"Hold up!" I demanded. "I have one last request before we meet with the captain; I call up Brendan and Rose. They need to know what's happening as well."

Ezekiel shook his head defiantly.

"I know exactly who they are! Absolutely not! Brendan can't keep his mouth shut to save-"

"Do not," I shouted feeling my anger rise, "Insult my friend! He's gay, not incompetent."

E waved his hands in defeat.

"I swear I'm not homophobic, Kristina. I'm just trying to keep this in the dark as long as possible."

I shut my eyes, trying to reign in my emotions. Of course, he wasn't. He just needed to hear a few pointers.

"I know you're not," I said through gritted teeth, "But think about things this way. My company is well known in the media. With the connections you have, you can't hope to keep your parents in the dark forever. My friends need to know. We are so close. They won't forgive me if I keep this from them. They won't tell a soul."

After much trepidation, Ezekiel seemed to have accepted this. He nodded, circling a finger through the air.

"Fine, then. call your friends-"

"Kylie's friends." I corrected.

Ezekiel's expression softened.

"Kylie's friends. Please dial them and invite them over. We have a lot to cover."

Later as we all gathered in front of the flat screen, I expected another long hour of waiting. The sky was darkening and late shows were beginning to air. Unfortunately, as a host was gushing over some new singer and I became invested, the front door swung open, slamming against the tough drywall.

"WHERE ARE YOU BITCH?!"

Oh, damn. I knew that voice from anywhere. That was-

"Brendan?" I asked excitedly from over the couch. Both Niall and E watched in astonishment as we ran into each other's embrace. Clearly, they'd never bared witness to this sort of thing. I was happy to see that neither he nor Rose felt petty over me ghosting them.

"Girl, where have you been? I haven't seen you since... well, the timing doesn't matter. Apparently, we've missed a lot. Working without you has been dull."

"And we've just heard that you're pregnant?" Rose asked incredulously.

My eyes widened.

"How-?"

"This bitch," Brendan said, running over to envelop Josephine in his arms, "Texted us all about it. She thinks it'll be a boy."

I rolled my eyes. Of course, she did.

"What makes you so sure it'll be a boy?"

Jo flushed, allowing Brendan to guide her by the hand, which earned him a glower from Niall.

Easy, boy. Remember that he's gay.

"Think about it," Josephine stated, "It's Hero's-"

At this, Rose gasped and Brendan exclaimed: "Bitch?"

Dear god. Why was everyone so shocked that he was the father?

"Hero tries to remain adamant about not bearing children," Jo went on, "But a few times over the years, he has boasted about how good he'd be to a son. I can't imagine him playing baseball with a daughter. I don't know."

"Excuse me," Ezekiel said gruffly, "I don't mean to interrupt but there are more important matters at hand."

"Yes," Rose agreed, "Where's Kylie? I haven't heard from her lately. Have you been stealing her, Ezekiel?"

His face immediately fell.

Brendan's playful attitude instantly stopped.

"What the hell is going on?"

I cleared my throat uncomfortably.

"She's... missing. We have a lot to discuss. Please, sit."

They obeyed, taking seats on the furniture.

After all was said and done and I had explained about the time Kylie and I had snuck off, my attempted kidnappings, and the mysterious messages on her phone, they all sat back in consternation.

"Oh my god!" Brendan screamed. "We must tell the police!"

"No!" I shouted, grabbing onto him before he could storm for the door.

"God damn it," E growled, "This was exactly what I was afraid of!"

"Brendan, Rose," I said, "You cannot tell one person about this. Not even the cops."

"Why?" Brendan cried out. "Do you want to see her hurt?"

I recoiled, surprised at his tone.

"No. Like we already told you: Ezekiel has a swat team on her trail. You know how the media portrays me. If this gets out it will be a circus and she may die. Because of us."

After a moment, Brendan accepted my reasoning.

"Fine. But at least let us call our men."

I raised a brow.

"What?"

Before I could say much more, A knock sounded on the front door.

Hey everyone 💥 I just started watching The Great on Hulu. It's so funny.

Who do you think their men are??

Will there be a traitor in their midst?