“So, who taught you how to bake?” I ask, desperately trying to break the deafening silence that has fallen upon us. But, it seems like nothing I say will get Drew to talk to me because all I’m met with is a loud silence. Yeah, you know it’s awkward when even the silence seems so loud that it’ll burst your ear drums. I can just picture the look on Drew’s face, blank and dull, showing no emotion whatsoever.

                “Wow, senior year yet it feels like we haven’t even been in school,” I try once again. Well who am I kidding, it does seem like we’ve rarely been inside that dreadful building, this coming from someone who actually enjoys learning. It’s a bad thing I can’t see Drew’s face because then I would, at least, have some clue to just what the hell he’s thinking. Nothing, no answer and the silence just seems to be screaming at my face because it’s that awkward silence. The only reaction I notice is his muscles tensing, since our backs are pressed against one another, as the door opens and is slammed shut seconds later.

                “Khloe, keep your mouth shut and don’t say anything,” I hear as Drew hisses at me. Though I can’t see his face I know that a serious expression has been formed by his features. I grab our joined hands and squeeze tightly to let him know I’ll do what he asks, our hands make a small clinking sound at the motion. Yeah, if I ever pictured myself handcuffed to Drew, I really thought it would be under completely different circumstances. This is the second time I’ve been handcuffed in the span of twenty four hours and no, I’m not beginning to feel special. Suddenly, we’re hauled up off the ground by the arms a bit painfully, and I continue to hold on to the blue eyed boy that envelopes me in a complete sense of safety.

                “You really need to work on hiding better,” a cruel snarl is heard from the man facing us, only adding to his sinister demeanor. Dark brown eyes stare back at us, but their blank expression makes them seem black, void. A long scar runs along his right cheek and in any other situation it could be taken as a battle scar, but here, it’s just a scar adding to a dark being. A shiver crawls down my spine in complete fear, Drew as if sensing my state of mind pulls me closer to his side. Well, as best as he can in our current position.

                “And you really need to learn your place,” the blue eyed boy snaps. I’ve got to admire the side of Drew that won’t back down even when we’re so easily outnumbered. He straightens his posture coming to his complete height and despite the age gap, there’s something about Drew that makes someone aware of his presence. Be it his intimidating figure or the cobalt eyes that seem to shift with every single emotion that flutters through them. The man nods for the guys behind Drew and I to leave before speaking again.

                “I really don’t know why they want you dead so badly,” the man states pensively while stroking his chin. Is that what I look like when I do it? Completely badass and Godfather like?

                “Who sent you?” Drew asks, completely calm as if we’re not in a possible life and death situation. Someone’s been hanging out with Adrian too much.

                “You know who,” the man replies cryptically. I really need to stop referring to him as ‘the man.’

                “I’m Khloe,” I hold my hand out to shake and both Drew and badass give me incredulous looks in return. “You’re supposed to shake it,” I add, glancing down at my outstretched hand, the one that’s not handcuffed to Drew. Awkward.

                “Kai,” he answers after a moment before taking my hand in his firm grasp.

                “Isn’t that a girl’s name?” I pipe up curiously.

                “No, it can be a guy’s name too,” he retorts through clenched teeth.

                “Are you sure?” I say slowly.

                “Yes,” he snaps before roughly unhanding me, letting my hand drop to my side. Well, so much for southern hospitality. Drew gives me a flat look but the lighter shade of his blue eyes tell me he finds my actions amusing. I wonder why the hell he’s not freaking out or going Rambo on these mofos.

                “So my dad is sending his monkeys out to get me?” Drew draws out slowly and carelessly. I don’t know buddy, I just don’t fee like this has Daddy Collins written all over it.         

                “No, I haven’t even seen your father in ages,” Kai smiles, his gaze taking on a dazed look as if he’s recalling some sort of old memory.

                “Then who?” I question.

                “Sadly, in this business silence means everything even your own life, so I cannot tell you. But you, you know who he is you’re just blinded by anger towards your dad,” Kai points towards Dew thoughtfully. You better get to thinking Drew and start being happy.

                “Why aren’t you doing something, Drew? Shouldn’t you have some sort of weapon on you?” I hiss towards him. Those blue eyes turn to me with a smirk on their face. Something tells me he’s got something up his sleeve. I just about die with a serious case of swooning when he bites his lower lip mischievously.

                “Look, I like you kid, I do but my life’s worth more to me than yours,” Kai states after a moment. Oh, so this is some ‘survival of the fittest’ type of shit, every man for himself.

                “What makes you think I won’t get to you first?” Drew bites back cockily.

                “You’re kidding right?” Kai looks at us before choking out a jovial laugh.

                “No, I don’t kid. I’m not fond of jokes,” I jump at the sudden deep voice that comes from an unseen corner of the room. That voice could kill someone in their sleep, used for torture purposes, etc. I give Drew a questioning look but he merely shrugs in response. I think I’m going crazy because I’m pretty sure that was Adrian’s voice.

                “What the hell,” Kai mutters under his breath along with a string of profanities before removing a gun out of his jacket. Okay, I’m just going to do some Lana Del Rey’s Gods and Monsters type of thing, which music in my head sounds like the perfect background. No one’s gonna take my soul away, I’m living like Jim Morrison…

                “Why is your head moving like that?” Drew hisses. This guy doesn’t understand that I love that old time rock and roll, however relevant that is right now. That is the moment in time when a loud ‘whoosh’ sound is heard and Kai falls to the ground by our feet, a dart sticking out of his shoulder blade.

                “Good shot,” Drew calls out, right before Adrian jumps out from behind a bookcase in the room. Some type of dart gun in his hands with a smirk on his face.               

                “You thought so,” it’s so obvious this is going to go to his head.

                “How did you find us?” I question in awe. I mean, it’s not possible for Adrian to be able to know everything so how did this happen?

                “Luke and I tracked your ass,” Adrian smirks. Moments later, the door is thrown down by Lucas who is followed in by a frantic Kohl. I groan as Kohl hurries to my side and begins to look me over. Is it too late to hire Kai, he is a hit man right? I’ve got the perfect victim.

                “This is what happens when you go against your handsome, caring, wise brother,” Kohl gives me a condescending look while I roll my eyes in response. “Oh, the young always thinking they know better,” he tsks at my antics.

                “Minutes Kohl, you’ve got a couple of minutes on me,” I reply with clenched teeth. Lucas gives me a beaming smile before unlocking the handcuffs and finally freeing me from Drew. He’s nice to look at but sometimes a girl needs some time to herself. I rub my slightly red wrist, marking that mimics that on Drew’s as well.

                “So how exactly did you guys track me?” I wonder out loud.

                “There’s a very small tracking chip in the back pocket of your jeans,” Lucas smiles as if all of this is completely normal to him.

                “So when you said you tracked my ass, you literally meant my ass,” I bite my lip as I reach for my back pocket, or rather butt pocket. Ha, I made a funny. I pull out a small, perhaps chocolate chip size of a microchip. So this is how they found me, I should be grateful but my ass somehow feels violated.

                “That’s so cool,” Kohl pipes up. Yes brother, you would find this amusing.

                “Now, first thing’s first, what the hell did you mean about speaking to my dad?” suddenly the room grows quiet at Drew’s question. Even Kohl seems to sense the shift in mood as he backs up until he’s standing by Lucas. Adrian on the other hand, just proceeds to glare at me. Thanks a lot, Drew.

                “Uhm, well, you see, shouldn’t we get out of here first?” I let my gaze drop to the unconscious man lying on the ground. Are we just going to leave a possible killer free? Adrian hands Drew his cell phone right before Drew makes a call, walking a distance away to speak.

                “Who do you think sent him?” Lucas asks as he crouches down to Kai’s strewn body. Adrian nods pensively, his eyes squinting in thought.

                “I don’t think it was his dad,” I pipe up. Damn, I really need to learn to keep my mouth shut. Adrian brings his arms across his chest, Lucas raises an eyebrow in silence, Kohl once again backs away and it’s at this moment that Drew decides to end his call.

                “Speak,” one word from Drew, or rather Dark Drew, that’s all it took for me to open my mouth and spill the beans about my little tête a tête with his dad. The conversation goes better than expected with the occasional snide remark from Adrian, a couple of interruptions from Lucas. Kohl remains unusually quiet and Drew’s eyes speak volumes, well not really, but there is an underlying current of anger. I don’t think Drew’s protective side likes how close his dad got to Lucy.

                “Is that all?” Adrian looks into my eyes as if he were a lie detector, expecting the moment in which he gets to buzz on my lie.

                “He did say he was not the bad guy in this and that we ought to remember that,” I add thoughtfully, trying to recapture every second of our chaste conversation. Mister Collins’s green eyes flash in my mind, eyes that held pain and sorrow. Either he’s innocent or an Emmy deserving actor.

                “I think he’s toying with us,” Drew deadpans before striding towards the door.

“What about him?” Kohl points to Kai.

“Someone will come to get him,” Adrian answers. That’s all we needed to know before going after Drew and out of the apparent warehouse we’d been brought to. Now that we’re not in the back of a van that was going like one hundred miles an hour, it’s so much easier to take in the scenery. Not bad for an abandoned place, how do these people tend to find these places. I am so not cut out to be a villain, I get lost easily. We all pile into Adrian’s black SUV Escalade, which is pretty awesome if I do say so myself. The drive is quiet but I can feel the pent up tension coming from Drew’s silent figure sitting beside me.

“It’s too damn quiet,” Adrian mutters from the front before plugging his iPod in. Green Day’s American Idiot fills in the silence, I drum my fingers against my thigh. I think if my horribly pitched voice were to sing along right now it wouldn’t be well received. Without thinking I grab Drew’s hand and lay them in-between us, I give it a slight squeeze to ease some of his anger. I don’t know, I’m not the best shoulder to cry on. I definitely do not know how to comfort people. I look up and my eyes meet Adrian’s in the rearview mirror, his smirk unnerving. When we pull up into the house we decide to just have some sort of family meeting to let everyone know what’s going on. We all gather in the living room and wait for Sammy and Kim to come down.

“What’s up?” Sammy chirps as she descends the stairs. Instead of going to sit next to Adrian, she comes to sit by my side and I seem to take the brunt of Adrian’s glares. Chill out, bro. I give Sammy a look that says ‘you need to talk to him.’ She gives me one in return that clearly states ‘I can’t, he’s a raging monster and I’m afraid he’ll eat me,’ well not quite but something along those lines.

“Okay, sorry I’m late,” Kim rushes in with a flushed face, the wind from outside seeming to have taken an effect on her.

“You can sit here,” Kohl raises his hand before pointing down at the empty seat beside him. We all try very hard to conceal our laughter at my brother’s love struck antics. Kim gives him an odd look before sitting next to him and then scooting down a couple of inches away from him. My brother needs a couple of lessons on love.

“Okay, so here’s what we know…,” Lucas begins before proceeding to explain all of the current events. I would’ve thought that Drew would be the one to give this little speech but Lucas took on the small crowd with finesse. Not once did my attention deviate from him and Kohl lustfully gazing at Kim doesn’t quite count.

“Wait, if your dad’s not involved why haven’t we contacted him?” Kim directs towards Sammy curiously.

“Because we don’t know if he’s in the clear yet,” Drew snaps before getting up and stomping up the stairs. The sound of a door slamming shut making us flinch slightly.

“He needs to get laid before he kills someone,” Adrian grumbles.

“Why are you all looking at me?” I squeak with a blush rushing to my cheeks. I receive flat looks in return but I decide to ignore them before standing up.

“Where are you going?” Sammy panics, giving me a look as Adrian begins to move towards her.

“Fuck this,” I hear him hiss before hauling Sammy’s petite frame over his shoulder and dragging her away. Yep, I don’t think Adrian will want to see anyone in a few hours. I wonder if Sammy got to take the test, it’s been so hectic around here these last few days. With a shake of the head I trudge up the stairs and in the direction of my room but crashing sounds from the same hall, halt my steps. The door next to mine is ajar, Drew’s room. An empty pitcher and glass are now shattered on the ground, courtesy of Claire no doubt, while Drew paces the room frantically. His biceps flex as he brings his hands up to his face, the muscles in his back taut with tension and I feel like a complete pervert. I speak up just as his hands clenched around a bottle of Jack Daniels.

“Are you going to drink it or trash it?” a faint smile curls my lips as I manage to make the bad boy jump in surprise. I raise an eyebrow in question as my gaze drifts down to the glass bottle clenched in his hand. He gulps before answering.

“Trashing it,” he murmurs looking away, the tell-tale sign of a lie.

“Really, then why was it in your room?”

“For decorative purposes,” he drawls out sarcastically. Yep, definitely spending way too much time with Adrian. He gives me a defiant look before bringing the rim of the glass bottle up to his pink lips, he better not.

“Last time I checked you were eighteen not twenty one,” I can just picture the mother hen look I must wear right now. He smirks before his lips engulf the bottle and he tips his head back, chugging a nice amount of its content. I close the door behind me before I take a couple of steps closer to him. For some reason a pained look shadows over his features and he takes a step back. Since when did I become threatening? Has my five foot four stature of pure muscle finally become ferocious somehow?

“Just go away Khloe,” he whispers. I shake my head before reaching for the bottle and taking it into my own hands. I bring the bottle up to my lips and chug a drink, of course me being me and never having tasted the slightest drop of alcohol, immediately begin to choke at the burning sensation the foreign liquid leaves in my throat. I begin to cough, trying to get accustomed to the drink.

“How the hell do you drink this?” I whisper hoarsely before shoving the bottle in Drew’s direction. He shrugs before carelessly taking another drink.

“I don’t think I want to remember Lucy’s first birthday as the day I met drunk Drew, so how about you put the bottle down and you talk,” I suggest before plopping down on the edge of his bed.

“There’s nothing to talk about,” his face hardens and he throws himself onto the bed, but at least the bottle of liquor was abandoned on the bedside table.

“Why are you so mad?” I huff. He heaves himself up on his elbow so that his face is no longer kissing his pillow before he turns to give me a blazing look. It’s a good thing I’ve grown quite accustomed to his cold persona.

“It doesn’t matter,” he glares before letting himself fall onto the mattress once again.

“Well, I’m gonna head out with Lucy to actually buy her present and if you want to stop being pissy, you’re welcome to come,” I offer heading over to the door. My footsteps echo in the quiet hallway but I don’t hear the thundering ones that usually follow whenever I try to leave. I shake my head and try to ignore the small pang I feel in my chest. Just as I was about to check if Lucy was in her crib, my name being whispered catches my attention. Coming from the other end of the hall I make my way over to the hushed voice. Sammy peeks her head out of her doorway as she motions me inside to her room. I try not to laugh as Adrian lies on the ground looking like he just up and fell over.

“What happened to him?” I point down.

“He fainted when I was explaining to him why I’ve been so distant. I had just gotten to the part where I thought I was pregnant and this happened,” she motions to her unconscious boyfriend. Her hands wring nervously as she bites her lip looking at Adrian a bi hesitantly.

“I’ll go get some water or something,” I hurry downstairs, fill a cup with water and climb back up in record time. I furrow my eyes as Adrian’s form seems to be lying in a different position than last time.

“He woke up and I got through telling him that the test came back negative, he smiled and fell over again,” she huffs as she kicks her boyfriend with her shoe. Now that she mentions it, Adrian does have a faint smile on his face. Nothing can make a guy smile like knowing he’s not about to have a baby at the wrong time. I give Sammy a questioning look as I motion to the glass of cold water in my hand. She smirks before nodding eagerly. I tip the glass over and the water followed by a couple of ice cubes rain down on Adrian’s face jolting him awake immediately.

“Fuck,” he shakes his head of the excess water before jumping up. His eyes narrow in on Sammy and I, who by now have already assumed innocent expressions, and looks us over before his eyes widen in realization. No doubt remembering the latest information his brain has just processed. The most glorious smile that I’ve ever seen grace Adrian’s face.

“It was a false alarm right?” he almost shouts in our faces. Sammy and I turn to each other simultaneously, we give each other looks before turning back to Adrian with solemn faces.

“No,” she whispers with a shake of the head before turning her gaze towards the ground.

“She thought it was a false alarm but a recent test proved she is indeed pregnant,” I add solemnly. I put a ‘comforting’ arm around her shoulders and look at Adrian, who looks like he’s about to have an accident.