Chapter Seventeen - Part Two

But somewhere along the line you'll slip up. And whether it's a lip stick stain on his collar, or a thong stuffed in the couch ... I'll find it. It'll only be a matter of time."

"I'll see you at three-thirty," Sofia said in a bitter voice, and promptly hung up.

"Boom," Addy said with a grin, after I had lowered the phone.

"Got it coach," I said with triumph, slipping back into my seat.

"So let me make sure I have this right. You're going to get that third, fake copy from Mr. Talbot, and give that to Sofia as the original instead?"

"That's the plan. And I'll also give her the fake copy that Eve made as well. I'll keep the original and Sofia will give the others to Charles. If my grandfather is smart, he'll compare the two and realize that they're both fake. He'll think she was laundering money as well, and assume that she's just trying to throw Mathew under the bus to save her own skin. Or who knows? Maybe Charles is in on it with Mathew. Maybe Sofia will go to him and tell him what I've done and he'll figure out my true intentions. Either way, the whole truth about this scandalous mess is now exposed and Charles will have no choice but to dismiss both of them from the Leadership."

"And this way, Ethan doesn't have to know that you were involved." Addy said, shaking her head slowly in wonder. "And of course Charles will wanna keep this under wraps because you have the original statement. So if he doesn't comply, then you could have him locked up for fraud along with the other two.  I have to say, that is absolutely brilliant. Really, it is."

"Well, that's all in the category of best case scenario," I said, and heaved a long sigh. "I just hope it works. But in the meantime, I think I'll go visit the triplets at The Bakery today and finally get those ingredients. I planned on going a little later in the week, but I need an excuse to keep Ethan glued to me until I can find a way to fix Eve."

"And what are you gonna do with him at three?" Addy asked. "You know him, he's probably gonna wanna spend the whole day with you. But it'd be crazy to take him with you to lunch with Sofia."

"Don't worry about Ethan – leave him to me. But do me a favor: while I'm gone, find me some Ambien. A lot."

*  *  *

"So what am I?" Ethan asked, as he was getting into my car an hour later. "Your partner in crime now?"

"That's right buddy," I said, sunnily, looking at him from over the top of my sunglasses as I sat in the driver's seat of the Camaro. The GPS was going, already having calculated the exact route and distance to The Bakery. And the navigation system indicated we had plenty of time to talk while I drove, so I didn't hesitate in investigating if he'd been contacted by Eve yet.

"So, anything eventful happen after the Gala last night?"

"I think I could ask you the same thing." Ethan replied, crossing his arms and leaning back comfortably in his seat.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, giving him a sharp look.

"Mimi, I saw my Dad's paper this morning. There's this big picture of you on page three, and in it you were wearing the same dress that you had on last night. Why didn't you tell me that you had to rush off to go do an interview? If that's all you were worried about, you didn't have to hide it from me."

"Oh, well, you know..." I said, feeling an immense amount of relief at my good luck. For the time being, it seemed Ethan was effectively thrown from the trail. "I like to deal with some things on my own. Turns out interviews kind of make me nervous..."

And that was kind of true – the thought of standing on the other side of a recorder while Chandler asked me a bunch of personal questions did seem a little daunting.

"Yeah, well, the article was pretty decent, but the picture was better." he said, giving me a meaningful sideways look.

"It was just good lighting." I assured him but still with a tentative smile. "You know, Ethan, I wanna start spending more alone time together. I mean, friends that are just friends – and not in any way more than friends – can still do stuff like spend the night. Right?"

"Well, hearing you clarify the 'just friends' part would suggest I have no chance in getting laid, so what exactly would be the point in that?" he asked, closing his eyes, as if to suggest the conversation held little interest for him.

But I knew it did.

"Oh come on. We could have late night study sessions. You could help me learn more Pack laws and traditions. Think about it – me and you, and popcorn, and hot wings, and maybe a few really bad B-movies..."

"Well, first off, I don't like popcorn." said Ethan, stubbornly. "The kernels get all stuck between my teeth and then they're really hard to get out. And second, I don't eat anything spicy because I happen to be of the opinion that food shouldn't hurt."

"Ok," I said. "So we'll skip the popcorn and the wings and we'll order Chinese instead."

"Uhh, pass,"

"Ethan –"

"Really. I'm busy."

"Doing what?" I shot back, giving him a quick look.

"Stuff,"

"Hey I thought we were supposed to be moving forward. I really do want us to be friends –"

"See, that's the thing, Naomi. You say you just wanna be friends, and yet you're asking me to be your date to the gala, I'll be dancing with you at your cotillion, and now you want me to go to a sleep over. I'm starting to feel used."

The guilt that had begun to creep in gradually, finally made its full, ugly appearance. Because the truth was, Ethan was right. I had been using him, while at the same time accusing him of doing the same to me. So how could I truly ask him to do what it was that I couldn't?

"You're right," I agreed, taking a more truthful approach. "I have been using you. But in my defense, I've never been very good at having friends. And to top it off, I don't trust easily. So sometimes that causes me to feel like I need to do things that will intentionally push others away so that I can protect myself from them in the long run. And that's not your fault, it's mine."

There was silence on Ethan's part, but a short glance at him was enough to tell me the battle had clearly been won.

"Fine. Apology accepted." Ethan said tersely, clearing his throat.

"Honestly, I feel terrible, Ethan. Give me a chance to make it up to you – the same chance I gave you, remember?"

I hadn't told a lie yet, and as presumptuous as it may have sounded, I was proud of myself for that. But what I couldn't refute was the fact that I couldn't promise him that I wouldn't keep using him in the future. I could admit that much at least.

"Ok, I'll let you make it up to me. And you can start by buying me coffee. I didn't get much sleep last night thanks to all that tossing and turning."

I apologized to Ethan and remained doing so even as I was turning into the parking lot of the nearest Starbucks. He was enjoying the attention, and anyway, one expensive latte was a far fairer price than what I really deserved to pay.

But as I shut off the ignition and made to open my door, I felt my phone begin to buzz. Ethan gave me an expectant look.

"Uh, sorry, it's Charles." I said, glancing at the screen. "Here, take my wallet. Buy whatever you want, I don't care."

"Hallelujah, amen, can't say no to that." Ethan replied, plucking the wallet from my hands and taking his exit.

"Hello, Elder." I said politely, answering my phone as I watched my friend disappear inside the shop. My heart was beating hard, causing me to feel dizzy. I prayed that Sofia hadn't folded.

"Naomi," he replied with his usual gruffness. "I wouldn't be calling you right now if I wasn't concerned about the reputation that I feel you're beginning to build around our family. That article from the Herald doesn't exactly paint you in the picture of modesty. And I'd be more careful in watching what you say to the media in this town. When it comes to finding out the truth, they aren't very compassionate, or forgiving for that matter."

"Gee, that's some pretty sharp advice. It almost sounds like you're speaking from experience –"

"I've been protecting this family since before you were born!" he seethed. "And I can make out a threat when I see one. Just be careful what you say to others."

"Why? Is it because you're afraid I'll say something I shouldn't? Or that I'll find something out? Or maybe it has nothing to do with either of those things, and you're just plain bitter that the Herald turned out to be more interested in me than you."

"I'm not playing your games, Naomi. You're an adult and yet you still behave like a child. And you're further off from running this Pack than you think. So if you're under the assumption that'll get there faster by doing everything you can to challenge my authority, then you're sorely mistaken."

"Well, I guess we'll just have to see about that," I said tightly.

"Yes," Charles replied. "I suppose we will."

And the next second, I was listening to the sound of the dial tone in my ear, left with nothing but a helpless anger.

There was another short, buzzing sound and for a moment I forgot the world and my rage as I realized that Ethan had left his phone behind in his seat. I stared at it for several seconds, weighing my options, before coming to the conclusion that there was nothing else for it.

I would do what I had to.

We need to talk, the message read.

The text had come from Eve. Just looking at it made my heart sink a little. Worried, the thought that she was feeling guilty and now wanted to come clean, flitted across my mind. But I couldn't allow that to happen. Eve had made her choices and now the wheels of fate were turning in motion. She had forced my