Alex's head pounded like someone was hitting it with a hammer. His mouth felt dry and tasted terrible. Slowly, he opened his eyes, expecting to see strange walls, maybe a prison cell after being stolen.
Instead, he was in his own bedroom.
Sunlight streamed through the windows. His clothes from last night were nicely folded on a chair. Had the attack been another bad dream?
A noise from the kitchen caught his attention. Someone was in his room.
Alex climbed out of bed carefully. His head hurt worse when he stood up. He grabbed a baseball bat from his closet and tiptoed toward the kitchen, ready to swing.
But when he peeked around the corner, he froze. It was Ethan, whistling as he flipped pancakes on the stove.
"Ethan?" Alex croaked.
Ethan turned around and smiled. But the smile didn't quite reach his eyes.
"Morning, sleeping beauty," Ethan said. "How's the hangover?"
Alex dropped the bat. "What happened last night? I thought... I thought someone attacked us."
Ethan stared at him for a long moment. "You must have had another weird dream. Too much booze, buddy."
"But I remember," Alex maintained. "We came back from the bar. You gave me water and aspirin. Then there was a crash from the living room, and you went to check..."
Ethan turned back to the stove. "Nope. You passed out as soon as we got home. I slept on your couch."
Alex leaned against the doorway, confused. He had such a clear memory of the attack. Of seeing Ethan on the floor. Of someone grabbing him from behind.
"Pancakes?" Ethan asked, moving a plate across the counter. "They'll help with the hangover."
Alex sat on a stool and picked up a fork. As he ate, he noticed something strange. Ethan kept looking at him when he thought Alex wasn't paying attention. His eyes would dart to Alex, then quickly away.
"Is something wrong?" Alex asked.
"Wrong? No. Why would anything be wrong?" Ethan's voice was too happy. Fake.
"You keep staring at me."
"No, I don't." Ethan turned away to wash a pan, but his shoulders were stiff.
Alex's phone buzzed on the counter. It was a text from Sophia: "Dress fitting today at 3. Don't forget!"
The wedding. It was still going. In less than four weeks, he would be married to someone he didn't love.
"So," Ethan said, his back still turned. "How much do you remember from last night?"
Alex thought about it. "Most of it, I think. The bar. The drinks. You bringing me home."
"And what about..." Ethan paused. "Did you mean what you said at the bar? About not wanting to marry Sophia?"
Alex's stomach twisted. He remembered saying that. He also remembered almost telling Ethan the truth about his thoughts. Had he actually done it?
"I was drunk," Alex said slowly. "I say stupid things when I'm drunk."
"Right." Ethan nodded, but he looked unhappy. "Stupid things."
The air between them felt thick with unsaid words. Alex pushed his half-eaten pancakes away. His hunger was gone.
"I should get dressed," he said. "Sophia has a dress fitting today."
"Don't you mean a tux fitting? For you?"
"No, her dress. She wants my opinion."
Ethan finally turned to face him. "Isn't it bad luck for the groom to see the bride's dress before the wedding?"
"I'm just going to see the color, not her wearing it," Alex lied. The truth was, he had no idea why Sophia wanted him there. He just needed a reason to leave this awkward situation with Ethan.
After a quick shower, Alex got dressed. His head still hurt, but he felt more awake now. As he passed through the living room, something caught his eye.
A small dark spot on the carpet. Right where he remembered seeing Ethan's body the night before.
Alex knelt down and touched it. The stain was dry but recent. Was it... blood?
"Ready to go?" Ethan appeared behind him, making Alex jump.
"What's this?" Alex pointed to the spot.
Ethan's eyes opened for just a second before his face became calm again. "I spilled some coffee this morning. Couldn't get it all out. Sorry."
But coffee wasn't that dark. And why would Ethan lie about it?
"I can drive you to meet Sophia," Ethan offered.
"That's okay. I'll take a taxi." Alex didn't want to spend more time with Ethan right now. Not until he figured out what was going on.
"I insist," Ethan said, his voice firm. "I'm going that way anyway."
Alex had a strange feeling that Ethan didn't want to let him out of his sight. But why?
They drove in silence. Alex stared out the window, trying to sort through his mixed memories and the weird feeling that something was very wrong.
"Alex," Ethan said suddenly, "if someone asked you to do something you didn't want to do, to protect someone you love, would you do it?"
The question was so strange and surprising that Alex turned to stare at him. "What do you mean?"
"Just thinking out loud." Ethan kept his eyes on the road.
"I guess it depends on what it is," Alex said slowly. "And who I'm protecting."
Ethan nodded but didn't say anything more.
They arrived at the wedding shop, and Alex reached for the door handle. But Ethan grabbed his arm.
"Alex, wait." Ethan's eyes were focused, almost desperate. "I need to tell you something."
"What is it?"
Ethan opened his mouth, then closed it again. He looked like he was fighting some internal war.
"Nothing," he said eventually. "Have fun with Sophia."
Alex got out of the car, more confused than ever. As Ethan drove away, Alex noticed a black SUV parked across the street. A man in sunglasses was watching him.
Inside the wedding shop, Sophia was waiting. She jumped up when she saw him and hugged him tight.
"Thank goodness you're here," she whispered in his ear. "We need to talk."
She pulled him to a private changing room in the back of the shop. Once they were alone, she closed the door and turned to him with wide, scared eyes.
"Our parents are in trouble," she said. "Big trouble."
"What kind of trouble?" Alex asked, though he had a terrible feeling he already knew.
"I don't know exactly. But last night, I got a strange visit from two guys in suits. They said if we don't go through with the wedding, our parents will..." Her voice broke. "They said our parents will disappear."
Alex felt cold all over. "This is real, then? Not a dream? The FBI, the threats, all of it?"
"It's very real." Sophia pulled out her phone and showed him a picture. It was their parents, sitting together in what looked like a hotel room. They were all holding yesterday's papers. They looked scared but unhurt.
"They sent me this as proof that our parents are okay," Sophia said. "For now."
"We have to go to the police," Alex said.
"We can't. They said if we tell anyone, our parents will..." She couldn't finish the sentence.
Alex sank onto a plush chair. Now he understood why Ethan had been acting so strange. He must have been threatened too.
"What do we do?" he asked.
Sophia sat beside him and took his hand. "I don't know. But I think we need to play along for now. Act like everything's normal. Go ahead with the wedding plans."
"And then what? Actually get married?"
"If that's what it takes to keep our parents safe... yes."
Alex thought about his almost-confession to Ethan. How close he'd come to admitting his thoughts. But now it seemed impossible. He had to marry Sophia to save his folks.
"I'll do whatever it takes," he said eventually.
Sophia squeezed his hand. "Me too. We're in this together now."
A knock on the changing room door made them both jump.
"Ms. Martinez?" a saleswoman called. "Your maid of honor is here."
Sophia stood up, fixing her clothes. "Just a minute," she called back. To Alex, she whispered, "Remember, act normal. Smile. Pretend everything is fine."
Alex nodded, but as Sophia opened the door, his phone buzzed with a text message. It was from Ethan:
"Don't trust anyone. Not even me. They're watching us all. Meet me tonight, 10 PM, at our special place. Come alone. I need to tell you something important about your father."
Alex looked at the message, his heart racing. What did Ethan know about his father? And what was their "special place"?
As he followed Sophia to the front of the store, claiming to be interested in wedding dresses, he saw the man in the black SUV was still watching through the window.
Whoever "they" were, they were everywhere.