Quick on the Draw!". For once in his life, he didn't have a choice. It was a good life. But not always the right choices. Briefly, she considered his life in the last few years. He has been a professional at this for at least three decades. He isn't even doing it for money. He's done it for her. He was just so . . . in control. Always. And now he's lost control. No money, no control. And now he's got a new family that he's building with her, her family. And she doesn't have a life with him, and can't even say she'd like one with him. That doesn't mean he's stupid, or that he doesn't have a chance. She had no control over them falling in love, and she has even less control now, since they are together. She feels a little sad for him . . . but, also, a little glad for her. *** Drake didn't know what to say to her, so he just kept his eyes on the floor and said nothing. "How do you think I should handle this?" She asked. He lifted his eyes to her. "Do you mean . . ." "I mean the money," she said. "He never told me where he had stashed his assets. He had told me he didn't have much, but that was several years ago." He was quiet for a few minutes. "Does he have any other relatives?" He wasn't sure if he should say it like that. He asked, "He doesn't have a family?" She shook her head. "I didn't ask him about his family, because I thought it was none of my business." "I think he does," Drake said. "Howard and I talked about this. We thought he might have some cousins that we didn't know about, or sisters, or whatever." She shook her head. "He's just like you. No family." "That's good," she said. "That means the money is probably in a trust. If he had a family, it would be harder for him to keep it. He'd have to tell someone about the trust . . . for this to happen." He nodded. "I have an idea." She looked up at him with a frown. "What?" "I could have you draw up some papers," he said. "But only if he really trusts you, and then makes the money available to you." She looked at him and said, "Drake . . . you are absolutely brilliant!" He grinned at her, happy to have her approval. But . . . she wasn't looking at him. She was looking over his shoulder. He turned, expecting to see Howard, maybe, but what he saw surprised the hell out of him. It was a girl in the doorway. "Bryce? Where are you?" she asked, sounding panicked. Drake said, "You must be Missy." She wasn't a day over twelve, and she'd never grown into the body of an adult, but she was taller than they were, and already filled out. "Drake? What's wrong? Where is my father?" Drake looked down at his feet, smiling at Missy. She said, "No, Drake, it's not what you think. Bryce is here." He looked back at her, a little confused. "You're his daughter?" She put her hands on her hips. "And what are you doing here?" she demanded. "How did you get past security? And with that horrible monster?" She pointed at Drake. He nodded. "Bryce is here?" "Why are you talking about a monster?" Missy asked. Drake said, "Yes, I was talking about a monster." He looked at her. "What's a monster?" She was looking at him with her head tilted. "But . . . why?" she asked. "How is he a monster?" Drake looked up at Howard. "Maybe he is a little confused," he said, "and there is some confusion." "You are not going to believe this," Missy said. "He's talking to you, and no one else." She was looking back and forth between them. "How can he be talking to both of you?" "I'm not sure," Howard said. He was looking at Drake, but his gaze was on Missy. He'd realized the same thing as Drake, and had no idea who these two were. He hadn't known that Missy had a little sister. "I guess I'd better come with you." Missy was looking from Howard to Drake, and then back to Howard. "Howard," she said, "who are you?" "I'm Howard," he said, "the man who lives in the basement. The only man who's been here for almost eight years." "But . . . who is he?" Missy asked. "He's Drake," Missy said. She turned to Drake, her eyes still on Howard. "This is Drake. He's living down in the basement with Howard. He's the only man you've ever seen. You've never seen him?" Drake nodded. "All my life," he said. He turned to Howard. "You know, she was afraid of you, so she never wanted to talk to you, but you seemed like a nice man. She trusts you. You should try and trust her." Howard looked at Missy. "I like her, and her younger sister, Missy. I like you, Missy." "Who the hell are you?" Missy asked. "They used to call me Drake, too," Howard said. "Until the day you were born." He looked back to Drake, but kept talking to Missy. "I was one of the good guys, before I had to hide in the basement." He looked back at Drake. "Is there any place around here where I could get a job?" Missy started giggling and said, "I guess we can call you Drake, too, now that you're all grown up." Drake was smiling and said, "My parents have been gone for about two months. I went back to them last night." Howard was staring at Drake in shock. "And then you came back here." Drake nodded. Howard started to say something, but Missy interrupted him. "And now you're stuck with us." "I didn't say I didn't want to be stuck with you, " Drake said. "Well," Howard said, "Drake and I need to take the girls home, then, so they can go to school." He turned to Missy. "Maybe you should come with us," he said. "I might need your help to take care of Bryce." Drake looked at Missy, but Missy was staring at Howard, her eyes fixed on his face. She was staring at him in awe. "Bryce has been . . . well, you haven't seen him in a while. He really didn't look like this eight years ago." Howard looked at Drake. "No, I guess he wouldn't. Not a body this strange." He took a step forward and the two of them bumped heads, standing close together. Missy was looking at them. "How can he see with those things on his eyes?" she asked. Drake answered. "He doesn't really see things with them. He only used them to stop when he ran into things. He had a head injury." "A brain injury," Howard said. Drake nodded. "When he fell and hit his head. He took him to a lot of doctors, but they just kept giving him shots and pills and stuff, so he just dropped out." He looked at Howard. "Howard said they were going to put him back together." Missy looked at Drake. "You've been down here with him for eight years? You really didn't know? Didn't you ever wonder what happened to him?" She looked up at him and said, "You're a genius!" Howard, who had been staring off into space, snapped his attention to Missy. "What did you say?" "I said you're a genius," Missy said. "You really didn't know who she was? You were so alone for all these years, but you didn't know she was here? And my dad?" Howard nodded. "He really didn't tell me that. You and your sister were the only ones?" "You were alone for eight years?" Drake asked. "Yes," Howard said, still looking at Missy. "He couldn't get out. At least he said he couldn't." He was looking at Drake again. "He said that this is a small town and you couldn't get out and he was better off staying down here." Drake nodded. "That sounds like him. Everything he's done