The Shadow Kingdom

Chapter 9ii

When we get outside, I take in a deep breath of fresh air, allowing it to calm me down. "Don't we have to pay for those drinks?" I ask as my head starts to clear up.

"I have a tab; don't worry about it. What you do need to worry about is how we are going to get home." Oh, that is a problem. We can't call a cab because we can't leave the car here. It has an automatic weapon and three duffle bags of cash in plain sight.

"We should call Adrian." I know he's not going to be happy when he gets here, but right now, I just don't give a damn.

Diana gives me an "ah, yes" expression and takes out her cell phone. "Hey! Big brother! Your girlfriend and I need your help with something."

I put my hands over my mouth and stare at her wide-eyed. "What are you doing? I'm not his girlfriend!"

She shushes me brusquely and continues talking to Adrian. "Yeah, we're at The Elemental. We need you to pick us up because we're too drunk to drive and there's too much murder evidence in the car."

Oh my god! I grab Diana and force her into the backseat, hoping that no one was paying attention to us. I plant myself into the front passenger seat and wait for Adrian to arrive. "What the hell is wrong with you?" I yell at Diana.

She just points a finger at me and laughs. "Yeah, ok. See you soon, big brother." She hangs up the phone. "He'll be here soon." I lean back into the seat and put my hands over my face. What a crazy day! I close my eyes and lean my head against the glass, totally exhausted.

Adrian finally arrives and parks behind us. He exits from the passenger seat, meaning that he must have brought another driver. He gets into our driver seat, and the car in which he arrived drives off without us. "You two are in a lot of trouble!" He shouts as soon as he gets in. Diana and I both laugh at him mockingly. "I'm serious!"

"Are you going to ground me?" Diana asks sardonically. Adrian just shakes his head and drives us home.

We arrive at 101 Park, and the other car arrives with us. Adrian and the other man empty the illicit contents of Diana's Mercedes and stash them away safely. Adrian swings over to my side in order to help me out of the car. The other man tries to do the same for Diana, but she promptly pushes him away. "I can walk by myself, superman," she mutters.

Inside the elevator, I can barely even stand anymore. I have to lean against Adrian just to stay upright. Once we reach the penthouse floor, he picks me up and carries me the rest of the way.

I don't know what happened to Diana, but Adrian lays me on his bed in the master bedroom. He tucks me in and sits beside me. "Diana is a bad influence on you," he mutters.

I smile widely in my alcohol-induced delirium. "I don't think so. I had a lot of fun tonight. More than I've had for a long time."

"Don't get too used to it." Adrian reluctantly smiles and leaves me alone in the room.

I take off some of my clothes, and within minutes, I'm fast asleep.