Frayed Edges

Next Time It'll Be You

There was once a time where Mia could show up unannounced at Drew's door without him batting an eyelid. Years later however it was a much more complex affair.

She brushed straight past the doorman without a word as he shot her a curious glance. It seemed he also knew Drew's new policy towards uninvited guests.

After her talk with Alex her only focus was finding Drew and demanding an explanation. She left him voicemail after voicemail but she knew he was screening her calls. It was more than likely that he had already heard about her meeting with her brother. He seemed to have ears everywhere at the best of times, and if it was true that Alex was his right hand man in this suicide mission, she was sure he was already making plans to keep her quiet.

The elevator arrived with a gentle ping and she entered as soon as the doors began to open. She began hammering the button for Drew's floor furiously. The doorman gave her one last look over his shoulder as the doors slid close and for a moment Mia thought he looked almost sympathetic.

The journey to the final floor was agonising and in her paranoid state she wondered if Drew had the capability to slow down it's ascent. When it finally stopped she waited impatiently for the doors to open but it never did.

She pressed the open door button repeatedly but she knew it was no use. For security reasons it would never just open to someone's request but Mia had come too far to be sent away. Drew had answers and she would tear them from him. She began pounding her fists against the metallic wall, the dull thuds only fuelled her anger as they echoed around the cramped space.

"Drew you bastard! Let me in!" she screamed as she kicked the doors repeatedly, not caring as she left small dents in the metal. Still she heard nothing from the otherside of the room but that didn't matter. She wasn't leaving without an explanation.

"Drew let me in or I swear to god I'll tell everyone everything!" she seethed. She knew he thought she was bluffing but her words were fuelled with truth. She'd rather watch Alex spend another decade in jail than have Olivia discover their plan. Her usual methods were too cruel to risk a fallout. "I don't care Drew, I'll tell Olivia everything, I'll tell Jake everything! She can kill me, they can lock me up, I don't care!"

The silence in the room remained but she knew he was listening. Only a moment later she heard the gentle thud of footsteps followed by the mechanical whirr of the doors beginning to open. She didn't wait for them to fully retract before forcing herself into the room. The second her eyes set their sights on him she couldn't stop herself from shooting through the parallel panels.

His hooded eyes gave little away as she stormed across the hardwood floor. If anything there was a hint of taunting malice on his lips at the sight of her so unravelled and unhinged.

"Most people wait for an invite" he mused, mockingly.

"Stay away from my family! Stay out of my life!" She seethed. Her fists met the firm muscles of his broad chest but he barely flinched under her touch as he continued to smirk at her.

"Alex called, it was nice of you to finally visit. He seemed in good spirits." he muttered gently as he effortlessly took both her wrists in a firm grip to stop her pointless attempts to lash out.

"Leave him out of this Drew! What you're doing could get him another eight years"

"Or he could be out in a month" he stated flatly as he let her arms fall back to her sides "The wheels are already in motion Mia, there's nothing to do now except be thankful that you're on the right side."

"I can't lose him again" she hissed as she tried to fight the tears that were brimming in her sockets "Watching him get locked up nearly killed me and you know it! I can't go through that again I would rather have Olivia deal with me" Her words elicited a gentle huff from Drew as he moistened his lips with his savage tongue.