"What are you doing here? How did you even find us? Did you follow me here", the questions just keep splurging from my mouth.
I thought I made sure we weren't being followed.
Her eyes narrowed at me and she crossed her arms across her chest. I try not to notice how the tiny action pushes up her breasts making them look..
Focus!
"I didn't follow you. I tracked your phone because you were ignoring my calls and texts", she defends.
I can't believe she did that even after I asked her in the letter to do the exact opposite.
We were about to get into it right there until Wayne pointed out something further down the road.
His eyes widened. "Uh Blake, we have to go now!".
My head whipped around just in time to see two black cars speeding down the road in our direction.
This could only mean one of two things. Two oddly suspicious cars just so happened to be speeding directly towards us or Dexter found us and sent his men to come after us.
I'm betting on the latter.
I went into full on panic mode. "Get in the car now!", I shouted. And I didn't need to tell them twice.
In under five seconds we were speeding down the road.
"What the hell is going on Blake?", Alana was close to hyperventilating as she kept looking back at the two cars gaining on us.
"I think they followed your girlfriend here and she led them right to us", Wayne snorted at the same moment I took a sharp left turn and his body slammed against the car door. It was my time to snort as he groaned.
Serves him right.
I looked out the rearview mirror and I saw the cars getting even closer. It was no mistake. They were definitely chasing us.
And Alana had basically given our location to Dexter on a silver platter by coming to look for me.
"Calm down Lana", our eyes met in the mirror for a second, "why didn't you just stay away?". The last part I said mainly to myself.
Wayne doesn't say anything else but I can already imagine the comments swirling around in his head.
"Did you mean what you said in the letter?".
I didn't hesitate. "Every word".
A faint smile crossed her face but disappeared quicker than it came, "Then I'm coming with you".
"This should be fun", Wayne commented sounding strangely amused as he held unto his seat.
Glancing back at the cars one last time I did what I do best. Dexter's main reason for using me for his 'deliveries' is because I'm an awesome driver. It's time for me to remind him of that and leave these guys in the dust.
******************
"Blake come with me", mom says as she tells my friends to make themselves at home. She pushes me up the stairs and she ushers me into her office, the second the door closes, her welcoming smile disappears.
"What did I tell you about hanging around with that girl", she says outraged.
Apparently I'm too appalled to even be upset.
"Wow mom", my voice sounds vaguely amused, "we just escaped Dexter's men and that's the first thing you say to me".
She doesn't seem to have heard anything I've said.
"Listen to me boy", she sounds calmer now. "I know what's best for you. You are my son after all".
Only when it's convenient. I keep myself from saying.
"I know this is important to you mother, and I will go along with your plan like I promised I would. As long as Dexter doesn't kill me first".
She envelopes me in a hug and I'm caught off guard but reluctantly I hug her back.
"I'm glad you're okay Blake and I may not say this a lot but I do love you son. I will never let anyone hurt you. Especially not Dexter".
Pulling back from the hug I turn to face her, "Well you could've fooled me, the way they were chasing us this afternoon".
"I will take care of it", she sits down on the sofa across from the huge bookshelf, "I already have some intel and if all goes to plan then I'll have the chip back in my hands in two days".
What?
I'm confused. "But how? I only told you I lost the chip a few hours ago".
She smirks. My mother just smirked. "You don't need to worry about that. I'll take it from here. All you need to do is lay low until I get the situation under control".
I don't reply I just raise a suspicious eyebrow.
"You've done enough Blake. Now it's my turn. I've had some time to think about what you've told me I don't want you getting any deeper in this than you already are", she pauses and stared me dead in the eye, "do you trust me?".
Our gazes are locked on each other as I take a second to contemplate, "You may not be the mother of the year but I do know that I can trust you. So yes, I trust you mom. With my life".
She seems content with my reply, and she clasps her hands together as she leans back into the sofa.
"Good", she smiles genuinely for once, "now go to your friends. And Blake?".
I turn from my position at the door to face her, "Yes mother".
"Stay away from the girl and stick to the plan. Your marriage is the solution for everything".
I turn completely to face her now, "Will you ever tell me why?", I folded my arms, "why you don't want me to date Alana".
Her expression turns serious immediately and she gets up from her seat and walks over to me, "You'll find out soon enough. And you'll thank me".
She opens the door and the next thing I know I am standing in the hallway facing the closed door.
It's just like her to be all cryptic and secretive and still expect me to blindly obey her like a good little boy.
But deep down a part of me thinks that I should listen to her this time.
*****************
"This is a really nice house", Alana comments when she sees me.
Mom had asked one of the housekeepers to show my friends to the guest rooms earlier.
"Yeah, I guess", I said as I walked into her room closing the door behind me.
She nods looking awkwardly around the room as if trying to avoid my eyes.
Okay Blake it's now or never.
"Alana we need to talk".
She scoffs but there is still a faint smile on her face as she says, "No shit Blake".
"So who were those people following us today? Are you in a gang or something?".
"Don't be ridiculous Lana, I'm not in a gang. Those people were just the henchmen of a very angry business man".
"I like the gang story better", she muses, trying to lighten the mood.
"That's not what I wanted to talk about anyway", I say and she snorts.
Rolling my eyes I take a seat beside her on the bed. But no words leave my mouth and we just sit together like that for a while.
"Why didn't you tell me?", she asks after a while.
Somehow I know exactly what she meant. "I wanted to tell you Lana believe me".
Her eyes finally meets mine. We are sitting so close together that I can almost feel the heat off her skin radiating into mine.
Somehow I know what she wants to ask me even before she actually does. It's the same thing Natasha had asked me.
"Do you love her", her eyes searched mine for an answer.
Sighing I ran my fingers through my blonde hair, "You read the letter Lana", is my only reply.
"I want to hear you say it", she urges, "I need to hear you say it".
This time I look her dead in the eyes hoping she'll believe me, "I don't love her Lana" my hand reaches for her and I intertwine our fingers.
"And what about Natasha?".
"I liked Natasha but we're over now".
She nodded and for a second I think she's okay but then I notice a tear rolling down her cheek.
I move to wipe it away but she stands up and detaches her hand from mine.
"So you hurt them", her voice breaks, "the same way you hurt me?".
She's full on sobbing now and each tear drop only breaks my heart.
"The last thing I wanted to do was to hurt you Alana", I grab her and wrap her body in my arms as she sobs into my chest, "I never wanted you to get hurt".
She pulls away from our embrace and when I see her red rimmed eyes all I want to do is to hold her forever so no one can ever hurt her again.
"But you did Blake", she emphasizes, "you kissed me and then you pretended like it never happened. Next you were sleeping with all those women and then that night while finishing up Mr. Sagal's case you met Natasha and less than a week later you're planning your wedding with the person I despise most! So tell me Blake was all that not meant to hurt me?".
I know she is right but I can't help myself from saying, "What about Patrick, you went out with him!".
She shook her head and sat back down on the bed, "I wanted to make you jealous but you didn't care, so I dumped him and then we got into that stupid fight and you were more upset about Castle season four being cancelled than losing me. I even had to convince you to come to the fashion show so we could finish Mr. Sagal's case and th-".
"And that night I left with Natasha"; I said the words that she left off.
A part of me wanted to be petty and just throw in, that she missed my exhibition because she went out with some guy I don't even know but bringing up all that would only make this situation worse.
What could I say now? Sorry.
I was beyond that. I had screwed up so badly.
"You're right Lana. I messed up what we had before it even started".
I remember what mom had said to me that night. Someway, somehow she had known about our kiss and her threat is still fresh in my mind. I still don't understand why she cares whether Lana and I date or not. Back then, she hadn't even met Lana as yet. She probably doesn't want anything to mess with her plan to marry me off and merge our company with the Winters.
But then for some reason all my emotions led me back to one thing. Heather had asked me to trust her. She says she has a reason why I shouldn't be with Alana and I guess I have to believe her which means I can't string Lana along any longer. So I said the truth for once.
"I never wanted this to happen or for you to get hurt Alana. But we couldn't be together then and we can't be together now".
"But why?", she asks defiantly.
Shaking my head I run my fingers over my eyes. I don't have the right answer for her because I don't even know why myself, but for now what I say next would have to suffice. With a slight shake of my head I turn to face her.
"I'm getting married Alana, it's too late now. We should just let this go".
With that I turn and I leave her room.
Now that I think about it, it almost seems ridiculous that Dexter would still allow me to marry Za when he knows about the chip. But heather had said earlier that our marriage was the solution and I intended to figure out what she meant by that.
I am on my way to check up on Wayne when my phone vibrated in my pocket.
I quickly take it out but stop in my tracks when I see the video on the screen.
Little Adrianna is in her bedroom playing with her toys and whoever took this video was in there with her. I can tell the video was taken earlier today because the sun is up in the video but it's currently close to midnight now.
My mind goes into a world of panic. I shouldn't have gone to Adrian's place last night. I told him I didn't want to drag him into this but now I did just that. I had been positive at the time that I wasn't being followed.
Whoever sent this video was inside his daughter's room.
A few seconds later my phone beeps with a text message and my heart plummets in my chest when I see who the sender is.
Dexter.