Double Crossed

Chapter 6~Drake

When I finally pulled up to my house I saw Martin's sleek red sports car parked in front. He arrived last week, but I wasn't in the best mood then. It was the day I came back to school and let's just say I was still fuming about Aria.

Martin was lounging on the hood of his car, and when he saw me dismounting, he stood up with a grin on his face. I barely acknowledged him though as I stormed into the house.

Martin called out after me as he followed me inside, "I know we only see each other every month and risk our lives together, but you could look a little more excited to see me!"

"Hey Martin," I greeted half heartedly as I grabbed something to eat. I wordlessly handed Martin a beer and took one for myself and sat on the couch.

"Okay what's up? This is probably the most emotion I've seen from you in a while," Martin said. I just glared at him as I drank my beer.

"It was a joke!" Martin defended. "But really what's going on with you?"

At the thought of Aria, I felt a renewed feeling of annoyance and my blood began to boil. "I have to work with this insufferable girl on a project. She never shuts up! She's driving me insane!"

Martin smiled coyly at me as he wiggled his eyebrows. "A girl huh? Is she fit?"

I rolled his eyes at Martin's British term. "Hot. The word is hot," I corrected for the hundredth time. You'd think that after spending half his time in America he would get it by now.

"I'm British. I say fit," Martin argued. "But you never answered my question."

I opened my mouth to answer no, but as I thought about it I wasn't so sure. When I wasn't thinking of ways to get rid of her, I registered that Aria wasn't particularly ugly. In fact she was kind of pretty in her own unique way. She didn't cover her face in makeup and her clothes were a balance of edgy and girly. Her wavy brown hair was the perfect length where it stopped in the middle of her back and there was something attractive about the fire in her eyes.

But in the end I simply shrugged and said, "She's okay."

Martin nodded his head with a mischievous smile like he knew I wasn't telling the whole truth. He always had a way of reading right through me despite my best efforts.

"Anyway," I said, hurrying to change the subject. "What are you doing here?" It wasn't often Martin stopped by in San Francisco.

"I'm here in the country for a while, mostly the west coast. I have a lot of projects here, and I thought it would be easier to stay instead of flying back and forth."

I would never admit it, but I was secretly glad Martin would be sticking around for a while. He was my best friend and pretty much my only. Life got lonely and I could use someone to talk to.

"Good then you can help me figure out who's after me and possibly wants me dead," I said casually, but Martin almost spit out his beer in shock. He slammed the bottle on the table and turned to face me.

"Bloody hell! What do you mean someone wants you dead?" Martin exclaimed.

I then explained how I got jumped that one morning and how I tracked down who attacked me. After that Martin was speechless. He tried offering a few possibilities, but he looked as lost as I was.

I shared my theory that they're related to the people who killed my parents. Martin was the only person in the world who knew who I really was and my past. He knew all of my darkest secrets, and he was still my friend. Martin meant more to me than I was willing to admit.

"Well we'll get to the bottom of it," Martin assured me. I just nodded as I finished my beer.

Then the two of us talked and played video games most of the night until I decided to go to sleep since I still had school the next day. I considered ditching, but Martin started acting like a parent until I promised I would go. I really didn't want to see Aria but Martin just laughed asking how bad could one girl be. He had no idea.