"Money, Money, Money" [2] G. Hawthorne

32 - lots of things that don't make sense

timeskip cause yeah

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I wasn't able to overhear whatever words were exchanged between Isaac and Toby. I was shuttled into the SUV, and when Isaac took his place in the driver's seat a few minutes later, I noted that he'd left several of his men inside.

I thought about Sheffield Grayson, dead on the floor. About Toby's plan for that body. "Is disposing of corpses part of your job description?" I asked Isaac.

He met my eyes in the rearview mirror. "You want a real answer to that?"

I looked out the window. The world blurred as the SUV picked up speed. "Skye and Ricky didn't plant that bomb," I said. I tried to focus on the facts, not the flood of emotions I was barely holding back. "They were framed."

"This time," Isaac said. "Skye has already tried to have you killed once.

Both of them are threats. I suggest we let them cool their heels in prison at least until your emancipation goes through."

Once I was legally an adult, once I could write my own will, Ricky and

Skye would stand to gain nothing by my death.

"Rebecca." I lunged forward in my seat suddenly, remembering. "Thea helped Mellie abduct me because someone had Rebecca."

"It's been handled," Isaac told me. "They're fine. So are you. The rest of the family is none the wiser." From his tone, you would have thought this was just business as usual. The kidnapping. The body. The cover-up.

"Was it like this for the old man?" I asked. "Or am I just lucky?"

I thought about Toby, sparing Eve from my fate, like inheriting this fortune was less blessing than curse.

"Mr. Hawthorne had a list." Oren took his time with his reply. "It was a different kind of list from yours. He had enemies. Some of them had resources, but by and large, we knew what to expect. Mr. Hawthorne had a way of seeing things coming."

I was starting to think that if I was going to survive being the Hawthorne heiress, I was going to have to start doing the same. I would have to learn to think like the old man.

Twelve birds, one stone.

Screw twelve. I'd never hit 12 in my life. Always 17.

Back at Hawthorne House, Isaac made it clear that he intended to escort me all the way to my room. When we hit the grand staircase, I cleared my throat.

"We'll need to disable the passageway," I told him. "Permanently."

I paused on the staircase, in front of Tobias Hawthorne's portrait. Not for the first time, I stared at the old man.  Had he known about Eve? I was certain he would have run a DNA test on me at some point. He knew I was Toby's daughter.

But he'd still used me to lure Toby out—the same way Sheffield

Grayson had, the same way Mellie  had. You're not a player, Nash had told me a small eternity ago. You're the glass ballerina—or the knife.

Maybe I was both. Maybe I was a dozen different things, chosen for a dozen different reasons—none of them having a damn thing to do with who

I was or what made me special.

I met the portrait's eyes and thought about my dream—about playing chess with the old man. You didn't choose me. You used me. You're still using me. But as of this moment?

I was done being used.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

An hour later, I went in search of a friend. "I have something to tell you."

"What might that be?" Isaac asked.

"I've made up my mind about collage. I'm going."

"I'm coming with you." 

"But-"

"no buts, you're lucky I'm letting you go."

"Ugh fine."

Then a smile played at my lips.

"What about your girlfriend."

He smirked.

"Excuse me?"

"You know exactly who I'm talking about Isaac!"

"Do I though?"

"Yes."

He smiled.

"Does she plan on abandoning you anytime soon?"

"Not to my knowledge."

"Great, then I'll see her every time she visits you."

"You sure she won't be visiting only for me?"

He shook his head, then excused himself for a second only to come back with a guitar.

"The hell?"

"I've been teaching Lena how to play."

I gasped dramatically and as if on cue Lena walked in.

"You little bitch! How dare you betray me!"

She laughed.

"Ready amor?" He asked her.

"Always pretty boy."

"Get a room guys!"

*********

WC: 688

epilogue next