The Rules of the Red - 2nd Edition |✓|

Chapter Nineteen, Part One - Betrayals Of The Heart

"Mr. Talbot," I said, sinking into the opposite seat at his table. I had finally made it to the Maison. I was late and a tad shell-shocked, but hey, I was there.

"Naomi." Mr. Talbot gave a friendly nod. "Hmm, is that a twig in your hair?"

"Why, yes, yes it is." I ran my fingers through my hair, plucking out the leaf.

"Well, here you are." He slid one of his familiar, manila folders across the table. His hands were gloved, just as mine were. "I've labeled them for you."

"Aren't you going to ask me what they're for?"

He rose, smoothing imaginary wrinkles from his dark suit. "Remember, asking questions isn't part of my job, Miss Noble."

"Right. Thank you, Mr. Talbot--again."

"No need for thanks--this is what I do. Good day."

I opened the folder. Sure enough, there was the original, Eve's fake, and the fake that Mr. Talbot's associate had created. I withdrew the original, folded it, and stuck it inside my purse. Only the two fakes were left in the folder now--mine and Eve's.

* * *

Sofia arrived shortly after the champagne. My shoulder had begun to ache miserably in her wake, so I ordered the alcohol in advance, hoping to smother some of the pain. She approached as I was uncorking the bottle. Wearing a plain, black dress with sensible high heels and a small, leather tote from Coach she was an elegant businessman straight from the pages of a magazine. She took Mr. Talbot's previous seat, regarding me through her large, dark eyes.

"You're here." I poured two glasses and offered one. "Should I take that as a good sign?"

Sofia accepted the drink, lightly swirling the contents. "Ultimately, I am interested in anything that has to do with the Leadership. The real question, is whether or not you have anything of value."

"What I can offer is another Leader--their fate, sealed, in your hands."

"I have served with these Leaders for quite some time. Why should I turn my back on one of them for you?"

"You don't get to question me," I said, in a low, harsh voice. "You're having an affair with my grandmother's husband. Diane is the Pack Leader's wife, and as his wife she has more pull in this town than you'd care to admit. Think about it, Sofia. Packs are loyal to the bone, and this kind of treachery is unforgivable. If this were to get out, the whole town would paint you as a traitor. They'd demand your job, and the Leadership would be forced to ostracize you. Meanwhile, Diane would walk away the martyr, the hero."

Sofia took a delicate sip of her wine and smiled. Yet her eyes were filled with fury. "I agree, that would be... unfortunate."

"Then do what I ask. If you don't, I'll have to step forward and turn this Leader in myself. As compromising of a situation I would be left in, it wouldn't be an impossible one--I would recover. I would focus every waking moment of your entire, unhappy existence in destroying you. And then I would expose the affair."

I leaned back and crossed one leg confidently over the other, smug because the look on her face said she was scared and that she knew I was right.

"What is the evidence you would have me submit?"

"Bank statements." I set my drink on the table, extending the limit of my shoulder. It protested sharply at the movement, but I masked the pain with a smile. "Mathew Knight is skimming from Leadership revenue. The Elder gave him full access to the accounts, and ever since Mathew's been fudging balances and hiding the missing money. I have two bank statements to prove it. They both reflect a balance from two weeks ago. The one on top is a fake Mathew created and gave the Elder. But the statement below is from the real account. You'll find the ending balances don't match. The difference is subtle, but still significant."

Sofia accepted the folder with her bare hands and pulled the two transcripts free. She studied them, then slid them them back into the folder which she then set aside. "How did you acquire this information? Even I have never had access to the Leadership's accounts."

"I'm afraid that's a question without an answer," I replied. "The only thing that matters is taking care of Mathew. His time on the Leadership has come to an end. We can't tolerate thievery within the Pack--Leader or not."

Sofia raised her eyebrows. "Surely you realize this man will end up in cuffs?"

I faltered, but only for the briefest of seconds. "He's stealing. He needs to be made an example. And if that isn't enough of a reason then understand this--Charles is in love with having power over this Leadership, and you have the chance to give that to him. Hand him Mathew on a silver platter and he'll thank you for it. You'll see."

Ultimately, Sofia Devila's trust and adoration for the handsome, cold-hearted Elder would be her undoing. The woman was willing to put everything on the line for him, indicating that Charles had sucked her into an ugly black hole filled with the same assurances he probably fed to Diane. Yet Sofia couldn't see any of it because she was blinded by love for a man who had her heart in his hands and could squeeze whenever he desired.

Why the hell did this picture look so damn familiar?

* * *

As I had anticipated, Sofia left with the folder, dialing Charles on her way from the hotel. Meanwhile, I was left to celebratory my half-victory alone, over a quick lunch. As I ate, my thoughts were aimed towards removing Eve's curse and questioning Claudia about The Order. I had to make certain she had nothing to do with the sacrifices or The Elder's plan to be rid of the Vampires. Given how protective she was over Tidus my instincts said Claudia wasn't, but still–I had to be sure.

I finished lunch and left the hotel. Out front, I pulled out my phone, watching for the valet's arrival with my car. As I waited, I dialed Tidus' number.

"Naomi. I hadn't expected to hear from you until Johl's party."

"I know, but I've got a problem and I could use your help."

"I'm listening."

"I need to see Claudia, like now. I've got her ingredients and I could use a return in the favor."

Tidus sighed. "What's wrong?"

"It's the ring," I said, after a moment's hesitation. "I'm sorry, but it was... stolen." I winced, watching as my car pulled to curb.

"You lost the ring?"

"Sto-len," I corrected. "But I know who has it, and I'm sure I can get it back if Claudia is willing to work with me. After all, this affects her sister more than any of us."

Tidus didn't respond, but in his silence I heard everything he should've said. He should've said that he was wrong for trusting me with the ring, that I was incompetent, and a selfish fool. After all, that's how I felt. I had screwed things up, and this was my one shot to make it right. I couldn't let the sacrifice of Mathew's reputation end in vain. There was still a chance for some good to come of it.

"Alright," said Tidus. "Tell me what I can do."

* * *