Toxic Lips [l.h]

s i x t y t w o

'Oh, oh, oh

Be my baby,

And i'll look after you.'

-----

"We need to act soon."

Everyone nods their heads, agreeing with Michael's statement.

We're congregated in Luke's apartment, leaning over the boy's work schedules with Blackwater for the next week. All their shifts are relatively around the same time for keepipng guard outside of Ivory, and they all attend the same meetings.

It's been a week since Luke and I went to the zoo, and we haven't spoken much. I wasn't as bad as after I told him I love him, but it hasn't exactly been comfortable.

"I think we need to tell Adams," I say.

All eyes turn to me.

I straighten up. "Think about it. We've been putting this off for weeks, and we need to put something into action sooner or later."

Calum nods. "Alaska's right."

"Fine," Luke says. "We'll tell him tomorrow, then."

"What if he doesn't believe us?" I ask.

"He will," Luke says.

"But how do you know? I mean, you siad Drew is a very convincing guy, and--"

Luke and Calum exchange a look.

"She's not wrong," Ashton pipes up.

"She's not," Calum agrees.

"What's worse, what if he doesn't believe you and tells Drew about it?" MIchael asks.

"That would be a nightmare," Ashton says.

"We can't win," Luke says, throwing his hands into the air in exasperation. "Whatever we do, we can't fucking win!"

"We can't think like that," Calum says.

"Well, Calum, what do you suppose we do? If Adams doesn't believe us and tells Drew, we're as good as dead," Luke spits.

Dead?

"Dead?" I ask. "Drew would... Drew would--"

"I wouldn't put it past him," Michael says, avoiding eye contact.

My fear of Drew has just multiplied by one hundred.

"I think it's just a risk we have eto take," Ashton says. "We have to count on Adams not telling, and believing us."

"Wait," Luke says, as he stops pacing and looks at me. "Alaska. Alaska is how he's going to belive us."

I furrow my brow. "Me?"

"That time when I was in Adams' office to argue about the budget cuts," Luke says. "You convinced him to side with me, and he listened to you."

The memory slowly returns to my brain.

"You're the key," he continues. "Adams may not listen to me, or even Calum, but he'll listen to you."

"I don't know," I saw, shaking my head. "That was over budget cuts, this is over something much more serious."

"You've got to, Alaska. You're our only hope right now," Luke says.

I sigh. If I mess this up,we could all be in gigantic trouble. But I have to, if we want this alliance to go anywhere.