The Rules of the Red - 2014 Watty Award Winner |✓|

Chapter Twenty - Part Two

“And Ethan? Have you any thought to what you’ve done to him? Or his family? Mathew was their only source of income. He was doing what was necessary to support his family –”

“Please, Charles, spare me the parts of this conversation where you pretend to be the good guy – that’s so cliché it’s annoying.” I said, pouring myself a cup of coffee. “Besides, we both know that you don’t give a damn about Mathew Raines. Sofia – maybe, but I have a hard time seeing Diane being ok with that…”

“Obviously,” Charles began tightly, straightening his tie, but I knew that he would much rather have been strangling me with it. “You knew Mathew was stealing the money. And I won’t ask how, because frankly, at this point it doesn’t matter. But what I want you to know, is that I’ve also known the entire time. And I allowed it to happen so that he could get out of debt and focus on supporting his family and this Pack. He couldn’t have done that worrying about bills.”

“But?” I asked, eyebrows raised as I took the first tentative sip of my drink.

“But?” he repeated, in a questioning sneer.

“Get real,” I said, with a snort. “Do you honestly expect me to believe that you let Mathew get away with stealing out of the kindness of your heart? You had something on him, or he had something on you… Either way you used the money as a ticket out – a favor for a favor and you each turned a blind eye to what the other was doing. But one of your mice got caught in a trap yesterday, so you had no choice but to let the cops haul him away while you turned your back. But now I have a question for you, Grandfather. How did you escape the cuffs? Why didn’t Mathew rat out his partner? Or Sofia, even? Why were they both so willing to let you break them? Why did they take the fall for you?”

Charles stooped slightly, and gathered his case and coat, silent. But on his face sat a strange and devilish smile.

“Because they’re afraid, Naomi,” he said casually, and turned to go. “As you should be too…”

“Oh? Should I be afraid like you are of the Hunters?” I said, rising as he paused with his back to me in the doorway.

“You have something to do with those Humans dying now, just like you had something to do with that magical flue all those years ago. And it’s happening again.”

“You think that because we’re family, I can’t be hard on you, and you moronically assume that I’ve underestimated you. But I am warning you now, Naomi, your last name holds weight no more. And as of this moment, your blood will no longer protect you.”

He left, and with a frustrated cry, I turned and chucked the coffee mug hard against the wall. It broke with a satisfied tinkle as coffee splattered in large droplets across the floor and wall.

His threats were genuine, I knew, but what scared me more was that perhaps he was right – what if I truly had underestimated him? What if I all along I had gone up against an adversary who had only given me his ten percent? I had deceived myself with my own pride, it seemed.

Not to mention that at the same time, Charles – the real villain – had somehow managed to paint me as the bad guy too. So now, the only real question was who could play the role best…

*  *  *

I showered and dressed hurriedly, intent on making my way to the Blue Moon to find Lucas. I wanted to catch him early during the day, in order to talk when I knew the bar would still be quiet. No more coffee – and no breakfast either – would be able to pass my lips again until I found a way to shine some light on this dark, dire situation.