Chapter 14: Chapter 14

"Have you tried calling him again?"

"No, I didn't think of that, genius." Calvin shoots back at me sarcastically, rolling his eyes. I get the urge to hit him again and let out an aggravated sigh --

"I've been trying to call him every five minutes. I'll be surprised if I haven't blown up his phone by now." Calvin mutters under his breath, his face masking over with worry.

"You guys are really close, aren't you?" I question, beginning to pry. I make sure I don't look directly at him because I fear eye contact will throw him off. Calvin pauses for a second, keeping his focus on the road.

"Yeah, he's my best friend."

"That's cute. How did you guys meet?" I ask, watching the world go by outside the passenger window.

"It's not cute, don't call it cute." Calvin snaps unhappily. I bite my tongue so I don't retaliate and wait for him to answer the rest of the question.

"We met a few years ago. My Dad introduced us."

His answer really surprised me. I wasn't expecting him to mention Christopher Black so when he did, I sat up straighter.

"I've never actually made friends when my parents introduce me to them. That's kind of unheard of." I respond casually. Calvin lets out a low scoff and from the corner of my eye, I see his arms tense.

"When my Dad wants something, he always gets it. He wanted me to friend Zack and he got his wish." I hear the resentment and anger towards his father so clear in his tone.

"Why does he want you to like Zack so much?"

"For his own benefit." Calvin responds back bluntly and I know it's the end of that topic. I desperately want to ask more questions but I don't want to appear too clingy to the subject of his father. That alone can cause a raised eyebrow at my true intentions.

"I get the vibe that you don't really like your Dad." I comment, throwing a small smile his way. His eyes flit over to me for a second and I can't make out what he's thinking. His face is expressionless before he turns to look back at the road again.

"He's not a normal father." Calvin mutters, turning into a side road.

"No parent is normal." I reply softly, remembering my own. My real parents. I swallow and push down the lump in my throat.

"All parents have flaws, secrets they don't want anyone to find out." I murmur quietly. Silence falls upon us in the car and I inhale sharply, turning to steal a glance at Calvin. I'm not ready to find him staring at me intently, his green eyes piercing straight through mine.

"Parents are assholes, right?" He whispers, holding my stare. My lips stretch out into the tiniest of smiles and I nod, agreeing with him.

"Yeah, parents are assholes."

*****

We pull up into a fancy driveway, the house in front of it resembling something from Downton Abbey. The building is so large, you have to crane your neck up to see it all. I let out a low whistle -

"This is where Zack lives?" I question and Calvin nods, stepping out of his car. I follow him, my feet sinking into the gravel covering the driveway. I make my way around the car, following Calvin.

"Wow, pretty boy has a wealthy family." I grin, inspecting the stone statues on either side of the massive entrance door. Beside me, Calvin stills, his body tensing up.

"I didn't have you down as the gold digger type." He mutters under his breath but I hear him clearly. I narrow my eyes and shove his shoulder but it does little to throw him off balance.

"Shut up. Money doesn't mean anything to me." I set him straight, glaring at him.

Calvin scoffs but doesn't reply and begins to climb the stairs to the entrance. I burn holes into his back before following him, still in awe from the beauty of Zack's house. He doesn't knock and instead, walks straight in. My eyes widen but I quickly follow behind him, stepping inside one of the most beautiful houses I've ever seen.

My shoes squeak from the white marble covering the entire entrance lobby. The walls are decorated with gold, displaying their wealth clearly. A large chandelier hangs from the glass ceiling and my mouth partially drops open in shock as I inspect each fallen gem dangling from it. Two large staircases spiral up on either side, disappearing upstairs where I can only wonder what sort of riches I'd find.

"Wow," I breathe out. Calvin lets out an annoyed breath, storming off towards a closed door. I snap my attention away from the house and quickly scurry behind him.

"Wait for me." I mumble unhappily. Calvin stops and whirls around, green eyes narrowed at me.

"Just keep up Hunter."

His words are blunt and he displays his annoyance clearly across his features. I exhale deeply because this time, I have no idea what his problem is. I don't comment on his hostile switch in personality but speed up my pace as he pulls open a door.

"Mrs Green?" Calvin calls out, his tone of voice low. I hear shuffling coming from the other room and then the click-clack of heels. A woman with dark hair scraped back into a pretty bun appears, dressed in a pale pink fitted two piece blazer and skirt. Her eyes remind me completely of Zack and I know immediately that this is his mother.

"Calvin, hi honey. What are you doing here?" She asks, her voice surprised. Her eyes briefly flicker over to me and she smiles tightly, taking a step forward.

"Hi, I'm Hunter." I say sheepishly, taking the chance to introduce myself. Zack' mum nods and holds out her hand for me to shake. I step forward and take hold of it.

"Amelia Green. It's lovely to meet you." She smiles, her warm eyes lighting up.

Beside me, Calvin scoffs, shoving his hands inside his pockets.

"Give it five minutes. She'll annoy you beyond belief."

I turn around and glare at him but Mrs Green laughs it off, her laughter filling the room. She moves with such elegance, her presence casting a warm glow wherever she goes.

"Is Zack home yet, have you heard from him?" Calvin asks quietly, changing the subject.

Mrs Green's smile disappears and she purses her lips tightly. Her eyes briefly scan over me again and I get the feeling she doesn't want to speak up with me present. It makes me wonder what sort of role she plays with Calvin and his family business. Is she a part of it too? She doesn't seem too bothered by the disappearance of her son.

"No, he isn't home yet. Don't worry Calvin, we'll find him." Mrs Green says carefully.

"Shouldn't we call the police?" I question quietly. Mrs Green snaps her head towards me, her eyes narrowed.

"No! No police!" She says a little strained, trying to keep her calm front. I nod slowly because now, my question has been answered.

Zack's parents are also involved in Christopher Black's dark business.

"Could I use your bathroom please?" I ask politely. Zack's mother nods at me, gesturing towards the door.

"Of course honey. Upstairs, third door on your right."

I thank her and walk out of the room, leaving her and Calvin talking quietly under their breath. I pull out my phone and switch it to silent before snapping pictures of the entire building whilst being as discreet as I can. I make my way upstairs, straining to listen for any noise but apart from the two chatting downstairs, the house appears empty. My hand lands on the first door handle and I turn it, revealing a room decorated as a spare bedroom. I snap a picture of it before moving along, a spare bedroom isn't what I'm after but it's good to know the layout of the house.

The second door squeaks open and I hold my breath, listening out for anyone around me. It's silent so I pop my head around. A large office desk sits in the far corner of the room, a computer screen perched in the middle of it. Large file cabinets line the walls of the room and I step inside, slowly closing the door behind me. I make my way over to the wooden desk as quietly but quickly as I can. A stack of papers grab my attention and I quickly take a picture of each one, not stopping to read through them thoroughly. My hand knocks the computer mouse and the sound of the computer springing back to life causes me to jump in surprise. The screen illuminates and I narrow my eyes, scanning over the picture.

It's a picture of Zack, gagged and tied up. He's lying on a grey tiled floor, eyes wide in fear. I gasp, confusion filling me.

"What the hell is going on..." I mumble under my breath, taking a quick picture. My heart begins to hammer inside my chest as I realise precious minutes are passing.

That's when I hear them.

Footsteps.

Coming up the stairs.

I swear under my breath and head for the door before the footsteps discover me snooping. That wouldn't end well... The footsteps grow louder and I quickly pull open the door, coming face to face with Calvin Black.

He immediately frowns, narrowing his eyes at me suspiciously. I plaster a small smile on my face, trying to act cool. Inside, my heart is pounding against my chest, threatening to burst through any moment.

"What are you doing in there?" He snaps, his tone low. He takes a threatening step forward and I blink, tensing my jaw. The hand clutching my phone with all the pictures slides across my back as I keep my features emotionless. I push my phone inside the back pocket of my jeans, concealing it.

"I suck at directions. Was it the second door or third?" I question sheepishly.

Calvin doesn't respond and his eyes continue to narrow, the green in them flashing with an unsure emotion. He suddenly takes a step back and I blow out the breath I was holding.

"It's the third door, idiot."

I nod my head, scurrying along to the next door. Before I walk in, I turn around and lock eyes with Calvin once again. He's staring at me intently, his lips set in a straight line. I can see the suspicion growing in his eyes and I know I have to do something fast.

"Are you going to stand there glaring at me all day or leave me to pee in peace?" I joke, forcing my lips into a smile.

I can feel my hands trembling but I work on keeping myself calm. I haven't been discovered yet.

"I'll stand here. Don't be long Hunter." Calvin responds, his voice low. I nod my head slowly, walking into the bathroom and shutting the door behind me. I lean against it, exhaling deeply and closing my eyes.

Boy, that was close.