A sharp knock on the door pulled me out of my reverie of the events from last night. I looked to the clock - 7:30 AM.

"Good morning, Mr. Greggs," I called as I swung the door open. There stood the man in question with his pants that flowed too long and his button down shirt that ran too large.

"Morning," he croaked, the stench of cigarettes making me wrinkle my nose.

"Coffee?" I asked as I made my way to the kitchen.

He shook his head, "I'm just stopping by," he walked inside and watched me pour the piping liquid into a mug.

"Everything okay?" I raised an eyebrow at his rigid stature.

"Yes. No. I had something I wanted to run past you. It's not bad. I think. Well, it might not be great as well, though I think it's pretty great, but I also thought that the-" A knock on the door interrupted Mr. Greggs' blabbering.

Ms. Smith pooped her head into my apartment. She looked in between Mr. Greggs in surprise, "Oh! I didn't know you had company."

"Company is a bit of an overstatement," Mr. Greggs mumbled.

"Hey!" I protested. "I'm excellent company. I offered you coffee."

"I don't want to interrupt," Ms. Smith began which made me want to butt in with a since when but didn't, and I considered that substantial personal growth. "But I was hoping to get that cookie recipe off of you, Emily?"

"Oh, sure. It's less of a recipe and more a scattering of ingredients laying around in my brain," I confessed taking a sip of my coffee.

"I would expect no less from you," Ms. Smith teased. I think. "Maybe you can come by tonight and help me make a batch? I'm testing desserts out."

I shrugged, "Sure. I have work soon but I can come by after."

"Great!" She clapped her hands together. She took another look at Mr. Greggs, "Well, I'll see you tonight, Emily!"

"Looking forward to it," I replied drily. I looked at Mr. Greggs with interest as I slurped out of my mug loudly and irritatingly.

He noticed me right away, "What?" He snapped defensively.

"What's up with you two?"

"Goddamn kids these days," he muttered as he stomped out of my apartment, "Can't keep their noses out of anyone's business."

"Love you, too!" I called out before closing my door and making my way to see Daniel.

I knocked on apartment 4D and waited patiently before it was swung open by a seemingly forever grinning Daniel. "Emily," he greeted.

"Daniel," I laughed as I walked in.

"I'm not gonna lie, I'm on a new kind of low right now after last night. Lucas is doing interviews at the gym and I begged him to let me crash some but he's being a stubborn jerk about it," he pouted crossing his arms across his chest.

He reached into his chair and pulled out a Reese's, opening the package and holding it out for me. I shook my head at him before he scarfed down two pieces, "What's the meaning of my life now?" He whined with a mouth full of chocolate.

"Can you relax?" I laughed.

"Let's do something!" He cheered holding the last piece of chocolate in between his fingers. "Let's go to an amusement park!"

We both looked down at his chair and he groaned. "Not worth it. How about a coffee and then we meet up at the gym?"

I shrugged, "Just check with Lucas first."

He slipped his phone out and within a minute was pumping his fist, "He says as long as you're okay with it and to take his car. He's going to tell the last interviewer that we're coming so I can sit in! You are okay with it, aren't you? You wouldn't want me to be down and depressed and sad-"

"-Actually," I interrupted as he put his palm up to stop me from speaking.

"-and lonely and upset and devoid of meaning? Right?"

I sighed, "Right."

He grinned up at me.

"We really need to work on your manipulative side," I stated drily as I slipped my shoes back on.

"You say manipulative, I say persistent. Tomato, tomah-toe," He clarified as he exited with me.

Five minutes later we were strapped down in Lucas's car. I had checked the rear view mirror ten times, made sure both of us were buckled in, and adjusted my seat all the way forward.

"Are we planning on leaving anytime soon?" Daniel piped from the backseat.

"Keep it down back there. I'm trying to focus on the road," I muttered as I readjusted my seat.

"I would if there was any actual driving happening," he murmured.

I slowly backed out and made my way to Lucas's gym at the speed of a grandmother. Scratch that, grandmothers were zipping past me and tossing me the finger as they did so.

As we drove up to Lucas's gym, I noticed Sweaty Frank loitering at the corner of the building, watching the car intently, his hand holding a phone up to his ear.

Something about his face made me second guess the trip and I backed out quicker than I had the entire trip.

"Hey!" Daniel protested.

I shushed him as I drove along the same road, thinking it would be better to just go back to the condo at this point. Within a minute, I noticed a black SUV appearing out of nowhere and trailing me. "Get your brother on speaker please, Daniel."

Daniel caught onto my tone immediately and dialled the number. "Hello?" Lucas's deep voice answered, immediately settling my anxious stomach.

I reached for the phone, holding it in front of my face, "Lucas, I think we're being followed," I whispered shakily, "I saw Frank outside of your gym on the phone and now there's a black SUV following us."

I heard a door jingle, "Frank isn't here, Emily. Is the car still behind you?" He asked.

"Yes," I confirmed. I turned onto another street and it skillfully remained stuck to my backside, "I'm trying to lose him but I can't."

"Baby, listen to me. Do not try to lose him, you hear me? Drive straight to a police station, fire station, a goddamn hospital, I don't care, but get into a crowd and get out of the car," he urged me. I could hear hushed voices and keys before an ignition started.

I looked behind me and noticed the car had trailed further away from me. "Oh, I think I'm losing him, Lucas," I stated in relief.

"I'm coming to you now, please move to a crowd and get out of the car, baby," he begged as I heard the car rev at the speed he was going.

"Lucas, I think-" the loud vibration of a car smashing into the passenger side threw the phone out of my hand as my head whipped into the window, ricocheting off of the airbag that had popped out.

"Emily? Emily?!"

I couldn't feel my leg. I couldn't feel my body. What was happening? Daniel. Daniel.

I forced an eye open but I couldn't see as a sticky substance blocked my eyesight. I wiped my hand against my face and it came out red. Blood?

I tried to move my lower half but I couldn't. What was going on? I looked down to see a gash overflowing with blood on my leg from where the wheel had jammed into me.

"Daniel," I croaked out but no sound followed, only a grunt.

"Emily?" I heard Daniel's panicked voice call.

"Daniel," I repeated and this time it was somewhat coherent. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. You're bleeding, Emily. I can't open the door," He sobbed.

"I can help with that," A familiar croaky voice interrupted. I looked up to see Silva standing at the side of the car, his familiar tattooed face too repugnant for me to ever forget.

"Hey, guys," he grinned. "I've been meaning to hang out but I feel like you've been avoiding me." He cocked his head to the side. "I thought I'd catch you walking from your usual bus stop but this worked out okay, too."

The driver's side opened and there stood Frank. He gave me a once over before pulling me out of the car and dumping me onto the pavement. I looked around me frantically but saw no one around. No other cars. Not a soul to be found on this desolate road. My leg throbbed and my head felt woozy as blood trickled down my face.

Frank pulled Daniel out of the car and deposited his body next to mine. I reached over for his hand and clasped it with my own, but my gaze remained steely on Silva.

"Which one you want?" Frank asked as he eyed us.

"Which is more valuable to Lucas, huh?" Silva bent down in front of me and used his finger to draw down my face, "The girlfriend? Or the handicap?"

I flinched at his touch. "You don't want Daniel," I asserted as I dropped Daniel's hand quickly.

"No?" He grinned at me, "You're awfully willing to come along with me."

I shrugged, the sensation burning my back as I did so, "Just saying, you don't want a handicap to drag along with you. The chair is a huge nuisance." I had to spit the words out of my mouth, they were so disgusting to me.

Frank looked at Daniel, "Maybe she's right, boss. We're not really a wheelchair accessible lot."

"Hey! I'm Lucas's brother. She's just an employee," Daniel protested and I used my hand to subtly pinch his palm, warning him to shut up.

"He's a pain in the ass," I argued, "He'll never shut up."

"She drives like a grandmother and arguably makes poor driving decisions altogether."

"He keeps a secret stash of candy that I can never figure out where he's hiding."

"She digs into your deep, dark secrets and won't stop asking questions."

"I ask too many questions?" I shot back.

"Enough!" Silva's voice rang out. "She's right about the chair. Take her, it'll be easier." He looked at my leg, "unless you can't walk either?"

"I can walk," I stated firmly. I'd drag a bloody stump of a leg across the road if it meant him taking me instead of Daniel.

"I believe her," Frank shrugged.

"Thanks, Sweaty Frank," I stated in monotone.

"I have a minor blocked glands condition," he frowned at me.

"Get her in the car," Silva decided leaning down in front of Daniel and staring him down. "Leave the kid. He'll get the message to Lucas. If he doesn't fight me tonight, I'll make sure his precious little girlfriend doesn't have legs to stand on anymore."

Frank pulled me up and I realized I couldn't put any weight on one leg, so I dragged it uselessly on the floor and quickened my pace to the SUV before Silva noticed and switched his kidnapped victim.

Frank tossed me in the car and I took a glance back at a sobbing Daniel, sitting alone and in terror on the pavement.

~~~~

My poor baby Daniel.

I think there's two chapters left and it's bugging the crap out of me that I can't end on an even number.