dean stepped on the gas, putting as much distance between him and megan's house as quickly as possible. he wiped lipstick from his lips and loosened his tie, cringing at how happy she had been tonight and hating her for it. in the end, all he could do was quietly exist in megan's glow. that, and order another stiff drink. her audible gasp at the sight of the diamond ring haunted his thoughts. it was official: he was now engaged and wanted to die.

he checked the rearview mirror again, trying to pick out the headlights that belonged to mr. ryder, knowing he was back there. the night's drinks, however, blurred the lights into burning orbs so he returned his attention to the road and slammed on the brakes, screeching to a stop less than two feet from a new camaro. he breathed a sigh of relief and glanced at the dashboard clock. the glowing green numbers informed him it was way too late to stop by shaun's house.

"fuck it," he said, taking a right when he should have gone left.

he needed someone to talk to, even if that someone was the guy whose career he had just single handedly ruined. maybe shaun would take a swing at him and maybe he had it coming. if shaun wouldn't, carrie probably would. the thought of megan being the only person left on the planet who would still talk to him scared him to death. he hadn't felt this alone since his parents' accident. his glassy eyes checked the mirror again. if he went anywhere near evy's apartment ryder would know, and it would be game over for everyone. the handwritten note burned a hole in his pocket. he doubted shaun was up for doing a favor but he had to try. she deserved to at least know the truth.

shaun's house was as dark as the feeling in the pit of dean's stomach. he parked behind jon's honda accord in the street and shut his car off. absolute silence washed over him. he reached for the door handle and noticed a pair of headlights blink out in his side mirror. dean's heart jumped. he climbed out, glancing at the silhouette of what looked like a ford taurus parked a block and a half down the street. a black shadow sat behind the wheel like it was death itself. the sweat glistening across dean's forehead had nothing to do with the humidity lacing the night. he stumbled up the driveway, careful not to brush against shaun's blade silver corvette. the side gate in the privacy fence gently clicked open. he stepped through and carefully shut it, not wanting to wake carrie or the kids.

ghastly thoughts assaulted him as he stumbled along the side of the house. he wasn't sure which he found harder to believe: somebody was tailing him or that he was now engaged. shaun and jon whipped their heads around when dean rounded the corner like he was a serial killer. tiki torches cast jumping shadows across their bewildered faces, enriching the night with the potent scent of citronella. recessed lighting lit up the swimming pool behind them, casting an eerie glow around the yard. dean stopped in front of the patio table with his hands in his pockets as they quietly took each other in.

"what the hell?" shaun murmured, setting his beer down and sitting up straighter.

jon crushed a cigarette into an ashtray overflowing with shriveled butts. "what're you doing here so late? don't you have to work in the morning?"

dean quietly pulled back a chair and dropped into it with an exasperated sigh. he ran a hand through his hair, not sure where to even begin. shaun got up and went inside and dean didn't know if he would be back or not. it seemed like just yesterday it was mindy's birthday but so much had happened in such a short amount of time and, deep down, he knew things would never be the same.

jon furrowed his brow. "are you okay?"

dean laughed like people do when they haven't slept. "no, i'm not."

shaun came back outside and traded a look with jon as he passed out bottles of beer with his smiling face plastered to their sides. "you really know how to pick em, man."

"look, shaun, i'm sorry about..."

shaun raised a hand. "shit happens. no one could've seen any of this coming and whatever happens was meant to be."

dean stared at him, astounded by shaun's generous way of looking at things.

shaun sat back down. "so what's up, man? you look like you just came from a wedding."

"more like a funeral," dean grumbled, popping the top and spending the next twenty-five minutes filling in the blanks. shaun and jon listened without interrupting, their eyes narrowing in disbelief as he spilled his twisted guts. when he finished, they just sat there staring at him with their jaws dangling in the air. crickets chirped in the bushes around them, picking up the stunned slack in conversation as the stars sparkled in the heavens above, indifferent to any of their troubles. a firefly flickered between them, leaving a neon tracer in its wake.

jon arched a quizzical eyebrow. "since when do aldermen have creepy dudes like that on the payroll?"

dean shook his head. "but you should see this clay guy's house. i don't know what an alderman makes but it can't be enough to cover a spread like that."

"mafia."

dean and jon turned to shaun with matching puzzled looks.

shaun looked around like maybe ryder was peeking over the fence right now, watching their every move. shaun leaned forward and lowered his voice. "wouldn't surprise me. aldermen have a lot of say over city contracts, from construction bids and building permits to city garbage collections. your mr. ryder sounds like a chicago wash-up. he's probably been in the biz for decades."

jon leaned back in the padded chair and gestured with his bottle. "he makes a good point, yo."

"so are you really going to go to hawaii tomorrow and marry this nutbag?"

dean examined shaun in the flickering light. "what choice do i have?"

"you don't" jon said bluntly, exhaling a cloud of smoke. "but that's not to say you can't get out of it later on. you just need a solid plan."

shaun jerked his head around like he had just heard something. jon followed his nervous gaze around the fenced in yard, his adam's apple bobbing in his throat.

shaun took a slow drink and swallowed. "i still can't believe they fucked me like that." he stared forlornly at the illuminated pool, its water as smooth as glass. "i'm going to lose my house."

"do you have a nest egg?" dean asked.

"a small one i was hoping to possibly open my own brewery with someday, but it won't take long to burn through that, not with this mortgage."

dean surveyed the modest sized ranch house with its large patio and pool. "i can help you get by for a while."

"me too."

shaun turned to jon and wrinkled his forehead. "i just loaned you a hundred bucks last week."

"yeah, but i get paid soon."

shaun pushed himself out of his chair with a short laugh. "i thought you said barnes & noble was paying you in gift cards now."

jon chuckled. "i wouldn't be surprised if that ended up happening."

dean rested his elbows on the table and massaged his swollen face while shaun went around the side of the house to take a leak. "this is so fucked up."

"i can't believe you're engaged."

"will you stop saying that? it's not a real engagement; it's just...for now."

jo nodded, rubbing his bottle like a genie's lamp. "there's got to be a better way, man."

"i'm all ears, jon. if you've got something better, i'd love to hear it."

jon frowned and then swung his gaze around the backyard when something moved on the other side of the pool. dean twisted around as well. they squinted into the shadows where silence waited to greet them.

"probably just a possum," jon whispered coldly, his bug eyes telling a different story.

dean slowly turned back around, his paranoia growing by leaps and bounds. "sounded bigger than a possum."

"right?"

"hey, did you guys hear that?" shaun asked, zipping his shorts up and hurrying back to the table. "i'm totally freaking out right now."

"you need to forget about that evy chick and do what this clay guy says or we'll all be screwed."

dean turned to jon, pulling his eyebrows together. "you think?"

a simple shrug made jon's shoulders bob. "or we could kill him."

shaun managed a laugh.

"seriously, it wouldn't be that hard. don't you guys watch breaking bad?"

"the question is: are you going to tell evy?" shaun asked.

dean stared at the sticker of shaun's smiling mug on his bottle, his heart sinking just thinking about her. "i wrote her a note explaining everything, but i don't know how to get it to her with dr. evil following my every move."

shaun nodded. "i could swing by sugars and drop it off tomorrow. i may need to fill out an application there anyway, seeing as how they'll probably be getting their liquor license back and all."

dean's brow folded as they exchanged heavy glances in the flickering light, crickets growing louder in the silence settling around them like a cold black wind. dean turned to shaun with bloodshot eyes. "you still have that clown suit?"

dean poked his head out around a lilac bush in the front yard, peering down the street where ryder sat in his car. the man's darkened outline made dean's heart hammer against his breastplate. his phone vibrated in his hand, scaring the crap out of him. it was a text from jon. they were ready. dean returned a quick text message and peeked back out around the bush, cobwebs sticking to his sweaty face. after a few anxious seconds, jon stumbled from a nearby front yard into the dimly lit street. his baggy clown costume fluttered with the breeze and dean cringed as jon limped toward ryder's car like a zombie, hamming it up a bit too much for dean's liking. when jon stopped directly in front of the taurus there was a moment when dean was sure ryder would just run him down where he stood. instead, the bald geezer popped his door open with a creak that pierced the night like a rusty knife. blood rushed through dean's head in waves as ryder slowly got out of the car.

shaun took his cue and crept out from behind a thick oak tree another house down, sneaking into position by the car's rear tire. ryder said something to jon that dean couldn't make out and jon, in keeping with the plan, didn't respond. he just stood there staring at ryder, which, in dean's mind, had to be creepy as hell, even for ryder. the old timer cocked his head to one side and leaned on the door, producing another loud groan. his black coat flapped in the wind. shaun took advantage of the confusion and silently punctured the back tire with a sturdy buck knife before scurrying back into the shadows of a quiet two-story house.

dean walked out from behind the bush, thankful the jeep was already unlocked. he climbed inside, shut his door and glanced in the side mirror to see ryder jumping back in the taurus. dean turned the ignition and brought the jeep to life, shifted into drive and sped away down the block. he took one last look in the mirror and saw ryder's headlights pop on while jon shuffled out of sight.

dean fumbled for his cell phone, keeping one eye on the road and one eye on his contacts. he took a corner and hit call, glancing in the mirror as the phone began to ring. it was dark behind him and dean prayed ryder wouldn't kill jon and shaun after realizing he was stuck with a flat. just the same, they had prepared for that with stashed baseball bats and a thing of mace shaun had quietly dug from carrie's purse. dean cleared his throat when someone finally answered in his ear.

"yeah, i need a cab," dean said, speeding for home.