Back Pain

Mick pursed his lips in thought. He'd wondered if Stacy would pick up on the same vibes at dinner - and she had. He wasn't surprised, and in all honesty, a little relieved he wasn't the only one. Now though...what was really going on?

He nodded. "Thanks. I appreciate you coming to me. I was a bit leery all evening myself." Leaving the door open, he turned the corner to slip on his barn boots. His senses were quickly waking back up again as his mind tried to figure out the possibilities of Lane's strange behavior.

Slipping outside, he gestured to the barns. "I'll go see if I can find out what's up. Keep your eyes open though, just in case." He wanted to add, If I'm not back in fifteen minutes, come looking for me, but he knew he didn't need to. Stacy knew her job and knew it well...


...Lane remained on his knees in the pasture, but he knew he couldn't stay there. No matter how sick this whole thing made him feel, ignoring it was certainly not an option. It wouldn't fix itself. He had to do what he'd come to do.

Finally rising to his feet once more, he wandered a while before aiming back towards the barns. Just rounding a corner, he ran right into Mick. Staggering backward, his eyes shot wide open and his hand went to his chest. "Good land, Mick... you're gonna give me a heart attack."

Mick had not been startled in the least, and just gave him a small grin. "Sorry. I needed to check on a few things. Can't sleep?"

"What? Oh... naw..." Lane tried to recover. "I'm a night owl."

"Ah. Looked like you were pretty tired earlier. Figured you'd be out til morning."

"Guess I got my second wind." Lane shifted uncomfortably. "Anything wrong?"

Mick had a hard time seeing his face in the shadows, but guilt hung in the air so thick he could almost smell it. Stacy had been right to wake him up. "I don't think so. I was gonna ask you the same thing."

Lane ran a hand through his hair. "Oh. No. I'm good. Just headed back to my bunk." He sidled past Mick.

Mick wasn't done, though. Turning with Lane, he reached over to give him a friendly pat on the back. "I'll walk with you."

At Mick's touch, Lane jumped and whirled to the side, ridding himself of Mick's hand. It was so sudden that Mick stopped in his tracks. "Whoa, take it easy."

Lane's face had paled - visible even in the dim light. "Sorry, no... it's... no... just startled me."

Mick eased back and let silence reign for just a couple moments. "What's wrong, Lane?" Why was he so jumpy? "What's really going on?"

"Nothing." Lane forced a weak laugh. "It's late, there's a full moon, and it's been a long day. Didn't mean to alert anyone, sorry." He started forward again - rather stiffly, Mick observed.

"It's fine." Mick walked beside him until they'd reached the barn. "Just get some rest. You're supposed to unwind here, not have your nerves shot."

Lane just kept walking and waved over his shoulder. "Goodnight."

Mick stood in the doorway of the barn until he saw Lane disappear in his bunk, before he himself  turned to go back to the house. He could have kept Lane longer. He could have demanded answers. He could have sat him down for an honest talk. But...something told him to let it be...for now. Stacy was right - something was up. But until they observed Lane more, there was nothing to go on, and nothing to accuse him of...

The next morning, Lane joined the others for breakfast, although his eyes looked like he hadn't slept a wink all night, and he downed at least two cups of coffee before going out to the barn with the other guys to help. He seemed to perhaps distance himself from Mick, although most might not even notice...

 "...Far as I can tell, they have no plans.... Yeah.... No, they don't know." Lane spoke quietly on his cell phone in the empty stall in the barn. Morning chores were almost done, and he'd disappeared to the back of the barn for privacy when his phone had rung. He paced a small circle, one hand tucked in his pocket. "No, I don't think they're going to act. They're just...well, no.... Look, I'm doing all I can!" He bit his tongue and lowered his tone. "No... not that I'm aware.... Okay, okay, yeah, I'll stick around. Let me talk to Travis." He sighed. "Fine. ...Tomorrow? I need more time than that... I can't perform miracles!" he hissed. "I'll have a report like I promised. Just give me one week like I was told."

Ending the call, he growled and stuck his phone back in his pocket. Exiting the stall, he turned and came face to face with Sparky - who was not happy. "Sorry. Didn't see you."

"Obviously." Sparky folded his arms and didn't let him pass. A very bad feeling sat in the pit of his stomach. He'd just chatted and laughed with Lane while feeding the horses, but that pleasure had come to a screeching halt. "Wanna explain what that was all about?"

"What?"

"Seriously?" Sparky's eyes narrowed. "Who were you telling that you'd stick around here? And why are you reporting to them?"

"It's nothing. It's nobody important."

Sparky took a step closer. "And why don't I believe you?"

Lane simply tried to leave again, but Sparky sidestepped to block him. "I want answers."
"Do you eavesdrop on everybody, or what?" Lane's tone grew louder. "That was a private conversation about a business transaction. What else do you want?!"

Hearing the loud voices, Mick stuck his head around the corner. "Yo, guys, I got some riding students coming - what's the commotion?"

Sparky glanced over his shoulder. "I'd bet half my savings that our dear old friend was sent here by the Agency."

Lane's face paled. "That's ridiculous!"

"Is it?"

Mick frowned in concern and joined them. The previous night's events came back to him, along with his apprehensions. "That's a pretty serious accusation," he warned his brother. "Lane?" He gave him a stern look. "What's up?"

"Nothing! For crying out loud!" Lane threw up his hands. "Sparky heard one side of a conversation on the phone and he made some pretty crazy assumptions."

"Well who were you talking to?"

"That's no one's business! But if you're that interested, it's a colleague of mine and I'm supposed to be doing some long-distance work, and I'm late. That's all!"

Mick glanced at Sparky, who gave him a look of distrust. He returned his attention to Lane, still sensing there was more, and even more suspicious now than he had been yesterday. "How about we sit down and talk about this?"

"There's nothing to talk about!"

"Why are you getting so riled?"

"Because you look like a couple of lions ready to pounce!" Lane turned to head the other way out of the barn, but Sparky came around to stop him there, too.

"Hey, get out of my way. C'mon!"

Sparky shook his head. "Uh-uh. Not until we get the truth."

"I already gave it to you!" Lane moved forward and gave him a shove out of the way.

Sparky reacted on instinct by quickly grabbing Lane's arm and yanking him around to the side before slamming him back up against the wall. Lane's cry was loud enough and severe enough that it startled Sparky into letting him go and backing off, his eyes wide. Lane crumpled to one knee, his face contorted in pain as he struggled to breathe. Mick was just as surprised as Sparky - the little scuffle hadn't been that big of a deal. Something wasn't right. After a moment, he stepped forward and reached out his hand. Lane didn't accept it, and instead, got to his feet on his own, failing at hiding how much it hurt to move.

Mick suddenly recalled how he had reacted to his touch last night, and wondered if there was a connection. "You alright?"

Lane just nodded and eventually managed to speak without wincing. "I will be if y'all would take a hike and leave a guy alone instead of throwing ridiculous accusations around. So much for the warm welcome yesterday."

Sparky started to say something, but Mick held up his hand to stop him, still looking at Lane. "I know you're lying about something. I don't know what, and I hope it's nothing that will put our families in jeopardy. But until you're ready to talk about it, this conversation is closed."

"Are you kidding me?!" Sparky threw up his hands. "Since when do we stare down the barrel of a gun without ducking?"

Mick ignored him and continued to speak to Lane. "I also think you're hurt, so I'd suggest you go see your sister and at least let her help you."

Lane swallowed hard, not knowing what to think. He opened his mouth to say something, then changed his mind and turned to leave the barn.

Sparky gave Mick a rather unhappy look. "What's with the whole good guy routine all of a sudden?"

"I'm not sure," Mick admitted. He was still troubled by all of this. "I just think that for once, we need to show some trust first. If he really is into something as bad as the Agency, my gut is telling me that he'll come clean. I don't know why or how, but taking action isn't the right choice this time. All I have to rely on is my gut though, so if you want to have a family meeting over it, we can." He and Rosetta had already discussed the strangeness of last night but had both agreed nothing could be done until they had some answers.

Sparky let out a long sigh, regaining control of his temper. "I trust you. But if anything screwy starts happening, I'm not gonna sit back and do nothing."

"I don't expect you to. I'm just saying wait. That's all."


Lane walked towards Angel's office - slowly - stiffly - despite the urge to go in the opposite direction. Mick was right. He needed some help. He didn't want it, but at this rate he wouldn't be able to stand it. Once in the office, he couldn't even smile at Angel - just nod his greeting. His eyes were half glazed from his weakening attempt to control the pain. "I, um... prolly could use a bit of help," he admitted quietly. It was no one else's fault here. Sparky hadn't meant to be so rough, and that's not what had injured him anyway, so there was little point in telling Angel about all that.

It was several awkwardly silent moments before he moved again. Untucking his t-shirt, he pulled it up and turned around. His whole back was covered in long, deep wounds from what would appear to be a whipping. Though probably a week old, many lacerations had become infected and were now swollen and red around deep bruising that had yet to heal. His being slammed into the wall a few minutes ago hadn't helped any either.

He let his shirt back down - carefully - and turned back to Angel. He'd done a good job of hiding this pain until today. "Don't ask me what happened," he begged softly. "Nobody else knows. Just... I could use something to take the edge off 'til I'm healed up." The truth was, after helping with barn chores, he could hardly move at all, and if he really wanted to take care of himself, he needed a lot more help than just pain killers. But if it hadn't been for Sparky, he probably would have just gone to rest in his bunk for a while until he could function again and no one would have been the wiser. Mick was getting suspicious though, which put all his actions under scrutiny. If asked, maybe Angel would just tell him that Lane had some back pain - which would be the truth. Could he trust her to keep quiet? 


Realizing he was scaring Beth, Justin forced a small smile and brushed her cheek with his hand. "I'm sorry. Something has happened and I just want to make sure you're safe." Pulling her close, he hugged her... a little tighter than normal. 

"My brother's girlfriend - Grace - we think she may have been abducted. They called Jared and told him to talk to me, so I'm afraid someone is trying to get to me." He drew back, trying to remain reassuring. "If that's true, I want you safe. It could be some former client of mine whose upset with how I treated them. Who knows." Or it could be the Agency. The thought came up in his mind again, but he didn't want to voice it to her yet. She knew very little about it, and he didn't want to worry her any more than she already would be. Besides, thinking it was the Agency without any proof was pointless. They needed more facts.

"I want to take you to North Springs with me," he continued. "Someone's going to watch over my mom and brother, so I'll take you there, then I need to go to the Elite and figure out what's going on. Visiting your sister will have to wait until I'm sure no one is going to try to get to me through you."


"Awesome." Levi shook his head. "Don't worry about a resume unless you've already got one made up. We'll just chat, okay?" He smiled again and walked Karla back to the door. "Noon. Tou Han's. See you there." 

Once she was gone, he sighed and turned around to find his dad off the phone, arms folded and staring at him. "What?" 

Keith cocked his head. "Oh...nothing. Just watching my son hire somebody we know absolutely nothing about."

"I didn't hire her," Levi defended. "It's an interview. How can we turn that down after we just decided to look for somebody?"

"From one businessman to another, you're moving awfully fast there, Bud." 

"And... you're not happy about it?"

"Well, a little conversing with me would have been nice." Keith came closer and patted his son on the shoulder. "But I trust you. Just remember to think with your head, huh? We need someone who can actually handle the job - not just someone who's friendly and cute."

Levi's cheeks flushed again and he turned to go back to his desk. "Sorry I got so enthusiastic. I just...had a feeling."

"Your spidy-senses kicking in again?"

Levi grinned over his shoulder. "Maybe. I dunno. She just seemed...like the perfect fit."

"Without even knowing if she's got the skills we need?"

"...Yeah."

Keith shrugged. "Okay."

"You wanna come with us to lunch tomorrow?"

"Nope. You've got the reins on this one. Find us a secretary..."

...It was the next day at five til noon. Levi sat at a little table in Tou Han's, slowly nursing his glass of iced tea while he waited. A folder sat near his elbow with a notepad, and his fingers fidgeted with the pen he'd brought. His napkin was already full of doodles. He'd been here for ten minutes already, just because he'd wanted to get settled, even though he had a hard time sitting still without anything to do. Maybe his dad was right - he'd acted awfully fast on this one. But he still had a gut feeling that it wasn't a coincidence Karla had found them yesterday.