Louis felt all of the muscles in his body tighten as he blankly stared at his phone. He could barely believe the notification read, "New Email from Riley Naysmith."
How is this possible? He thought.
The man was confused, to say the least. The last time Louis saw Riley, he was dead. "Great, he survived. Again."
With a sigh, Louis shoved his phone into his pocket. "I'd rather pretend like he's dead. Whatever is in that email, I don't trust it." He sighed. "Why would Riley even want to email me anyway? I'm his mortal enemy's best friend. It doesn't make any sense."
From the other side of the room, Ken Stokes waved in Louis' direction. "Hey, man! Can I get your help?"
Louis took a deep breath as he decided to ignore the email altogether. It's nothing but trouble, he thought.
He looked over his shoulder at Ken. "Of course, I'll help you, brother."
***
In the forest outside of Baltimore, Riley trudged out of Lincoln's bunker.
"Great," he said. "This is just great."
Lincoln had instructed Riley to go spy on Louis and the Demon Sect. Riley was less than thrilled with his new marching orders. "I wish I'd never sent that email."
Sunlight streamed through the tree branches in the forest. The sound of birds chirping and critters flitting about filled the air. It was a beautiful day. It was almost as if Mother Nature herself were trying to mock Riley.
He kicked the dirt on the ground, sending up a puff of dust. "Some master plan this is. Riley, go bust your ass while Justin, Dangles, and I sit and eat bonbons. Unreal."
Riley clenched his jaw. "Go spy on Louis? What does he think I am? An amateur? Yeah, screw that. I can't believe I blew up my life's research for this." He gestured around himself. "A lousy forest and a crazy old man."
Dramatically, he slouched on one of the trees. He dreamily looked into the distance. "I had an army of men who bowed to my will. I could have ruled the world. But, no, Lincoln doesn't get it. 'Super soldiers are a waste of money, Riley!' Lincoln doesn't get anything. I should have known. He is an Ambrose, after all."
He clenched his jaw. "He's just as useless as his grandson. I guess idiocy runs in their DNA."
He hit his head on the tree trunk out of frustration. "Lincoln's not strong enough to take down Alex. Follow Louis and the Demon Sect.? Are you kidding me? What kind of idea is that? A little one. I have big-picture ideas. I'm a big-picture kind of man, and what am I doing? Spying on Louis! My talents are wasted!"
Discontented, Riley pursed his lips. "Does Lincoln think we're all blind? It's obvious he wants Justin to take over. And what has Justin accomplished? Absolutely nothing."
Riley's pulse hammered in his throat the angrier he got. "Justin is the most useless of them all. He never does anything for himself. Well, I shouldn't say that. He does use his mommy, daddy, and grandfather's money to buy expensive cars and motorcycles. Then he uses those to help him pick up chicks, not that he even needs the help. Every time I blink he's with another woman. It's infuriating."
He scoffed. "What am I even doing here? It's pathetic. I should have never put my trust in Lincoln. I believed all of the nonsense he told me, but he was just using me to get closer to Alex." He gritted his teeth. "No one uses me and gets away with it."
Riley wasn't used to taking orders from others. He was usually the man in charge, and he didn't like the way the tides had changed. He smacked himself across the face. "Snap out of it, Naysmith. Focus. What is the most important thing? World domination. That's what I have to focus on. Screw Lincoln and his insufficient scheming."
Riley looked forward. He pressed his hands together, forming a steeple. "I'm going on my own. I can do my own scheming. I'll write my own destiny."
With a surge of determination, he stormed out of the forest.
Riley's car, a Jaguar convertible, was parked right at the edge of the woods.
He stepped into the driver's seat and lowered the roof. After he threw on a pair of aviator sunglasses, he revved the engine. "You know what, I think I'll spy on Louis after all, but not for Lincoln. No, no. I'm doing this for myself. I've got a new master plan."
As the engine roared, Riley slammed his foot on the gas. The car rocketed forward.
Riley was officially on his own now. He had finally managed to get out from under Lincoln's oppressive thumb.
A wild smirk danced on his lips. "Time to take matters into my own hands. Screaming Eagle Dojo, here I come."
***
After Debbie and Alex returned to the house, their relationship was so strained, it was nonexistent.
Alex sent everyone else away. Tom Sawyer went home. Ken and Louis went off to do their documentary. Christopher and Yvonne were snuggling up elsewhere, and Alex forced his parents to leave.
Now, he was alone with Debbie.
Alex gestured around the room. "Uh, make yourself at home."
Debbie offered him a smile that was obviously forced. "Thanks, Alex."
The situation was awkward. The two had been dating for so long that Alex forgot what it was like to be friends with her. He found himself floundering in her presence.
I feel like I'm a kid again, he thought. Looking at her now, I have a bunch of butterflies in my stomach. I have the woman of my dreams in front of me, and there's nothing that I can do about it.
He glanced at Debbie as she paced around the living room, taking it all in.
Alex felt his heart hammering in his chest. Push the feelings away, he thought. It's useless. I can't ignore my feelings for Debbie. I mean look at her.
Debbie's long dark hair reached the middle of her back. She was effortlessly elegant. As she turned her head to the side, her side profile looked as if it could have been sculpted by Michelangelo. She was classic and beautiful in a timeless way.
It was impossible for Alex to tamp down his love for her. Still, he understood that he needed to earn back her trust. It takes time for a heart to mend. If that meant he had to wait forever, he might do just that. Debbie was worth it.
Her eyes trailed across the room. She glanced around at the bookshelves and photographs. "I can tell that your mother was here. Everything's moved around."
Forgetting how to act, Alex laughed a little too loudly. "Yeah, she did a number on the place. I felt bad for sending her and my father off to a hotel, but what was I going to do? The house would have gone through another renovation if she stayed!"
Debbie chuckled, and as she did, her eyes lit up. "Classic Flora."
The sight of Debbie's smile made Alex's heart skip a beat. He looked at her with yearning eyes. "Yeah, I don't know. I can barely deal with my parents anymore. I think they're getting worse with age."
Debbie waved a dismissive hand in Alex's direction. "Oh, come on. Your parents aren't that bad. You're lucky. Just be happy they love you so much. At least, they care. You know?"
Alex nodded. "Yes, they care, but a little too much at times. My mom's convinced microplastics are going to kill her and everyone she loves."
Debbie raised an eyebrow. "What are microplastics?"
Alex threw his hands up. "The hell if I know!"
Playfully, Debbie put her head in her hands. "Oh, my. I can't even imagine."
Butterflies fluttered in Alex's stomach. It was as if he were seeing Debbie with fresh eyes. A nervous lump rose to his throat, reminding him of the jitters that overcame him on their first date.
Alex kneaded the knot in the back of his neck. "So, would you like dinner? I have a recipe for chicken fricassee I'd love to try out. I know you love my cooking."
A look of discomfort swept across Debbie's face. Immediately, Alex realized he made a mistake. Debbie looked uncomfortable. Was it something I said? He thought.
She shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "Uh, no thanks. Maybe we could just order a pizza?"
Alex swallowed hard. "Uh, yeah, sure. I'll pick the place if you want."
Debbie shook her head as she pulled out her phone. "No, I got it. I'll call somewhere and have them deliver." As she raised the phone to her ear, Debbie walked into the other room.
As soon as she left, Alex anxiously chewed on his fingernails. Why am I so awkward? You've known her for years. Snap out of it, Alex. It's just Debbie.
When Debbie returned, she held her purse in her hand. She shoved her wallet inside the bag. Now that Debbie was standing in front of him in all her glory, Alex realized snapping out of it would be a difficult, if not impossible, task.
In a panic, Alex reached out. "Uh, here. I can take your bag."
Debbie tried to placate the man by giving him a soft smile. "It's fine. I got i–"
Before she could finish her sentence, Alex snatched the purse out of her hands and simply set it on the ground.
Debbie raised her eyebrows. "Oh, wow. Thanks for that, Alex. I guess you never hear the old superstition that it's bad luck to put a purse on the floor."
Alex bit his lip. "Yeah, I don't… uh, I don't. Uh, I, um."
He stopped stuttering when Debbie stepped forward in front of him. She calmly strolled in the direction of the couch. "There was actually something I wanted to talk to you about."
Alex rushed in front of Debbie and plopped himself on the couch. "Of course. Please sit down." He patted the cushion next to him.
Debbie sat down a little further down the couch, keeping a respectable distance between them. "Uh, well, I was thinking about how we were both living here."
Was this it? Was Debbie going to tell Alex she wanted him back? He hoped so. He scooted closer to her. "Yeah?"
Subtly, Debbie shuffled away from him. "Well, it might be a bit uncomfortable for us now that we aren't dating."
Relieved, Alex shifted over again. "Ah, I was thinking the same exact thing."
Debbie couldn't move down any further. She was at the edge of the couch. She clenched her jaw. "Well, I think I should move out."