Hello beautiful people. I'm late, but Happy New Year anyway! How has everyone been? I hope the year started off well for you. If not, then I hope it gets better. In the meantime, I have a little something for you. Took some time, but nice things do, so as always thank you for your patience! I hope you enjoy. Also don't forget you're awesome and you deserve nice things. =)

Chapter 2

"Nadine." Chloe jerked awake on the tail end of a fleeting dream, and out of instinct, reached for Nadine.

But there were no warm brown eyes, or a deep-set frown that could melt into the cutest wide grin waiting to greet her.

Only darkness.

Darkness and a prominent, yet indiscernible hum that overlapped any other sounds. Rendering Chloe's hearing practically useless, and with her arms restrained behind her back, she couldn't move either. Not that she wanted to move with the way her ribs protested. It all further exasperated the dull throb creeping across her forehead. With little desire or ability to move, Chloe instead stayed sprawled out where she was, and allowed herself to indulge in the cool kiss of the freezing surface pressing against her stiff body. The relief it provided paired wonderfully with the small vibrations emitted from the frigid surface. A nice, calming effect that slowly and gently rocked Chloe back into unconsciousness.

The next time she awoke, Chloe slowly peeled open her weary eyes. Only to be visually assaulted by a vivid bright light that slammed her eyelids shut quicker than they'd opened. The exposure was short, but more than enough to motivate her dissipating headache to explode back to the forefront of her worries. It almost made it too hard to hear what was going on around her.

Almost.

"Come on, you guys. You tried to kill me, I tried to kill you. But come on, I was just defending myself. Look, we're all still here. I really think we should call it, even at this point. What do you say guys?"

Chloe carefully peeked one eye open and found the culprit behind the unnecessarily bright lights. A handful of tall standing lights had been set up around the cramped and dusty room. All of them converged around a single chair, where Sam sat restrained and surrounded by a trio of angry men.

"Tell that to my cousin, you useless pile of American shit." One man said.

"And my friends." Another said.

The last man moved to stand behind Sam. He grabbed him by the hair and forced his bruised face to stay in place. The other two men took up positions on Sam's left and right. The trio shared looks between them, before their eyes trailed to Sam and the men on his left and right began taking turns striking him in the face. One would hit his nose, while the other would catch him on the chin. Then one would hit one eye while the other struck the opposite. Surrounded and bound to a rusty metal chair, all Sam could do was endure the beating.

Which left him in no position to help himself, let alone anyone else. Chloe knew that meant their escape was going to fall on her. It also meant she needed an exit, and following a scan of the cramped, dingy room, she found three suitable candidates. A pair of doors off to her right and one lone door directly in front of her. All three doors were closed and required getting past Sam and his new friends.

"Alright," The man behind Sam let go of his hair. "Enough."

Sam's head slumped forward, chin hitting his chest. The men laughed as Sam made a series of choked noises in the back of his throat.

"Hey. Little longer."

"No. Have to leave him with enough wits to be able to talk to the boss."

The two men flanking Sam made a face that showed they'd clearly rather continue, but neither of them argued. Instead, the man behind Sam pulled out a pack of cigarettes, took one out, and passed the pack to the man next to him.

The man next to him took a cigarette and held the pack out to the last.

"Thanks." The last man took the pack, eyes wandering up to the ceiling. "Shit. They really weren't kidding about the fucking ceiling?" He handed back the pack. "Stupid dickheads actually got drunk enough to use it for target practice."

"Eh." The original owner tucked away the pack and lit up the cigarette dangling from his lip. A mouthful of smoke trailed out of his gaping mouth. "Who cares? The place was shit before we got here. It'll be shit after we leave."

"But don't you think it looks like it'll come down any minute?"

"Looks well enough to me. But I'll take it as yet another good reason to leave. Other than the fact that I'm starving. You two hungry?"

"I could eat."

"Ja, me too."

"What were you thinking?"

"Don't say-"

"Bunny chow."

The guards on Sam's sides groaned, making the one behind him roll his eyes.

"I don't know why you even asked." The one on the left said.

"You're right, he's only eaten it every day this week." The one on the right replied.

"And I'm going to eat it again today. It's quick, cheap, and I don't have to go far to get it. Not to mention damn good. But if you two don't like it, then feel free to go and get your own lunch." The man behind Sam strolled over to the door across from Chloe. He reached inside of his shirt pocket and came out with a thin black card that could have easily been mistaken for a credit card. It was pressed against a black pad built into the doorframe, which produced a small chime and a quick flash of green light. "So, am I going by myself, then?"

One of the men on Sam's side headed for the door as well. He stopped once he reached it and turned back to look at the last man. "You stay here and keep watch. I'll bring you something back."

"Not fucking bunny chow!"

"I'll worry about the food. You worry about the captives. Oh but," The man's voice dropped. "If you know who wakes up..." His eyes trailed to the first of the two doors off to Chloe's side. The other man's eyes followed before they shared a terrified look. "You better call us."

"You going to come back?"

"No. I want to make sure to not come back. But don't worry," The man snickered as he slowly crept out the door. "If that happens, you can always run down and grab some dynamite from the explosives room. Blow up another good building."

"Fuck you, asshole. That was one time!"

The departing man cackled as he closed the door behind him.

Leaving the grumbling guard alone with a still disoriented Sam and plotting Chloe.

Now that Chloe knew where to go in order to get out, she needed to figure out how exactly she was going to do that. She figured the guard that had been left behind must have a key card, but getting it was going to be a chore. To start, Chloe wasn't sure how she was going to get herself free. Because even though she couldn't see to confirm, the material constraining her wrists behind her back and threatening to cut off circulation felt like zip ties.

Chloe detested zip ties.

Give her a nice pair of cuffs any day. Then she'd be able to free herself in no time. Wretched zip ties couldn't be picked, not to mention there was also no telling what was waiting outside. Though Chloe was less concerned about that, given that she had no intentions of leaving alone. Leaving Sam wasn't an option, and Chloe could never abandon Nadine.

The latter of whom Chloe had been on the back of every thought as time went by and she continued to see no sign of her. But if there was anyone guards would be terrified of and need to put better security on it would be Nadine. Together, Chloe knew that they'd be able to deal with whatever lie waiting.

"Odds have been worse." Chloe groaned, head falling back.

"Huh?" The bored guard grabbed the cigarette dangling between his lips and flicked it across the room. "You finally waking up, pretty girl?" He wandered closer until he was stopped directly in front of Chloe. "Huh? You-"

Chloe cut him off when she swung her leg up as hard as she could right in-between the guards' legs.

The guard's confused face contorted into a miserable puckered face as he fell to his knees, hands cupped between his legs. "Son of a bitch."

Chloe's legs reared back until knees hit chest, then feet met face. The guard's temple took the full force of the assault, sending his eyes closer to the back of his skull. Leaving him face first and unconscious on the cold hard floor. While at the same time, Chloe used the momentum from her kick to carry her up and onto wobbly feet.

"Shit." Chloe stumbled a few steps back before finally getting her somehow equally numb, but also sore legs planted firmly on the ground.

"Chloe?" Sam's blindfolded face whipped from side to side. "Chloe? That you?"

Chloe took a slow deep breath in, ignored her ribs' flagrant protest, and with a harsh exhale yanked her arms down along the frame of the chair. The force caused her to fall backward; helping snap the restraints around her wrist, sending the chair crashing to the floor while Chloe stumbled forward.

"Chloe!"

"Easy on, Sam. It's me."

"Shit, am I glad to hear your voice." The relief in Sam's voice was blatant. "You, okay?"

"Definitely been better." Chloe's fingers grazed over her sore wrist as she went to Sam's side. "What about you-Christ." She winced as soon as she was close enough to get a better look at Sam's bruised, battered, and severely swollen face. "Never mind, I can see for myself."

"What?" Sam's grin made his swollen eyes and bruised face more prominent under the sear of the bright lights. "Still too handsome?"

"Too something." Chloe yanked his blindfold down. "Nice to see you though, Mr. Handsome."

"Likewise." Sam's head fell back. "Some fucking day, huh?"

Chloe went to work releasing him.

"I mean, I'm still not sure what the fuck happened." Sam said.

"That makes two of us." Chloe managed to get Sam's hands free, then trailed over to the guards.

"All I wanted to do was go to the beach, have some nice drinks, do a little gambling, just have a good time. Is that really too much to ask?"

"It would seem so." Chloe patted the closest guard down until she found the key card she'd been searching for.

Sam was still carrying on as she made her way over to the pair of doors tucked off to the side. When she reached the first of the two, she quickly spotted the access pad and used the card to unlock the door. Adrenaline surged through her body and made her fingertips tingle as she reached for the frigid door handle.

The heavy, wide metal door made the most awful noise in protest when Chloe began forcing it open. Undeterred by the potential threat of detection, she carried on. More concerned with making sure her biggest concern was unfounded. That the reason she couldn't find any sign of Nadine was due to her being safely tucked away in one of the offset rooms.

That was what Chloe wanted, what she needed.

Once the creaky door was open wide enough, Chloe rushed inside and all of her high hopes promptly vanished. Instead of curls and muscles, Chloe got a ball-headed gagged mountain of muscles. To be fair, given the dimness of the room, his tanned sandy brown skin could have easily passed for Nadine's. Not to mention his fashion sense wasn't too far off, given his pale green shirt matched with brown cargo pants and a pair of large black boots.

Muscle mountain was almost as tall as Chloe was, despite being restrained to a lone chair sat in the middle of the cramped room. An intimidating figure in spite of the big goofy ears sticking out from the sides of his big bald head. If his narrowed pretty brown eyes, framed by the most envy-inducing curly lashes, were anything to go by, then he was as surprised to see Chloe as she was to see him.

"And what do we have going on here? They sign you up for the bed-and-breakfast too?" Chloe was wary of getting too close to the hulking form. And yet the enemy of one's enemy was a potential ally.

"Hey, Chloe!" Sam yelled. "I think I hear-"

A soft chime cut Sam short and sent Chloe scrambling behind the offset room's still partially opened door. Body squeezed into the dusty corner, she had a perfect view as the two guards from earlier made their way back in.

"I told you if he doesn't like it-"

"You know he isn't going to like it. Shit, bru-"

"No fuck him, I'll eat it my damn self-you fucking dickhead what are you doing taking a nap?"

"Forget about him, bru." The guard smacked his friend's arm. "The door. Look at the fucking door. It's open!"

Rushed footsteps covered the wet, muddled sound of food splattering across the floor.

"Hey guys," Sam's laughter was awkward and prolonged. "You sure got back fast. Say, did you get dessert? Maybe a new pack of cigs?"

"You shut up," One of the guards snapped. "You check inside." He mumbled to the other guard. "I'll handle him."

"Wait, no," The other's eyes nearly popped out of his skull. "Why do I have to go in there? That-"

"Chloe!" Sam bolted out of his chair, knocking it to the ground as he charged the guard closest to him. "Make a run for it."

The pair tussled on the floor as the other guard rushed the open offset door. Chloe managed to move out of the way before he burst through, knocking the heavy door into the wall with a loud bang that made the entire room vibrate. It also left her out in the open and hard to miss.

"You," The guard pointed a long dirt-crusted finger at her. "Get your ass over here right now little girl!"

Since Chloe didn't consider herself a little girl, she didn't bother to consider listening either. Instead, she took refuge behind the gagged mountain of muscles and discovered he'd had far better luck than she had. He hadn't gotten restrained with the good old zip ties.

They'd used handcuffs on him.

The guard was coming around the corner as Chloe got the first cuff undone. When she got the other cuff to pop open, the restrained man exploded out of his chair before the cuffs could even hit the ground. A large hand streaked with bulging veins enclosed around the panicking guard's neck and escorted him right back out the way he'd come.

The guard tussling with Sam attempted to flee when he saw what was coming his way. He didn't make it far before he was swept up alongside his co-worker. The pair of panicking guards yelled, kicked, and screamed as they tried to tear their way free.

A brutal slam, back first, into a concrete wall, shut both of them up. As their bodies were released, gravity called them to the floor. But they never made it thanks to a hand snatching them both up by the back of their necks. Their slack bodies were then slammed back into the wall once more.

This time, headfirst.

Over, and over, and over again.

Until there wasn't so much as a twitch when their recently departed bodies hit the cold stone floor.

The man, still hovering over the dead bodies, gave them a kick for good measure.

"Well then," Chloe wasn't sure whether to say thank you or grab Sam and make a run for it. "Looks like you have some complaints for management as well. What was it then? They forget to fluff your pillow? Hate when that happens. Damn shame really."

"Real shame." The words wrapped in a smooth deep voice came paired with a toothy, widespread grin. The thick curly black beard lining the man's face, along with the light shining off of his big bald head, only put the grin on more prominent display.

"Personally, I say fuck the tip." Sam was back on his feet but nowhere close to steady. "Would serve them right." His potential tirade was interrupted by a coughing fit.

"Easy." Chloe put a hand on Sam's shoulder to help keep him steady.

"You should file a report with management if you can find them." Their cellmate suggested before going to check the pockets of the dead guards.

"Not a bad idea. Sam," Chloe grabbed a nearby chair and forced Sam onto it. "Why don't you have a little rest and consider what all you'd like to say."

"Where do I even begin?" Sam groaned as he eased back into the seat, head falling back until it could go no further.

"I'm sure you'll think of something." Chloe caught their new friend investigating the door directly next to the one she'd freed him from.

He slid back the covering on the door's small observation window and craned his neck down to peer inside the room.

"Anyone home?" Chloe asked.

"No. Empty." The man shook his head and slid the cover for the observation window back into place. "Why? Looking for someone?"

"Yes, actually."

"I haven't seen any sign of her Chloe." Sam gave her a tight smile. "Sorry."

"I'm sure she's fine." Chloe forced herself to smile back, despite her growing doubt and mounting concern.

"Not sure who you're looking for," Their new friend wandered back over. "But probably best not to stick around here."

Chloe eyed the man with his wide grin that didn't quite reach his narrow dark eyes. "And how exactly did you get tangled up in all this mess?"

"I was poking my head about where they claimed it didn't belong. I disagreed and decided to lodge a complaint." He chuckled, thick muscular packed arms coming to rest over his wide chest. "Let them drag me in. Didn't count any men outside of those three and…ah I guess it doesn't matter. From what I heard, a lot more men should be inbound."

"You seem to be able to handle yourself." Sam cut in. "Why'd you let them drag you in?"

"How else was I supposed to get inside? Place is locked up tight enough." He began to rotate his right shoulder and winced. "Speaking of which. You still have a key?"

Chloe held it up but didn't hand it over.

"I need to look into something I heard those dickheads talking about earlier. But you should take that and see if you can't find a vehicle to get out of here with."

"Just a quick stroll, then?"

"Probably best to make it quick before anyone gets back."

Chloe didn't see many other options. "Something tells me you know exactly which way I need to head."

Chloe received a more muted version of the wide smile that didn't quite reach the eyes. "Head left out the door. When you get to the end of the hallway, cut right. Can't miss all the vehicles in the bay."

"And where should I be looking for some keys?"

"The way things are currently being run around here," He laughed. "I'll be surprised if you find a vehicle with no keys."

"Alright." There was an annoying nagging tug in Chloe's gut, but worries and hesitation had to take a backseat. Because Chloe needed to find Nadine. "Sam." Chloe gave him a small, teasing smile. "Probably best you stay here."

"What? And miss out on all the fun?" Sam's attempt to laugh was interrupted by another coughing fit. "You going to be alright without me for a few minutes?"

"No worries, love, I'm a big girl. I'll manage."

"Hey, hold on," Sam grabbed her wrist before she could get too far. "Check the guards. I think one of them had a stun gun."

"You mean this one?" A small black stun gun dangled off a long, thick index finger.

"Mind if I borrow?" Chloe asked. "Something tells me you and the muscles will be fine without."

"Why not?" Said muscles along the extended arm got a good flexing. "These aren't only for show."

"I'm sure." Chloe took the weapon with a grateful small smile that was returned with a small twitch of the lips from the previous holder.

"Hey," Sam caught the other man's attention. "Buddy. Be honest, my face, is it as bad as I think it is?"

"No," Was followed with a deep chuckle. "Probably much worse."

Chloe headed out the door, chuckling to herself at Sam's antics.

"Great, real great." Sam's groan carried down the hallway. "I'm Sam, by the way. Didn't catch your name."

Chloe rounded the corner and strayed too far to hear the rest of the conversation. With her thoughts all over the place, it was a minor inconvenience at best. There were much more important issues occupying her mind. One thing in particular that her mind kept going back to, couldn't stray far from.

Where in the world was Nadine?

A passing thought about her phone and its battery life attempted to creep to the forefront of her mind as Chloe arrived at the bay.

A towering structure, supported by rusty metal rafters, with a massive flooring filled to the brim with tactical vehicles and equipment.

The thin, tall, grey walls were bare, minus one lone wall that was hard to miss. The entire thing had been painted white, making the large block of letters and emblem painted over it more prominent. A blatant representation of an organization that Chloe'd heard much about, but had little dealings with herself.

Shoreline.

The whirlwind of confusion and anxiety that had been plaguing Chloe ever since she opened her eyes managed to get a little worse. Simply trying to comprehend how she'd ended up in a Shoreline facility of all places threatened to give her a migraine that she did not have the capacity for. Nothing was making sense, except that Chloe still needed a vehicle. Which she found when she opened the closest tactical jeep and cranked it up with no problems. With a vehicle secured, Chloe rushed out of the bay and fled back down the dimly lit hallway.

Chloe reached the door that she swore she'd left open and scrambled to find the key card. "Sam, I think we may have a bit of a problem on our hands. Either I'm seeing things or we're in a Shoreline building of all places…" Key card in hand, Chloe pressed it flush against the access pad. When the keypad flashed green, she turned the door handle and attempted to walk through the door.

But the door wouldn't budge.

Chloe tried the key again, figuring that the mechanism had simply timed out. The light turned green; the sound went off. Chloe once more turned the handle, but she still couldn't get in. When she peeked inside to see if she could grab someone's attention, she quickly realized there was little chance of that happening. While there was no telling exactly what had happened, Chloe was almost certain that it had to be Sam's fault.

How else would he end up trapped in a chokehold that managed to have his long legs dangling off the ground?

"Hey," Chloe banged on the glass, unsure of what else she could do except maybe give Sam time or an opening. "Sorry to interrupt all the fun guys."

Two sets of eyes snapped to Chloe. Sam looked relieved, albeit not by much, since he was still being choked.

"Here I was, assuming you two would behave while I was gone. Do I need to come in there and separate you two?"

"Chloe-"

"Back so fast? What?" A long line of muscles bulged as the bicep and forearm applying pressure to Sam's throat flexed. "No keys?"

"If I say no, will you come out and help me look?"

Sam's eyes fluttered in time with an amused chuckle. "If you can't find anything, I'm not sure what to tell you. Standards have really dropped around here, but that's not your problem."

"Maybe not." Chloe tapped a finger on the glass in Sam's direction. "But he is."

"Doesn't have to be. You should do yourself a favor and go check for some keys again. Then get yourself as far away from here as you can."

"Sure thing, love." It was a tempting offer, albeit not one she could accept, since there was no way Chloe could abandon Sam. If not for Nate, then her own conscience. Not to mention she was getting quite good at it, compliments of Sam being himself. "Hand over my friend and we'll be on our way."

"Mmm," A nice big smile flashed in Chloe's direction before Sam's head slumped. "No."

"Look, I know he's a bit of an ass," Chloe pressed herself flush against the door and saw why she couldn't get in. Hard to get through a door that had been rigged shut with a chair jammed underneath the handle. "But whatever he's done, it's no reason to kill him."

"But I don't want to kill him." With an exaggerated motion, two large arms sprung open.

Sam collapsed to his knees, gasping for breath. "No more verses, sister, please, no more verses."

The man grabbed Sam by the hair, yanked him up, and tossed him into the chair Chloe had been occupying earlier. "Not quickly anyway."

"Come on, man," Sam's head bobbed a few times. "Let's talk about this."

"How about…" A finger tilted Sam's head back. "No."

"Are you sure? Because I really thi-" Sam's words got caught in his throat when a brutal heavy-handed jab connected with the middle of his stomach.

Sam lurched forward. "Fuck me."

"I agree." A taunt arm reared back. "Fuck you."

"For fuck's sake. What the fuck do you think I did? Cause I've got news for you, buddy. I've been in prison for more than a few years. I haven't had the time to do shit to anyone."

"Seriously?" The arm dropped and a laugh that didn't sound all that amused filled the room. "You've done nothing. But you are Sam Drake, no? Don't deny it. I heard those dickheads identify you earlier. Samuel Drake. Brother of Nathan fucking Drake. That is you correct?"

"Ugh, come on." Sam groaned, head falling back. "Please don't tell me this is about something Nate's done. Cause I love him, but I haven't had-"

A lightning-quick backhand cut Sam off. "Shut up. This is about you and your pathetic brother." Sam's head was swallowed by two massive hands that forced his head into an upright position. "Who I will be sure to take care of right after you-"

Sam sucker punched the other man in the groin and scrambled away.

"You little shit!"

"Sorry about the jewels big guy." Sam's dash for the door got him a few steps, then a chair collided with his back and dropped him to his knees. As he was slowly drug away from the door, he began to thrash around, which got him hoisted up to the ceiling, then slammed back onto the hard ground.

Sam rolled onto his stomach with a choked groan. "Fuck."

"Come here." The man grabbed Sam's wrist and began to drag him away again.

Sam twisted and turned every chance he got.

Chloe realized it wasn't to get away, but to kick the chair rigged against the door.

While Sam was tossed back into a chair, Chloe slipped in, swept up the chair he'd recently been assaulted with, and darted across the room.

"Hey fuck face!" Sam had the audacity to give the other man a little kick to his shin.

The other man looked ready to snap his neck. "You real-"

Chloe slammed the chair right in between a hefty collection of muscles that were supposed to be the towering man's shoulder blades.

"Seriously," The man's head slowly cranked around to show off a deep-set irritated scowl. "I told you to-"

Sam jumped on his back and put him in a chokehold of his own. "Yeah, uh, huh. Now what big guy?"

The man rolled his eyes and let out an exaggerated sigh, then forced a hand under Sam's forearm. His hand slowly constricted around Sam's wrist and twisted until Sam had no other choice but to let him go. Before Sam could consider following up with another attack, he was grabbed by the hair and slammed face first into the ground.

"Now then," A heavy-footed boot crushed Sam further into the ground as a perturbed scowl shot in Chloe's direction. "You-"

Chloe whipped out the stun gun and fired before she lost her clear shot. The barbed probes embedded into the side of the man's neck, dropping him to one knee. "Now then. Can we talk about this or-"

The men ripped the probes out of his neck and sprung back up, enraged eyes focused solely on Chloe.

"Just take that as a no then." Chloe crept back one slow footstep at a time.

"I got your back Chloe," Sam made a valiant attempt to grab the other man from behind. The reward for his efforts was him being caught by both the neck and front of his shirt.

Then promptly launched at Chloe.

Sam's heavy frame collided into Chloe's chest, knocking the wind out of her and sending them both sprawling to the ground.

"Christ Sam," The oxygen that Chloe choked into her lungs was equal parts painful and relieving. "You're heavy." Chloe was in the middle of trying to get Sam off of her when he was abruptly snatched off. "Shit," She tried to make a run for it. But she was too slow and, as a result, was swept up right alongside Sam.

The pair dangled side by side in the air, Sam by the neck and Chloe by the twisted front of her shirt.

"You should have left," Chloe got a good shake, followed by Sam. "And sounds like you should have done yourself a favor and stayed in prison."

"Yeah." Sam closed his eyes and released a choked exhale. "You're probably right."

"He probably is." Chloe struck the big mountain of muscles in the throat and tumbled to the floor along with Sam.

The coughing man above them clutched his vein-streaked neck, red brimmed eyes narrowing. "That's it!" He roared and lunged forward, slapping Sam out of the way when he tried to jump in front of him.

Chloe scrambled to her feet, looking for something, anything, that could help.

Thank goodness for Sam.

He rushed back over, screaming at the top of his lungs with a chair overhead, and clipped the other man in the back of the head. Bringing muscle mountain down with a hard thud that made the entire room shake.

"Shit," Chloe exhaled, hands braced on her knees to help keep her from collapsing in an exhausted heap. "Sam."

"Yeah Chloe," Sam was sprawled out not too far from Chloe, trying to catch his breath.

"What the fuck was that?"

"I have no idea. But speaking of what the fuck." Sam groaned as he crawled to his feet, bracing his hands on his back. "Maybe it was the lack of oxygen, but I swear I heard you say something about Shoreline."

"That's because you did. Seems we've managed to find ourselves in a Shoreline facility, of all places."

"How?"

"No idea." And zero signs of Nadine. "But I answered your question. Let's try mine again," Chloe pointed at the unconscious lump still laid out on the floor. "What exactly did you do to that guy that we both almost stopped breathing permanently?"

"Chloe, I introduced myself, that's it."

"That's it? Really Sam, are you sure?"

"I swear. I just asked what his name was, told him mine. He tells me his is Robert and we go to shake hands, but Chloe." The fear in Sam's eyes was hard to miss as his thoughts took him back in time. "After he says it, his whole face changed on me and he goes," Sam puffed out his chest and lowered his voice to the most ridiculous octave. "Did you say Sam? Sam Drake? Nathan Drake's brother?" Sam switched back to his normal voice. "I go yeah. Then all of a sudden, he yanks me in close and headbutts me so hard I still think I'm seeing stars."

"So, it sounds like he has an issue with you and Nate?"

"You mean more like he has an issue with Nate. I've never seen the guy before in my life. I mean," Sam's gaze shifted to the still unconscious muscle mountain. "Does he look familiar to you?"

"No." Chloe thought his name felt familiar, but couldn't place it off the top of her pounding head. Even his face felt a bit familiar. Something about the deep-set scowl tossed Chloe's way before he'd tried to erase her from the global population census. It felt as if she should know him, yet she couldn't pinpoint where from exactly. "I don't think I know him."

"Ugh," Sam groaned as he cracked his neck. "I'll be sending Nate my hospital bill."

"Good luck with that. Probably have to get back to the states in order to get him to pay up. He and Elena are still in Louisiana, right?"

"Yeah, New Orleans. But shit," Sam stretched until his back popped. "What about us? I don't recall hearing about any Shoreline offices in India."

"Neither have I."

"Doubt he'll tell us where exactly we are." Sam glanced over his shoulder before turning back to Chloe. "But hey, now that I think about it. He's obviously not Shoreline, at least I don't think he is. Or maybe…hey do you think maybe he was loyal to Nad-"

"Sam!"

Chloe's warning did little good as the newly conscious gargantuan man moved faster than you would think physics would allow him. He spun Sam around by the shoulder and slammed a fist into his face. Followed by his chest, which sent Sam stumbling back into the opposing wall.

Chloe charged their attacker, not sure what exactly her plan was. Not that a plan mattered all that much when you get snatched up and once again sent sailing through the air. This time into the small section of wall dividing the pair of offset doors.

"I tried to be nice, but if you want to make poor choices..." The man's nostrils flared as he cracked his neck. "Then that's on you."

"No, I think it's on you!" Sam came flying back in, only to get tossed around once more.

Chloe managed to get back to her feet, bracing her hand on the second of the twin doors to keep herself steady.

That's how she felt it.

Banging.

A banging from inside the second room that could only mean one thing. She'd been lied to earlier, there was someone in the second room. Prompting Chloe to quickly whip out the key card once more.

"Get from over there!" The command was made in time with rapidly approaching heavy foot stomps.

Chloe did the exact opposite and quickly unlocked the door before ripping it wide open. She hadn't looked in to see who was inside, only prayed it was a fresh Nadine ready to fight.

It turned out to be one of the last people she'd have suspected.

"Nate!" Sam looked like he was seeing things, and Chloe wouldn't have been able to convince him otherwise.

There could be no other way to explain Nathan Drake bursting onto the scene with the energy of an entertainment wrestler making their grand entrance.

"Sam?" Nate looked from his brother to Chloe. "Chloe? What are you two-"

Robert grabbed his arm and flipped him onto the ground. "I thought it was you in there, Nathan Drake. Sometimes it's nice being right. Looks like those morons I let take me weren't kidding. They actually caught you two stupid dickheads."

"Yeah, it's me." Nate groaned as he looked up. "Who are you exactly?"

Robert's grin was big and wide as he brought his massive weight down, knee first, onto Nate's chest. "The last person you'll likely be seeing today."

"Hang on little brother!" Sam ran towards them.

Only to end up on his ass right next to his brother.

"I'll have to thank those half useless traitors for saving me the trouble of hunting the two of you down." Both Drake's were hauled to their feet and tossed into the first offset room. Before they could come rushing back out, the door was slammed shut in their faces and rigged shut.

"Now then." Robert's gaze slowly shifted to Chloe. "Why don't you and I have a little talk?"

"Ja. Let's talk." A cluster of gorgeous black curls, set atop a fuming set of enraged brown eyes and a deep-set frown slipped through the open exit door. "How about starting with you, explaining what you are even doing here, Robert?"

For a moment, Chloe forgot how to breathe, and Robert took full advantage of her disorientation. He snatched her off of her feet, tossed her into a chair, and secured her with the very cuffs that she'd taken off of him earlier.

As he went through the motions, Chloe found it hard to take her eyes off of the figure in the doorway except to look at the one tying her up. Slowly it dawned on her why, from Robert's scowl to his name, to his eyes, even down to his brutal fighting style, felt so familiar.

Because it was all such a close match for his sister Nadine's.

Alright. Be honest. Who busted me early? Who said, wait a minute, that guy...is he Nadine's brother? I know someone did. I know. I'm not that slick, lol. But if you have the time and inclination then consider dropping a comment. I'd love to hear what you thought, what you think might be about to happen. If all you can manage is the keyboard flail then do not worry, I am fluent.

Either way, I hope that you enjoyed. I'm also happy to announce that Beta reading for chapter 3 is open. The best and easiest way to check that out would be to hit up the link in my profile. Until next time, take care of yourselves and I sincerely hope that you have the day that you deserve.