What do you say, little missy?

'Dru? What's he doing here? How did he even find us?'

I looked back at him.

Dru stood there, arms crossed, smiling broadly.

He was dressed in his usual black clothing. His long hair fluttered behind him.

He grinned when he saw us.

"Ah, so you finally came out, eh? Come on over here, children. Let me give you a big welcome."

"What do you want? Why are you following us?"

Lianne glared at Dru suspiciously and tugged at my shirt.

Now wasn't the time to entertain Lianne's antics. As much as I would want to have another member join our group, Dru was definitely not one of them.

I held Lianne tight.

If Dru chose not to flee from the likely attacks from the aliens and possibly follow us, that could only mean one thing: he had come to collect the money Fredrick owed him.

"Why? Because I'm bored and don't have anything better to do than hunt those who thought they could double-time me, hmm? And let's be honest; it's a lot more fun than playing with snitches."

Fredrick's head stiffly turned to me for help—the same eyes that had me go against my usual norms years ago.

"With all the commotion going on, I gotta say, I'm thankful, as it was just the needed break out from prison I needed. I can see how your world has changed, Steele. It seems that things have gotten quite interesting."

Yeah, sure, an alien invasion sounds exciting right about now.

I rolled my eyes and sighed.

"It doesn't matter if you've got nothing to do, Dru. We're still in the middle of a crisis here."

"Don't worry, Steele. If I didn't care, then why would I be here?"

Dru laughed loudly, shaking his head. Then he pointed at Lianne.

"You, child. These men must have lured you with sweets. You mustn't fall into their traps."

"Shut up, Dru. You're annoying."

"No need to get mad at me. It's just a little advice."

Lianne pouted and frowned. She seemed to take offense to Dru's words.

"That's enough, Dru. Leave her alone," I said sternly.

Dru smirked at me.

"Oh, no. No way am I leaving until I make sure you understand my point."

Dru smiled broadly.

"And I think you'll understand after getting her response."

"Ugh..."

The smile grew wider.

"Fine. What do you want?"

Dru spreads both arms wide.

"I'm giving you a chance to pay off your friend's debt, Allen."

"Allen, don't listen to him; he's—!"

I silenced Fredrick before he could continue.

"I'm listening."

I knew what Dru wanted.

There was a good chance this might actually work out in my favor.

But...

"How would you like to join my gang, little girl? We've got lots of fun activities planned. I could teach you how to use guns. Or maybe you'd prefer a pointy knife?"

His eyes glinted dangerously.

That was definitely not what I thought he'd say; I was expecting his eyes on our van, but Lianne? Really?

I looked at Lianne, who shrugged and shook her head.

"Mr. D told me those who trust weapons without building their bodies are worse off disarmed and weak."

If my assumptions were correct, her father would have been known as Mr. D in the cartel. To think she would refer to him in that stiff mannerism just showed how less of a father Damian was.

She muttered the words under her breath, but Dru heard her anyway.

"Little missy! Don't talk to me like that! Who do you think I am?!"

"A fool." I cut in quickly. "And I believe we've already established that you're a fool. But that's beside the point. You know very well that I won't agree to such terms."

Fredrick took a few steps back, standing beside me. He shook his head and whispered through the corner of his lips.

"I have a bad feeling about this, Allen."

He made a valid point. This wasn't a normal situation. I couldn't afford to give in to any demands made by Dru. He was a dangerous individual who didn't seem to play by the rules.

Even so, I felt something different when I saw that look on Lianne's face. Her expression was calm and collected.

Something about Dru didn't sit right with me. Maybe it was because I hadn't seen him since our last meeting. Or maybe it was simply because he was too far gone.

Whatever the case, Fredrick was right.

"What is it, Allen?" asked Dru, noticing Fredrick's sudden change in attitude.

"We could pay with all the food in the store," I offered with a forced smile. "I'm sure there's plenty left over from the siege."

Dru raised his eyebrow.

"Does it look like I'm interested in money or supplies, Allen? All I need is the little girl."

My stomach sank.

I couldn't understand how Lianne was pulling in so much attention from the other side. She wasn't even trying.

Then again, she was only six years old. The world was a lot bigger than she thought it was.

"Well, let's hear you say yes."

Dru smirked as he approached us.

"Come now, little missy. What do you say?"

Lianne hid behind my leg and shook her head in protest.

"Lia doesn't like weird men." She muttered.

Her tiny fingers clenched on the side of my pants, eventually scraping the skin underneath, and I winced at the slight pain they were causing.

'Ignore the pain and stand up to this pain in the ass.' I reminded myself.

"You can leave if you don't want to be part of this," I said to Dru. "We don't need another crazy bunch."

"Oh, come on now, Steele. That wouldn't be fair for me."

"Fair?" I scoffed. "Don't try to act like you're doing anyone any favors here. Besides, why should you care what happens to her? It doesn't concern you."

Dru laughed loudly.

"If you really feel that way, then you must think I'm some sort of monster, like you were under my guidance."

It seemed that he was enjoying himself quite a bit.

"You've grown soft, Steele. There's no one like me anymore. Not since I lost everything."

I stared hard into his eyes.

"Do you still remember your former life, Dru?"

"Of course I do!" Dru shouted angrily. "I lost everything, including my status, because of you!"

The way he spoke about his former self was strange.

He sounded almost like he was proud.

"Just leave us alone; we are all in a mess that goes beyond settling old differences, Dru." Fredrick stood up straight and stared directly at Dru. "We have more important matters to attend to."

"I see you haven't changed either, Douglass."

Dru smiled broadly. "But that's exactly what makes me happy. To think that you two are still alive after all these years. After everything we did to each other, I never thought you'd survive what's coming. And yet here you are, living among the ruins."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" I asked.

"Uncle Ally..." Lianne's whispering voice reached my ears.

"Uncle Ally?" Dru repeated it with a frown, but then it slowly transitioned to a smirk.