Part 5 There's a Shadow
Chloe breathed deeply. The night air was refreshing. She was glad that Lucas insisted on letting the top down even if it was brisk out. For someone who was termed irresponsible by his own father, Lucas drove surprisingly more safely than his brother. Despite the observation, Chloe still made sure that her seatbelt was fastened securely across her body.
Lucas switched off the blaring radio that had been playing since they rolled out of the Luthor property. He glanced at the blonde girl beside him and grinned before turning back to the road. "So tell me, Chloe, what was that between you and Lex?"
Chloe raised her eyebrow in question. "Are we going to delve into our private lives now?"
"We should. We're in love, remember?"
She snorted in a rather unlady-like manner. "Mr. Cassidy is leaving tomorrow," Chloe reminded him. "And nothing is going on."
He shook his head. "Please don't forget who you're talking to. I've been able to call so many bluffs since I was a kid that I lived off playing cards for years."
"Your brother is starting to get on my nerves," she told him. "And so are you."
"Don't change the subject," he warned her.
"Fine." Chloe turned her head so that the wind whipped across her face. Soon, her nose began to numb at the cold. "Your dad let slip that Lex has a file on me."
Lucas easily dismissed that. "Lex has a file on everyone, Chloe. He has a file on my dad. He has a file on that farmboy. He has a file on me."
"Well you all exhibit mystery. I, o the other hand, am as open and clean as the. gardener."
Lucas nodded somberly. "Yup. Lex has a file on Mr. Stevens too." He looked at her again, appreciating the pink flushed cheeks and nose against the paleness of her face. "What crawled up your ass when it comes to Lex? You're a reporter right? You of all people should be fine with someone knowing things about you."
"If that is your cute way of telling me that this is what it's like to have a taste of my own medicine, well, it's not."
"I'm hurt." Lucas maneuvered the car around the turn that led to the LuthorCorp housing project. "So what is really wrong?"
Chloe was silent for a moment, giving him directions with her hand until Lucas just had to remind her that he had been there before. Finally, when the car stopped in the Sullivan driveway, Lucas turned to her. Chloe sighed. "Lex doesn't have a high opinion of me."
Lucas was surprised. He and Lex have talked about Chloe Sullivan in passing, her name coming up in their conversations, and Lex never had anything negative to say about the girl. In fact, Lucas detected a hint of admiration for the girl. At the time, Lucas thought that all of Lex's references to the girl's achievements were part of a lesson, Lex's way of telling Lucas that people his age could have ambition, perform better. By the fourth time Lex talked about Chloe's amazing investigations, Lucas supposed that since Lex was a scientist, it was reasonable that he would be impressed with the girl's thirst for knowledge. When the mention of her time came up a tenth time, Lucas just lost interest in branding a relationship name on what Lex had with Chloe. Rather, he just went on with the phone calls, grateful that he had at least some opportunities to keep in constant communication with his brother. "Where did you get that idea?"
"Well I know that your dad didn't mean anything by it, but when you stepped out of the room a while ago, he mentioned something that Lex said."
He should have guessed. Lucas really needed to have a talk with his father. He could not believe that Lionel would make up lies and use them sporadically. "What did he say exactly?"
"Argh!" Chloe groaned in frustration. "I can't even remember the exact words because I just saw red. Let me tell you. It was so hard to pretend I was enjoying having dinner with you."
"Well thanks for that." Lucas grinned lopsidedly.
"I didn't mean it that way."
"Sure. Go on."
"Well Mr. Luthor mentioned something about how Lex is thankful that he found Dr. Bryce because unlike other women who've been hanging around him, Lex was sure that Dr. Bryce won't be after his money because she came from a well-to-do family, that Dr. Bryce is educated and prim and proper, that Dr. Bryce is from the same kind of people he is-" With each word, Chloe's cheeks grew redder and she became increasingly incensed.
Lucas decided to butt in. "So you don't remember what dad said, huh?"
She looked at Lucas in surprise. Seeing his amusement made her flush. "Ah shut your trap!"
"Why do you insist on wounding me?"
"Well you have to excuse me because I'm a hurt woman."
"Chloe."
"What?"
"What makes you think that if Lex said that, and I'm not saying he did because I know enough by now never to trust a syllable out of my father's mouth, he was referring to you?"
Chloe met his stare and swallowed. The flush in her cheeks evaporated, leaving her face blanched. "Ummm. Well. I was just-Well I'm the only other woman he's been hanging around with!"
Lucas grinned. "What about Lana Lang?"
"Lex would never say anything bad about Lana Lang."
"But he would about you? Aren't you being unfair to him?"
Frustrated because Lucas made her doubt the reason for the anger that had been sustaining her since the start of dinner, Chloe pushed open her door and stepped out. "Oh what do you know!"
Lucas shoulders started shaking. He pushed his own door open with the full intention of walking Chloe to the door. Maybe his father was right about this entire charade. Lucas may have come on board for the fifty thousand he was promised, but this was fast giving him another meaning. He saw Chloe standing at the side, waiting for him despite her irritation. She must have recovered her bearings because now, she found enough humor in the situation that she was able to smile at him.
Behind her, from the corner that they rounded, a compact black car roared and sped towards them. "Someone's in a hurry," he said casually. When Chloe turned around to look at whom of her neighbors was disturbing the peace, the car swerved and careened straight towards them. Lucas's gaze widened and he grabbed Chloe by the waist and threw their bodies out of the way. They hit the grass with a loud thud. The black car hit his convertible. Upon hearing the shattering crash, he rolled them over and away. He felt the sting of the broken glass spraying on them. He heard Chloe gasp in pain, but he was more focused on getting them away from the two cars that screeched on the street.
"Close your eyes," he hissed, clutching her close to his chest as he kept rolling them. He felt the impact when they hit the pavement.
The twisted metal dragged down the street, the static causing red sparks to fly. When the screeching groaned into a halt, Lucas looked down at Chloe. Her eyes were tightly shut and she bit her bottom lip until it was white. "Chloe, it's over."
She shook her head. From the edges of her eyelids, he saw the moisture seeping out. He swallowed at the sight. Lucas glanced at the black car and had no doubt that the driver was dead. The girl underneath him was trembling. Gabe Sullivan came running out of the house.
"What happened?" the older man yelled. He rushed over to where Lucas and Chloe were lying on the street. Gabe fell onto his knees and touched his daughter tentatively on the shoulder.
Lucas took in her appearance. She was bleeding where the shards of glass cut her. He could see the abrasions on her arms. When Gabe took her into his arms, Lucas noted the tremor racking her body and knew that she was in shock. "@#%$," he muttered.
"Who was that maniac!" Gabe exclaimed, even though he did not need to know the name. All he needed was to calm his daughter. The older man looked at Lucas again and by the look on his face, Lucas figured that he probably looked as injured as his daughter.
"Don't rub her arms yet," Lucas cautioned. Although it would have been best to get her out of shock, the glass could be lodged deeper.
"You two need to be taken to the hospital."
"I'm going to call an ambulance."
Gabe shook his head. "No. You help Chloe up and I'll run inside and get my car keys."
When Gabe vanished into the house, Lucas looked around the area where they rolled and saw the small mobile phone where it had fallen from his pocket. He went over to pick it up and helped Chloe stand up. Since her knees were weak, she rested heavily on Lucas. "I'll be okay," she whispered. "Give me ten years."
The words made him smile, because it meant that she was quickly recovering. Gabe came out and opened the door of his car. He took his daughter from Lucas and helped her into the car. Lucas turned away and quickly dialed his father's number. "We have to stop this."
"Lucas, did you tell your family to meet you in the hospital?" Gabe asked.
Lucas responded, "Just telling them, Mr. Sullivan." He spoke quietly into the phone. "Heard that, dad? Meet us in the hospital. I can't believe we involved Chloe in this."
Chloe breathed deeply. The night air was refreshing. She was glad that Lucas insisted on letting the top down even if it was brisk out. For someone who was termed irresponsible by his own father, Lucas drove surprisingly more safely than his brother. Despite the observation, Chloe still made sure that her seatbelt was fastened securely across her body.
Lucas switched off the blaring radio that had been playing since they rolled out of the Luthor property. He glanced at the blonde girl beside him and grinned before turning back to the road. "So tell me, Chloe, what was that between you and Lex?"
Chloe raised her eyebrow in question. "Are we going to delve into our private lives now?"
"We should. We're in love, remember?"
She snorted in a rather unlady-like manner. "Mr. Cassidy is leaving tomorrow," Chloe reminded him. "And nothing is going on."
He shook his head. "Please don't forget who you're talking to. I've been able to call so many bluffs since I was a kid that I lived off playing cards for years."
"Your brother is starting to get on my nerves," she told him. "And so are you."
"Don't change the subject," he warned her.
"Fine." Chloe turned her head so that the wind whipped across her face. Soon, her nose began to numb at the cold. "Your dad let slip that Lex has a file on me."
Lucas easily dismissed that. "Lex has a file on everyone, Chloe. He has a file on my dad. He has a file on that farmboy. He has a file on me."
"Well you all exhibit mystery. I, o the other hand, am as open and clean as the. gardener."
Lucas nodded somberly. "Yup. Lex has a file on Mr. Stevens too." He looked at her again, appreciating the pink flushed cheeks and nose against the paleness of her face. "What crawled up your ass when it comes to Lex? You're a reporter right? You of all people should be fine with someone knowing things about you."
"If that is your cute way of telling me that this is what it's like to have a taste of my own medicine, well, it's not."
"I'm hurt." Lucas maneuvered the car around the turn that led to the LuthorCorp housing project. "So what is really wrong?"
Chloe was silent for a moment, giving him directions with her hand until Lucas just had to remind her that he had been there before. Finally, when the car stopped in the Sullivan driveway, Lucas turned to her. Chloe sighed. "Lex doesn't have a high opinion of me."
Lucas was surprised. He and Lex have talked about Chloe Sullivan in passing, her name coming up in their conversations, and Lex never had anything negative to say about the girl. In fact, Lucas detected a hint of admiration for the girl. At the time, Lucas thought that all of Lex's references to the girl's achievements were part of a lesson, Lex's way of telling Lucas that people his age could have ambition, perform better. By the fourth time Lex talked about Chloe's amazing investigations, Lucas supposed that since Lex was a scientist, it was reasonable that he would be impressed with the girl's thirst for knowledge. When the mention of her time came up a tenth time, Lucas just lost interest in branding a relationship name on what Lex had with Chloe. Rather, he just went on with the phone calls, grateful that he had at least some opportunities to keep in constant communication with his brother. "Where did you get that idea?"
"Well I know that your dad didn't mean anything by it, but when you stepped out of the room a while ago, he mentioned something that Lex said."
He should have guessed. Lucas really needed to have a talk with his father. He could not believe that Lionel would make up lies and use them sporadically. "What did he say exactly?"
"Argh!" Chloe groaned in frustration. "I can't even remember the exact words because I just saw red. Let me tell you. It was so hard to pretend I was enjoying having dinner with you."
"Well thanks for that." Lucas grinned lopsidedly.
"I didn't mean it that way."
"Sure. Go on."
"Well Mr. Luthor mentioned something about how Lex is thankful that he found Dr. Bryce because unlike other women who've been hanging around him, Lex was sure that Dr. Bryce won't be after his money because she came from a well-to-do family, that Dr. Bryce is educated and prim and proper, that Dr. Bryce is from the same kind of people he is-" With each word, Chloe's cheeks grew redder and she became increasingly incensed.
Lucas decided to butt in. "So you don't remember what dad said, huh?"
She looked at Lucas in surprise. Seeing his amusement made her flush. "Ah shut your trap!"
"Why do you insist on wounding me?"
"Well you have to excuse me because I'm a hurt woman."
"Chloe."
"What?"
"What makes you think that if Lex said that, and I'm not saying he did because I know enough by now never to trust a syllable out of my father's mouth, he was referring to you?"
Chloe met his stare and swallowed. The flush in her cheeks evaporated, leaving her face blanched. "Ummm. Well. I was just-Well I'm the only other woman he's been hanging around with!"
Lucas grinned. "What about Lana Lang?"
"Lex would never say anything bad about Lana Lang."
"But he would about you? Aren't you being unfair to him?"
Frustrated because Lucas made her doubt the reason for the anger that had been sustaining her since the start of dinner, Chloe pushed open her door and stepped out. "Oh what do you know!"
Lucas shoulders started shaking. He pushed his own door open with the full intention of walking Chloe to the door. Maybe his father was right about this entire charade. Lucas may have come on board for the fifty thousand he was promised, but this was fast giving him another meaning. He saw Chloe standing at the side, waiting for him despite her irritation. She must have recovered her bearings because now, she found enough humor in the situation that she was able to smile at him.
Behind her, from the corner that they rounded, a compact black car roared and sped towards them. "Someone's in a hurry," he said casually. When Chloe turned around to look at whom of her neighbors was disturbing the peace, the car swerved and careened straight towards them. Lucas's gaze widened and he grabbed Chloe by the waist and threw their bodies out of the way. They hit the grass with a loud thud. The black car hit his convertible. Upon hearing the shattering crash, he rolled them over and away. He felt the sting of the broken glass spraying on them. He heard Chloe gasp in pain, but he was more focused on getting them away from the two cars that screeched on the street.
"Close your eyes," he hissed, clutching her close to his chest as he kept rolling them. He felt the impact when they hit the pavement.
The twisted metal dragged down the street, the static causing red sparks to fly. When the screeching groaned into a halt, Lucas looked down at Chloe. Her eyes were tightly shut and she bit her bottom lip until it was white. "Chloe, it's over."
She shook her head. From the edges of her eyelids, he saw the moisture seeping out. He swallowed at the sight. Lucas glanced at the black car and had no doubt that the driver was dead. The girl underneath him was trembling. Gabe Sullivan came running out of the house.
"What happened?" the older man yelled. He rushed over to where Lucas and Chloe were lying on the street. Gabe fell onto his knees and touched his daughter tentatively on the shoulder.
Lucas took in her appearance. She was bleeding where the shards of glass cut her. He could see the abrasions on her arms. When Gabe took her into his arms, Lucas noted the tremor racking her body and knew that she was in shock. "@#%$," he muttered.
"Who was that maniac!" Gabe exclaimed, even though he did not need to know the name. All he needed was to calm his daughter. The older man looked at Lucas again and by the look on his face, Lucas figured that he probably looked as injured as his daughter.
"Don't rub her arms yet," Lucas cautioned. Although it would have been best to get her out of shock, the glass could be lodged deeper.
"You two need to be taken to the hospital."
"I'm going to call an ambulance."
Gabe shook his head. "No. You help Chloe up and I'll run inside and get my car keys."
When Gabe vanished into the house, Lucas looked around the area where they rolled and saw the small mobile phone where it had fallen from his pocket. He went over to pick it up and helped Chloe stand up. Since her knees were weak, she rested heavily on Lucas. "I'll be okay," she whispered. "Give me ten years."
The words made him smile, because it meant that she was quickly recovering. Gabe came out and opened the door of his car. He took his daughter from Lucas and helped her into the car. Lucas turned away and quickly dialed his father's number. "We have to stop this."
"Lucas, did you tell your family to meet you in the hospital?" Gabe asked.
Lucas responded, "Just telling them, Mr. Sullivan." He spoke quietly into the phone. "Heard that, dad? Meet us in the hospital. I can't believe we involved Chloe in this."
