every day,” Peter notices cheerfully, leading Sammy on the leash that he is holding tightly. “As if nothing happened to him.”       “Yeah, not saying that he has to choke on saliva and eat tasteless shit, while we eat something delicious with pleasure,” Daniel replies, walking on the asphalt path next to Peter.       “Terrence does literally finish when teasing his brother with some baked food with sugar and slurping loudly.”       “But he doesn’t stop watching him and makes sure Edward follows all the orders of the doctors. If they say he is not allowed to eat fat food, it means MacClife takes the plate by force.”       “Anyway, watching Edward’s face and his big eyes is fucking funny,” Peter chuckles.       “Aha, he looks like a child, who someone stole a favorite toy from.”       “But now he’s the child, who is not allowed to eat his favorite unhealthy food.”       “He must be happy he’s now allowed to run and jump.”       “I guess that’s why Edward hasn’t killed us yet and still tolerates the way we tease him.”       “For a while, Peter,” Daniel pronounces confidently. “When the moment comes, MacClife will take revenge on all of us.”       “It’s funny that even his parents joke at their sonny and tease him with something tasty.”       “Aha, especially, Mr. MacClife. He is literally freaking active in our operation of provoking Edward.”       “Mrs. MacClife doesn’t stand aside, either! Didn’t ya forget what delicious thing she treated all of us with when we went to their home yesterday?”       “Oh, yay! And yesterday, she literally gave her everything to make all of us swallow our tongues.”       “It’s okay, porridge is healthy enough,” Peter notices. “If Edward keeps eating them, his stomach is gonna thank him for that.”       “I don’t have anything against them. I may be happy to eat a plate in the morning.”       “I love them, too. But baking chicken is my greatest love that I will never betray.”       “And if this chicken is covered with tons of hot spices… M-m-m…”       “Whoa… You and I are fucking good at delicious things!”       Sammy barks quietly at first and then licks his face.       “Sammy is a huge fan of delicious food, too,” Daniel notices.       “You and I teased him a lot!” Peter chuckles and pets Sammy’s head. “He’s licking himself so hard.”       “I get him.”       “Hey, pretty boy, you shouldn’t think about this type of food too much, either.”       “If you mean my stomach, everything is fine now! Anna gave me some dietary food for two days, and I got much better. My pain was gone, and I feel excellent.”       “The idiot was lucky not to visit his mom and dad and tell them about his sister and sweetheart.”       “Shut up, blond!”       “I said the truth.”       “Nobody asked you to.”       At this moment, Sammy barks quietly at the girl walking by with a German Sheppard that answers him back as it’s wagging its tail energetically.       “Fuck, what kind of poison is that if the doctors haven’t confirmed the origin of it?” Peter wonders. “Was it really a foxglove or something else?”       “Yeah, that bastard tried so hard and got the shit that could send you easily to another world.”       “And how dangerous is it if you get a stomach pain after two sips and literally die after drinking too much of it?”       “And since the poison harms the stomach, you can hardly guess what shit it is and blame everything on some expired food or gastritis. You may think you get poisoned with a cake bought in a random shop.”       “I guess the next thing those bastards will do is treat our instruments with some shit that may make us choke to the fuck. Mercury, lead, or some other toxic element…”       “Easy! And nobody catches the criminal in crime, the truth won’t be out.”       “It won’t be out until we go to the doctor.”       “Anyway, this hell is starting to make me seriously anxious,” Daniel confesses.       “Me too.” Peter exhales sharply. “But I personally see no way out.”       “Yeah, until we know at least one of the folks from the gang of that bastard, nothing will change.”       “And we can’t answer the question about when the leader wanna show up.”       “In short, we’re all in shit now!”       Sammy barks quietly at this moment.       “Oh, I don’t know what I’m gonna do when I meet that asshole,” Peter throws in a low voice. “He will ask for trouble. Pay me for everything that is happening now.”       “The thing he can’t get is having our friendship ruined,” Daniel says confidently. “He can even stop dreaming about it.”       “It would strike me down at all. Friends are the closest people I have. I have nobody much closer.”       “Don’t worry, Pete, we’ve told you many times that we won’t leave you.” Daniel claps Peter on the shoulder. “Whoever they say and do.”       “I know, buddy,” Peter smiles shyly. “But sometimes I think that asshole will surely do something to make us break this promise.”       “Listen, even if you and I fight, I will not stop worrying about you. Just like I didn’t stop when we fought over your relationship issues.”       “Your words make me feel relief.”       “Even if the guys and I are in a fight with you, we will always be near.”       Sammy barks confidently in approval.       “Sammy agrees with me!” Daniel exclaims cheerfully.       “Well, I can’t say anything about Sammy,” Peter replies thoughtfully. “It’s like he doesn’t wanna talk to me lately. He… He doesn’t show delight when meeting me.”       “I think you know why.”       “I know. But this situation doesn’t have to do with Sammy. I loved him, and I will love him. No matter what.”       “Do you still think Helene is really deceiving you?”       “I dunno, Dan…” Peter shakes his head with a tired sigh. “But every day, I’m starting to believe it more and more.”       “You haven’t lately talked too much about her. And on the day our concert was cancelled, I personally never heard a mention of Marshall’s name from you.”       “Because I was mad at her.”       “But why did you get along with her more or less when we all arrived at the hospital?”       “We didn’t have time to think about anything else except Edward.”       “Did they send you some shit again?”       “Huh, they send me tons of messages similar to what I let you all read once every day!”       “Yeah, it seems like someone started a cruel psychological attack on you,” Daniel assumes. “They’re gonna tell you all the same things before they get what they want.”       “Anyway, it all has become the reason to reflect and ask myself if I made the right choice.”       “Peter…”       “I’ve lately been chased by the feeling that something is untold,” Peter confesses. “I think Helene is hiding something from me. And she… She is not so sweet and innocent.”       “And why did you make yourself think so?”       “I just recalled the day the girls told us about how she was bullying them.”       “And what’s wrong?”       “I think Marshall didn’t tell us everything on that day.”       “Not everything?”       “Her story of bullying seemed superficial to me. Even if I was fucking overwhelmed by what I heard.”       “Okay, did she give you just one reason to doubt her? What did Helene do to make you believe in this delirium?”       “What if it’s not delirium?”       “What did she do to you?”       “Nothing to me. But I wouldn’t be surprised if the story of her past tricks was more tangled than it seemed.”       “Even if she made some mistakes in the past, we shouldn’t judge her for them,” Daniel replies quietly. “We love Helene for what she is now, in the present.”       “Are we doing the right thing by loving her? Is it right that the girls forgave Marshall? Did the MacClifes, you, and I do the right thing by deciding to give her a chance?”       “Listen, Peter, I completely understand that just one thought about it doesn’t make you feel nice. But you don’t have any reason to suspect her of anything! And that asshole, who sends you messages, can’t even prove their words. They aren’t definitely gonna take responsibility for these words.”       “You know, I think I should learn more about this story of bullying,” Peter says confidently. “Something is definitely not clear about it.”       “And why would you do this? The girls solved everything a long time ago and got along! And why would you come back to the fucking hurtful past? It still hurts Raquelle and Natalia, and Helene doesn’t like to think about it.”       “So, she will have to think if she wants to make me sure I can keep dating her.”       “Don’t tell me you’re gonna break up with her because of what you don’t have to do with.”       “It does have, Daniel! I can’t love the girl who bullied those, who did nothing to her, so easily!”       “I get it, but do you really think Marshall would do a bad thing to you and do it all again?”       “Now I can expect anything from her.”       “No, Peter! Excuse me, but you aren’t right. And your behavior is really stupid.”       “That girl’s behavior is stupid if she thinks she can hide her dark secrets from me forever.”       “Don’t you love her anymore? Are you looking for a way to get rid of her? But you don’t know how?”       “Of course, I love, c’mon! If I didn’t love her, I wouldn’t be so worried.”       “Yeah?” Daniel frowns slightly. “I think you don’t love her anymore.”       “No, Perkins, you’re wrong! I’m afraid to lose Helene to death. I’m shaking at the thought that she may be a betrayal that could stab me in the back. I don't wanna screw it up again.”       “She’s never betrayed you and will not betray.”       “Here’s what I wanna know for sure.”       “Okay, how are ya gonna find out the truth that doesn’t exist?” Daniel crosses his arms over his chest.       “First, I’ll talk to the girls. I am sure they know something. And I will not believe if they start to deny it.”       “They will tell you everything about how Marshall and her friends bullied Cameron and Rochester. What’s next? Would you feel better if you made them remember what harmed their soul? Especially, Raquelle’s one!”       “I wanna know everything about this story.”       “It doesn’t have to do with you. It’s the girls’ case. They can solve it. Don’t meddle in it.”       “Alright, let’s think so. But I must know the truth anyway.”       “Oh, Peter, I don’t understand you…” Daniel sighs tiredly. “You’re ruining everything now. You’re ruining our relationship with Helene. Everything was fine before! You were happy, and she was walking with you proudly. And Sammy was like your own child.”       “I don’t ruin, Daniel, but Helene does. She wants to put our relationship under a threat.”       “Don’t make the same mistake the MacClifes made somehow. You know well how their stories ended.”       “My case is different.”       “No fucking way! Everything’s repeating! While these two had nobody, who would wash their brains and make them understand they were idiots, you have us. We can and we won’t let you ruin everything. Ruin what you dreamed about.”       “I completely understand why you wanna make yourself and me sure that’s not the truth.”       “Fuck, bonehead, you’re gonna regret it later!” Daniel exclaims. “Regret doing this to Helene.”       “If she betrays me, the only thing I will regret is letting myself fall in love with her. Deciding to reveal my feelings to her.”       “Is there something we don’t know yet? Are you hiding something related to Marshall?”       “If I know something, I will surely tell you.”       “You will not know, Rose. Never. Because there is nothing. Yes, you really want to cling to something and make claims to that girl. But you’ve got nothing to say. That’s why you’re mad. You’re mad ‘cause you’re making yourself an idiot.”       “You wanna say I wanna start a scandal with her for nothing? Because I don’t have the fuck anything to do!”       “Well, it happens so.”       “No, that’s not true! I don’t wanna fight with her just to fight. You think I like it all? You think I don’t wanna date her quietly and be happy?”       “What? Everything’s always been too well for you. Not talking about the case when Helene’s grandma told you about her parents, who left the girl. But now you decided to play on her nerves a little.”       “No, Perkins, you’re saying some bullshit.”       “Open your eyes, dude! Those bastards washed your brains to drive you crazy and make you mad at the innocent girl! But you do succumb to their provocations!”       “Time will know if she’s innocent.”       “Do you believe some scumbags more than your girlfriend? More than your best friends, who got through something like this?”       “They force me to believe it.”       “Damn, think yourself, buddy!” Daniel puts his hand on Peter’s shoulder. “Why would Helene harm you? That girl has taken care of you, been worried, been ready to spend days and nights with you from the beginning… She didn’t care what people thought when she rejected any chance to fall in love with someone else. Helene was obsessed with you! She was ready for anything for you!”       “I know.”       “Do you think it all was an act? You think her tears and worries weren’t real? You think she gave her blood to you two times for some kind of benefit?”       Sammy barks quietly in approval.       “A loving person wouldn’t do so much for you as Helene has done,” Daniel says confidently. “For you, she is ready to get through fire and water. She doesn’t need anyone but you. But you’re breaking her heart and blaming her for betraying. Do you think it’s good? You do think that’s what a real man does? If you wanna blame her for something, prove it first! Find irrefutable clues! Find out everything, check everything hundreds of times, and then start a talk. Why do you the fuck attack the girl like this?”       Peter says nothing, stops slowly with a tired sigh, and moves his eyes to Daniel with his arms crossed over his chest.       “I do understand I may not be right,” Peter admits with reluctance. “I understand I may hurt her for nothing. I understand it all.”       “But why are you the fuck doing all of this?” Daniel wonders. “Why are you ruining what you barely got?”       “I don’t wanna step on the same rake that I did at my teenage age. I don’t wanna date the girl who bullied the innocent person.”       “Nobody says it makes Helene good. But she has sworn many times that it’s all in the past.”       “Oaths may mean nothing sometimes. For some people, oaths and promises are just like usual common things – do something quickly and forget it. Some people don’t understand that the ability to keep your promise is a foundation of the trust and the reliability of a person.”       “Peter…”       “What if Marshall bet me like something? What if someone promised her something if she managed to seduce me? Take me to her bed, get married to me, make a child with me…”       “I understand your fears. But now you may not be afraid. Helene won’t do this to you.”       “I ain’t sure, Daniel. I ain’t sure.”       “Hey, have you never been sure about her feelings? Have you been waiting for something from her from the very beginning?”       “Yes, I’ve always been afraid that thing from the past would happen again. I’ve always felt very good with her, but I’ve been praying that she doesn’t do what they did to me then so hard.”       “No, brother, you can believe that girl. Moreover, the men and I liked her immediately. If we had at least one doubt about her honesty, loyalty to you, and decency, we wouldn’t let you date her.”       “You know how much effort I applied to open myself to her. I almost died of fear when I told her, ‘The girl I liked is you, Helene!’ When I began to watch her reaction and guessed what she would tell me. I even thought briefly, ‘Am I not an idiot? Why did I the fuck do this? We would’ve rather kept being friends and hiding our feelings!’”       “Sometimes we need to overcome our fears to become a little happier. If you don’t learn to leave your safe hole, you will not achieve anything.”       “At that moment, I wasn’t sure if this confession would make me happy.”       “Helene and you have looked very happy over the past few months.”       “And I’ve never stopped waiting for some bad tricks from her all this time.”       “You’re still hurt, I know.” Daniel takes Peter by the shoulders. “It was also hard for me to come to myself after the toxic relationship when the girl had me under her strict control. I was terribly afraid Anna would be the same. I treated her with suspicion for some time and didn’t rush to lose my head. But as you see, she is not the one. With her, I still can be free: I go anywhere I want, I do anything I want, I talk to anyone I want… And she doesn’t watch me. Because she trusts me.”       “And now, when those assholes started to send me tons of messages, I’m doubting that I made the right decision more and more.”       “Please, Peter, I’m begging you, don’t make this mistake. If you don’t stop, it’s gonna be the beginning of the end of your relationship with Helene. That girl won’t take your unfair attitude toward her forever. Early or late, she will stop excusing herself for you, and her love will be gone. Marshall will just fuck you off and pronounce herself a single girl.”       “I want to stop, but I can’t!” Peter exclaims in despair. “Do you think I like it all? You think I get pleasure from blaming her for all of that? You think I don’t feel ashamed every time I tell her something hurtful or blame her for lying?”       “But everything is fine between you at times! You calm down and act like nothing happened. Though Helene doesn’t know what to expect from you. She stands aside all the time and waits for your reaction. As if she asks if you let her hug and kiss you.”       “Want me to tell you what holds me down?”       “Love?”       “It does. And the day she almost drowned.”       Peter swallows nervously, locking his fingers tightly.       “Every time I think about how that asshole threw her in the water, I feel bad. I immediately forget about all my charges when I see her breathless body lying underwater before my eyes. Lying on the ground. I do really start to shake when I think about it.”       “I’d be fucking overwhelmed if Anna were instead of her!” Daniel exclaims. “I still can’t come to myself after the way that bastard Potter beat her to half-death. I just recently managed to stop being afraid to harm her just a little and feeling insecure.”       “The thought that she could’ve died makes me forget everything and forgive her for any mistakes. That’s why I still can’t find the courage to break up with her forever. That’s why I let her get close to me. No matter what, I love Helene. She means a lot to me. I’m afraid to lose her to death. I’m afraid to know her feelings for me are just a game.”       “And one fucking asshole wants to kill this love. Haven’t you really thought that someone would get a benefit from separating you?”       “I’d like to believe it. But I can’t/ Fear of being betrayed is stronger than me. And the thought that Marshall may have other men makes me enraged.”       “It’s super hard to learn to trust, but it’s possible. If someone has betrayed you once, it doesn’t mean everyone’s ready to stab you in the back. It doesn’t mean the whole world wants to hurt you and make you suffer.”       “I’m gonna be honest, sometimes I don’t trust my friends, either. Sometimes I ask myself if they won't betray me again.”       “Has one of us ever given you a reason to doubt us?”       “Nope, but I'm madly afraid you will all wanna betray me.”       “No, Pete, get these thoughts out of your mind! Yes, we screwed it up in the past. Especially, me. But now you’ve got no reason to be afraid. You can trust us completely. We wouldn’t betray you even if we were dying.”       “Do you think it’s so easy to trust people after literally the entire world gloated over my failures and encouraged me to kill myself when one or two people saw me cutting my wrists?”       “Nevertheless, you’re doing fine. You do recognize your problem, and you are working on it. It means you’ve taken half the way. If you apply a little more effort, you’re gonna feel super good.”       “Or I’ve been just lying to myself all this time. Though I’m actually still a terrified, insecure boy that everyone gave a fuck a long time ago.”       “If there’s something you’d like to talk about, the guys and I are always ready to listen to you.”       “Nothing to talk about. I don't hide what’s happening to me.”       “Anyway, I highly recommend that you listen to our piece of advice and think about what you’re doing. Someday, you will understand Helene is guilty of nothing for you. And you’ll regret attacking you with charges for nothing.”       “No!” Peter cuts off sharply. “While I can trust the men, the girls, and you, I have a lot of doubts about Marshall’s loyalty.”       “It seems like you closed your ears and don’t wanna hear me.”       “I heard you clearly. But it will not change anything.”       “Peter, I’m asking you…”       “And yeah, why are you the fuck defending her so hard?” Peter frowns strongly, crossing his arms over his chest.       “What?” Daniel rounds his eyes.       “I actually thought you and I were friends. That you would be by my side.”       “In case you forgot, Helene is my friend. Whom I will always be grateful to for what she’s done for you. If not for her, you would’ve been lying under the ground. And we would’ve viewed a photo of you on the grave.”       “But you’ve known me for much longer. It means you must support me.”       “I’m sorry, Pete, but I can’t support you. Because you are not right.”       “That’s how?” Peter pronounces disappointedly.       “You’re my close friend, my younger brother. And I’m ready to do anything for you. But it doesn’t mean I’d support you in cases when you’re ruining everything.”       “Then you all should not the fuck swear that you’d stand by me and always support me if you don’t want to!”       “Do you think we should support you and slander Helene for what she didn’t do?”       “How do you know if she did or not?” Peter explodes. “Did you see it? Or did you hear”?”       “If they managed to wash your brains, it’s not gonna work with us. Terrence, Edward, Raquelle, Anna, Natalia, and I don’t approve of what you’re doing to your girlfriend, who doesn’t deserve it.”       “Alright, I got it! I understood that you were all against me! I am bad and sinful, but Marshall is good and innocent.”       “Hey, hey, where did you go?” Daniel pronounces surprisingly. “What are you talking about?”       “Stop, Perkins, don’t explain anything to me. I clearly see you’re against me.”       “Peter, come on?”       “Shut the fuck up! Shut up!”       “Did those scums tell you something about us? Why are you the fuck attacking me now?”       “It’s clear that my doubts are by far not groundless!” Peter puts his hands on his hips. “I started to expect that someone would love to push my face in the mud again for the reason.”       “Fuck, how hard they washed your brains…” Daniel shakes his head as he looks at Peter with widely open eyes. “How much bullshit they told you…”       “Don’t pretend to be innocent, Perkins. Don’t pretend to be a smart and wise man with a great life experience. It doesn’t fit you at all.”       “Hey, don’t dare to turn this around me. Now we’re talking about you, not me.”       “You have no right to teach me something when you are far from perfect!”       “There are no perfect people, blond. Everyone’s got their own demons. And I have them, too, I do admit it.”       “I’m well aware of yours.”       “Hey, first, Marshall became a bitch for you, but now you decided to take it out on me?” Daniel crosses his arms over his chest.       “What can I do if you went against me?” Peter pronounces rudely in a low voice.       “I cannot and will not support the bullying of the innocent person.”       “There is no proof of this!”       “Which proof do you need?”       “Direct! Irrefutable!”       “Okay, look for it! But without me! I ain’t gonna join the campaign dedicated to slandering Helene Marshall.”       “Ha, I’m not gonna ask His Highness about anything!” Peter sneers evilly. “I shall know all the truth by myself!”       “Alright, do this!” Daniel laughs contemptuously. “I shall watch you. I shall see how you will ruin your happiness with your own hands.”       “I shall know it!”       “Okay, but don’t run to us with tears and complain to us. Say you’re a brainless idiot who should’ve listened to his friends and stopped.”       “I will not!” Peter throws rudely. “I will do it on my own!”       “Yes, yes, you will. I know how. You’ll go to the bathroom, take a blade, and make a couple of cuts on your hand.”       “It’s my fucking business! And you don’t have to do with it!”       “Of course, I don’t! It’s your life, do what you want with it. If you want to stay alone, it’s fine.”       “I don’t want. But it seems being surrounded by those who love giving me pain and harming me is my destiny.”       “I advise you to change your mind before it’s too late. You will go so far that even Helene will not need you.”       “If I know she’s a betrayer, I will not grieve for her.”       “Fuck, why did you actually start to think so?” Daniel explodes. “Why do you think Helene betrayed you?”       “She did!”       “Stop acting like a capricious child, Rose. You’re making it worse for you with all these investigations.”       “I shall look at all of you when I find someone who can tell me all the truth about Helene Marshall. What you will answer when I know the lie of that girl and reveal all the plans for me.”       “Okay, okay, I’m giving up!” Daniel raises his hands. “Do what you want! If you like playing the role of a victim, nobody minds it. I’m personally starting to get sick of taking you out of this pool again and again. It seems like I’m talking to the wall. The deaf, unbreakable wall.”       “Stay out of my way!” Peter talks back. “I will solve it all with my girlfriend!”       “Yeah, yeah, do it. Now I will not even move my finger for you. The MacClifes will not also want to deal with you. The girls won’t especially support you. So, your fear will become reality – you will stay all alone.”       Sammy standing between Daniel and Peter and looking at one and another whines quietly with great pity in his eyes with his tail between his legs.       “Since I’m surrounded by betrayers, I don’t need anyone!” Peter throws coldly. “I lived without all of you before. So, I can live now.”       “If it helps you feel better, I don’t mind it,” Daniel shrugs.       “Come on, go to Marshall! Comfort her! Believe another lie that false bitch can tell you.”       “I will, don’t doubt. We will all comfort her. And I wish you would not choke on your own anger. And understand what kind of shit you are doing on one beautiful day.”       “And I wish you to run into what Anna had to get through!” Peter says in anger. “I wish you to get the same pain that she had when you, bastard, licked and snuggled Blanca before her eyes. I wish you choked on anger when seeing her pleasing another man with great pleasure.”       Opening his eyes widely and mouth slightly, Daniel freezes like a statue with the thought that anger is starting to grow inside him. Every muscle of his body is squeezed from tension, his eyes are bloodshot, his breath is heavy, and his fingers clench into tight fists. There is a great temptation to hit Peter in the face and pull him by the hair after all these words that touch the man’s nerve as strongly as possible. It makes the man remember what he has been trying to forget so hard like his worst nightmare. The way he almost lost Anna because of his stupidity. How much effort she had to apply to let herself give a second chance to her boyfriend.       Then Peter realizes that he has crossed the line and said too much, even though he knows well that it’s a pain for Daniel. Seeing how gloomy his buddy has become, the blond oohs quietly and feels how painfully his heart squeezes, and coincidence is putting an invisible rope around his neck so tightly. A tense silence in the air for a few seconds, which can be only broken by the quiet whine of Sammy that is literally begging the men not to fight and to get along.       “Oh…” Peter closes his mouth with his hand with widely open eyes. “Dan, I… F-f-f… Forgive me… I’m really sorry… S-s-sorry… I… I didn’t wanna hurt you…”       “It’s alright,” Daniel pronounces forcefully in a low voice as he glances aside. “Do not worry.”       “R-r-really, dude, I’m sorry… I… I said too much. I… I k-know the problem with Anna is a painful thing to you. Forgive me for reminding you about it… I… I… I’m really very sorry.”       “No, no, you are right, yeah.”       Daniel swallows nervously, trying to breathe heavily and trying so hard to keep his emotions under control, despite his strong wish to attack Peter with fists.       “It’s… It was really a disgusting thing…”       “Don’t be mad, bro, I’m asking you,” Peter begs quietly. “I said it in anger. Don’t think of anything bad. I blame you for nothing… I just… Erm…”       “Do not excuse yourself, Peter. Yes, it was not nice to me, but I cannot pretend that it has never happened. Anyway… It’s a part of my life…”       “I’m just fucking mad because of this situation with Helene. I’m mad ‘cause nobody supports me.”       “It’s your right,” Daniel pronounces coldly.       “I’m just scared, you see. If they hadn’t done such a cruel thing to me at a teenage age, I would’ve probably had a different opinion about this situation. I would’ve probably believed the guys and you and reflected. But… But I can’t!”       “I get it.”       “It’s my trauma. The trauma I can’t get healed from. And the story of Helene’s bullying of Raquelle and Natalia opens my wounds much more.”       “No, no, if you want, find out everything. It’s your relationship. You are dating Marshall. You are an adult and a capable man, who decides what to do.”       “Please, Daniel, don’t be mad at me,” Peter begs, taking Daniel by the shoulders. “I really crossed the line. I’m really very sorry. Sorry… I wasn’t right… I’m sorry… Really.”       “It’s alright, Peter,” Daniel pronounces without emotions on his face. “Do what you think is right. I do not care.”       “I didn’t really mean to hurt you. I didn’t want to say anything painful.”       “I am not offended,” Daniel lies. “Really. I am not mad.”       Daniel goes two steps away from Peter and smiles tensely.       “It’s alright. Do not think about it.”       “Listen, I know you’re not guilty of my problems. Nobody is guilty. And I shouldn't blame anyone but me. And Helene, who makes me nervous.”       “It’s your problem.”       “Don’t take it all personally, buddy. It’s… It’s all my demons… I… I can’t get rid of them yet. But I’m trying to. My word!”       “Anyway, our talk does not make sense at the moment,” Daniel replies coldly in a low voice. “You do not hear me. And I do not want to talk to the wind and be ignored. So, I do not want to talk to you about anything.”       “Daniel…”       Sammy starts whining with pity as he looks at Daniel, who looks cold outside but feels that the uncontrolled fire of anger and hate is burning inside him.       “I’m leaving,” Daniel throws gloomily. “I have some things to do. I will go to the hardware shop and buy something to repair the living room. I’ve gotta start with something.”       “If you want to hit me, do this,” Peter says confidently. “Don’t hold yourself down! I know you’re mad. Just do it! I’ll get it. I won’t answer you back.”       “You should better calm down and put your mind in order first. Because you will not understand everything I want to tell you when you are in a condition like this.”       “Daniel…”       “And when you are really ready, you can call me or send me a message, so you and I can talk about everything. I will not insist on anything, I will not be chasing you.”       Daniel claps Peter on the shoulder and cheek, while the blond, barely breathing, looks at him with widely open eyes.       “I advise you to come back home out of harm’s way before some asshole wants to harm you. No matter what, I do not wish you anything bad and do want you to be alright.”       “Dan, friend…” Peter pronounces with pity in his eyes.       “I wish you would realize your mistakes in time and stop before you lose everything you have.”       Daniel turns around and goes quietly somewhere to do his business, putting his hands clenched into fists in the pockets of his denim jacket and inclining his head slightly.       “Daniel!” Peter calls loudly. “Daniel, wait, please! Let’s talk about everything! Please, brother, don’t be mad at me! Daniel! Daniel!”       But Daniel himself does not react to Peter’s call and keeps going somewhere, while Sammy watches him with sad eyes and whines with pity. Peter exhales sharply with closed eyes and grabs his hair with both hands, seeing clearly how hard it was for Perkins to hold himself down not to attack him before the eyes of those who were walking in the park.       “Fuck, what possessed me?” Peter swears quietly, running his hands over his hair. “Why did I say it? Why did I the fuck go on the wrong side?”       Sammy moves his eyes to Peter and barks quietly, while the man looks aside kind of tensely for a few seconds.       “I know he is guilty of nothing. I shouldn't have taken it out on him.” Peter shakes his head slightly. “And I know it’s hurtful for him to remember his conflict with Anna. Dan applied so much effort to get her back.”       Exhaling sharply, Peter looks around, sees a stoned fence far from him, comes to it, climbs up to it easily, and runs his hands over his face, while Sammy follows him shortly.       “My conflict with Helene is our business. Daniel or anyone else doesn’t have to do with it. And protecting your friend is the decision that everyone has a right to. Since nobody believes me, what can I do? Should I ruin the friendship with my close people because of this?”       Sammy barks quietly two times, sitting up in front of Peter, who glances aside.       “And yeah, I understand he might be right to some extent. I understand Helene may not be guilty of anything. And it’s hurtful for me to give her all these claims. It’s hurtful to see her tears and hear her trying to excuse herself for me. But it’s much more painful to think about our breakup. About the threat of losing her.”       Peter swallows nervously.       “But I can’t do anything to myself. The fears of my past are chasing me and don’t let me relax fully. I kinda closed my eyes to this and had just pleasure in the beginning of our relationship when I was next to the beautiful and smart girl, but now… Now I’m reflecting. I thought if Helene could do what Kristina did to me. What if I’m also a toy to her, and she bet on it?”       Sammy barks determinedly as if he protests against Peter’s words and makes him sure that there is nobody else to be more innocent than Helene.       “I dunno, Sammy, I’m so confused… But on the contrary, thanks to the guys, I haven’t believed in her betrayal yet. Terrence and Edward got through it and know what they say. If nobody washed my brain, I would have left Marshall and fucked her off a long time ago. I wouldn’t listen to that girl.”       Sammy touches Peter’s foot with a whine full of pity and barks quietly.       “Or maybe I’m really crossing the line?” Peter asks himself thoughtfully, feeling how the warm wind is blowing his face. “Maybe, Helene is really guilty of nothing, but I’m playing on her nerves for nothing? But how do I make sure about it? How do I make myself believe Marshall wouldn't do a bad thing to me? I’m such a psycho because I don’t wanna lose her. I don’t want her to belong to someone else. Helene must be only mine. And I can give her to nobody.”       “Leaning on his laps with his elbows, Peter brings his hands folded together to his mouth and sets his eyes into the distance.       “Fuck, I’m so confused. I don’t know who to believe and what to do. They press on me from one side, and they insist that it’s a lie from the other side. And one bastard wanna kill me! Fucking good! Who wanted to mock me so badly? Who did the one, who lived his quiet life and bothered nobody, harm so hard?”       Peter closes his face with both hands, while Sammy starts pressing himself to his feet, wishing to put his face on his laps but not being able to.       “I curse the asshole, who decided to turn my life to hell. And all my friends turn their backs on me because of him, I shall turn him to dust. I shall kill him with my own hands if the guys are right that he lied to me about Helene to tear us apart.”       Peter frowns slightly.       “Indeed, how could they have some proof of her fault? What could they show me and tell me? And it doesn’t mean it may be the truth. Though I can’t exclude that someone really knows some dark secrets of this girl. Knows something that I may dislike. That can make us forget that she’s the most innocent and wonderful angel Marshall has been pretending to be all this time.”       Peter squeezes the bridge of his nose with a tired sigh and sits in this position for a few seconds, not paying attention to Sammy that is trying so hard to encourage him.       “Oh, alright, there’s no need to sit here and worry! Nothing will change! I’d rather focus on other things I need to do.”       Peter jumps off the stoned fence and pets Sammy on the head after he presses himself tightly to him.       “Sorry, Sammy, this situation is madly painful to me. But I need to figure everything out to relax at last and let myself enjoy my relationship with your owner.”       Sammy whines with pity.       “I promise if we know she’s guilty of nothing and has always been loyal to me, I will apologize to Helene on my knees,” Peter says confidently. “I swear, Sammy. I will ask her for forgiveness and be ready to do anything to make amends. Make her very happy. And if we’re destined, we’ll even get married. I would really love to. But I need to make sure that my choice is right.”       Peter yanks Sammy softly by his ears.       “But I can tell you one thing for sure,” Peter smiles slightly. “I will never raise a hand on Helene in any situation. Never, buddy. Even if I try to do it to her at times, I don’t have the courage to go further. Because I know I’m not allowed to beat a girl. I am against any violence toward girls and despise those, who think they have the right to behave like this toward her.”       Sammy whines quietly.       “And I will never harm you, too.” Peter squats down in front of Sammy. “Never, Sammy. And I don’t tell you to love me as much as you love Helene. I know she’s your owner, and you’re protecting her. But no matter what, I love you. And it will never change.”       Sammy barks shyly again, and Peter pets his head with a much wider smile. Then the man takes the dog in his tight hug when the pet presses himself to his chest and snuggles his nose into his neck and cheeks with a wish to lick them. And two seconds later, Rose steps back, gets up on his feet, and pulls down his oversized gray t-shirt without signatures and paintings.       “Alright, buddy, let’s listen to the piece of advice from Perkins and go home,” Peter suggests. “Before we run into some bastards. Moreover, we have to walk in a place where there are fewer people. We need to be super careful and watch out.”       After calling Sammy with a gesture, Peter turns around and starts to go straight on the asphalt path in a quiet, slow step, not paying attention to what surrounds him. He does not care that children and teenagers are having fun and running after one another on bikes, skates, or scooters. That young girls and men walk alone or in little companies, talking about something or literally being stuck to their mobile phones, on which there are probably so many interesting things. Or that old people who want to live as long as possible in this world are moving on with cans or newspapers in their hands, despite the pain in their legs related to their age.       Some time later, Peter ends up in a place where there is nobody around. After looking around, the man steps on the green grass and sits right on it, bending his legs under himself and twisting his arms behind his back. Sammy sits down next to him and starts watching him with sadness in his eyes, moving his eyes to what he pays attention to somewhere far from here at times. Sweeping sticks of the tree Rose is sitting under are kind of protecting him from the hot shoots of the bright sun. The warm sunny wind is blowing his face and clothes nicely and ruffling his thick, blond-wheat hair slightly.       But even this nice atmosphere does not make Peter happy. He starts reflecting on the situation with Helene again and guessing if his charges are groundless. But no matter how hard he wants to believe his girlfriend and his friends, who are protecting her, the fear of running into what made him reject any love relationship is much stronger. And now, when he has doubts, he cannot forget everything and understands he will not calm down until he gets proof that could confirm everything or deny everything.       Nevertheless, when Sammy starts snuggling in his face with his face, Peter decides to get these things out of his head and play with the doggy a little with something he finds in the pocket of his jeans. Also, he gives the retriever a treat for every command he does successfully. Giving him attention, the man relaxes little by little and forgets about it all, even if he is still upset because of his fight with Daniel and regrets telling him so many bad things, even if he did not want it at all.       And after sitting on the ground a little longer, Peter gets up on his feet, shakes the dirt off himself, and keeps going somewhere straightly along with Sammy, putting his thumbs in the pockets of his jeans and looking at what surrounds him with dead eyes. This walk brings Peter to a place that is too far from the park and is not so popular with people. There are still many century-old trees, wide asphalt paths, free benches, and various bushes. But also, there is a narrow artificial river at this place, in which multiple ducks of different ages are swimming. There is a wooden bridge over it, so people can stand on it and enjoy the high buildings that seem so small from here. The man goes down asphalt stairs, goes by another crystal-clear river, and enters determinedly the depth of the wood, going further and further from the park and hearing people’s voices worse and worse.       While Peter thinks about something and seems absolutely relaxed, he does not notice that one man has been watching him so closely for a long time. At first, he does not come too close, but he does not rush to leave him alone, trying not to lose the track of the blond. But at some moment, the stranger gets sick of this. To be clear, he decides that this place is pretty good for doing some dirty tricks. So, the stranger shortens the distance sharply, taking a knife from the pocket of his coat, and puts the gun sharply against Peter’s throat along with Sammy’s loud bark. The blond shakes sharply at this moment with a quiet shout and widely open eyes.       “Hello again, Peter Rose,” the stranger pronounces with an evil smile. “It's been a while.”       When Peter tries to break free automatically, the stranger pulls him sharply and puts the knife much closer to his throat, ignoring Sammy’s excited bark.       “Quiet, quiet, don’t move, asshole! Otherwise, I will have to cut your throat with this knife.”       “Yeah, I remember you, bastard…” Peter throws rudely in a low voice. “I remember you so well… I remember how you pushed me off the stairs.”       “Yeah, I did! And your friend hit me so hard with a tornado kick in the face. My jaw still hurts, I’m going to be honest with you.”       “So, since you liked getting kicks so much, I am happy to call you out for the second round.”       Peter hits the stranger with his elbow against his solar plexus, twists his hand with a knife, turns on him, and gives him a strong hit in the jaw with no hesitation. The criminal getting a little confused because it was too unexpected and wincing strongly from pain grabs his face sharply. And while the blond grabs his opponent by the collar, Sammy starts barking at him loudly and growling quietly, being ready to protect his owner's boyfriend again.       “Maybe, would His Highness be nice to explain when everything will the fuck be over this time?” Peter asks in a low, rude voice. “When will my friends and I exhale and live a quiet life again?”       “Are you all still waiting for this, idiots?” the man smirks evilly, getting straight sharply but still rubbing his cheek energetically.       “We are dreaming about it! We want to know why you the fuck started it all, who I did not please, and when we will be able to stop being afraid.”       “Yay, you turned out to be super alive rats.”       “Yeah, you’ve got a strong wish to live.”       “In your case, the answer is not your wish, it’s just luck. You were just lucky that your pals saved your ass again and again.”       “What do you think real friends should do?” Peter surprises. “Leave them in trouble? Watch some bastards mock them?”       “We have understood that they don’t care about their lives since none of those bastards accepted the right decision.”       “Relax, bastard, whatever you do, my boys will not leave me. They will stand by me and kick the ass of anyone who will even dare to think about harming me.”       “That’s what your boys will pay a high cost for it. I mean, one of them should have been to.”       “And by trying to send my friends to another world, you and your gang of jackals made me much madder.”       “M-m-m, you only care about your friends?” the criminal crosses his arms over his chest with a sly smile. “What about your girlfriend? Who about the girl, who managed to stay alive in a magical way?”       “For your attempt to drown her, you will all pay me a lot, too,” Peter threatens in a low voice. “I will not close my eyes to this.”       “Wow, how sassy you are! Much sassier than you are with your pals. Are you really the one? Or are you trying to hide your fear?”       “You think I’m afraid of you?”       “Of course, you are! Because you are a coward. The most pathetic coward who feels confident only with his pals by his side. Who doesn’t want to seem like a fucking mop to them. A mammy’s boy. A weak girl.”       “I don’t fucking care about what you think of me. If you get an orgasm with these thoughts, I don’t have anything against it.”       “By the way, we are fucking lucky this time.”       The man starts walking around Peter with his head proudly raised, while the blond does not stop watching him and keeps him under his close control.       “We are at a very quiet place where nobody cares about you. Besides, you are not alone today. Nobody would cut throats for you. It means we can solve some questions.”       The stranger glances gloomily at the growling Sammy standing in a fighting position and not stopping to look at him with disapproval.       “And we cannot be stopped by this piece of shit. He can bark as much as he wants. He is not a threat to us at all.”       “What are you talking about?” Peter surprises falsely.       “And what could this little kid do to me? Is his brain so small if he thinks I will be scared to death by his sharp teeth and this bark?”       “Didn’t one of your friends tell you how this dog bit his arm? Didn’t he tell you how he was screaming from pain and tried unsuccessfully to make this dog get off?”       “He did. But he said this dog’s grip was weak. So, he is a worthless protector. Besides, labradors cannot be the ones.”       “It’s a retriever.”       “Give a fuck!”       “Yes, this doggy is very kind. But it doesn’t mean any asshole can hurt him and harm those he loves. He can and will protect those who need it.”       “I doubt he can do something if he just keeps pretending to be a big and threatening dog and wreck his lungs with a defeating bark.”       “You want me to give him a command?”       “Huh, does he need commands?” the stranger laughs evilly. “Yeah, dogs always need someone who can control them. These brainless creatures do dance attendance upon anyone who shakes food in front of them.”       “You know, there are some corrupted assholes that look like trained dogs.” Peter crosses his arms over his chest. “When someone shakes a thick bag of dollars in front of them, they can even stand on their head or do a quadruple jump even if they can’t do this.”       “Money is always good. However, sometimes you can help someone not for banknotes, but at your own wish. Because a person is good.”       “Oh, yeah, he is really good! He is trying to send innocent people to another world!”       “As for your friends, they had a chance to stay alive. But you will not hide from my lord. Wherever you are, he will find you and make you pay for everything he has had to get through because of you.”       “Oh, I wish I knew what I would die for. What if I’m guilty of nothing and just have to pay for the sins of others. For example, for the mistakes of my mother.”       “Don’t worry, Rose, I am sure that my lord will not decide to keep you unaware and will tell you what your fault is before your death. Though I am not sure that you will live until that moment.”       “If that woman really harmed him somehow, let her solve it all. Since she struck me out of her life, I give a fuck about her, too. I am not going to suffer and will not let anyone hurt my friends because of her fucking mistakes.”       Peter turns around sharply and wants to go somewhere quickly.       “By the way, my lord wants to tell you something interesting about her,” the stranger says with a sly smile. “And he is sure that you will be interested in it for sure.”       “I already know that she was arrested during the attempt of robbery of the bank after she left our home,” Peter says with his head proudly raised. “You can’t surprise me with it. And I will not be shocked if I know about her death or that she is still alive and is living her life with the same pathetic alcoholics.”       “M-m-m, that’s how…”       “You can tell your leader that I give a fuck about what’s happening to my mother. And I’m not going to pay for her tricks. Even if that bastard is a certain rich man or one of the most powerful people in the world.”       Again, Peter wants to try to leave this place. But at this moment, the stranger shortens the distance sharply, takes him under his arm tightly, and turns him on himself.       “Oh, no, buddy, you will not get away from me so easily,” the criminal says confidently and puts the knife against Peter’s throat. “And my boss, too.”       “Listen, get the fuck off me,” Peter moans tiredly and pushes the criminal off himself. “I don’t feel nice, and you are annoying me.”       “Hey, did ya pee your pants in fear? Do you understand you cannot deal with me without your pals?”       “It’s strange you are without your henchmen this time. Did you magically guess that I would be here alone? Or don’t you have enough brains to learn some lessons?”       “Come on, Rose!” the criminal surprises falsely, putting his hand on his heart. “How could I do? If I called all my friends with me, you would die of fear! We are well aware of you being a coward. A coward with tons of mental issues.”       “Why am I the fucking wasting time on you? I will not hear anything new!”       “Not all at once, buddy. If we told you everything, my lord wouldn’t get pleasure. He is enjoying your sufferings so badly. He is enjoying the way you are suffering because you cannot protect your friends and girlfriend since you don’t know when and where we will attack you next time.”       “It’s alright, early or late, we will find a way to end this shit. Once and forever.”       Peter tries to end this talk for the first time and go somewhere. But he meets a failure again because the criminal grabs the man rudely by the hair and brings the knife close to his chest, pointing the blade right at his heart along with Sammy’s deafening bark.       “Where are you, asshole, going?” the stranger pronounces in a low, rude voice. “I did say you would not go anywhere! I haven’t done with you yet!”       “I give a fuck!” Peter roars. “I give a fuck about what you want to do or say unless you want to tell me your lord is giving up and leaving me alone.”       “So…” the stranger starts wrapping the knife in his hands. “Since hitting your head when falling off the stairs was not enough for you, I will kick your ass again. Let’s see what you, bastard, can do when YOUR FRIENDS ARE NOT REALLY NEAR!”       The criminal squeezes his knife with a loud growl to get it into the stomach of Peter, who grabs it with both hands and pushes it off by force. A few seconds later, the blond raises his opponent’s hand above his head and gives him a strong hit with a knee against his groin, making the man double over sharply in pain and let the knife go. However, he comes to himself quickly and attacks Rose with fists, even if the blond fights off at ease and shows a good reaction. Pain in his hand and foot that he got after one of the previous attacks does not bother him now, and the man has not taken a painkiller over the past two or three days. That’s why these traumas do not give him any discomfort and do not make him a weaker fighter.       “I see you like getting hits on your face,” Peter sneers evilly, gives the opponent a brilliant hit with a fist on his jaw, and dodges the hit shortly. Do you like waving your hands and pretending to be sassy?”       “Shut the fuck up, plucked rooster!” the stranger throws rudely. “You don’t want to show how scared you are. That’s why you are showing off!”       “Don’t worry, I can deal with you even without the help of my friends.”       “I doubt it!”       “I also doubt you will get a victory over me.”       After sharing a couple of slaps in the face with him, Peter catches a moment and knocks the criminal out with a powerful hit of the fist to his chest. That’s why the stranger takes his breath away and cannot exhale or inhale, falling to his knees at some moment. And while the blond not feeling tired at all hits him on his back with his foot with no pity, striking him down in the end.       “Ha, you say I can’t do anything without my friends?” Peter asks surprisingly. “That I’ve got wet pants, my heart is beating as fast as a bunny’s one, and my eyes are full of freezing fear?”       Peter rudely grabs the opponent breathing heavily by the collar and sets his contemptuous look on his eyes, while Sammy is barking loudly and scaring the bad man with his growl.       “So what, honorable, how do ya feel? If you’re as healthy as a bull, get up now and let’s go to fight! A new round!”       “Are you asking for much greater trouble, bastard,” the criminal throws rudely.       “Did you, bastard, think I would be standing or lying and letting you mock me?”       “Ah, yeah, I get it… You don’t want to get through what you got through in your school years when everyone kicked your ass.”       “It happened. But I’m no longer going to be silent and let some bastards break me. If someone needs a victim, I will not be the one.”       Peter gives a strong slap in the face to the opponent, who falls to the asphalt after this. However, he gets up quickly enough in a jump, grabs his knife, and stands in a fighting position of a karateka. And seeing a contemptuous grin on Rose’s face, he starts a cruel fight with him during which he manages to give him a few painful hits in the face and tries to wound him seriously. But the blond looks pretty confident and fearless, doing this well even without his friends. Well… Or he just makes himself remember that he is now all alone, and nobody will come to help him.       “A coward, a pathetic coward…” the criminal provokes. “You are nothing without your much stronger pals.”       “Don’t underestimate your opponent if you don’t want to lose,” Peter advises confidently. “Because they may give you unexpected surprises.”       Peter makes two steps back and gives the opponent a hit in his solar plexus in a jump, making him double over with a loud shout and a squeezed face and keep his balance in some magical way. But he comes to himself quickly and starts beating him cruelly on everything he sees, waving his hands actively in front of Rose’s nose and wrapping it. Being under a threat of getting a wound, Peter twists his enemy’s arm with no problems and puts it behind his back by force. Sammy decides to be much more determined, grabbing the bad man’s sleeve and shaking it energetically with a quiet growl.       “And as you see, I’m not tired at all yet,” Peter notices with his head proudly raised. “I can spend a lot of time dealing with you.”       “I just haven't started the main stage,” the criminal smiles slyly. “What’s happening now is just a warmup. But I think we can end it. Because I don’t want to fight with you for a long time.”       After hitting Peter strongly against his injured foot with his foot, the criminal gets out of the grip easily and raises his hand with the knife above his back to get it into the one. But then Sammy barking loudly rushes to help him out, grabbing the opponent’s wrist with his teeth and pulling him onto himself with a growl full of aggression to let the boyfriend of his owner come to himself a little.       “A-a-a, get off me, bastard!” the criminal growls, starting to hit Sammy with his free hand on everything he sees. “Get off, I said! It hurts! Let me go! A-a-a-a-a!”       And when the man manages to get out of Sammy’s grip and push him off so rudely that the dog whines quietly in pain, Peter gives his opponent a strong slap in the face and pulls him by the hair for a few seconds from side to side. At some moment, they start a cruel fight, in which neither of them is ready to give up, giving strong slaps generously and not caring that they may injure their arms and feet as they try to harm their opponent as much as possible.       “M-m-m, how you are fuming as you understand your friends aren’t near,” the criminal sneers evilly. “You understand there is nobody to save you.”       “Yeah, I admit that I was a little confused the last time since it was unexpected,” Peter says, dogging the knife that the criminal is waving in front of him. “But this time, I am ready. Ready to fight some bastards. Assholes that want to take the most valuable thing – my friends and my girlfriend.”       “Yeah? Ready?”       “Like never ever!”       “Alright, we will check it out now.” The criminal tries unsuccessfully to hit Peter in the face with his foot. “Let’s complicate this mission and see how hard you can fight not just with me.”       Getting busy with a fight with his opponent smiling shyly, Peter does not notice that another stranger comes to him from behind, wearing a black t-shirt and black jeans. He does not wait for a good moment and uses a chokehold on Rose with no hesitation along with Sammy’s deafening bark, and pulls him aside by force, while the blond, choking from a lack of air, slaps him on his arms strongly and tries to break out with no success.       “Huh, surprise, asshole!” the second criminal smirks evilly. “Didn’t you wait for me? But I am here!”       “I remember you, too, scum,” Peter hisses through his teeth. “And the one, who showed up after you when my friend and I were together.”       “Hi, Rose. Bye, Rose.”       The second criminal squeezes Peter’s neck much tighter, not letting him breathe and making him only think about a way to get out of the trap. Meanwhile, the first man comes to him determinedly with his head proudly raised and wants to get the knife in the blond’s stomach. But Rose is saved by Sammy that grabs his arm tightly and pulls him aside by force. Then the dog dodges successfully enough from attempts of the evil man to wound him as he barks at him confidently every single one.       “So, alright, let it be two,” Peter pronounces confidently with a sly smile. “I shall deal with you.”       “Try then,” the criminal sneers evilly as he is still strangling Peter. “Let’s see how sassy you can be when trying to fight off two people.”       “Watch and learn, bastard.”       Peter gets out of the trap of his opponent with a sharp and determined hit with his elbow in his abdomen, twists his arm, so that he screams loudly, and strikes him down with a powerful hit. And when he sees some middle-sized rocks, Rose takes a couple of them and throws them strongly at the criminal, getting in his forehead with one and his eye with another.       “UGH, FUCK, MY EYE!” the criminal shouts, rubbing the painful area energetically.       “So what, bastards, who’s brave here?” Peter challenges with his head proudly raised and calls the opponents with a gesture. “Komm zu mir! Come on! Go!”       “Hey, Ronald, get up now!” the second roars, taking his friend Ronald under his arm and pulling him onto himself to make him get up. “We must teach this asshole. So, he doesn’t show off.”       “That’s what we came for, David,” Ronald smiles slyly. “Since the lord told us, we must do what he wants.”       “He would’ve rather told you to drown yourself or strangle yourself,” Peter snaps. “And take him with you.”       “Hey, we’ve gotta cut his tongue, too. He is too talkative.”       “Aha, just like that fucking kid, who crushed my face with his tornado kick and found an answer for anything,” David sneers.       “Rose is a mix of all his friends,” Ronald notices. “A little psycho that pretends to be sassy and bold and talks a lot.”       “And he is cowardly…”       “Samuel, buddy, let’s deal with this gang quickly and go home,” Peter suggests confidently in a low voice as he clenches his hands into fists. “I’m fucking lazy to make this shit last for too long.”       Sammy barks confidently two times and, standing next to Peter, starts barking aggressively at David and Ronald, who just smirk contemptuously back.       “This dog will not help you, blond-haired,” David hits his fist against his hand. “You are literally alone and absolutely weak for us.”       “Even if your pals were here, you wouldn’t avoid what we would like to do,” Ronald says.       “Thanks, men, but I didn’t kinda hire a killer,” Peter smiles slyly. “The address is incorrect.”       “And your birthday is incorrect. If you didn’t exist in the life of our lord, everything would be otherwise.”       “So, aren’t people allowed to solve everything with words nowadays? Do they need to start some wars and chases? Do they want to take revenge for something and kill someone?”       “In your case, negotiation doesn’t make sense. And it doesn’t make sense to try to give us lots of money. Of course, we don’t mind it, but nothing will change.”       “Alright!” Peter exclaims. “If you want war, you will get it! And I am ready to fight all alone, without anyone’s help.”       “You will be fighting, no matter what your wish is,” David says. “But you will never defeat us. So, you can stop waving your hands for nothing.”       David runs to Peter shortly and raises his hand determinedly to wound his shoulder with the knife, but he meets the hard resistance of the man, who starts a hand-in-hand fight with him. Ronald rushes to help his friend but has to fight off Rose’s cruel attacks and hits on all the most vulnerable parts of his body. And when the blond deals with one, another attacks him. That’s why he does not have time to catch his breath. Sammy does not stand aside and protects Helene’s boyfriend as hard as possible. It’s a little hard for the man to fight with two people at the same time, but he is holding on pretty well, does not choke from tiredness, and looks confident and determined enough.       “It’s alright, you have very little time, Rose,” Ronald says confidently with a sly smile, trying to give as many hits on Peter’s face with fists as possible. “Soon, you will get tired and not be able even to move your finger.”       “I am not sorry about your loss in advance,” Peter throws with his head proudly raised, dodging all the attacks of Ronald brilliantly. “Not at all.”       “You can stop showing off, freak,” David sneers evilly, twisting the knife in his hands. “We give a fuck, but your pals are not here. Nobody to show off for.”       “And I give a fuck about your skills in fighting. I give a fuck about how good or bad you are at waving your hands.”       “We have to wave since you don’t want to do what we tell you.”       When David tries to wound Peter again, Sammy sinks his teeth tightly into his hand with the knife, pulls the opponent aside by force, and strikes him down.       “Fuck, this dog is annoying, too!” David roars and shouts as Sammy squeezes his hand tightly. “A-a-a, he’s gonna bite my arm now!”       “Hit him in the face as hard as possible!” Ronald exclaims. “So, this piece of shit shuts up shortly and lies aside.”       With these words, Ronald comes to Sammy determinedly and hits his foot strongly against his face. That’s why the dog falls to the ground with whines full of pity and touches his nose that got a hit with his paw. It’s enough for Peter to grab the middle-sized rock from the ground, run to his opponent from behind, and hit him on the head as strongly as possible. And while Ronald falls down with a heartbreaking shout, David tries to attack Rose, who gives him the same hit immediately.       “So, did you think I wouldn’t deal with you two alone?” Peter surprises, throwing the rock in the air and watching David and Ronald lying on the ground and wincing in pain, while Sammy is barking at them so hard. “This type of desert is not for me?”       Pointing at the place he needs, Peter throws the rock at the back of the head of Ronald, who sits up at this moment, grabs his head with both hands, and falls to the ground again. And when David wants to get up and teach him hard, Rose runs to him determinedly and hits his foot against his opponent’s nose, getting some kind of feeling of pleasure as he sees how tightly he squeezes the bridge of it.       “It wasn’t so hard, huh,” Peter notices with pride and fixes his hair slightly with a sharp exhalation. “I’m still full of energy and not tired at all. But you, assholes, ruined my hair. I spent the morning deciding which part I should’ve done.”       “If not for the lord, we, bastard, would have buried you in the ground a long time ago,” Ronald hisses through his teeth, getting up on his feet carefully, and shakes his head slightly.       “Yeah?” Peter puts his hands on his hips. “Haven’t you been doing this lately? Haven’t you been trying to bury me?”       “We just need to teach you a little,” David says and gets up on his feet slowly, holding his nose, from which a thin flow of blood is flowing. “Make you suffer. Drive you crazy. Make you desperate, angry, and hysterical.”       “While you jump here like a goat, and your pals lick your ass, nothing will work,” Ronald adds. “So, first of all, our lord wants to get you super exhausted.”       “I wish I knew why I should suffer for!” Peter blunts.       “There is a reason, trust us.”       “Explain then what I did for His Fucking Highness!”       “Don’t worry, Rose, if you are lucky, you will know everything very soon. You will know what kind of pain our lord feels nowadays because of you.”       “Fuck, I am so fucking done with all of you!” Peter explodes, grabbing his hair with both hands. “Get the fuck off me, everyone! Let me live a fucking quiet life! What do you all want from me? STOP! ENOUGH! STOP THIS BULLSHIT!”       “M-m-m, it seems like the strategy is really working,” David notices thoughtfully. “Rose is already having hysterics.”       “He is about to become someone like his friend,” Ronald assumes. “The famous worldwide psycho that seriously thinks he is much sexier than a dollar.”       “It will happen if you, bastards, don’t stop chasing me,” Peter clenches his hands into fists tightly.       “We will stop this when you are in a grave at a small cemetery where nobody usually goes.”       “Ar-r-r, you are ASSHOLES! BASTARDS! I WISH YOU ALL DIED! SAMMY, FUCK, TEAR THEM TO THE FUCK!”       Getting red from anger and breathing heavily, Peter comes to David and Ronald with no hesitation, hits both of them in the face with his fist without a warning, grabs them by the hair, and hits their foreheads against one another. That’s why they shout and fall to the ground, while Sammy is barking at them determinedly and growling quietly as he is standing in a fighting position and scaring both of the criminals with the sight of his sharp, tough teeth.       “Alright, I’m done with dealing with you!” Peter throws rudely. “I just wasted time. I heard nothing fucking new. I am done, I am getting out of here. Samuel, come to me! We are going home!”       David and Ronald get up quickly on their feet and look at each other with sly smiles as if they have a plan for this case. Peter turns around sharply and wants to go somewhere in a quick, heavy step, glancing at Sammy that runs to him. But later, the man has to stop and get back because another familiar man stands in his way. A very similar one. The one he memorized so well and would hate for the rest of his life.       “Hey, hey, how far are you going, blond-haired freak?” the man sneers evilly, putting his hands on his hips. “Where do you rush, huh?”       “He just peed his pants from fear, Luther,” David notices as he and Ronald get closer to Peter getting pale and not being sure if he can deal with three people. “His pals are not around.”       “To be clear, there was one,” Luther adds. “The one, that barking piece of shit brought to save Rose from me.”       “We saw, we saw!” Ronald crosses his arms over his chest. “David and I watched them when they played with this creature and talked to other dogs’ owners.”       “Ha, I was wondering why I couldn’t get rid of the fucking feeling that someone was breathing behind me,” Peter concludes. “I thought, ‘Did some assholes begin to watch me again?’ And yeah! I was right!”       “By the way, why was your friend so tense?” Luther asks. “He was fucking red from anger? What did you tell him if he tried so hard not to do us a favor and put you in a grave?”       “It’s none of your business, bastards!”       “Do you now express your negative not only on the gal, who didn’t die just because of luck, but also your pals?”       “Aha, will our boss not even have to come up with an idea of turning you against them because you will fight with them and fuck all these three off?” David wonders.       “If it’s so, these bastards will probably save their lives,” Ronald notices.       “But Perkins was definitely too mad,” Luther shakes his head with a sly smile. “He spent so much effort holding himself down and not to hit Rose against the asphalt with his head. The guy didn’t know he literally saved his skin, rushing home to his precious shortly.”       “Aha, if he were with Rose now, we would kick his ass, too,” David says confidently.       “Don’t dare to hurt them!” Peter cuts off sharply. “Don’t dare to hurt any of my friends!”       “Who can stop us, buddy? We will not ask you. If the lord orders us to get rid of them, they will not live until the next day.”       “I shall bury you all in the ground if something happens to them. I mean, I can already bury you!” Peter moves his icy eyes full of hate to Luther. “Because one bastard almost drowned my girlfriend. And his leader for telling one bitch to add poison to the water, which is the reason why my friend almost died.”       “Oh, everyone is talking about this incident now,” David smiles smugly. “How much all these girls are worried about the puppy. How bitterly they are crying and praying for his health. How overwhelmed everyone was when the media found out that the guitarist had tried to be poisoned.”       “I am madly grateful to the guy, who did not let that girl put this case to an end. Grateful to him for not letting all of us end up on the hospital beds close to death.”       “Actually, it was what we wanted to get,” Luther confesses. “But striking one of you out was also good. My friend did accomplish her mission.”       “Ah, she is your friend…”       “She couldn’t reject the generous proposal my lord made for her. She needs to feed her baby, whose daddy gave a fuck about him before he was born.”       “Ah, you, asshole…” Peter hisses through his teeth, getting much redder from anger and clenching his hands tightly into fists with a heavy breath. “It’s all you…”       “By the way, I must confess that Marshall is a really sexy girl. She is kinda shy and quiet, but there is such a beauty underneath her clothes.”       “What did you say?” Peter pronounces in an evil bass voice.       “Her boobs are fucking cool. Not too big but not too small. I could finish easily while squeezing them.”       “Did you the fuck FEEL HER UP? DID YOU TOUCH HER?”       “Why couldn’t I use the chance when the baby was unconscious? I couldn’t resist that temptation! That’s bad, too bad – yeah! But it was much stronger than I!”       While Sammy growls at him probably much more aggressively than at David or Ronald, Peter smashes his fist strongly against Luther’s jaw and hits his nose with his foot after his opponent falls to the ground.       “If you say something like this one more time, I shall BURY YOU ALIVE!” Peter gets enraged and grabs Luther by the collar with both hands, setting his widely open eyes on him. “YOU GOT IT, ASSHOLE? I WILL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR MYSELF IF YOU DARE JUST TO THINK ABOUT MY GIRLFRIEND!”       “M-m-m, are you still defending that betrayal?” Luther sneers evilly. “Defending the girl who is hiding the secrets of her dark past from you? Who would easily be able to put a knife in your back.”       “Tell me all her dark secrets then! COME ON, THE FUCK! SPEAK! SPEAK OUT BEFORE I KILL YOU!”       “All in time, Rose. Someday, you will know who Helene Marshall really is. Our lord has already let you know that she is not holy, but you can think and guess.”       “I swear if I know you slandered her, the consequences will be terrible. I WILL TURN YOU ALL TO DUST!”       “Don’t listen to your pals, who tell you that girl is holy,” Ronald insists. “They also don’t guess how mean that girl is. A mean and nasty bitch that is swearing so hard that she has changed and will never come back to the old way.”       “TELL ME EVERYTHING YOU KNOW THEN BEFORE I REALLY THINK I AM WRONG!”       “No, Rose, we will not tell you anything now,” David says. “But we do not deny that we know all the ark secrets of your girlfriend. And no matter how hard she tries to make you sure that it’s all a lie, it’s actually the real truth.”       “Exactly, we will keep you unaware for a while,” Luther smiles slyly. “And the lord will be dropping little hints at what she is hiding every day. He will not let you forget everything and believe Marshall. Believe your pals, who are defending their friend so hard.”       “I shall know the truth,” Peter says determinedly. “Early or late. I shall know whom I should believe. And whether Marshall is really able to put a knife in my back at any time.”       “You will not have any little doubts after we tell you all of her secrets.”       Peter breathing loudly and heavily smashes his fist against Luther’s temple on the other side and hits the back of his head against the ground.       “I wish you all died, scums…” Peter hisses through his teeth. “Especially, you, asshole. I shall remember your face for the rest of my life. I shall remember who is the reason why my girlfriend NEARLY DROWNED AND DIED!”       “M-m-m, you are fighting with your feelings…” Luther notices. “On the one hand, you are afraid to know your sweetheart betrayed you and would really be a bitch. But on the other hand, you’ve got doubts that are eating you inside, and you do believe it’s possible. You’re afraid to lose Marshall. Afraid that her feelings may be fake.”       “And your friends are trying so hard, making you softer,” Ronald adds. “That’s why you’re all in doubt.”       “But believe us, Rose, we don’t have a reason to slander anyone,” David notices. “We know any lie will come to light anyway. And Marshall is really not what she’s pretending to be. She is lying to you insolently. And choosing a good moment to give you such a strong psychological trauma that you’ve never had before.”       “Don’t better make me angry, scums,” Peter demands in a low, shaking from tension voice. “DON’T DARE TO PROVOKE ME AND WAKE UP AN ANIMAL INSIDE ME!”       “Hey, boys, we are definitely on the right track!” Luther notices cheerfully. “The lord’s plan is working like magic. And if we keep doing the same thing, we will reach all the goals.”       “Even better than we thought!” Ronald exclaims with enthusiasm.       “Who’s guilty of Rose falling in love with the bitch?” David throws his hands up. “I guess he just got a thing for her gorgeous body and couldn’t stop wiping his saliva as he dreamed of her jumping on his dick like a house.”       “M-m-m-m, I wouldn’t mind riding such a hot rider on me…” Luther pronounces dreamily with a blissful smile. “And who knows, maybe, I shall have such an amazing chance one beautiful day.”       “Close your mouth, asshole!” Peter growls, tensing all the muscles of his body. “SHUT UP, I SAID!”       “Don’t worry, blond-haired, I shall surely send you a couple of photos. You will see Helene sucking my penis, moaning loudly, and getting closer to the moment of finishing along with me. And she will do this at her wish. And you will know how it will happen someday never.”       Blinded by the powerful anger, Peter hits Luther strongly in the stomach with his foot and attacks him with fists shortly, falling to the ground and starting to give him hits on his whole body with no pity. However, the opponent does not let himself be a lifeless toy and answers all the attacks, hitting the blond in the face and eye multiple times.       “I SHALL KILL YOU, BASTARD!” Peter explodes and gives Luther a hit with his fist under his chin. “THIS IS FOR THE DAY WHEN SHE NEARLY DIED! I SHALL NEVER FORGIVE YOU FOR THAT! NEVER!”       “The gal will not get away from us so easily,” Luther says confidently. “The lord’s got great plans for her. Just like for you, scumbag.”       “IF YOU TOUCH HER WITH A FINGER, YOU ARE DEAD!”       “If I touch her, you will never know it. Or you will be so mad at her that you will give a fuck about her.”       “NEVER! I SHALL NEVER GIVE A FUCK ABOUT HER! THE GIRL I LOVE! THE GIRL I SHALL NOT LET ANYONE HURT! NO MATTER WHAT!”       Peter grabs a rock lying not far from him on the ground and hits Luther on the head with a deafening growl. The man grabs his head with a piercing shout, while Sammy barks at him so hard and growls, showing his teeth that he is ready to use to bite his enemy at any time.       “Alright, Rose, we don’t have time to deal with you,” Luther hisses through his teeth. “This time, we are not just going to kick your ass.”       “Yeah, pal, our lord has decided that it’s your time to meet him,” Ronald says with his head proudly raised. “And he told us to bring you to the right place in any way.”       “I SHALL NOT GO ANYWHERE WITH YOU!” Peter roars. “YOUR LORD CAN FUCK HIMSELF!”       “Nobody asks you about it,” David says. “If you are told to show up, you will. WITHOUT MINDING!”       David runs to Peter being too busy with a fight with Luther and uses a chokehold on him, squeezing his neck in his elbow tightly. While Rose himself slaps his opponent on his arms and tries to break free so hard, and David makes him get up by force, Ronald smashes his fist strongly against the guy’s stomach, making him scream in pain. And Luther getting up shortly and shaking the dust off himself gives his enemy a slap in the face and a powerful hit in his little puffy eye, under which there is a bright bruise.       “Come on, David, take him to the car!” Luther orders.       “Go, asshole!” David roars, grabbing Peter rudely under his arm and pulling him sharply to himself when the blond tries to break free. “MOVE ON, I SAID!”       “Let me go now!” Peter demands rudely. “LET ME GO, I SAID!”       “Hey, shit up there, you, piece of shit!” Ronald throws aggressively as he glances evilly at Sammy thrilling with a loud bark. “Shut up, I said! Otherwise, you will become a cutlet! SHUT UP, I SAID!”       With these words, Ronald hits Sammy strongly with his foot, making him whine quietly. But the next second, the dog starts growling with much stronger aggression.       “STOP BREAKING FREE, ASSHOLE!” Luther explodes, hitting Peter strongly on his temple. “GO WHERE YOU ARE TOLD TO GO!”       “Try to make me!” Peter snaps, applying much effort to get out of David’s grip. “COME ON, MAKE ME!”       “We are suggesting you go with us at your wish. But if you refuse, we will have to hit you on the head against something. So, we can drive you to the meeting place anyway.”       “I DON’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT ANYTHING! THAT ASSHOLE SHOULD ONLY LEAVE ME ALONE! FOREVER!”       “SHUT UP, WE SAID!” Ronald shouts and smashes his fist against Peter’s jaw. “DO WHAT WE TELL YOU!”       “LET ME GO, DOGS! LET ME GO, I SAID!”       At this moment, Sammy runs to David with a deafening bark and sinks his teeth into the arm, with which the man is holding Peter with under his elbow. The opponent weakens the grip with a piercing shout and falls to his knees, while the dog is shaking his head from side to side, not even thinking about letting this man go.       “A-A-A-A, LET ME GO, ASSHOLE!” David demands, hits Sammy on the head with his hand, and tries to move his face off himself. “LET ME GO! IT HURTS! A-A-A-A! FUCK, IDIOTS, DO SOMETHING! TAKE HIM AWAY FROM ME!”       Meanwhile, Peter strikes Luther and Ronald down with a hit on the jaw and groin when they try to attack him and, not wasting time, starts running away from here with the thought that his heart is beating much faster from fear and tension, and he kind of lacks air catastrophically. But at some moment, another man stands in his way and seems familiar to him. Rose does not have time to understand how he gets struck down with a powerful hit of the foot against his temple, which makes everything before his eyes go black for a moment.       “Surprise, freak!” the stranger exclaims.       “Huh, wow…” Peter smirks evilly, not showing that he is panicking so hard as he realizes that he is powerless in front of four people. “All the accomplices of one bastard have come together.  Starting with the asshole that started all this bullshit on the day of the concert and ending with the freak that my friend and I met the last time.”       “And this time, we are fucking lucky!” Darren notices with enthusiasm. “You are all alone, without your friends, at the place where nobody can hear us. Where nobody would run to help. Because your friend got mad for a certain reason and left you.”       When Peter starts crawling away with widely open eyes and a heavy breath, Darren comes to him sharply, grabs him by the collar of his t-shirt, and gives him a strong hit in the area under his eyes that looks fine yet.       “Our lord will be really happy to finally meet you face to face. And let you know whose life you ruined. Who is dreaming of your death much more than all those you studied at school with.”       “And don’t pretend that you don’t want this,” Luther adds and hits his foot against Peter’s chest, depriving him of the ability to breathe. “You wanted to know who dared to disrupt your quiet life so badly. So, today, our lord is giving you a wonderful chance to ask him some questions.”       Luther hits Peter on the spine with his foot, making him bend sharply backward with a deafening shout. After this, Sammy rushes to him immediately and starts barking non-stop at the offender of the man, who is not able to breathe well and is suffering from a tormenting pain in his whole body.       “The dog can bark as much as he wants since he can’t deal with all of us. Just like you. Maybe, you can hold on when one or two people more or less, but you are not able to fight four people.”       “Yeah, Rose, of course, you tried to, but you met a failure,” David adds with his head proudly raised and hits his foot against Peter’s jaw, making the blond spit some blood on the ground sharply and roll onto his back powerlessly. “You’ve lost. You are really nothing without your friends. A pathetic coward that has no place in this world.”       “Now we’ve seen what you are without the protection of those bastards,” Ronald adds and smashes his fist against Peter’s stomach, stepping back a little when Rose bends backward in pain with a piercing shout. “Though you are not as strong as you want to be, even next to them. You hide behind their backs, while they do everything for you.”       “It would’ve happened early or late.” David puts the knife against Peter’s throat after taking it from the pocket of his coat. “You would’ve stayed alone. And given us a wonderful chance to show you what you really were.”       “And now, blond-haired asshole, get up now and follow us to the car,” Lither demands determinedly. “With no questions! The lord is already waiting for you!”       “Get up, we said!” Ronald roars, grabs Peter rudely under his arm, and pulls him onto himself, ignoring the fact that he is wincing strongly and suffering from a tormenting pain in his whole body. “MOVE ON, WE SAID!”       After giving him multiple painful hits on his whole body, so that he gets bright bruises and blood tracks on it, Ronald, David, and Luther pull Peter rudely on themselves by the arms and make him get up. And all this time, they ignore the bark full of anger and hate of Sammy that does not know whom he should deal with first and gets a little confused since he had to run into four people.       “And if you’re showing off, we will beat you much more,” Luther threatens in a low voice. “So that you, asshole, aren’t able to sit on your ass and even move for a whole week OR EVEN MORE!”       “Oh, what a stubborn donkey you are!” Ronald throws coldly and gives Peter a hit on his groin that makes him double over.       Sammy starts barking much louder at the criminals after Peter’s deafening scream full of pain.       “Samuel, tear the asses of these bastards,” Peter hisses through his teeth in a low, rude voice. “So that their guts are outside. Come on, Sammy! ATTACK! ATTA-A-A-A-ACK!”       Not wasting time, Sammy moves off sharply and runs to Darren, who is holding Peter under his elbow, grabs his hand, and pulls him as far as possible from the boyfriend of his owner. While Peter himself breathing heavily looks at David and Luther with widely open eyes full of hatred. After being beaten shortly but cruelly by the group of people, he has one eye puffed strongly, there is a bright bruise under it, a tiny flow is getting out of his nose, and every muscle is squeezed from pain as long as he moves. He understands that he will hardly run away somewhere or even just protect himself after this hell. That’s why panic and fear of something inevitable are growing exponentially.       “So what, is your face beaten hard?” Luther laughs evilly. “Aren’t you as sassy as you were before? You thought you would strike one person down quickly and rush home?”       “And his eyes are so scared!” David notices, crossing his arms over his chest. “He is fucking overwhelmed by what happened.”       “If his friends were here, Rose would behave differently,” Darren sneers and pushes Sammy strongly off himself with a strong hit of his foot to make him let his hand go.       “Ha, as if it doesn’t have to do with you!” Peter smirks contemptuously. “You feel so good as you’re all together. You literally finish from how great you feel!”       “Yeah, we don’t deny that we love this feeling,” Luther confesses.       “But we will get much more pleasure if you close your fucking mouth and go with us,” Ronald adds.       “I said I wouldn’t go anywhere with you!” Peter roars.       “Nobody the fuck cares, bastard!”       Luther and Ronald grab Peter under his arms at the same time and start to pull him to the side they need by force.       “Hey, let me go now!” Peter demands. “Let me go, I said! LET ME THE FUCK GO, I SAID!”       “Hey, you want trouble?” David resents and slaps Peter strongly in the face. “DIDN’T WE BEAT YOUR FACE ENOUGH? YOU WANT MORE?”       “LET ME GO, I SAID!”       “Don’t test our patience, scumbag.”       David squeezes Peter’s jaw tightly as he sets his widely open eyes full of hate on him and not paying attention to Sammy that keeps barking at the criminals. Who, speaking honestly, do not care about him at all.       “AND DON’T WASTE OUR TIME! AND THE LORD’S ONE! DON’T DARE TO MAKE HIM WAIT!”       “I give a fuck about how many of you there are now,” Peter hisses through his teeth. “I give a fuck about how you wave your wings. I will not give up on you so easily. I will fight. AND I WILL NOT GIVE YOU PLEASURE TO WATCH ME FALL!”       Two seconds later, Peter sets free one arm and then another with a sharp movement. Biting the bullet and overcoming the pain so hard. He strikes Luther down with a strong hit in the groin and hits David in the jaw with a fist in a twist, seeing his opponent shake slightly. After this, Rose starts fighting off the four enemies, barely noticing how they surround him from all sides together. Maybe, he holds on more or less well at first, even if he does bite the bullet and moans quietly from weakness in his whole body. But later, the guy starts getting much more tired and missing hits. Which may hit the area that is burning from the pain.       “Too alive asshole!” Darren growls irritably, giving a powerful hit of the fist in the face that Peter dodges successfully. “He is all alone, beaten to half-death, but he is resisting and squeaking.”       “Did you think you would get rid of me quickly, even if you were all together?” Peter surprises, fighting with Ronald hand in hand.       “We know you want to live,” Ronald sneers evilly. “But our lord has different plans for you.”       “I’ve got a plan for him, too.” Peter gives a brilliant hit to David’s temple. “Put him in jail. For threatening me, my friends, and my girlfriend many times.”       “You can prove nothing, freak,” David says confidently. “You have nothing to tell the cops.”       “But we can tell them about your attempt to poison my friend.” Peter pushes Luther sharply away from himself with his foot. “To be clear, we’ve already started the investigation. We’ve got proof. And my girlfriend would be happy to tell you how one asshole wanted to drown her.”       “I will be happy to tell you how she pleased me with great pleasure later,” Luther provokes. “How we will all use her by one when the moment comes. She will make all of us feel good.”       “Don’t dare to touch her even with a finger!” Peter applies much more effort to move Darren’s hands off himself when the opponent wants to use a chokehold on him. “OTHERWISE, I SHALL CUT YOUR FUCKING BALLS ALIVE! SO, YOU DON’T PUT THEM IN ALL FUCKING HOLES!”       “Don’t worry, Rose, we will do this when you’re able to do nothing,” David says, putting the knife against Peter’s throat, while Ronald pushes the barking Sammy off himself with his foot. “And you will know it when we've already fucked the gal multiple times.”       “DON’T WAKE UP AN ANIMAL INSIDE ME, SCUMS!”       Peter pushes David off himself with a hit of his foot and then shames his fist against Luther’s solar plexus, making him let him go.       “IF YOU TOUCH HER WITH A FINGER, I SHALL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ME!” Peter strikes Ronald and Darren down with a strong slap in the face as he is obsessed with an all-embracing anger. “I SHALL KILL ALL OF YOU, BASTARDS!”       “Alright, men, I don’t know what about you, but I am fucking done with dealing with him,” Ronald says confidently.       “You’re right, we’ve gotta end this shit right now,” David agrees.       “We could fight with him for some time, but the lord cannot wait for too long,” Darren adds.       “You’re right, we’ve wasted too much time on him,” Luther smiles slyly. “It was much easier with the gal. She screamed but was a too weak athlete to fight with a tough man.”       When Ronald gives Peter a hit in the groin with his fist, making him double over sharply, Luther gives Rose such a powerful hit in his solar plexus in a high jump with his heel that the blond gets thrown two meters away. The man cannot keep his balance and falls to the ground with pain probably in every part of his body, especially his stomach and face. And while he tries to catch some air and find the strength to get up, Luther, Ronald, David, and Darren get close to him all together. Getting sharply pale from fear, the blond starts crawling back with widely open eyes, and Sammy covers him with his body determinedly and starts barking at the four as he stands in a fighting position, growling aggressively at times.       “Out of my way, piece of shit!” Darren roars rudely and pushes Sammy sharply aside, making him feel much stronger aggression.       Peter barely manages to jump aside when Ronald and David take medium-sized rocks from the ground and throw them at him as strongly as possible. Overcoming a strong pain and holding his stomach with his hand, he barely gets up on his weak legs that start to drag him down due to weakness. Nevertheless, the man keeps standing and getting energy from the hatred for those he would hardly deal with all alone, without his friends’ help.       “Do you still think you’re so strong, sassy, and unbreakable?” David sneers evilly.       Again, Peter has to fight off all the four men, who attack him all together, understanding that he is losing his strength and is now out of breath. The opponents kind of understand it completely and start to feel like kings of this battle that they, as they do not doubt, will take a victory in if they keep going on like this. And even despite all the attempts of Sammy to help the boyfriend of his owner a little, they push him aside all the time and insult him, considering him someone like a child who should not meddle in adults’ business.       “Give up, Rose!” Ronald orders.       “No way!” Peter snaps.       “You are nothing without your friends!” David exclaims. “And with them, you can do nothing.”       “If you want to take a victory in this battle, kill me. This is the only way to make me give up.”       “We will,” Darren pronounces quietly. “When it’s time. When the lord orders. And now he wants to see you alive.”       “I WANT TO SEE HIM DEAD!”       “But you will be dead, bastard,” Luther says confidently. “As well as your friends and your girlfriend.”       Luther turns around sharply and gives a powerful and exact hit in Peter’s temple with his foot. That’s why the blond shakes slightly and grabs his head sharply with a sense of unbearable pain and dizziness that is getting stronger every second. It’s not been just one second before everything gets blurry before his eyes, and the sounds around him start to reach him as if through a deaf wall. And Rose falls to the ground like a stone immediately with a deaf, painful moan, hits the back of his head strongly against it, and closes his eyes, not being able to fight with the infinite darkness that takes him into its tight hug without a fight. The last thing he remembers before it happens is the blurred faces of the four offenders and Sammy that is running to him as fast as a hurricane with a loud, exciting bark.       While the dog is snuggling his nose in the relaxed hand and the pale face of the unconscious Peter with a whine full of pity as if he is begging him to open his eyes and get up, Luther, David, Ronald, and Darren look at each other with suspicion as they are breathing heavily.       “Hey, what did you do to him?” Ronald resents in a loud bass.       “Don’t worry, brother, he will wake up soon,” Luther replies with his head proudly raised.       “Come on, Luther did the right thing!” Darren exclaims. “Otherwise, we would’ve spent three more hours on him.”       “Exactly! And actually, you must say, ‘thank you’ to me for this.”       “That’s right!” David agrees and glances at Peter lying motionless and looking deathly pale, while Sammy is licking his face with a heartbreaking bark. “Rose asked for trouble. He shouldn’t have the fuck showed up.”       “But now we can drive him quietly where Marcus is gonna be waiting for him,” Luther says confidently. “Now we will call him, say we’ve caught Rose, and drive this freak to the right place.”       “Yeah, but we need to do something to this fucking dog,” Ronald notices thoughtfully. “He is fucking stuck to the source of delicious food and a lot of attention.”       “Alright, let me deal with the dog, but you pack this bastard,” Darren says in a low voice. “Carry his body in the car. We’ve gotta get out of here now, while there’s nobody around.”       “And it would be great to make sure he is not dead,” David throws gloomily. “What if the boy didn’t survive.”       “We will find it out now,” Ronald pronounces determinedly.       And when David, Luther, Ronald, and Darren start getting closer to the unconscious Peter, Sammy closes him with his body immediately and starts barking and growling at the criminals with a much stronger aggression, getting such a great hate for them that he has never felt before.       “Hey, hairy freak, you have two seconds to get off him,” Darren says in a low, rude voice. “Otherwise, we will hit you on the head with a heavy stone.”       But Sammy does not move even one millimeter aside and keeps barking determinedly at the opponents and not letting them get close to Peter.       “Come on, men, let’s go!” Luther orders with his head proudly raised. “He will not be able to deal with all of us.”       Sammy keeps an eye on the four men for a few seconds, but they manage to come closer to Peter by force. And while David tries to feel up the pulse on his neck to make sure he is alive, Darren grabs the dog tightly by the collar and pulls him onto himself, ignoring the fact that the retriever is thrilling with a deafening bark and trying to break free.       “Come on, come on, guys, I’m holding him!” Darren exclaims. “Carry Rose in the car!”       “It’s alright, this bastard is alive and breathing,” David announces. “Luther just knocked him out.”       “SHUT THE FUCK UP THERE, FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT!” Ronald roars with widely open eyes, glancing at Sammy with great hatred. “EAT THE GROUND AND DIE!”       “Just hit him in the face, so he shut up immediately!” Luther throws gloomily, comes to Sammy in a sharp, quick step, and hits him in the face with his foot as strongly as possible, making the dog whine from pain. “GOT THE FUCK YA!”       “Alright, boys, come here, help me!” David orders, taking Peter under his arms and lifting the top of his body slightly. “I can’t carry his body on my own. He does the fuck weigh literally one ton.”       “Oh, yeah!” Ronald agrees. “Grab him under his arms, and I will be holding him by the legs.”       When Ronald puts his hands under Peter’s knees, he and David lift up the soft body of Rose and start to carry it to where they need, while Luther controls the process, and Darren is holding tightly the excited Sammy that cannot do anything to save his close person.       “Don’t let the dog go, Darren!” Luther orders. “You will let him go when we put his body in the car.”       “I’m holding him tightly, don’t worry!” Darren replies confidently, starting to hold Sammy by the collar with both hands. “Ar-r-r, though it’s fucking hard. He is as heavy as fuck. And he’s breaking free.”       At this moment, Sammy starts following David and Ronald by force as they are carrying the unconscious Peter away. And alongside, he is pulling after himself Darren, who can barely stand on his feet, but keeps holding the dog’s collar tightly.       “Fuck, he is pulling me with himself! I can’t hold him!”       “Hold him, hold!” Luther jabs.       “Come on, men! He is too stubborn.”       “When we close the trunk, you can let him go.”       “A-a-a-a, this bastard eats too much! I can barely the fuck hold him!”       David and Ronald manage to carry Peter quickly to the car that has been parked not far from the on the empty two-way street on both sides. Luther runs to them quickly, opens the trunk, and helps the friends put the body of the unconscious guy in it.       “Ugh, we kinda did it…” Ronald wipes the drops of sweat off his forehead.       “Hey, get the phone out of his pocket!” Luther exclaims, pointing at the smartphone sticking out of the pocket of Peter’s jeans. “He may wake up on the way and want to call someone.”       “Yeah, the dog can bite it for tonight’s dinner,” David sneers evilly. “He is gonna love it.”       With these words, David takes the smartphone out of Peter’s pocket and just throws it as far as possible. That’s why the phone does not fall far from the automobile road and gets a few cracks on its edges.       “Alright, it’s much better!” Ronald wipes his hands.       “Hey, close it, close!” David jabs and closes the truck door.       “Let’s go before he wakes up.”       “I’m calling Marcus and telling him we did it,” Luther says confidently and takes his mobile phone from the pocket of his coat. “And then Elijah. So, he drives him to the right place.”       “We’ve gotta have everything prepared.”       “Hey yo, can I let him go?” Darren asks loudly.       “You can!” Luther, David, and Ronald pronounce at the same time.       When Darren weakens the grip, Sammy moves off immediately and runs to the car as fast as possible. Then he starts sniffing the trunk and barking demandingly as if he says, “Don’t worry, Peter, I will save you! I will get you out of there! Just wait! I’m here! I won’t leave you!”       “Alright, let’s go!” Darren demands as he runs up. “And leave the dog here. If he’s lucky, someone will take him out. If he is not, he will die here from hunger and cold.”       “Relax, dog, you will be able to do nothing,” Luther sneers evilly as he watches Sammy touch the back of the car with his paw and whine heartbreakingly at the trunk.       “Get out, guys, let’s get out!” Ronald demands determinedly, clapping Luther and Darren on the shoulder and pushing them forward. “Otherwise, this bastard will wake up while we’re here.”       “That’s good we don’t have to take a long way,” Darren notices, coming to the doors of the car along with his friends. “The place we need is not so far from here.”       “Marcus is gonna be fucking happy when he finally sees his enemy personally,” Luther says.       “We’ve gotta have everything prepared before his arrival, so Mr. Longbottom is happy with it,” David adds.       Ignoring Sammy’s bark, whine, and growl, Ronald, Darren, David, and Luther start taking their places: while the latter one sits in the driver’s seat, his friends take places in the passenger seat and the backseat. And when everyone closes the doors and puts on safety belts, Luther starts the car and presses on the gas pedal sharply enough. That’s why the car starts off with a disgusting squeak and starts moving forward straight. Sammy rushes in a chase after the criminals, not going to give up so easily, and wishing to save Peter in any way and not to let those people take him away nobody knows where.       It makes the four men laugh evilly, but they all remain quiet because they know the dog can do nothing and will not be running after them forever. And it happens later. After running a few miles after the leaving car, Sammy starts choking from tiredness, stops, and starts watching the boyfriend of his owner is taken further and further with a quiet whine. The eyes of the doggy heaving breathily with his tongue out are full of pain and sadness because of the realization that he could not save his close person this time. And running somewhere does not make sense because Daniel has probably already left this place, not even guessing what his decision led to.       Sammy does not have an idea of where to go and whom to ask for help. He is all alone, in a desert place, and people would not understand what he needs if he just barked excitedly. And what can he do now when Peter has been taken away? When he is in great danger and may never come back to his friends and girlfriend safe and sound. The dog keeps standing in the middle of the road and looking into the distance even after the criminal’s car disappears. Either he hopes to hypnotize it somehow and make it come back. Or the dog falls into a deep stupor and freezes from fear and horror.       Nevertheless, some time later, Sammy still whining with pity looks around himself closely and leaves the automobile road. He barks multiple times as if someone can hear him and wants to help him. But alas, flies, butterflies, and other insects cannot do this. And they have their business to do and do not care about the dog’s problem. The retriever inclines his head for two seconds, putting his tail between his legs from fear, glances aside, runs to the edge of the road, and finds Peter’s mobile phone thrown by the criminals in a small bush. He takes it carefully with his mouth, goes aside, puts it on the ground, and starts touching it with his paw, scratching slightly the oleophobic surface with his claws. But alas, the smartphone does not kind of work. To be clear, the phone screen can be turned on with one gesture or one button on the side. But the dog does not guess it and is not able to do this. So, he can hardly call someone and bark in his language that Peter has been beaten cruelly and kidnapped by the bad people.       Feeling desperate, Sammy sits down and keeps looking closely at everything that surrounds him with the hope that he will find a solution. Sadly, he is too far from his home and cannot come back there on his own, and this territory is unknown to him. There are no memories of waking here, and it’s hard to track the way home by smell. That’s why the poor doggy feels much more scared. He is not a street dog, he is not used to living outside, where other animals can bite him to death if they do not like seeing a stranger in their territory in the worst case. Sammy does not know how to survive in this condition and is weaned to delicious food, the caress of his owner, her attention, and a soft bed in the corner of Helene’s room.       At some moment, Sammy starts howling heartbreakingly, looking like a little child who lost their parents somewhere in a crowd. But in this case, he did not lose his daddy. He has just been knocked out and taken away by the criminals, whom he could not do anything with all alone. And he needs help to reach his mom. At least, he still has a label on his collar with the owner’s name, number, and home address specifically for this case. It means he just needs to catch someone and ask them for help. But he does not have a chance to do this for some time.       But a little later, Sammy moves his eyes to the automobile road and notices the car that is getting closer and closer at a middle speed. The dog thinks it’s a sign that he must do something. He must stop them in any way and make them get out. So, the dog goes on the road confidently, with no doubts and fears, and starts barking at it loudly. The car’s driver sees the dog well and starts slowing down in advance, beeping at him multiple times. At first, the retriever refuses to leave the road, but he does it when it is very close and keeps barking in despair. And he gets what he wants because the car stops not far from him, and Natalia gets out of the salon. She could not see the dog from afar, even if she understood there was something familiar about him. And now the girl makes sure that it’s Sammy and acts surprisingly when she sees him here all alone.       “Sammy? Is that you?” Natalia pronounces surprisingly, rounding her eyes, and checks the pedant on Sammy’s collar, making sure that’s him, according to the name, home address, and number of the owner. “What are you doing here?”       Sammy starts thrilling with a deafening bark, trying excitedly to explain what happened and begging Natalia for some help.       “My gosh, why are you alone?” Natalia squats down and pets Sammy’s head. “How did you end up here?”       Natalia tries to catch Sammy’s belly, but he starts whining with pity in pain and snuggling his nose in her face.       “Hey, what’s wrong, my baby? What’s wrong?” Natalia grabs Sammy’s face softly. “And why do you have blood on your face? What happened to you? Boy, what’s wrong?”       Sammy starts snuggling his nose in Natalia’s hand with a whine full of pity, while she still does not understand what’s happening here.       “Hey, where’s Helene?” Natalia wonders and looks around quickly. “Where’s Peter? What did you forget at this place? Where did they go? Why did they leave you?”       Sammy grabs Natalia’s bracelet carefully and pulls her softly against him.       “My gosh, Sammy, what happened? Why are you so excited? I don’t understand! What happened here?”       Then Sammy barks multiple times, grabs Peter’s smartphone with some cracked areas, and gives it to Natalia.       “Smartphone?” Natalia frowns slightly, takes the phone from Sammy’s mouth, and starts looking at it from all sides. “How did it end up here? Whose is this?”       Natalia presses the screen two times with her finger and sees the wallpaper, which is a common photo of Peter, Helene, Natalia herself, Edward, Terrence, Raquelle, Daniel, and Anna. They all smile widely and look really happy together on one of the days when they spent time together.       “Hey, Peter’s got the same photo on his phone’s wallpaper…” Natalia recalls. “I remember this clearly. Is it really his smartphone?”       Sammy barks two times to confirm it.       “Quiet, quiet, buddy, quiet,” Natalia pronounces softly. “Although I don’t understand anything, we will figure everything out. Wait for a minute…”       Natalia gets up on her feet, runs to her car, takes her smartphone lying in the salon, and decides to type Peter’s number to make sure she is right. And a few seconds later, she gets the confirmation when Rose’s phone starts playing a loud melody and vibrating strongly in her hands.       “My God, it’s true… It’s Peter’s smartphone…”       Natalia opens her mouth slightly and moves her widely open eyes to Sammy that is standing in front of her and looking at the girl with pity in his eyes.       “But what happened to him? Why did he leave you here alone and throw his phone?” Natalia frowns slightly. “Something is not right… I am sure about it…”       Natalia looks around herself quickly.       “No, no, no way, no…” Natalia shakes her head. “Pete wouldn’t do that. He wouldn’t leave you so easily. Helene will kill him if something happens to you.”       Again, Sammy barks confidently multiple times and starts whining with pity as if he tries to tell Natalia something terrible happened.       “Do you wanna say you smell trouble?” Natalia asks. “Something happened to Helene?”       Sammy does not react to this and just keeps looking at Natalia closely.       “Peter?”       Now Sammy starts thrilling with an excited bark.       “My gosh, what could happen to him? Though…” Natalia looks around herself again. “Anything could happen at this place. There’s nobody, nobody can hear you… Do what you want.”       Sammy starts running in circles with a loud bark, rolling on the ground, jumping from side to side, and chasing his tail as if he hopes that Natalia will understand him for sure.       “I don’t know what you wanna show me, but I’ve understood that something bad happened. It seems like Peter got in trouble. Serious trouble.”       Natalia runs her hand over her hair brushed in a puffy pigtail.       “What do I do?” Natalia sighs heavily. “What do I do?”       Natalia glances at her smartphone and Peter’s smartphone, which she squeezes tightly in her hand.       “Okay, baby, let’s get out of here. I don’t like this place at all.”       While Sammy barks again, Natalia comes to the open door of the driver and leaves both photos in a special place.       “Come with me, Sammy. First, I will try to call the men and ask if Pete is with them, and then contact Helene and tell her I will drive you home.”       With these words, Natalia runs to the door of the passenger, opens it, and makes a gesture to let Sammy jump on it. The dog does it, in the end. When she closes it, the girl walks the car around, sits in the driver’s seat, closes the door, and takes out her smartphone, in which she starts looking for something.       “My gosh, did those bastards come up with something terrible again?” Natalia blunts under her nose. “Oh… I wish the guys would answer me. I wish no trouble had happened to them.”       Sammy starts whining with great pity.       “Quiet, quiet, Sammy, don’t worry, Peter is gonna be okay,” Natalia promises, yanking Sammy by the ears and petting his head. “We will find him. I promise.”       After her first unsuccessful attempt to call Daniel and question him, Natalia starts the motor, starts pressing on the gas pedal, and turns the steering wheel smoothly to go to one of the lanes and speeds up quickly enough, watching what’s happening closely as a very careful and responsible driver. While Sammy keeps whining with pity and barking quietly, showing how much he is worried about the boyfriend of his owner, whom he did not, sadly, manage to save from what happened to him.       

***

      After a long-awaited release from the hospital, Edward does not even think of spending time in bed and forgetting about his business. It was much harder to follow the bed rest than fight with the most horrible and hateful. But now, when the man feels like a bird in the sky again, nobody can stop the vigorous activity he continues. For example, today, Edward decided to work on the repair of his house, where he would live with Natalia after the wedding. Although he has already accepted the fact that he would not do everything he wants in time, the man does not stay in the same place and is working hard to turn the house he bought with the money he had earned from writing songs into a paradisiacal place. This time, he is not working alone, he is working with Terrence, who volunteered to help his brother, refusing to accept any protests. However, MacClife, Jr. did not argue with him and accepted him in his company, explaining what he wanted to do and coming up with an approximate plan of work.       Time flies fast as they talk about everything in the world. The brothers have been doing everything they agreed on since the morning well enough, and they recently started to paint the walls in one of the parts of the living room where there is only a sofa and a couple of tables. While Terrence is painting the top part of the walls with a special roller as he is standing on the high ladder and holding it with his free hand not to fall, Edward is working on the bottom part. By this moment, the clothes they chose for repair, have already been covered with spots of light paint that may also end up on their hair.       “Damn, I think I bought two big cans of paint, but it’s not enough!” Edward resents, sitting on his knees on the oilcloth placed on the floor and running the roller over some parts of the wall. “I thought I’d finish it today, but no. I’ve gotta go to the shop again.”       “I think it doesn’t look good on the walls,” Terrence says thoughtfully. “I mean, it looks good after you put two or three layers. Though I ain’t sure.”       “I know, but I liked this color. And I only found the paint of this brand.”       “Now it’s clear why you’ve been repairing everything here for ages. You probably buy cheap materials and then have everything ruined to the fuck.”       “Alas, I can’t let myself spend too much money on expensive materials.” Edward soaks the roller in a capacity with paint, squeezes it against the special area, and keeps painting the wall. “I’ve lately spent too much money.”       “It’s okay, when we have many more concerts, we will be earning a lot of money.” Terrence gets down the ladder carefully, moves it aside slightly, and gets up again to keep painting the wall. “And after the tour, we’re supposed to become billionaires.”       “By the way, when will we play the concert that was cancelled due to my poisoning? Hasn’t George said anything yet?”       “Well, since you’re back to us again, George began discussing all the details. I think he will tell us the new date of the concert soon.”       “I hope we will play it with no incidents this time.”       “We will. If you don’t eat and drink everything you see and stop at the thought that something is not right.”       “Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, bro, I got it,” Edward rolls his eyes. “Don’t even start it.”       “I see you, kid, are fucking happy with your release. You barely left the hospital, but you’ve already planned your life one month ahead.”       “I’ve got no time to be sick, suffer, think of weakness, and do some shit! Business can’t wait, and there are only twenty-four hours per day.”       “Oh, you’re such a busy boy!” Terrence chuckles kindly. “We don’t even have to put electric plugs in your ass to shake you up.”       “But I see you are growing your hips and ass and doing nothing. Maybe that’s even good that you decided to help me with the repair. The old horse can warm up a little. It’s been in a stall for too long.”       “And one little foal can’t be put in a stall at all!”       “I am a mustang, brother. An untamed, freedom-loving mustang that hates some limits and bans.”       “Rules and bans are made for such unbearable and little donkeys, so they don’t kill themselves. So, someone keeps them under control and knows when they must kick their ass.”       “Yeah? Have lovers of kicking asses ever thought someone must control them? Rules are actually made for them, too!”       “I always follow them. I’ve been doing it since my early age.”       “Oh, yay, but it hasn’t become a reason not to be everyone’s headache.”       “Can’t be compared to you, kid.”       When he finishes painting the walls on the top part, Terrence gets down the ladder and keeps putting a new layer of paint a little lower after he soaks the roller in the capacity and squeezes it.       “You know why? Because I wasn’t near! If we’d been growing up together, I would’ve kicked you so hard that you would’ve been obedient. You would’ve asked permission for everything.”       “Aha, or you would’ve danced attendance upon me and got your ass kicked with a belt for your bad behavior,” Edward laughs. “I would’ve gotten any stupid things out of your head.”       “I don’t have stupid things in my head, but you’ve got tons of them.”       “You don’t have? Ha, don’t make me laugh, Terrence, I’m begging you!”       “Oh, c’mon, shut up! You'd better paint the walls! Do it better ‘cause I clearly see all the holes and bumps from here. What you have in your head is what you have on the walls.”       “No, you shut up and paint it better since you wanted to surprise me with your skills of repairing houses.”       “I can do this even better than I thought! Even if the paint is not very good.”       “Aha, you painted something, and you think you were born to do this.”       “I was born to do anything, Edward,” Terrence says proudly with a sly smile. “Anything literally burns in my hands.”       “You definitely want me to paint your face with this roller soaked in paint so badly.”       “M-m-m, I also think it would look good on your hair.”       “Don’t dare to touch my hair! It’s my pride!”       “Oh, yeah, you praise it much more than the size of your penis,” Terrence chuckles kindly.       “Everything is fine with it,” Edward smiles innocently. “Girls have always been happy, and any sex ends with a powerful orgasm.”       “At least, Natalia is definitely happy with everything.”       “How couldn’t she be happy with the perspective of being a wife of such a hot and sexy guy that any girl dreams about every night?” Edward fixes slightly his glossy and smooth hair with his head proudly raised. “Someone like me doesn’t come around every day.”       “There are many men like you, but I’m the only one in the world.”       “And I felt madly nice and warm when I read the news about me and ran my eyes over all the posts my fans published for me on social networks. They were so worried about me, supported me… Prayed for me… And tears of some of them made me super emotional.”       “Yeah, they would’ve been overwhelmed if they’d known you almost got the permanent residence permit in the place where our grandfathers and grandmothers were.”       “I’ve got too much to do here. And I will not leave until I finish all of them.”       “And until I give you my permission.”       “It has to do with you, too, buddy. You will not die until I say, ‘Go for it!’ I mean, don’t even hope I will say it.”       “Oh, no, you will not get away from me so easily. One of my main missions in this world is keeping you under hard control. Doing what Father should’ve done when you were just born. Well, since he didn’t have to do it, it’s okay, his first beloved baby will kindly accept this responsibility.”       “You know, Mother hit you with a belt when you needed it, but the situation didn’t change at all. You were a pain in my ass, and you still are. Though it doesn’t work with psyches.”       “Hey, pretty boy, don’t ya think you’re talking too much? You can’t shut the fuck up!” Terrence chuckles kindly. “It seems like the doctor lied to me when she said you’d be weak and slow for some time. No, the fuck! You are like an electric tractor! And you make me feel a headache with your verbal diarrhea.”       “Actually, I'm at my home, I’m able to do anything I want. And you have to obey my rules since you’re my visitor.”       “I don’t obey any little rags.”       “And I ain’t gonna obey someone who is at my home.” Edward puts the roller for painting walls in the capacity with paint and puts his hands on his hips. “I mean, I ain’t gonna obey one self-proclaimed daddy of everyone and everything.”       “Open the Internet and read articles about the features of the culture in some countries, brother. An unconditional respect for older people is written at their genetic level. They bow at them, kiss their hands… Younger people do what older people say. And nobody argues with it.”       “You aren’t a monarch to bow at you and kiss your hands,” Edward replies with his head proudly raised. “And even if you were the one, I wouldn't even touch your feet.”       “You don’t have to be a part of a royal family or a member of a political party in these countries. Since someone is older than you or has a higher status, you must respect them. And everyone gives a fuck about whether you like it or not.”       “Just because I love you doesn’t mean I must dance attendance for you.”       “Yeah?” Terrence puts the roller in the capacity with paint, puts it on the floor, and comes to Edward with a sly smile. “Do you know you may not just be put in prison but also even be executed for disrespecting older people in some places?”       “I’m living in the country where respect for older people is just a recommendation that can make you an educated person in society.”       “M-m-m, you just pronounced yourself non-educated.”       “I’m a very sweet, puffy, and well-educated guy.”       “It’s possible in someone’s distorted consciousness.”       “A person with any consciousness would always consider you a selfish penguin. Because you can’t behave differently.”       “You’re an asshole…” Terrence smiles slyly.       “Said by the asshole.”       “One more word from you before I hit you on the head.”       “You’ve got so much to do, bro.” Edward glances at the wall with some unpainted areas. “You’ve missed so many spots! So, grab your ass and go to work – singing and smiling!”       “Ha, you go to paint!”       “Since you volunteered to help, do this! And don’t show off for me. I’m not Raquelle. And none of your fans that would finish at the sight of the muscles on your arms.”       “How couldn’t someone finish at this beauty?” Terrence raises his arms and tenses his muscles to show them better. “Aw, what arms! I did even get goosebumps on my skin.”       “Why would ya need a girl since you can please yourself well? Just imagine yourself naked to be ready to come to the finish.”       “I think I will agree with Daniel.” Terrence pulls down slightly his gray sleeveless shirt covered with spots of paint. “We both hate Peter for literally torturing us during workouts, but we adore him when we come to the mirror and see some excellent results.”       “I dunno, I love working out with him.”       Edward comes to the capacity with paint, takes the roller, and keeps painting the other parts of the wall.       “Pete’s workout plan is brilliant. I got along with him so well since we started to train together.”       “Because you two are maniacs when the case is about some physical activity,” Terrence replies. “Rose and you are so similar in this case.”       “Because we’re young, energetic, and active. And Perkins and you are like two whining old men who can’t come to the window where they can give you tickets to the nursing home. Even though you aren’t even thirty.”       “We just aren’t as wild as your gang is. We don’t have to do sports to get stupid things outta our heads. We do this for our own health and beautiful bodies.”       “Sport is cool!” Edward exclaims funnily and cheerfully. “And if you fuck off your laziness, you can get a dream body. Just like mine.”       “No, just like mine!”       “I will ask Peter to work with you harder. I already see a puffy belly, and your cheeks are bigger now. Still, eating fried potatoes at nighttime can’t do anything good to your body.”       “Hey, kid, shut up there! Paint the walls and don’t show off. And don’t play on my nerves!”       “Yeah? Don’t ya work yourself? It’s time to put a new layer on the wall, but you’re standing here like a figure at the museum.”       “Hey, lemme have some rest!” Terrence starts massaging his shoulder that hurts. “Or my arm is gonna be numb now!”       “Weak boy! You ran the roller over the wall multiple times, and you got tired. I’d even say, I gave you the easiest task. But you started to whine anyway.”       “I’m not whining!”       “Ah, yeah, sorry, I forgot you aren’t used to this type of work. It’s bad when a famous actor has to harm the skin on his beautiful hands and tense. You can just pay someone money to make everything wonderful and stunning.”       “Okay, Eddy, alright, I will do you a favor and will not make you pay me for my work,” Terrence puts his hands on his hips. “Though, you should actually pay me a lot.”       “Actually, volunteers don’t earn money. They give people happiness and help them for free.”       “Okay, but I hope you will at least feed me? I got fucking hungry while painting this wall.”       “Okay, I will. There is a very good cheap supermarket not far from here. You can go there and buy anything you want.”       “Oh, cool, will you go? But I can stay here and guard your nest?”       “I can even eat for you if you really want. I don’t actually mind it ‘cause I’m a little hungry, too.”       “You aren’t allowed, you’re on a diet! You’re treating your stomach!”       “My diet isn’t as bad as I thought. I’ve got a long list of food that my doctor allowed me to eat. Yes, I had to forget about something for a while, but it’s okay, I will take it.”       “I will eat it all for you, then.”       “Eat, so that I don’t see you. Because I may strangle you with my own hands in anger if you start teasing me.”       “Vice versa, you must see it!” Terrence exclaims funnily, comes to Edward, and claps him on his shoulders. “It’s a cool way to train your power of will.”       “You’re asking for super great trouble now.”       “I just wanna encourage and support you.”       “Didn’t know you could support someone by eating something delicious that was forbidden for them.”       “Sorry, Edward, but I don’t wanna keep a diet with you.” Terrence smiles slyly. “There is so much tasty food in the world that I just can’t miss this chance.”       “If you say one more word, I will paint your face with this roller,” Edward threatens, pointing the roller with paint at Terrence. “So that you spend a week getting rid of this paint!”       “Oh, listen, I think I will really go to the supermarket. Buy some freshly baked cakes with jam. As far as I remember, you aren’t allowed to eat baked food. And I can drink it with a big glass of cow milk. Yummy, yummy…”       “Ar-r-r-r, don’t the fuck irritate me!” Edward growls irritably as he clenches his free hand in a fist.       “M-m-m, I can already hear how your stomach is grumbling from here. I can hear the loud grumbling and see how an ocean of saliva is getting out of your mouth. Though I ain’t surprised. How could you resist? Food is not just a source of strength. It’s also a real pleasure.”       “Listen, bro, maybe you should go outside? Breathe in some fresh air! I think you sniffled too much paint! You started to talk some bullshit!”       “Hey, do ya see pink elephants flying in front of ya?” Terrence asks funnily. “Hippos are dancing wild? Or mice are asking you about the meaning of life?”       “Yeah, you see weird dreams…” Edward pronounces thoughtfully and puts the roller in the capacity. “As it turned out, you cannot only see yourself masturbating in front of the mirror.”       “And I also see freshly-baked donuts with colorful glaze and different sprinkles.” Terrence closes his eyes and moans with enjoyment as he runs his hand over his stomach. “Tender, air, melting in your mouth…”       “Ar-r-r, shut the fuck up!” Edward growls quietly. “Or I will strangle you, I swear on the holy balls!”       “And it’s such a pleasure to eat them with a cup of strong coffee! Fresh-made, taken from a coffee machine… Add some sugar and mix it with heavy cream.”       “I wish you didn’t leave a toilet for twenty hours after all these heavy cream things!”       “These donuts smell so incredible that I’d eat them again and again. And I don’t fucking care that I mayn’t be able to put on my favorite jeans the next day, and an oversized t-shirt looks super slim, tight, showing a little belly that I suddenly have.”       While Terrence rolls his eyes with a dreamy smile, Edward takes the lid of the can of paint that is lying not far from him and hits his brother on the head with a loud growl. And when he wants to hit him again, the man dodges sharply and tries to hide his most sensitive areas with his hands with a laugh.       “Hey, hey, stop, stop!” Terrence pronounces through a laugh. “Stop, I said! Hey! Stop! Hey! You’re gonna have me dirty now!”       “Stop teasing my patience!” Edward pronounces every single word louder and clearer as he is beating Terrence with the lid of the can as strongly as possible. “Don’t make me much more irritated!”       “I just wanted to support you!”       “Aha! Support me by finishing the food stories that I am not allowed to eat now?”       “Don’t worry, I will be happy to eat tasty food for you. I do really love eating.”       “It’s clear when I see your puffy face.”       “I’ve got a beautiful face! Costs one billion bucks!”       “Aha, one quintillion!”       Edward keeps hitting Terrence with the lid on everything he sees for two more seconds.       “Hey, get off me now!” Terrence demands. “Get off me, I said! Hey! I’m now in paint because of you!”       “I don’t want to!” Edward exclaims. “I wanna beat you. I dreamed about it even when there was no reason for that.”       “I just joked! Joked, I said! You take everything too seriously! That’s wrong!”       “Aha, is it okay to mock someone to be fuck?”       “Ha, how can you be sick?” Terrence chuckles loudly. “You’re as healthy as fuck, jumping like a goat! As if nothing happened!”       “Not true! I am sick! And everyone must take care of me!”       “But instead, you must have your ass kicked hard! For your disgusting behavior and refusal to obey older and wiser people.”       Grabbing Edward by the hair with one hand, Terrence takes the lid from him super easily and starts hitting his brother with it on everything he sees with great pleasure. While the guy himself protects himself so hard and tries to run away and hide somewhere so hard.       “Hey, it’s not honest!” Edward resents. “Younger people are not allowed to be beaten!”       “Allowed, if they don’t the fuck obey you!” Terrence protests.       “Hey, stop it! Stop, I said! Hey! I’m in paint now! Hey! You almost hurt my eye!”       “Sorry, I don’t even know how it happened. I was gonna hit you on your ass.”       Using a good moment, Terrence hits Edward strongly on his buttocks with the lid of the can.       “Ah, it hurts, idiot!” Edward winces.       “Awesome, it’s a pleasure!” Terrence pronounces with enjoyment. “We’re alone, there’s nobody. I can do anything I want to you. And nobody will tell me a word.”       “So, hasn’t Cameron hit you with a rod on your ass for ages?” Edward chuckles. “Are you missing BDSM in your life?”       “I’d be grateful to Rochester if she hit you fucking hard on your naked ass with a rod. Or better, back. So, you think twice before going against older people and doing some bad tricks.”       “No, brother, it’s all super wrong!”       Edward grabs the broom made of straw placed in the corner of the living room and starts fighting off Terrence with it, hitting him strongly enough on everything he sees.       “Hey, little rag, I am all dirty because of you!” Terrence resents, looking at his sleeveless shirt covered with spots of paint and pieces of dust.       “It’s okay, pretty boy, you’ll go home soon and lick your shabby hair soon,” Edward laughs snidely.       “I will take you with naked hands! Come here now!”       After throwing the lid aside, Terrence rushes in a chase after Edward, who throws the broom aside and makes him chase him through the whole living room.       “Come here, I said!”       “Terry’s an idiot, Terry’s an idiot!” Edward teases funnily, shows a funny face to Terrence, and shows his tongue. “La-la-la-la-la!”       “Ar-r-r-r-r, I am fucking done with you, bald puppy!”       “Same, fleabag cat!”       Terrence growls irritably and speeds up much more, while Edward keeps provoking him with teasing that are absolutely harmless. And at some moment, MacClife, Sr. catches his brother by grabbing him by the edge of his sleeveless shirt and pulling him close to himself. Then he ruffles his hair strongly, squeezing his head in his arm, and twists the guy’s nose from side to side, while the younger man hits him on his arms as strongly as possible.       “Wow, as it turned out, repair is not such a boring thing!” Terrence notices cheerfully. “I should visit you more often. To help you enough.”       “I will think one hundred times before inviting you,” Edward growls irritably.       “I don’t need an invitation. Because I am Terrence MacClife, the guy, who would come even to the place where nobody was waiting for him.”       “If you come with no invitation, someone will hit you on your ass and beat your face strongly. And then add you to the black list.”       “Nobody would dare to beat the face of such an irresistible and gorgeous guy.”       “Wrong, bro. I adore kicking your ass not less than confessing my love for you. I mean, I love the first thing much more.”       “Ah, you, little rag!”       “Hey, leave my hair alone!” Edward demands loudly when Terrence ruffles his hair much more. “Who did I say, you, creeping reptile?”       “If you keep showing off, I will definitely shave you with a shaving machine. You’ll be fucking overwhelmed when you come to the mirror and see a shining bald head instead of your gorgeous hair.”       “Don’t dare!”       Edward gets out of Terrence’s grip easily enough, using his lack of vigilance, squeezes his brother’s head in his arm, and starts ruffling his hair much more strongly with a heavy breath.       “Hey, get off me now!” Terrence exclaims with a loud squeak. “Get off me, I said!”       “You know, you were right,” Edward smiles slyly. “Repairing a house or apartment is a fucking cool chance to mock you without a threat that someone may meddle.”       “M-m-m, we’re on the same wave, kid.”       “I’m ready to kick your ass with great pleasure at any time, at any place, in any condition, for any reason. Though I don’t actually need a reason to pull your pants up to your nose. Everything depends on my mood and the way you irritate me.”       “And you irritate me all the time!” Terrence and Edward pronounce at the same time.       “M-m-m, we’ve got such a wonderful match,” Edward smiles slyly. “It’s 100%.”       While Terrence keeps hitting him on everything he sees, Edward pulls his brother from side to side, ruffles his hair, and squeezes his jaw to make some funny faces. But when MacClife, Sr., manages to break free at some moment, the guys start fighting hand in hand with loud squeaks and a contagious laugh, moving on their opponent or getting pushed back. However, none of them is going to hurt each other, and the brothers consider this fight nothing but a friendly game.       “Why is it so weak, bro?” Edward provokes. “Did ya forget how to fight? Or have you never been able to?”       “You probably peed your pants,” Terrence laughs. “You only show off, but your hits are weaker than slaps from girls.”       “I don’t mind going for a real fight without rules.”       Clenching his hands into fists and standing in a fighting position, Edward starts jumping in the same place like a boxer or a fight without rules.       “Scared, huh?” Edward chuckles snidely and gives a good hit with a fist, which Terrence, however, dodges immediately. “Huh? Huh? What about this?”       “Ha, don’t scare a cat with a sausage!” Terrence raises his head proudly, stands in a fighting position, and starts giving hits with fists, even though Edward dodges all of them with incredible ease. “Come on, bro, jump a little. Show me your pants aren’t peed.”       “We will see who peed his pants here.”       Giving hits with fists and dodging attacks, Terrence and Edward run in circles in the living room, jump from side to side, and squat down. However, their boxing fight does not look real because their hits are good and determined, but they are not so strong, and the men kind of give each other a chance to dodge on purpose. Since this fight is just their way to have some fun, not to harm each other.       “Alright, I’ve gotta admit that you aren’t so worthless,” Edward says confidently, smashes his fist against the air, and squats down sharply when Terrence hits back. “But you are cheating.”       “No, you are cheating,” Terrence says. “Hit the fuck better, like a man! Not like a girl!”       “You hit! Stop acting like a weak boy!”       “If I hit you now, you won’t get up, for sure.”       “Can’t promise your face won’t be deformed like a tin can.”       “Asshole…” Terrence smashes his fist against the air again.       “Said by the asshole.” Edward gives Terrence a hit after dodging the same one.       “Fail!” Terrence gets up sharply after he squats down.       “Come here, bastard.”       After one more failed hit with a fist, Edward gets the same answer, grabs Terrence’s hand successfully, and twists it behind his back. Then he puts the simple pencil that he takes from the table during the fight against his throat.       “Nice, brother, very nice,” Edward pronounces with a sly smile.       Terrence grabs Edward’s hand with the pencil, twists it easily, twists it behind his back, and grabs his hair tightly with the fingers of his second hand, leaning his head back.       “But you’ve got so much to learn,” Terrence smiles smugly.       “I knew you’d do this, James,” Edward calls Terrence’s middle name. “But I decided to give up kindly.”       “Nevertheless, you aren’t so worthless. Robert.”       Edward and Terrence keep their hand-in-hand fight, during which they successfully fight off each other’s attacks, not stopping to smile widely and making quiet laughs. At some moment, Terrence strikes Edward down with a gracious movement, runs aside, grabs one of the mops, and comes determinedly to the guy, who gets up at this time.       “So what, Eddy, war is still on?” Terence raises his head proudly, pointing the broom handle of the mop at Edward.       “If you like losing, I don’t mind it at all,” Edward chuckles snidely.       Edward rolls aside sharply, gets up on his feet, grabs the second mop, stands in a fighting position, and points it at Terrence.       “War is war!” Edward pronounces confidently.       “En garde, get ready to lose this fight, puppy,” Terrence challenges. “Watch and learn from the way the imitable and handsome Terence MacClife will take a victory.”       “Terrence MacClife is gonna have his ass burning now.”       ‘Try if your pants are dry yet. If your pants aren’t wet from fear.”       “I can’t give them to you, I’ve got just one pair.”       “Less words, more action. I do hate chatters.”       “And I hate those who show off! Ale-e-e-e-e-e!”       Terrence and Edward start fighting off each other with the mops, imagining themselves fearless knights with shields and swords. The guys still consider this fight a funny game that gives them a lot of pleasure, thinking of nothing bad and forgetting that they should have actually worked on the repair of the living room. However, the brotherly games turned out to be much more interesting than painting walls or hanging paper.       “Faster, bro, faster!” Terrence exclaims funnily. “Why are ya as slow as a snail?”       “I am too weak after the release from the hospital,” Edward shows a suffering face.       “Aha, weak people don’t run on walls like monkeys. They lie in their bed and eat a lot of chicken broth.”       “But everyone saw that you could really raise the dead from the grave.”       “I have already said you wouldn’t get away from me so easily.”       Terrence tries unsuccessfully to strike the mop out of Edward’s hands with his foot in a spin.       “What you dared to do! Leave me! Dared the fuck to die! Without asking me for permission!”       “This is my answer to you for almost leaving me the fuck once! You almost died, too!”       Edward squats down sharply and hits Terrence on his feet with the mop so strongly that the man cannot keep his balance and falls to the floor. Then the guy rises himself above the lying brother, puts the handle against his throat, and starts fighting with the resistance that his brother starts to show as he tries to move this thing off himself.       “I actually didn’t let you leave! But you almost went against me!”       “If you do this again, you will ask me for permission for any action,” Terrence threatens. “Any action! You got it, little rag?”       “What could you do to me, tough guy?”       “I can do a lot. I can do anything when the case is about educating some untamed children.”       Terrence pushes Edward off himself with one easy movement, strikes him down, falls over him, and starts fighting with the guy hand in hand after they throw the mops aside. Their clothes with spots of paint are now also covered in dust that they did not move off after what they worked on before, and their hair gets a white shade. However, the brothers do not care about it at all. They are too busy with their fight, in which both of them are the same, just because one gives up on the other at times.       “Mom and Dad won't like the fact that you attack the younger folk,” Edward notices.       “No, they won’t like the fact that you don’t obey older folks,” Terrence protests.       “I only listen to myself. What my inner feelings tell me.”       “Don’t your inner feelings tell you that you must stop doing bullshit and keep painting the walls?”       “Oh, I give a fuck about the repair! I’ve got a much more interesting business.”       “What if you have no time to finish it?”       “I won’t do this. And I’ve almost accepted the fact that I’ll have to finish everything after my wedding.”       After striking Terrence down, Edward gets up on his feet sharply and starts running away from him in the whole living room, throwing everything he sees at him, thrilling with a contagious laugh, and showing him funny faces.       “Hey, shabby little rag, come here now!” Terrence demands loudly. “Come here! I’m not done with you yet!”       “Try to catch me!” Edward challenges funnily. “I’m here, Terry! Here! Hey! Hey!”       “A-a-a-a, I will kill you!”       Edward dodges sharply from the paint brush thrown by Terrence as well as the simple pencil and the dirty rag.       “Loser!” Edward shows a funny face and lets his tongue hang out. “You’ve got eye estimation issues!”       Terrence growling irritably rushes in a chase after Edward again, but cannot catch him since the guy runs super fast and acts unpredictably, turning aside when he does not expect it. The brothers keep chasing each other for some time, starting to feel a sore throat due to uncontrollable laughter. But then MacClife, Sr. stops sharply when he hears a disgusting vibration of his cell phone placed on the sofa near the small bag. And when he glances at the screen, the man chuckles kindly.       “Oh, bro, it seems like your phone is calling!” Terrence says with a heavy breath.       “Mine?” Edward rounds his eyes. “Who’s there?”       “Your sweetheart. Judging by the photo of the gorgeous blondie smiling widely on the screen.”       “Natalia?”       Frowning slightly and pulling up his short pants on the way, Edward breathing heavily comes to the sofa, takes his smartphone, and looks at the screen, seeing that Natalia is really calling him.       “It’s really her…”       Edward runs his finger over the screen and puts his smartphone to his ear, exhaling with a slight smile and pronouncing:       “Hi, sweetheart.”       “Hi, Edward,” Natalia pronounces on the phone. “Sorry for bothering you. But I need to ask you something.”       “It’s okay, you don’t bother me. What’s wrong?”       At this moment, Terrence frowning slightly moves his questioning glance to Edward after pulling down his sleeveless shirt, pulls up his short pants, and shakes some dirt off them.       “Tell me, please, is Peter with you now?”       “Peter?” Edward asks as he rounds his eyes. “Erm, nope, he’s not here.”       “Haven’t you talked to him today?”       “No, I haven’t. I’m now with Terrence only. He volunteered to help me with the repair of the house. We’re here together. No Peter, no Daniel.”       “That’s how… I got it…”       “But what’s wrong? Why are you asking?”       “It seems like one strange situation happened here.”       “What situation?”       “In short, I was going somewhere for my business in my car,” Natalia explains. “At first, everything was fine. But then I saw the dog standing on the road. It was barking loudly and wasn’t gonna leave.”       “The dog?”       “I saw it shortly and started to slow down after beeping. It went aside, and I decided to stop and find out what was wrong. And when I left my car, I found out it was Sammy.”       “Sammy?” Edward pronounces surprisingly.       “Yeah, and the most amazing thing is that he was all alone.”       “What do you mean he was alone?”       “He was! Neither Peter nor Helene was with him!”       “Fucking shit…”       “What’s wrong?” Terrence asks in a whisper, looking at Edward with suspicion.       “Natalia found Sammy all alone.”       “What?”       “Wait, Natalia, are you sure it was really Sammy?” Edward specifies quietly. “Maybe, you confused him with a stray dog?”       “No, Edward, I swear it was Sammy!” Natalia protests. “He wore a collar with the name of Helene, her home address, and her phone number. That was her dog.”       “But what was Sammy doing there alone?”       “I didn’t understand it, either. But Sammy was definitely scared and excited. He couldn’t stop barking as if he tried to tell me something.”       “Damn, I don’t like all of this…”       After glancing at Terrence, Edward turns on the speakerphone on his cell phone, so his brother can hear the talk, too.       “And also, Sammy gave me Pete’s phone,” Natalia confesses.       “Pete’s phone?” Terrence specifies.       “I typed Rose’s number from my phone, and his smartphone rang in my hands. There was no doubt that it was his phone.”       “So, do you wanna say Sammy was there all alone and found Pete’s phone somewhere?”       “Yeah, but Peter himself wasn’t there.”       “Isn’t Helene with him?”       “Nope. And judging by Sammy’s reaction, Marshall wasn’t with them. It seems Peter was watching the dog.”       “But why?” Terrence wonders. “What happened? Where’s Peter? Why did he leave Sammy alone? And what was his phone doing there?”       “I don’t know, guys, but I don’t like all of this, either,” Natalia sighs heavily.       “Okay, lemme type Pete’s number. Maybe, it’s some kind of mistake…”       With these words, Terrence takes his smartphone from the second sports bag placed on the sofa and starts typing the number he needs.       “No, no, Pete couldn’t leave him there so easily,” Edward shakes his head confidently. “He couldn’t do that. Something is not right, for sure.”       “I think so,” Natalia replies. “But I have no idea of what happened.”       “You say Sammy looks scared?”       “Yeah, he barks and whines all the time. I try so hard, but Sammy can’t calm down.”       “Damn, did some trouble happen?” Edward expresses anxiety. “Did Pete get into something again?”       “I don’t know, sweetie, but it looks like true.”       At this moment, a loud sound on Peter’s smartphone in Natalia’s hands rings.       “Hey, that’s the melody that plays when Pete receives a call from someone!” Edward exclaims.       “So, that’s his phone, then,” Terrence concludes.       “At first, I wasn’t sure ‘cause you and the guys have similar phones,” Natalia confesses. “But now all the doubts are gone.”       “Okay, guys, it seems like it’s our time to be nervous now. Because it is not fine.”       “Does it happen that Peter disappeared somewhere at that place?” Edward concludes.       “But what could happen to them?”       “I wish he didn’t run into some bastards again,” Natalia expresses anxiety.       “Listen, Natalia, where did you find Sammy? Can you call us the right place?”       “There’s nobody around here! There’s a small park a few miles away from here, but Sammy was sitting all alone near the automobile road. No car has driven here for some time.”       “What did Rose forget there?” Terrence surprises. “What actually brought him there? He does know well that someone can do anything to him there!”       “It seems like he didn’t think about it at all. I don’t even exclude that he could’ve been taken away somewhere.”       “I wonder if he was alone there?” Edward frowns slightly. “If he wasn’t, the case is bad!”       “Maybe, we should contact Daniel?” Terrence suggests. “What if they were together but then went their different ways?”       “I tried to call him once, but Perkins didn’t respond,” Natalia confesses. “Though his phone isn’t turned off.”       “Oh, shit, it would be too much! What if those assholes did something to him, too.”       “So, do you wanna say both of them have disappeared?” Edward specifies.       “I don’t know what about Daniel, but Peter is in trouble, surely,” Natalia replies. “I found his phone and Sammy all alone for a reason.”       “Okay, what do we do now?”       “I will try to call Perkins again and ask him about Rose. And if he says nothing, I will call the girls. Helene, first of all. What if she knows something.”       “Natalia, tell us, please, where are you now?” Terrence specifies. "Are you still at that place?”       “Nope, I’m just driving straight. Thinking about what to do. I’m just planning to drive Sammy home and leave him with Mrs. Marshall.”       “He's with you now?”       “Yes, with me.”       At this moment, Sammy sitting in the passenger’s seat barks excitedly and whines with pity.       “Is he okay there?” Edward asks.       “He’s got some blood spots on his face,” Natalia replies. “And when I started to caress his stomach, he suddenly whined loudly.”       “Damn, what happened there?” Edward puts his hand on his forehead.       “Okay, guys, keep calm, let’s not panic in advance,” Terrence pronounces quietly. “We know nothing yet. It’s just our guesses.”       “But my presentiments aren’t the best,” Edward replies thoughtfully.       “Let’s do this thing now: I will try to call the others, but you wait for my call,” Natalia says. “I will tell you about our next plan.”       “Maybe, we should meet somewhere?”       “Yeah, sure. But I will ask the guys first. Maybe someone knows something. What if Helene or Daniel were with Peter and could say something.”       “Something probably happened to Perkins since he doesn’t react to calls,” Terrence expresses anxiety.       “I don’t know, Terrence. But I will find out everything and call you and Edward again.”       “We will try to call someone, too,” Edward promises. “I don’t know what Rose and Perkins were planning to do today, but I’m sure they at least messaged on WhatsApp.”       “Alright, deal!” Natalia exclaims. “I will call you soon.”       “But I’m begging you, be very careful. And get out of that place shortly. Go to the city. Nobody will hurt you there surely.”       “Yeah, Rochester, make sure nobody chases you,” Terrence warns. “Who knows what those scums came up with.”       “Don’t worry, guys, I remember everything clearly,” Natalia replies with a slight smile. “I will be careful. But I see no chase yet. It’s okay.”       “Call us if something happens.”       “Okay, I will contact you again soon.”       “Thanks, little star, we’re waiting!” Edward exclaims.       Edward finishes the call by pressing the button on the touch screen of the phone that he squeezes in his hand with little rounded eyes.       “If Peter was there all alone, they could’ve definitely taken him away somewhere,” Edward puts his finger on his hips.       “Or he could’ve been there with Daniel, but they didn't make it,” Terrence adds. “I don’t exclude that there could be many more bastards this time.”       “Right. They’ll hardly attack us by one. Just like on the day when you were almost hit by the car, and Rose got a trauma of his foot and hand.”       “Okay, where do we find him if it was really a kidnapping? What do we do? How do we save Peter?”       “I don’t know, Terrence,” Edward shakes his head. “But I’ve got a really bad presentiment. Sammy wouldn’t be nervous without a reason. And Rose’s phone was there for the reason.”       “Alright, we’re waiting for Natalia’s call then. Waiting for her to find out everything. And then we will text or call the guys and decide what to do.”       “We should try to contact Daniel by ourselves. He hangs out with Peter much more than you and I and should know something for sure.”       “Oh, I wish these bastards didn’t take him away, too.”       “Let’s try to believe in the best.”       “And if none of them shows up, we will have to call Mr. Johnson. I don’t know how the police would find them, but we must take some measures.”       “You’re right. We can’t just sit and do nothing.”       “Okay, we’ve done a good job today. We’ve done many things. And we will continue next time.”       “Yeah, let’s clean ourselves and change our clothes.”       “I think I saw a bottle of shower gel in the bathroom on the first floor. Don’t you mind if I kindly borrow it to wipe the dirt off me?” Terrence smiles slyly. “Thanks, you’re a gem.”       “Yeah, yeah, do what you want,” Edward waves his hand, taking everything Terrence and he threw on the floor during their fight.       At this moment, Terrence turns around and goes to the bathroom to take a shower with his head proudly raised. And at first, Edward keeps calm and thinks about something, but at some moment, he opens his eyes widely and shakes as if he has been scalded with boiling water.       “Hey, what do you mean, borrow the shower gel?” Edward resents and moves off sharply. “Hey, it’s mine! There’s too little! It’s enough for me only! And you will clean your feathers with laundry soap. That I don’t have here. Hear me, royal penguin? Hey, I am talking to you! Wash yourself with just water! Hear me!”       Edward rushes to the bathroom after Terrence as he keeps demanding loudly that his brother does not even dare to touch the bottle with shower gel that the man was going to use by myself after finishing all the work he planned for today.       

***

      While their men were busy with their business, Raquelle invited Anna to walk with her at the shops after a photoshoot that she had in the early morning. The girls have pleasure walking between shelves with various stuff, and sometimes let the consultants know gently that they do not need their help and just want to look at everything. Not only do they walk into shops with cosmetics, clothes, and shoes. The friends do not also refuse to check out something interesting for home and even buy something that they think may look good.       But even though Anna and Raquelle spend more than two hours walking in shops, they only have a fewer things in their packets. First of all, because they came here not to buy everything but just to get busy with something and talk about some of their secrets. Though they are a little upset that they have to walk at the shopping center alone because Helene and Natalia could not join them for different reasons.       “We didn’t buy too much, but everything’s so good,” Raquelle notices cheerfully, checking out her packet as she leaves one more shop along with Anna and goes somewhere straightly in a slow step. “I really liked these two boxes. I’m gonna use them for my jewelry. I’ve got a mess in it.”       “And I got a love for some aromatic stuff,” Anna confesses, holding a pack of scented candles in one hand and a packet of purchases in another. “I love that my home smells of something floral or sweet.”       “M-m-m, are ya learning everything about aromatherapy? Turning Daniel and you on the right wave?”       “He liked them, too, just saying. But he added he liked the smell of fresh baking much more.”       “Well, men do love eating well,” Raquelle laughs shyly. “We can’t change it.”       “Yeah, Terrence was so resentful when he found out that you ate almost all of his chicken wings.”       “There were too many of them for him! There was a whole container! Besides, he should get used to the fact that even if I'm a supermodel, it doesn’t mean my best friends are leaves of salad and broccoli.”       “But to be honest, my fantasy is getting poorer and poorer. I’ve cooked almost everything I can cook for Daniel. A little bit before I have nothing to surprise him with.”       “Seriously?” Raquelle rounds her eyes. “Just don’t tell me you cooked all the dishes from the cooking book you have at your home?”       “Almost,” Anna shrugs with a slight smile.       “I’m sure you’ll come up with something. You do love cooking and experimenting with food.”       “Yeah, but I don’t have any ideas yet! What I try to cook now is not tasty at all. But I can’t feed my sweetheart with this.”       “Just choose some of his favorite dishes and cook them. There is probably something that he is thrilled with.”       “Of course, there is. But you know how much I wanna make him happy with something delicious.”       “Of course, I can give you some recipes of Terrence’s favorite dishes that he asks to cook all the time. But I’m afraid you won’t find anything new.”       “I’ve lately been thinking about taking cooking classes. Taking classes from some famous chefs.”       “Good idea, friend!” Raquelle smiles in approval. “If you wanna surprise, learn from the best.”       “Of course, I wouldn't try so hard for myself and would be happy with a couple of simple dishes. But I wanna make Daniel so badly. You know how it’s nice to see the gloss in his eyes when I put a plate with breakfast, lunch, or dinner on the table!”       “I get it, sweetie. But in my case, everything is much easier: I can cook any dish for Terrence. He likes everything. Because food is his love of life. It doesn’t matter what’s on the plate. The most important thing is that it’s cooked by me. Though I have to cook a lot ‘cause he always wants more.”       “Oh, these men…” Anna sighs with a slight smile. “You’d do anything to make them happy…”       “The important thing is that you do this at your wish. I didn’t even wanna think about it several years ago, but now it’s different. I’ve become older and wanna take care of my beloved man. I wanna surprise him in bed not less than be his loyal friend.”       “Now you really look like a loving girl who can and wanna take care of her man. But several years ago, it was impossible to imagine you in the role of a guardian of the family hearth.”       “Yeah, the desire to prove to everyone and myself that I was worth something and work super hard for this was much stronger.”       “And if you hadn’t been so categorical, you could’ve been a happy wife and a loving mother for several years.”       “I doubt that I would be a wonderful wife and mother at the age of twenty-three, ‘cause I didn’t want it at all. Yes, I didn’t have anything against this idea. But I wasn’t ready. And the pressure of Grandma and Aunt made my wish to create a family weaker.”       “You know, although my family told me I’d get married to the one they’d choose for me since I was a child, it didn’t kill my wish to become a wife. I really wanted it, but I should’ve been sure that I loved one or another man.”       “Anyway, I’m happy it all happened so. Who knows, maybe someone else would’ve been next to me instead of Terrence. And it didn’t mean he would be much better.”       “That’s right,” Anna smiles shyly.       “Terrence’s got tons of shortcomings, I don’t deny it. But I love him anyway, even in this case, and ain’t gonna make him change by force. I ain’t gonna make him some kind of perfection.”       “A person without shortcomings is not always real. It often happens that perfection is just a mask that they put on to impress someone. Forgetting that their real face would be revealed to the world early or late.”       “I agree. But Terrence doesn’t try to pretend to be perfect. He is a little psycho, a little selfish penguin, and he never denies it.”       “So, it’s okay if our men aren’t perfect ‘cause we love them anyway.”       “We’re so lucky to have them. They’re handsome, provided, smart, and caring at the same time.”       “Yeah, it usually happens that a man is freaking handsome and terribly stupid, but super smart and far from the perfection of beauty.”       “As my grandfather said once, stupid handsome boys are born to hang out with them, but smart and serious men are born to make you feel as warm as toast.”       “That’s right…”       At this moment, Anna and Raquelle come to the escalator, on which they step along with several people that follow them or go forward.       “Oh, where do we go now?” Raquelle sighs heavily.       “I personally need to check out the supermarket and buy some products,” Anna replies thoughtfully.       “Let’s go there right now? We can also buy some tasty food and eat it on the way, while nobody can see.”       “M-m-m, great idea…”       “Ah, that’s a shame Marshall and Rochester didn’t join us. Otherwise, we could relax a little.”       “Yeah, and after relaxing like this, we have to go to the gym class and work hard under the control of Peter, who makes the guys all the time.”       “Oh, yeah, his cruel workout plans are literally legendary,” Raquelle says funnily. “Judging by the fact that Terrence always comes back home exhausted after working out under Rose’s control.”       “But his methods are really effective! Perkins’ body now looks much tougher and got muscles after several months of workouts. Yes, that pretty boy squeaks and complains all the time, of course, but now he can look at himself in the mirror for hours.”       “But I think Pete wouldn’t be so harsh with us. Because we are girls.”       “But we’ve got the female version of Peter Rose as a trainer. Natalia. Our long-time fan of sports who is not lazy to wake up in the early morning and run somewhere in a park.”       “Yeah, our sweet Blondie is… Though we’ve never asked her to control us.”       “And I wouldn't even start! You know well that I don’t like doing sports and can barely handle intense workouts.”       “Daniel and you are similar in this case,” Raquelle laughs shyly. “He barely goes to the gym class, and you must be taken to a workout by force.”       “Agree, our dislike for sports is as strong as our love for music.”       “I wonder if Helene has ever worked out under Peter’s control? Or does our non-sporting beauty run away from him like a hurricane when he just mentions squats, stomach crunch, and bars?”       “Oh, Cameron, I don’t even know,” Anna chuckles kindly. “But I am more than sure that it happens like this.”       “And she’s actually got two active folks. Not only Peter but also Sammy.”       “Yeah, that dog makes her run so wild that Rose doesn’t have to give Marshall an extra load. She could keep her good body without it.”       “Poor Helene. The boys don’t pity her at all.”       “You’re right!”       Raquelle and Anna step from the escalator with a shy laugh after they get one floor down. Then the girls keep going somewhere straight as they look around in search of some interesting shops.       “Okay, it seems like nothing is interesting here,” Raquelle says thoughtfully. “I suggest we leave the packets in the car, come back here, and go to the supermarket for food.”       “Yeah, let’s really buy some food,” Anna agrees. “And then we will decide on what to do.”       “We’ve gotta do something while the guys are busy with their business.”       “You say Terrence volunteered to help Edward with repairing his house?”       “It’s correct. He found super old clothes that he wasn’t afraid to get dirt on and got out in the early morning.”       “My gosh, Edward is too active! He was released from the hospital two days ago, but he’s already working hard and flying from one flower to another like a butterfly.”       “He did dream of getting out so badly! He literally squeaked much more than Terrence when Wainwright almost killed him. But while MacClife, Sr. complained that he wasn’t fed well, the younger brother just got a motor in his ass.”       “Yeah, MacClife and Perkins seem old men against that guy,” Anna laughs.       “Oh, yeah! Sometimes Edward is so active that it even scares me a little. He can’t stay in the same place! It’s a real torture for him!”       “A perfect client for Peter, I wanna say. Here’s the one that wouldn’t complain that his workout is too long and too hard.”       “And every year, our hope that this guy may calm down is getting weaker and weaker.”       “No, Raquelle, don’t even hope. Terrence would likely doubt his awesomeness than Edward would say he doesn’t have the strength for something.”       “Hardly possible. We’d better say that Daniel would learn to cook some simple dishes without cutting his finger and burning the kitchen down.”       “No, no, I don’t let Perkins come close to the oven! And he could only make a cup of coffee for himself in the best case.”       “My gosh, we’re all so similar but so different!” Raquelle sighs with a slight smile.       “And we discover something new about each other every day.”       “That’s right! Even the girls and you show the other sides of you at times. Even if I’ve known you since we were kids.”       “I think we weren’t just as close as we are. Especially you and me. I hung out with Helene much more at first, and then she introduced me to Natalia.”       “Maybe,” Raquelle shrugs and moves her eyes to Anna. “And I’m so happy I have you all. I don’t know what I would do without such wonderful friends.”       “And we love you so much, sweetie.” Anna hugs Raquelle amicably on a walk. “You’re our well of wisdom, brain, and excellent pieces of advice.”       “Aw, Anna, friend…”       Raquelle answers Anna’s hug with a wide smile, while they keep going straight to where they need to go. Since the girls decided to leave their packets in the car, they end up not far from the exit of the large shopping center. The friends get through the revolving door along with several people and wait for the moment they are outside. Next, Anna and Raquelle go to the parking lot, looking around at times to make sure there are no cars that could hit them accidentally. And since the territory is too large, they do not manage to find Cameron’s automobile after the first attempt. They do this thanks to some signs that they just call.       When they come to the car they need, Raquelle opens the trunk with the keys and puts her packet and Anna’s packet carefully in it, fixing them so that they do not roll at sharp turns. And while Cameron is doing this, Seymour takes her cell phone from the bag and starts checking out something in it after she feels a slight vibration.       “Wow, I have so many notifications!” Anna pronounces surprisingly. “I didn’t hear it as I walked into shops.”       “Hey, did ya post a good photo that received tons of likes?” Raquelle chuckles kindly.       “Nope, I just have many messages on WhatsApp. Mom, Dad, and I text each other regularly and talk about all the news.”       “Do you meet them? Or they’re too busy?”       “Of course, I meet them. I recently invited them to my home. We drank a cup of coffee, and I told them about the situation with Peter. Sadly, Daniel went to the clinic to visit Cassidy on that day and didn’t meet them when he came back.”       “Gosh, we forgot that girl at all. We should visit her someday.”       “Cass asks Daniel about all of you often and says she’d be happy to see you all.”       “Do you visit her yourself?”       “Sure, but not as often as I’d like to. But if I can’t go there, I sometimes ask Daniel to give her some little gifts from me. Though she is busy there anyway. She doesn’t feel bored at all and spends a wonderful time at the clinic.”       “I see you got along with your soon-to-be sister-in-law.”       “She’s really a cool girl. And my parents like her. So, if I become Mrs. Perkins one beautiful day, I’m definitely gonna be lucky to have a new family member.”       “Perkins should think about it better.”       “He will do this when he thinks it’s time. And I ain’t gonna take him to the altar by force.”       Raquelle says nothing and just shrugs, closing the trunk after she puts everything well. Anna views all the notifications quickly and reads what she received on the message app. But at some moment, she stops smiling widely because the girl sees something that makes her pale.       “Oh, my gosh…” Anna opens her eyes widely.       “What’s wrong?” Raquelle gets suspicious.       “Look what Natalia sent on WhatsApp! She says Peter has disappeared.”       “What? Peter?”       Raquelle looks into Anna’s phone and reads the messages from Natalia, who talks about the situation with Sammy.       “Oh, my gosh, how did it happen?” Raquelle wonders. “What happened to Peter?”       “It says Natalia went somewhere for her business and found Sammy near the road in a desert place,” Anna specifies. “He was all alone. He went on the road to stop the car and gave her the phone that belonged to Peter.”       “So, does she wanna say Peter disappeared for a reason?”       “Most likely! Pete couldn’t leave Sammy and leave his phone without a reason!”       “Something isn’t right surely.”       “My gosh, what if he met those scumbags again?” Anna moves her widely open eyes to Raquelle. “What if Peter couldn’t get away from them, and they did something to him?”       “They could take Rose away by force and throw his phone out. So, he couldn’t ask for help.”       “Logical. But if it’s the truth, what do we do?”       “Wait, didn’t Natalia send anything else?”       “She says she’s already talked to Edward and Terrence, but the guys said Peter wasn’t with them.”       “My gosh…” Raquelle closes her mouth with her hand.       “Something definitely happened! I am sure about it!”       “Wait! You said Daniel went somewhere with Peter!”       “Erm, y-yeah…” Anna nods hesitantly, getting a little pale and stopping to breathe for a moment. “He said he agreed to walk with Peter who was gonna play with Sammy somewhere.”       “He should know something for sure! We’ve gotta contact him! Now!” Raquelle scrolls down the messages on Anna’s phone and freezes sharply with widely open eyes. “Oh, gosh… Natalia says Daniel doesn’t respond to her calls.”       “What?”       “Feeling that her heart misses a beat, Anna reads the message from Natalia about Daniel again.       “No…” Anna pronounces in a shaking voice. “No, I don’t believe it…”       “It’s all kinda strange…” Raquelle frowns slightly. “I don’t like this situation…”       “If Daniel and Peter were together and ran into those assholes, it’s possible that they couldn’t handle it. Especially if there were too many of them.”       “Does it mean both of them have been taken away by force?”       “No! No, I don’t wanna believe it! No!”       “But Daniel doesn’t respond to calls!”       “Maybe, Terrence and Edward will reach him in the end?”       “Try to call him yourself!”       “Y-yeah, right, you’re right! I will c-c-call him now!”       Anna types Daniel’s number with shaking hands and puts her phone to her ear, praying so hard that he responds to her.       “Please, Daniel, answer me…” Anna begs with pity in her eyes. “Please, answer… Come on…”       But a few seconds later, Anna hears the robot telling her that the number is not available now.       “No…” Anna shakes her head sharply. “He doesn’t respond… Though his phone’s turned on…”       “Did those people throw out his phone, too?” Raquelle assumes and puts her finger to her lip. “But why didn’t Sammy find it?”       “Maybe I should try again? What if he doesn’t hear? Or the signal is bad?”       Anna tries to call Daniel again, but the second attempt also fails. It makes the girl get much paler from horror and feel that her heart starts beating like crazy, while her eyes get wet from tears.       “No…” Anna sniffs quietly. “No, it cannot be the truth…”       “Quiet, quiet, darling, quiet…” Raquelle tries to calm down softly, pressing Anna tightly to herself. “It’s okay.”       “What if it’s true? What if those cads really took both of them away? What if they couldn’t make it?”       “We know nothing for sure yet. At least, about Daniel.”       “But they were together! And they did not make it!”       “There is a chance that those people didn’t throw his phone away. There’s a chance that Daniel can find a way to contact us.”       “There is not! No, if they caught him! There is not! No!”       Anna snuggles her nose in Raquelle’s shoulder, starting to cry bitterly and thinking of the worst things that could ever happen.       “Don’t cry, Anna, don’t cry,” Raquelle pronounces quietly, caressing Anna’s head. “Quiet, quiet, hey.”       “I don’t wanna lose him,” Anna pronounces in despair. “If something happens to Daniel, I won’t handle it.”       “Calm down, sweetie, it’s gonna be okay. We will find out everything and decide what to do.”       Hugging Anna with one arm, Raquelle takes her cell phone from the bag, opens the app for messages, and examines everything she sees.       “Damn, when will those cads calm down?” Raquelle asks herself gloomily. “They tried to drown Helene, hit Terrence with the car, poison Edward, and kidnap Daniel and Peter.”       “How many of them were there if they couldn’t do this together?” Anna wonders.       “I dunno, sweetie. I don’t know.”       “What do we do now? Where do we find Daniel? Where do we find Peter? What happened to them? Where are they now?”       “Natalia says she’s tried to call Daniel multiple times, but he has never responded to her.”       “No…”       “But she is gonna contact Helene.”       “But where’s Natalia now?”       “She kinda talked about her plan of leaving Sammy with Mrs. Marshall.”       “My gosh… My God… It’s insane.”       “Hey, quiet, no panic,” Raquelle exhales slowly with closed eyes. “Let’s keep calm. We know nothing for sure yet. It’s just our guess.”       “What’s unclear in this case?” Anna throws loudly. “Everything is clear!”       “I’ll send a message in our common chat and let them know you and I are aware. And Helene will join later.”       “Why, Daniel? Why?”       “Quiet, quiet, my sweetheart, quiet.”       Raquelle hugs Anna with both arms again and caresses the crying girl on the head.       “We will find them, I promise. Wherever they are.”       “How? We don’t know where they were taken away. We don’t know who’s mocking Peter like this and trying to get rid of his friends so hard!”       “Anyway, we will surely tell Mr. Johnson about what happened.”       “He can’t help us at all.”       “I’m sure he can. We will wait for a while and contact him if Perkins and Rose don’t show up.”       “I’ll lose Daniel…” Anna says in despair. “Lose, Raquelle. I will lose him forever.”       “No, no, don’t say it! He’s gonna be okay.”       “They will kill him for sure. As well as Peter. The guys won’t be able to do anything.”       “Anna, sweetie…”       “And then these scums will get rid of Edward and Terrence! They will get what they want and murder the guys!”       “Thank God, the MacClifes are okay.”       “For a while, Raquelle! For a while!”       “My gosh, Anna, you’re breaking my heart with your tears.”       “Because I don’t wanna live without Daniel. Without him, my life doesn’t make sense.”       “Don’t cry, friend, I’m begging you.” Raquelle blinks her eyes quickly as they start to get wet from tears. “Or I will start to cry myself. My eyes are already wet.”       “I wish it all were just my nightmare,” Anna begs in a shaking, low voice and sniffs loudly. “I wish everything was okay. Please, God…”       “Okay, honey, let’s get in the car. I have a bottle of water there. You’ll drink a little and calm down.”       “Why? Why?”       “C’mon, Anna, let’s go.”       With these words, Raquelle brings Anna to the passenger door, opens it, and closes it when her friend sits on the seat, while her friend still keeps crying bitterly. Then the brunette goes around the car, sits in the driver’s seat, and finds a bottle of water for her friend and a whole pack of handkerchiefs.       “I’ll text the guys now and suggest that we come together at the house of Daniel and you,” Raquelle says confidently. “If everyone agrees, I will go there shortly. So, we can decide on what to do.”       “I can’t…” Anna pronounces quietly, squeezing tightly the handkerchief in her hands and feeling that frost squeezes all her muscles. “How much pain do I have to take? Wasn’t what I got through enough? When will someone stop mocking me like this?”       “My God, Anna, my poor girl…”       Raquelle hugs Anna around the shoulders with one arm and kisses her sweetly on the top of her head as she is holding her phone in the other hand and types a message that she wants to send to everyone in the chat. The girl tries so hard not to succumb to the panic and to keep her mind sober, even though this is a hard task for her because Anna breaks her soul with her heartbreaking cry and looks like a little child who is terribly afraid to stay alone, without the protection of someone to be much stronger and tougher.       

***

      After doing everything she planned to do in the early morning, Helene did not reject the invitation of her friend, Jessica Taylor, to walk in the park and talk about all the latest news from each other’s lives. They used to hang out a lot together, but when Marshall met new friends, she began to give much less attention to this girl. And the case is not only about it, but also trouble and a job. But today, the girls decided to fix the situation and make up for the lost time.       But no matter how hard Helene would not like to talk about bad things, she does not refuse to answer all the questions of Jessica about what’s happening to her former schoolmate Peter and his friends, who people have lately talked about so much.       “Wow, does it mean Edward was really poisoned, as a random site said?” Jessica wonders, sitting on the brick fence along with Helene against the crystal-clean lake and eating scoops of strawberry ice cream with some powder that they added to her plastic capacity. “It’s not a rumor?”       “Nope, someone wanted to harm all the men, but only Edward wasn’t lucky,” Helene replies, biting a little bit of vanilla ice cream in a waffle glass. “Daniel also felt a little bad, but he was luckier ‘cause he only drank a couple of sips.”       “Yeah, Pete’s definitely in trouble since someone wanna get rid of him and his friends so hard.”       “He always says he’s guilty of nothing. And I’ve told you that his mother may be guilty of all of this.”       “The woman has shown the fuck up! Rose lived a quiet life and accepted the fact that he had lost her a long time ago, but she showed up again. And she did some tricks, which were the reason why someone decided to kill her son.”       “It’s just a guess yet. And we still don’t know who that man is and what he wants from Peter.”       “It’s clear that he needs money!” Jessica exclaims. “Why else would someone show off like this? Attempt on the guy, poison his friends, and drown his girlfriend!”       “Yeah, but when Peter asked them to call the amount, they said they didn’t need money. They needed him. His skin.”       “Hard case… I don’t even know what to advise.”       “What could you advise?” Helene shrugs. “Since even the experienced policeman can do nothing, we are especially powerless now.”       “At least, you did the right thing by asking him for help. If something horrible happens, he can react quickly.”       “We’ve got a little information yet. There’s nothing that could help us track that cad. The leader of those henchmen, who make his orders.”       “He will show up himself early or late! That asshole will not hide forever!”       “I dunno, Jess…” Helene sighs heavily. “But there is no end to this hell yet.”       “Don’t be sad, Helene, it’s gonna be okay.”       “Because of all of this, I’m even afraid to walk outside. I always look around with a fear of meeting a henchman of that person somewhere. I’m afraid that they will try to kill me again. Strangle, drown, shot…”       “Yeah, they did a really cruel thing to you!” Jessica puts a hand on her heart. “My heart did even stop when you said you almost drowned.”       “I realized it only when I woke up and began to cough up water.”       “Sammy is such a good boy ‘cause he made Rose come back! In the opposite case, nothing would’ve saved you.”       “At that moment, I expected that he’d love to save me much less. I expected help from any stranger, but not Peter.”       “He is actually an asshole!” Jessica resents. “I wanna kill him because of what he’s doing to you.”       “If only you knew how much Pete breaks my heart with his charges for lying and betraying.”       “They washed his brain so hard if he believed in that freaking bullshit.”       “Not absolutely yet, but I don’t almost come to him by myself. I wait for him to show the initiative. Because I don’t know how he’d treat me at one or another moment.”       “I’m really shocked. Shocked by his behavior. My God… I thought Pete was always so sweet, innocent, and fluffy, but then he spread his wings and began to show his claws.”       “Peter doesn’t break up with me thanks to the men’s effort only. They manage to make him sure that he is unfair to me for some time.”       “I’m so happy they don’t believe in this shit and defend you. They definitely have their brain working.”       “Yeah, but on the contrary, I can’t call myself absolutely innocent,” Helene confesses hesitantly. “There’s something I didn’t tell the guys on the day Pete brought me to introduce me to them. When we found out that the men dated the girls from my school.”       “Really?” Jessica frowns slightly.       “Yeah, but I swear it doesn’t have to do with Peter. It all has to do with the girls.”       “So, do they know everything but keep silent?”       “Yup, they promised to say nothing.”       “But why didn’t you tell ‘em anything?”       “I was scared… Pete was so mad when he found out that I bullied Natalia and Raquelle. He almost left me. But again, the guys made him sure to give me a chance.”       “But do you understand he will know everything early or late? And he will be much madder because you lied to him.”       “I get it, friend, but I am madly ashamed to talk about it. That secret is much worse than bullying. Pete doesn’t even guess what happened.”       “Of course, I won’t make you speak if it’s uncomfortable for you. But I advise you to tell Rose the truth.”       “All the time, I naively thought I’d forget everything and hide it all. The girls say they forgave me a long time ago and reproached me for nothing.”       “Yeah, haven’t you asked yourself how those people know your secret?” Jessica asks. “And is that the secret you’re talking about now?”       “They say there’s someone who told them everything. But I don’t know who that is. Though, as they say, that person studied in the same school as mine.”       “Yeah, Marshall, as it turned out, you are not as fluffy as I thought.”       “Yes, I’m not an angel, I don’t deny it. But I swear, I’m absolutely different now. I understood all my mistakes, and I regret them a lot. And I don’t even think about harming someone.”       “If Peter knows everything from strangers, he will not care about any of your excuses.”       “I wasn’t, and I’m not gonna harm him, Jessica. No way. I love Peter. With all my heart. He’s everything to me. The whole world. My air, my life. And if I lose him, I will have no reason to live.”       “Excuse me, friend, but if you lie to him, you will be single for sure. It was really stupid to believe your lie wouldn’t come to light. Nobody would know about your past tricks.”       “I know…”       “And if it’s so, it happens that the men defend you for nothing,” Jessica says thoughtfully and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear.       “Partly, yes. And they don’t approve of the way I treated the girls. But the guys do believe I wouldn’t harm Peter and betray him.”       “But remember that the blond may get mad at them if they stand by your side.”       “I know. But I don’t want it. I don’t want him to fight with them over me.”       “Then, tell him all the truth before someone else does it!”       “I can’t!”       “What do you mean you can’t? Aren’t ya gonna say anything?”       “I’m not ready yet. I’m scared…”       “You’re an idiot, Marshall!” Jessica says confidently. “Just an idiot! It’s too late to resist and shout when you’re caught by the tail.”       “It’s not so easy to confess all your sins that you wanna forget so badly.”       “When you say, you’ll forget! Why the hell are you lying to your friends? Why are you lying to your boyfriend? Why do you make the girls silent?”       “I don’t make them.”       “But they can reveal you at any time.”       “I believe they will not do it.”       “They will, Helene, you’ll see. When Rose suspects that they know something, he’ll press all of them to the wall.”       “Even if they tell him, I won’t be mad. Vice versa, I’ll feel even better. Because I’ll only have to confirm everything and add something on my behalf.”       “Oh, friend, you’re really walking on the edge of the knife blade…” Jessica sighs heavily. “You don’t care about your relationship with Peter at all.”       “Not true!” Helene protests. “I cannot imagine my life without that man!”       “But you’ve given him pain so many times.”       “What?”       “Who blamed him for all his sins when your grandma told him about your parents? Who was mad at him ‘cause the guy just thought Mrs. Marshall should’ve told these things to you?”       “I was just too offended. That’s why I was mad.”       “It was offensive for him, too. Hurt by what you did to him! You kicked him out, insulted him, blamed him for nobody the hell knew what…”       “Jess, please, stop…”       “You’re kind of a smart girl, but sometimes you’re so stupid. You do really stupid things.”       “Oh…”       Helene inclines her head with a heavy sigh.       “I’m just too scared. I'm afraid that everything will be over after my confession. And… I kind of try to delay this moment. I try to remain Peter’s girlfriend for much longer.”       “You’re making it all worse, my darling,” Jessica replies confidently. “You feel bad, and Pete suffers. Though he didn’t deserve it all.”       “I know…”       “So, Helene Marshall, here’s my advice: tell him all the truth before it’s too late.”       “But I will lose him anyway.”       “This is the best decision for you now.”       “I doubt it. Peter hates me right now.”       “He’s gonna hate you much more if you keep lying to everyone.”       “He thinks I’m hiding something from him and could harm him, and suspects that I have an affair with some men. Though I have nobody but him.”       “Well, as for love affairs, I can believe you’re a one-man girl. But hiding secrets won’t give you anything good.”       “I know.”       “Though it’s your life. You can do anything you want to it. But please, don’t complain that everyone leaves you, and you’re so lonely and unhappy. Because you’re gonna be guilty of it.”       “You’re unfair to me, Jess.”       “I’m telling you the truth. And I wish you happiness. I wish happiness to Peter. The one I’ve known for thousands of years. Who was kicked for nothing for months and years. Who must be happy with a good and decent girl.”       “I get it.”       “He does feel bad because one asshole started to haunt him and almost sent his friends to another world. And you’re breaking his heart.”       “Since I can’t pretend that nothing happened, I have to tell him the whole story.” Helene sighs heavily. “Though I understand I will pay a high cost for that.”       “I’m sure the guys will help you. In case they believe in your regret. The boys and the girls can make Peter sure to give you a chance again.”       “You think they’ll understand me?”       “The girls didn’t turn their backs on him after everything you’d done. They forget everything and forgive you. So, the boys will understand it, too. Moreover, it’s none of their business. Those who should be mad are your former schoolmates.”       “Who turned out to be really cool girls,” Helene cracks a slight smile.       “Of course, the guys will swear at you a little, but they will take the situation much quieter than Rose.”       “It’d be great. I wish I didn’t lose my friends. Otherwise, I will go crazy from grief and loneliness.”       “Of course, you’re an idiot, but I will not leave you for sure,” Jessica says with her head proudly raised, stroking Helene’s shoulder. “I love you for what you are now. I don’t have to do with your past actions and ain’t gonna turn my back on you because of them.”       “It makes me feel relief.”       “Anyway, I really want you and Peter to be together. I believe you’re a perfect couple. Nobody fits you more than you. And Sammy has already become literally your child who loves you in the same way. And… If his mom and dad break up, it’s gonna be a painful hit for him.”       “Who knows… Sammy growled at Peter for the first time when he began to show aggression toward me.”       “But it doesn’t mean he doesn’t love him anymore. Sammy just protects his owner. And notice that when you almost drowned, he pulled Pete after him. Though he could’ve found anyone else. But no. Sammy thought the salvation was Rose.”       “Because there was nobody else at that place,” Helene chuckles kindly.       “Even if there was someone, Sammy would’ve run to Rose.”       “Who knows.”       “So, Helene, think about everything I said. And don’t lose your happiness. That you only got thanks to the kicks of those who surrounded you.”       “Thanks, Jess, I will mean it.”       Jessica says nothing and just hums quietly, looking at Helene with mistrust. Then the friends keep eating their ice cream silently and watching big and little ducks, seagulls, and a couple of inseparable swans swimming on the lake. On the other side of it, the girls see the visitors of the park at different ages who walk carelessly on the territory covered with bright green grass, feed birds with something, take photos of these places, and seek shade from the sun under sprawling sticks of century-old trees.       But at some moment, Helene feels that her cell phone starts vibrating in her bag. She asks Jessica to hold her ice cream, takes her smartphone, runs her finger over the screen, and puts it to her ear to answer the call, reacting quietly to the name of the one who wants to talk with her.       “Yeah, Natalia, hi,” Helene greets with a slight smile.       “Hi, Helene,” Natalia replies amicably. “Sorry for bothering you, but the case is critical.”       “What’s wrong? You’ve got a too excited voice. It’s shaking…”       “Did you leave Sammy with Peter today?”       “Erm, yeah, he said he’d watch him when I drove Sammy to him. I… I should’ve gone somewhere… And my grandma decided to meet a familiar of hers.”       “The case is that I found Sammy all alone when I was driving in my car for my business.”       “What?” Helene opens her eyes widely, getting sharply pale from horror. “What do you mean Sammy was alone? Where’s Rose? Where did he go?”       “He suddenly disappeared. The only clue is that Peter’s smartphone was thrown out by someone.”       “Peter’s smartphone?”       “Sammy gave it to me and looked super scared. And I don’t think the case is that he was afraid to be alone to death. I’ve got a feeling that something happened to the blond.”       “Just don’t tell me Rose left my dog there and got out somewhere.”       “No, no, friend, don’t worry, Rose couldn’t do that. It’s not about him.”       “Who the hell knows! Maybe this is how he wants to teach me. In anger. He does hate me so much because he thinks I allegedly betrayed him.”       “No, Helene, get these things out of your head.”       “Well, is Sammy okay now?”       “Yes, he’s okay. But as I’ve said, he’s scared to death and excited, and he’s got tracks of blood on his face.”       “Tracks of blood?” Helene horrifies. “Sammy?”       “My gosh, what happened there?” Jessica frowns strongly, closing her mouth with a hand.       “And when I wanted to scratch his belly, he squeezed and whined.”       “Wanna say someone beat him?”       “I don’t exclude it. If something happened to Peter, Sammy could protect him.”       “Damn, did he run into some bastards again?”       “Most likely. It seems like.”       “Can’t believe it…” Helene barely moves her lips, closing her mouth with her hand.       “But… There’s a possibility that he isn’t the only one to suffer.”       “What? Do you mean he isn’t the only one?”       “Daniel disappeared, too.”       “Daniel? Disappeared? Too?”       “I tried to call him multiple times, but he doesn’t respond to my calls. And the guys can’t reach him.”       “I don’t like all of this, Natalia…” Helene puts her hand on her heart, which is beating fast. “If Daniel disappeared, too, the case is really serious.”       “I just talked to Raquelle and Anna and found out that Perkins was supposed to meet Rose and play with Sammy together. So, they were likely together when they ran into some scums.”       “It would be too much now!” Helene jabs in a high, loud voice. “If both of them ran into some scums and didn’t deal with them, we wouldn’t be able to find them.”       “It’s just an assumption yet, sweetie. I just tell you the truth: Sammy was in the place without people all alone, and Peter’s phone was lying next to him.”       “You took him away?”       “Yes, first, I wanted to drive Sammy to your grandmother, but the plans changed. Raquelle suggested we all come together at Anna and Daniel’s house. I’m coming there now, and your dog is sitting with me. Sammy, bark on the phone.”       At this moment, Sammy barks excitedly.       “Thank God, he’s okay,” Helene exhales with relief. “At least one good piece of news.”       “Yeah, if I hadn’t gone there, who knows what would’ve happened,” Natalia replies thoughtfully. “Sammy would’ve hardly found a way home. He would’ve had to take a very long way.”       “At least, he’s got a collar with the pedant with my name, number, and home address.”       “Alright, Marshall, get ready there and come to us. We will be talking about the situation now and deciding what to do.”       “Wait, did only Peter and Daniel disappear? Are Terrence and Edward okay?”       “Yup, thank God, they’re safe. They were doing repairs at Edward’s house since the morning.”       “My gosh, I wish everything ended well…” Helene prays quietly. “I wish everything was alright… I wish those assholes didn’t do anything to the guys. Didn't get what they wanted and didn't kill Peter.”       “Anna has been hysterical since she found out Daniel disappeared and didn’t respond to any calls. Raquelle is doing her best to calm her down, but it doesn’t work.”       “Oh, I wish someone called me down…” Helene exhales with a shake, feeling that her eyes get wet with tears, while Jessica strokes her hand softly.       “You’re alone now?”       “Nope, with Jessica.”       “I see… Anyway, the guys and I are waiting for you.”       “Okay, Natalia, I got it.” Helene sniffs quietly. “I will come now. I won’t spend too much time. And I’m with a car.”       “And yeah, don’t worry, please. It’s gonna be okay. We will find the guys.”       “If only they weren’t dead…” Helene expresses anxiety. “If they kill Peter, I won’t take it.”       “We’ve gotta believe it’s gonna be okay, honey. Whatever happens, Pete can do this. And Dan won’t leave him alone.”       “If Daniel couldn’t help him this time, the situation is definitely much worse.”       “The guys and I will talk about everything now.”       “If you have some news, tell me, please. What if something else happens while I’m on the way.”       “Okay, Helene, I shall keep you aware. See you soon.”       “Yeah, see ya.”       “Be careful on the road! And make sure nobody watches you. Just in case.”       “Okay, I will. Bye.”       Helene presses the button on the screen of her smartphone to finish the call with her shaking finger and squeezes her phone in her hands, barely holding down the tears that wet her eyes more and more.       “My gosh, Marshall, what happened there again?” Jessica wonders. “Why are you so pale and shaking?”       “Peter’s disappeared,” Helene explains. “And Sammy was all alone with his phone.”       “Has he kinda been kidnapped? Taken away by some stinkers?”       “I dunno, I can’t say anything.”       “Yeah, they’re kinda serious guys. They threw out Rose’s phone and kicked the dog's ass. And they didn’t care he’d be on the street hungry and frozen. They didn’t care that the boy wasn’t used to living outside and wouldn’t survive for sure.”       “My heart started to squeeze suddenly for a reason.” Helene puts her hand on her heart. “I felt a strange pain in my chest every time we pronounced Peter’s name. I couldn’t get rid of a bad presentiment.”       “I knew they would love to catch him somewhere early or late,” Jessica says confidently. “I was sure we should’ve expected it.”       “My gosh, we don’t even know where to find him and Daniel! We can’t even imagine!”       “Yeah, you’ve got a hard mission… Save the guys, who are nobody knows where, nobody knows with whom.”       “Natalia said the guys agreed to meet,” Helene apologizes with sadness in her eyes. “So, I have to meet them.”       “It’s okay, friend, it’s okay, go!” Jessica waves her hand. “And don’t worry, please. I’m sure Pete’s gonna be okay. He can make it.”       “First, I thought it was how he decided to teach me for lying and cheating. Decided to use my dog and leave him alone.”       “No, come on! Peter couldn’t do this! He wouldn’t even think about it. And how would he dare to do it to the dog he loves so much?”       “I wanna believe it. I wanna believe we’re worried for nothing. That everything is okay, and the guys are just walking somewhere and lost Sammy accidentally. That they’d be back alive.”       “You know, since the blond’s phone was lying there, something is definitely not right,” Jessica says confidently.       “My gosh, whoever that cad is, he will drive me crazy soon!”       Helene doubles over and closes her face with shaking hands, breathing a little heavily, and feeling that she is shaking slightly from tension.       “How much has happened to us lately because of him.”       “I advise you not to relax, Helene,” Jessica says confidently. “This cat-and-mouse game will be over someday. A serious fight for survival will begin. Pete and all of you will have to be super careful soon.”       “Every day, I pray that all of this ends as soon as possible. But my prayers haven’t been heard yet. The nightmare is still on. And it’s getting worse every day.”       “Anyway, you can always count on my support and help. Though I can barely imagine how I could help in this situation.”       “Thank you so much, Jess,” Helene smiles a little falsely. “I’m sorry about walking and talking for so little time. But I should meet the guys. Support Anna, Daniel’s girlfriend. She’s literally in hysterics because her boyfriend has been taken away.”       “It’s fine, Helene, don’t even worry. We’ll walk later. I wouldn’t be able to walk with you for a long time ‘cause I have some things to do. I just found some free time to eat ice cream with you.”       “I will surely call you if I know something about Peter.”       “Of course! Call me shortly!”       With these words, Jessica takes Helene in a tight hug and shares an amicable kiss on the cheek with her to say goodbye.       “Okay, I’m leaving,” Helene says thoughtfully, sniffs quietly, and wipes tears under her eyes.       “Be careful! Don’t drive the car when you’re excited. Catch some air first and calm down. Otherwise, you may crush something.”       “I will try. Though it’s gonna be hard.” Helene exhales slowly. “Listen, eat my ice cream, please. I don’t want more. I can’t even eat a little piece. Well, or throw it. Find a can.”       Breathing heavily, the excited Helene gets up from the fence and goes somewhere straightly in a quick step, squeezing tightly the handle of her bag and feeling that probably all the muscles of her body get tenser, and her heart is beating like crazy. Jessica watches her all this time with true sadness in her eyes, squeezing her ice cream and her friend’s one and praying silently that Peter and Daniel are fine and that this story ends once and forever.