Here is chapter four. Please enjoy!
Chapter Four: Thoughts/Disappointment
Ana, Riley and Ben are now having the hardest time convincing Abi that there is a map, invisible map, on the back of the Declaration of Independence.
"There is not a treasure map on the back of the Declaration of Independence." Abi tries to convince them.
She puts her head in her hands.
"And there is no way anyone can steal this either." Ben says shaking the document in front of her.
"I've leveled with you 100. Everything I've told you is true." He finishes looking out the window.
"I want that document, Mr. Brown." Abi sternly says.
Ana looks at Ben with a 'Tell her look' and Ben sighs.
"Okay my name's not Brown, it's Gates. I've leveled with you 98." He states, avoiding Abi's gaze.
She looks at him with wide eyes. "Wait a minute; did you just say "Gates"? Gates? You're that family with the conspiracy theory about the Founding Fathers?"
"It's not a conspiracy theory." Ben grumbles still avoiding her eyes.
"Per se." Riley adds in a low tone.
Ana hits his arm and glares at him. "Ow." He rubs his forearm and glares back at her.
"I take it back. You're not liars. You're insane!" she yells again.
Ben puts his hand to his head, as if he had a headache or something. Ana sighs again and looks at Riley's arm. The blood is starting to bleed through the shirt. Hopefully they'll stop somewhere so she can patch him up.
Why am I worried so much about him? I mean, yeah, he's bleeding and all, but it's like I care for him to the point where I'll freak if he bleeds too much! God, am I falling for him? Ana thinks in a rush.
"We need to get back to the apartment to get some tests on the Declaration." Ben says breaking the silence.
"You can't seriously intend to run chemical tests on the Declaration of Independence in the back of a moving van." Abi tells Ben in a semi-strict voice.
"We have a clean-room environment all set up. EDS suits, a particulate air filtration system, the whole shebang." Riley states with a slight smirk.
"Really?" Ana asks him.
Riley nods.
"We can't go back there." Ben states to all three of them.
Riley and Ana give him a weird look. "Why?" they ask at the same time.
"I used Visa to pay for the documents." Ben says a little quietly hoping Riley won't flip out on him. Too late.
"A credit card slip? Dude, we're on the grid. They could have your records from for ever…they could have MY records from forever!" Riley flips out.
"I know and it's only a matter of minutes before the FBI shows up at my front door." Ben says rather irritated at his own small mistake.
"What do we do?" Ana asks him.
"We need those letters." Ben felt something in his brain click.
"What letters?" Abi asks, wanting to know what Ben is up to now.
"You know, get off the road. Take a right." Ben says to Riley.
"What letters?" Abi asks a little more demanding.
"You have the original Silence Dogood letters? Did you steal those, too?" Abi asks like a smart ass.
Ben blares at her. "We have scans of the originals. Quiet please."
Ana can tell that Ben is trying to think with out any problems. Ana is sitting next to Abi and looks at her, knowing something is up with her. Riley is in the passenger's seat, tapping his fingers on the side of the van.
"How'd you get scans?" Abi asks trying to annoy Ben.
"I know someone who has the originals. Now shush!" Ben tries not to yell at her, but he's really close to doing it.
"Why do you need them?" Now she is annoying Ana.
"She really can't shut her mouth, can she?" Ben asks Riley and Ana who just merely shrug, "I'll tell you what, look. I will let you hold onto this if you'll promise to shut up, please. Thank you." Ben snaps at her and hands her the Declaration and continues thinking.
"You are coming with me whether you want to or not." Abi whispers harshly to Ana who gulps, but nods.
Ana wants to stay here, but she knows Abi will get her to come with her regardless if Ana wants to go or not.
"Ben you know what you have to do?" Riley asks him.
"I know what to do. I'm just trying to think of anything else we could do." Ben elaborates to him.
"Well, not to be a nudge but we probably have our own satellite by now. It took you all of two seconds to decide to steal the Declaration of Independence." Riley tries to prove his point but fails.
"Yeah, but I didn't think I was gunna personally have to tell my dad about it." Ben snaps at him
Then, Abi takes off and so does Ana.
"Hey, not cool, not cool!" Ben runs after them. Riley gets out of the van and chases after Ana.
"Ana! Catch!" Abi throws the document to Ana and she catches it. Ana runs but Riley catches up to her.
"Abi!" Ana throws it back to Abi just as Riley tackles her.
Ana falls and Riley falls on top of her but braces himself so he doesn't crush her.
"Well, this is interesting." Ana says to him.
"You're on her side." Riley states looking kind of mad.
"She was going to black mail me." She replies back.
Riley frowns at her and doesn't move and forgets the position they are in. Ana seizes her chance and rolls him over so she's on top and pins him down.
"If you wanted to get on top of me all you had to do is ask." Riley says coyly.
Ana makes a face of him and gets up and holds a hand out for him. He takes it and she pulls him up. They look at Abi and Ben.
"Uh oh." Ana mutters but Riley heard her.
"What?" he asks.
"I do NOT like the way they are looking at each other." She says.
Riley sighs and notices, he doesn't like it very much either.
They drive to Mr. Gates' house and park a couple blocks away.
"Your arm really should be looked at." Ana says worried.
"It just needs to be bandaged up." Riley is almost done trying to convince her he's fine.
"Well, I'm looking at it once we get in side." She says.
Riley opens his mouth to protest but she covers his mouth with her hand and he frowns.
Ben knocks on the door and an elderly man opens it.
"Dad." Ben greets with a smile.
"Where's the party?" Mr. Gates asks looking at all of them.
"Well, I'm in a little trouble." Ben exaggerates little.
Mr. Gates looks at Abi. "Is she pregnant?"
Abi looks taken back and looks at Ana. "I look pregnant?"
Ana shakes her almost about to laugh.
"Well, if she is, are you gunna leave the woman carrying your grandchild standing out in the cold?" Ben asks being a little sarcastic.
"Come in." Mr. Gates says opening the door all the way.
He says something to Ben and as Ana walks in he just looks at her. "Are you pregnant too?"
Ana's just about to glare at him when she feels an arm go around her waist.
"Maybe she is." Riley says and they walk over to the family room.
"Bold." Ana says turns to Riley.
"What? Can't a guy dream?" he asks looking her straight in the eyes.
Ana smiles and walks over to him, seductively. "You want those dreams to come true?" she asks him coyly and a smile plays at her lips.
Riley opens and closes his mouth several times. Ana giggles at this. "Come on. Let's take care of the cut."
She grabs his hand and leads him to the family room and they sit down.
"Ana, here are some bandages for Riley." Ben hands them to her and she thanks him.
"Okay, take off your shirt." She says like it is perfectly normal.
"What?" Riley looks at her.
"Do want to live or bleed to death?" she asks him, being a smart ass.
Riley sighs. He unzips his jacket and puts it on the edge of the couch and then he removes his shirt to reveal…a toned body. Ana starts to stare. "What did you say you did again?" she asks still staring.
"Uh, comp. programmer." He answers.
"I don't believe you anymore." She says and looks at his arm.
It didn't look to bad after she removed her shirt from it. She starts to bandage it and Riley watches her from the corner of his eye.
Man, she is so beautiful. She really seems to care about me the way she kept bugging me about getting my cut fixed up. It did get annoying after a while but she was only caring about me. Though, if she was the one shot, I would freak out more then she did for me. Riley thinks.
"Do you wear make-up?" he asks looking at her fully.
"No. Only if I need to." She answers gently wrapping up his arm.
"What about for your modeling." He continues.
"Nope. They say I'm naturally beautiful and I don't need make-up." She answers looking at him then back at what she was doing.
"Well, they are right." Riley compliments.
She returns it with a shy smile that lasted awhile.
"Well, have a seat. Make yourselves comfortable. There's some pizza. It's still warm, I think." Mr. Gates says as he, Ben, and Abi walk in the room.
Riley seizes his chance and grabs a piece of pizza and starts eating. Ana shakes her head.
Men. She thinks rolling her eyes.
"Dad…I need the Silence Dogood letters. Yea, it's about the treasure." Ben states to him.
Mr. Gates looks over at Abi, Ana and Riley. "He dragged you into this nonsense?"
"Literally." Abu mumbles.
"I volunteered." Riley and Ana say proudly.
"Well, unvolunteer before you waste your life." Mr. Ages snaps.
Ana and Riley look down and Ana finishes up.
"Done." She whispers to him.
"Thanks." He replies and slips his shirt back on.
"Knock it off, dad." Ben defends.
"Sure, sure, I know, I'm the family kook." His dad snaps back at him.
"I have a job, a house, health insurance, "he continues, "At least I had your mother, for however, a brief moment. At least I had you. What do you have? Them?" he points at Riley and Ana. Riley, whom of which is eating a piece of pizza and looks up as his name is mentioned. Ben looks away then back. "Look, if you just give us the letters, we're gone."
"You disappoint me, Ben." Mr. Gates says.
Ouch! Ana thinks with a wince.
She's been where Ben has and it sucks.
"Well, maybe that the real Gates-family legacy. Sons who disappoint their fathers." Ben shoots back at him.
"Get out. Take your troubles with you." Mr. Gates says well above a whisper.
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