Still Waters Run Deep

Chapter 29: Old Habits Die Hard

Chapter 29:

Old Habits Die Hard

"I think something is happening to my wife. And I think you know what it is."

"Hello to you, too." Mona pushed her lips out into a sarcastic smirk.

Ali waited for Mona to respond to her inquiry. She got increasingly annoyed with each passing second. She felt like Mona was playing a game with her, and she was through with being just another piece on the board.

Mona stared at Ali, holding her gaze, both girls standing in rigid domineering positions, neither wanting to show the least bit of weakness around each other. They were like two tigers in the wild circling one another, growls rumbling, neither willing to blink and show submission. It was Ali who finally broke the silent tension between them with a slight peace offering.

"How's the shoulder?" Ali glanced at the sling on her arm.

"Fine." Mona didn't bat an eye, her face a perfect mask of stoicism. She'd be damned if she was going to look fragile in front of Alison DiLaurentis.

There was another long painful silence, another quiet battle for control. Two she-wolves ready to protect their vulnerable spots. Ali's eyes narrowed. She tried not to think about how Mona had killed a girl thinking it was her. Mona had wanted to murder her and that's not something Ali wanted to forget. Nor did she forget that Mona was the very reason she'd spent a hellish several months behind bars for a murder that had never happened. And to top everything off, Mona had killed her sister.

As twisted as Charlotte was, Ali couldn't let go of the five years she'd spent with her while Charlotte was in Welby. She didn't want to love her, but she did. Ali tried to shake off the past. It was, after all, the past. She cleared her throat and glanced over Mona's shoulder.

"Aren't you going to invite me in?" Ali questioned.

"Said the vampire to the unsuspecting townsperson." Mona kept her uninjured arm against the door frame, blocking her from entering. It's not that she was afraid of Ali. It's just that after all the years that had gone by she still didn't trust her.

"Oh, please," Ali said, rolling her eyes. "I was just being polite. I've had a standing invite to this place since I was like twelve. I got my first period at a slumber party here."

"Delightful story." Mona turned her nose up, whipping out her trademark snark. "But sorry." She shrugged, feigning like she cared with a cheeky smile. "I don't know who's on the list at Chateau de le Montgomery. The owners have stepped out. And it's not my house."

"You look pretty cozy to me." Ali shrugged indifferently, her tone carrying multiple meanings.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Mona didn't miss the inflection in her voice.

"It means that it can't be a coincidence that you're back in town." Ali reached out and rubbed her fingers against the finished door frame.

"My fiancé's family lives here." Mona looked at her like she was crazy. "What exactly is it that you think I'm guilty of?"

"Like I said, something is happening to Emily."

"And I'm at the top of your list because?"

"Are you seriously asking me that question?" Ali scoffed.

"God, it doesn't matter what I do – how much I try to make up for it. I will always be the bad guy, won't I?" Mona grumbled. She was so sick of everyone always assuming the worst of her, especially given all she'd done to rectify her behavior. "Something is going down, so Mona must be the mastermind, right? I'm just automatically a suspect?"