Drake's mouth curved into a half smile. Would Brad think of nothing to challenge him?
He reached under the belly of the Ford Taurus and lifted it as anyone else might lift a skateboard. Even Sam stared wide-eyed, mouth agape, as he stood there holding the car over his head.
After the strength demonstration, Brad interviewed Sam and focused on the pregnancy and her escape. Drake sat next to her and held her hand, but had little to contribute to the conversation until the end.
"And Drake, when you and Sam were finally about to escape, what made you decide to use mind control on Sam?"
Drake's blood pressure shot through the roof. Was Brad trying to start a fight?
"I had to protect her and our baby. I had no other choice."
The interview ended.
Drake stood and clenched his fists. "Brad. Kitchen. Now."
They faced each other over the center island where knives and a cutting board lay. Brad eyed them warily, but he must've known Drake didn't need weapons to eviscerate him.
"What the hell, man? Are you trying to drive a wedge between Sam and me? Trying to get us to fight so you can swoop in on another one of my girlfriends?"
Brad took a step back and raised his arms in retreat. "What are you talking about? Of course not. I love you and Sam. No way do I want to cause problems."
Drake's blood surged in his veins. He slammed his fist down on the island, scattering the knives. "You slept with Kylie. She may not have been the love of my life, but what were you thinking?"
Brad's mouth dropped. "How do you even know about that?"
"So, you don't deny it? We ran into her on the beach. My girlfriend reads minds. You do the math."
"Did Kylie happen to think up what happened before I slept with her? Or the circumstances?"
"Does it matter?"
"Yeah, I'd say it does. You had been gone for weeks, no word—I thought you were dead, man. I was out drinking, she bumped into me, and after too many shots, stuff happened that I barely remember. You'd already dumped her. You were gone, and I was miserable." Brad's shoulders slumped forward. "You really getting pissed at me for this?"
Drake paused. Kylie meant nothing to him; she never had. She'd been a temporary escape from his insane life, and he was a status symbol for her. No surprise that she'd seduced Brad.
"Whatever. She's nothing. But Sam means everything to me and it's already tense between us right now. Your questions aren't helping."
Brad walked around the island to stand by Drake. "I'm sorry. It's just, I know what people like to read. This stuff sells, and right now we need major hits. I didn't mean to mess things up for you."
Drake held Brad's stare. They'd been best friends for, well, forever. Brad had risked his life, his job, and walked away from his home to help them.
"We're cool, man. You're right. It doesn't matter. Sorry I'm so messed up right now. I'm just... angry. I hate feeling this powerless. At least you are helping Sam in some way. What am I doing but sitting around making sure she eats? We need to go after the Seeker. I can't afford to wait for something bad to happen."
"So what are you going to do?"
"If Sam won't stay behind while I hunt, then I'll have to go without telling her."
Chapter 40 – Sam
When I woke up from my nap, the house felt almost empty—at least empty of the chatter and movement of four people—and a scent from the kitchen made my stomach rumble and mouth water.
The talons of sleep clung to me as I used the restroom and changed out of my sweats. I'd been sleeping a lot lately, but it seemed to help with the drug withdrawals and pregnancy.
Drake stood in the kitchen with a skillet in hand. He smiled when I entered the room. "I wanted to surprise you with a date night. Things have been... tense... between us. I thought we could use some time alone, so Brad and Bernard left us the house for a while."
Candles and a vase of yellow lilies—my favorite—turned the ordinary kitchen table into a romantic getaway. Butterflies danced in my stomach, and I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. I loved Drake so much, and I craved some time with him, but I hadn't known how to make it possible with life so crazy.
"This is amazing, Drake. I love it. Thank you."
He pulled out my chair and encouraged me to sit as he brought out our meal: a spinach salad with chopped pear, goat cheese, roasted pine nuts and raspberry vinaigrette, followed by baked swordfish, asparagus and fresh biscuits.
He sat across from me. "I thought we could use some time together. Also, it's a celebration, of sorts."
"Oh? What are we celebrating?"
"While you were sleeping, Brad's video went viral. Like tens-of-thousands-of-hits-viral. It's amazing, really. I didn't think it could be done, but you two did it."