The Bad Boy’s…What?

Drew’s POV:

“Drew, would you stop pacing. You’re about to wear out the carpet.” I glare at the back of Claire’s head for her comment. Stop pacing, does she also want me to stop worrying about my missing girlfriend? Khloe, who’s been gone for two fucking days while I sit around trying to figure out where the hell she’s at. All of this is going through my head and she wants me to stop pacing the fucking carpet. I don’t think so.

I whirl around to tell her just that when I notice the way with which she busies herself around the school. Her hands shake as she goes about dusting the already pristine objects. Her body trembles with a shaky breath and I step closer to her while my arm subconsciously weaves around her shoulders. That seems to be what finally makes the rubber band snap, her shoulders hunch further as a sob wracks her body.

“She’s my girl. I’ve looked after her since she was a baby, it was my job to look after Khloe and Kohl when their parents no longer could. I failed.” She presses her face into my chest and I can feel the tears soak through my shirt. I say nothing as I let her eyes exert every tear they dare cry for Khloe. After moments of silence, Roger walks into the room. He gives me a grateful look before his eyes soften towards Claire, with that he takes her from my arms and into his. I watch their retreating backs for a moment longer before pulling my cell phone out. My fingers fly furiously over the phone before I raise it towards my ear.

“What the hell do you want?” I have to grit my teeth together to keep from lashing out at the pest on the other end of the line.

Mike.

I hate him and he knows it.

The only reason I’m even calling this punk is Khloe. He knows that too, but he should also know not to anger me unless he wants his intestines on the floor staring back at him.

“Have you heard anything on Khloe?”

“I told you I’d call you if I did. Seeing as you’re calling me I’d suspect you’d have another reason.”

I hate this little piece of shit.

“I want you to give me any addresses that may link to your father.” If I have to send men to a hundred places, I will with the sole intent of bringing Khloe back home. I’ll fucking look crawling on my knees if I have to, but I’m not gonna sit around and do nothing.

“You do realize that I’ll put my own neck on the line if I do that,” he answers. My silence signifies how much I don’t care for his neck. He’s lucky I didn’t snap it myself for bullying Khloe all these years. “I’ll fax them over to you now. I have a feeling something big’s about to happen.”

“What makes you say that?” I glance up as the sound of footsteps approaches me. Adrian’s wearing his usual scowl as he climbs down the stairs. My sister follows behind him and oh so sweetly gestures at the stick up his ass.

“Everyone’s too quiet around here and I think someone may be onto me. I’ll head over to yours shortly.” I hear his phone shut off before looking towards Adrian and Sammy.

“Mike’s about to fax me the addresses, we have to divide and look. I don’t think we have a lot of time. Get my dad over here, I think there’s some things he still needs to tell us.” Sammy nods before trotting back up the stairs in search of our dad. Adrian just stands there trying to burn me with his glare. I don’t need to ask him to know what he’s about to tell me.

“You don’t seriously trust that punk, do you?” I head over in the direction of the study and begin to compile a folder of some very important papers.

“He’s the only one that can even remotely help us. I have to try something,” I bite back.

“That kid could very well send us to our own deaths.”

“Which is why you shouldn’t go. I can do this on my own.” I shrug at the death glare he sends my way. Just as he opens his mouth, to tell me how stupid I am no doubt, the door to the room opens. Sammy walks in with my dad on her tail. The older man’s been wearing a permanent grimace since he caught wind of what happened to Khloe. The fact that she was with us at the time surely does not help.

“I know why I’m here, so let’s cut to the chase.” My dad takes a seat on the couch lining the wall. Adrian glares at me before leaning on the desk in front of the couch and Sammy sits next to my dad. We all look at my dad expectantly, waiting for him to fill in the blanks. Lucas and the rest of the gang walk in just as my dad was about to begin talking.

“Sorry,” Ruby pipes in flustered. We just shrug in response and look towards my dad once again.

“I told you that I owed Khloe’s parents for saving our lives. If it hadn’t been for them Drew wouldn’t have been born. So, when they came to me afraid of what ‘Mason’ might do to their children, I felt it was my duty to help them. They were good people and very close friends of mine. Kade, despite how much of an asshole his brother was, didn’t want to hurt David. That’s his real name, David Mason.

I hired him as my right hand man to keep him close, and over the years I thought he’d really gotten over the whole ordeal. He couldn’t possibly still hate Emily for choosing his brother, but I was wrong. I didn’t realize he was the one who tampered with the plane that killed them.” My dad pauses as Kohl flinches at the mention of the death of his parents. Kim rubs a hand on his back comfortingly and I smile at the thought of Khloe calling them out on it.

Though I still wonder how my brother could get the girl, her voice taunts me. I’m snapped out of my thoughts as my dad begins to speak again.

“When you walked in on your mom and I that day,” my dad looks at me. “The day I accused her of cheating on me and I kicked her out. We had just found out about the plane incident, we hadn’t any idea. In order to protect her and our unborn child we devised the plan to remove her from the house. Perhaps if Mason thought I no longer cared about the baby he wouldn’t go after her.” The last piece of the puzzle snaps together and I realize why mom died with the love for my father unruffled. He’d never stop loving her, in fact he let her go just because he loved her.

“The day she died,” he continues. “You guys left her alone for the smallest of moments at the house you guys were staying at. While Adrian and Sammy went to the pharmacy, Drew and Lucas went to the bank. I used that opportunity to sneak into the house and speak to Mia. It was the only way I could talk to her and see our daughter.

She updated me on how you guys were doing me, but also told me that we had to go look for Khloe. We knew that Kade and Emily sent Kohl to military school to protect him, they would never have gotten rid of you.” My dad looks at Kohl sympathetically.Exclusive content © by Nô(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.

“They were actually going to send Khloe to boarding school as well, but they didn’t have the chance. Your mom had been weak, yes, but not enough that she wouldn’t have made it through. When I left her she was fine and we promised to see each other again.

That day you guys ordered take out and made a special request for someone to bring your mom’s favorite seltzer. I know you guys left the room to go into your own, and left Drew alone with his mom. I think Mia knew Mason was after her, she assured me she’d always love me. The drug they used burned through her system quickly, that’s why they just ruled it as natural causes. I’ve been after him since I found out he killed her, he’s going to pay. That’s all I know.

Besides Kohl not telling Khloe he already knew Lucas before he came back home. I take it he hasn’t told Khloe he met Lucas at military school?” We all shake our heads. I don’t know how Khloe will take that, we didn’t know Kohl.

Just Lucas.

But try telling that to that hard-headed girl. Besides, it was Kohl’s secret to tell.

Hard-headed, if anything I’m awesome, I hear her voice in my head again. All of that is soon replaced by the fury I feel with the knowledge that Mason caused my mom’s death. How many people has that bastard actually killed?

I have to find Khloe.

I’ll be damned if someone else dies at his hand.

Especially not the girl I fucking love.