Chapter 47: Chapter 46

Katherine handed out hot chocolate with generous helpings of whip cream and marshmallows while Delle stood before the rest of us, flipping through her worn-out notebook with a focused expression. Everyone was shoved into Katherine's small living room filled with warm colors, an endless supply of fuzzy blankets, small pillows, and countless family pictures.

No matter where my eyes landed, I would see pictures of Tate, Iz, and Aiden growing up before my eyes. An inside look at the loving family they had been a part of, leaving me feeling hollow, missing the family I had lost.

Laliana caught my expression, one that hadn't meant to be seen, and we shared a look of understanding. One that told me more about the grief she hid behind her smile. One that told me she had lost family too. One that told me she had been alone. We were very different people, but underneath the smiles, we held the same grief. And now she was being welcomed into the Dalton's warm home like she had always belonged.

Maybe... I can have that too. I pushed the thought away, now was not the time to dream.

Iz, Laliana, and Misty sat on a love seat that was meant for two people. On one side, Iz insisted that she was warm enough every time Katherine attempted to wrap another blanket around her, while Misty did her best not to stare at Laliana like an excited fangirl on the other end, grinning from ear to ear. Misty could hardly believe she was sitting so close to one of her favorite authors.

I smiled, enjoying the excitement radiating off of her like a strobe light. Breathe girl. Don't pass out.

With the small love seat completely booked by Laliana and her fans, I was left on a couch across from them, sitting between Tate and Aiden. Something I love and hated in equal measure.

Delle stood in front of the fireplace, looking at her notes as she pushed her wild red curls out of her face. Once Katherine had assured everyone had a hot chocolate, or a chai in Aiden's case, she left the room, having little interest in the conversation about attempted murder.

"Okay," Delle said pulling everyone's attention to the front of the room. "Let's start with what we know."

She wrote something down, ripped it out of her notebook, and after attaching it to a piece of tape, slammed it with dramatic flair up against the fireplace banister. We all leaned forward in unison, trying to see what she wrote.

"I... don't really know what I'm looking at," Tate admitted.

"Yeah... is it an ocean wave?" Laliana asked.

"No, a snake!" Iz guessed.

"A worm?" Misty added.

Delle crossed her arms. "What? No. This isn't charades! It's a number. It's the number two."

I tilted my head to the side. "You really need to work on your handwriting."

Misty squinted at the number. "Yeah, that's pretty bad sis."

"Why did you draw a number to signify poop?" Tate asked, barely able to hold back a smile.

"Yeah, if you need to go to the bathroom, you didn't have to announce it, you can just go," Iz added, covering her mouth as she and Tate began to roar with laughter.

"Let's get back on track here!" Delle snapped, trying to lasso everyone back as more laughter filled the room.

"Based on detailed reports I took from Allie, Iz, and... Laurence before we let him out of jail," Delle added with an amused grin, "All the details from the attack point to at least two people working together."

"At least?" Tate asked with wide eyes. He turned and looked at me with a raised brow, lips tugging up at the corners. "How many enemies do you have Fire Hydrant Girl?"

I shrugged. "Enough to launch an actual investigation apparently."

"If you had to guess, how many people do you think are trying to hurt Allie?" Tate asked Delle.

She paused, thinking. "I am not really sure yet. But if we count the person who took the picture in the courtyard, then three, maybe even four."

Aiden looked at Delle with a furrowed brow. "Photographer?"

I felt Tate tense next to me. Aiden turned to look at me. "What photographer?"

I was relieved that Tate hadn't told Aiden about what happened. But the relief was instantly replaced by deep anxiety as everyone's eyes fell on me, waiting for clarity.

Keeping the information to myself wasn't going to fix anything, and Aiden and Delle both needed all the pieces, no matter how awkward. But that didn't stop the air from leaving my lungs, as I struggled to convince myself that spilling my guts in front of everyone wouldn't traumatize me for life.

Delle looked back at me, silently asking for permission to reveal the final pieces of the worst night ever. I sighed, wanting to die a little, my fingers itching to hide in my pockets and sleeves. I wasn't going to have Delle explain my disaster life. It wasn't her story to tell. So instead, I braced myself, and stood up, moving to stand next to Delle at the front of the living room.

Why is none of my shame private?

I looked at Tate, doing my best to breathe past the wild beating of my heart. He searched my eyes, his own incredibly soft. So open. So ready to understand. It made it so much worse. Gentleness was still so new to me. It left me feeling burned, raw, vulnerable. I opened my mouth, intent on explaining, but he shook his head. "You don't have to—" Tate began.

I offered him a sad smile. "We need all the puzzle pieces, Tate. Even the hard ones. I want you to know what happened..." I glanced around the room.  "Even if I have more witnesses than I want."

"You can have a minute," Delle offered, looking between Tate and me.

I ran my hand down my face. "And tell the story twice? I really don't want that."

I glanced at Aiden for a moment, feeling every gaze as I began to explain, tempted to run out the door and hide in an underground bunker with never-ending snacks instead. "Remember when I thought I saw Tate at the Masquerade?"

Aiden gave me a quick nod, before looking over at Iz who was still too pale for both of our likings. I paused, wishing I could erase everything from that night. Wishing I could go back and choose to stay with Iz and Aiden, eating chocolate-covered strawberries at the food table until the evening ended and we went home, transforming the memory into a good one.

"Well, it obviously wasn't Tate."

I turned and looked at the sunshine boy who had been so utterly patient with me. So wonderful. So kind. And I did my best to explain while the rest of the room watched. "And when I approached who I thought was you..." I swallowed to keep my voice steady. " He was wearing a masquerade mask and it was dark and..."My hands fell to my sides, defeat ringing clear in my voice. "We... I... kissed him."

I shoved my hands into my pockets to have something to do. To protect myself from my own words. "I thought it was you, Tate." I yanked my eyes away from his unreadable bright green ones and stared at the ceiling, embarrassed and scared. "I figured it out pretty fast that..."

I closed my eyes and blurted out the rest, wanting to end it fast like ripping off a bandaid mercilessly. "...the person was Laurence and very much not you, but someone saw it happen and took a picture."

I looked back at Tate, trying to read his face as I finished, hoping he understood that it was an accident, a mistake. "Believe me, I would have never kissed him if I had known." A glimmer of emotion crossed his eyes before being buried behind an unreadable expression again.

"And that is what they sent you last night. A picture of me, kissing who I thought was you."

Iz and Aiden stared at me with identical looks of shock. Delle swore behind me, hearing the news of Tate receiving the picture for the first time. Silence swelled, growing thick until, a moment later, it popped as the entire room erupted into conversation. Questions were thrown out in a loud jumble, growing so loud that my brain rattled inside my skull, a  migraine threatening to consume every nerve ending in my body.

I closed my eyes, wanting to shrink into the ground and mute the world for a moment.

"Tate! Why didn't you say anything about the message?" Laliana exclaimed.

"Why didn't you tell me that?" Aiden and Delle asked at the same time.

"Allie? Are you okay!?!" Iz asked, concern clear in her voice.

Someone reached for my hand, weaving their fingers with mine, grounding me even as the noise grew. It was a hand I knew, fingers warm in mine, and a moment later, I was tugged out of the room, the voices echoing behind. "WHERE ARE YOU GOING!?!"

Tate pulled me up the stairs and into what was clearly a guest bedroom. The door shut behind us, and he leaned against it, taking me in with sharp green eyes. I could still hear the voices downstairs, erupting into arguments and theories about who hated me enough to try and destroy my life.

"I thought you'd need a moment after that," he said, voice a whisper.

I nodded, unsure of what else to do. What to say. I felt raw, my insides carved out.

We stood, staring at each other for a long moment before I heard a voice downstairs cut through the silence. "NO! HE WAS HER SECRET ADMIRER! THAT'S WHY HE KISSED HER BACK!"

I groaned and dropped down on the edge of the quilted comforter that covered the queen bed. "I've made a mess of things." Running my hands through my hair, I sighed before looking up at Tate from where he continued to stand in front of the door across the small room.

"I am so sorry, Tate. You should have never gotten a text like that. I should have warned you—"

"When would you have had time to tell me? Before or after you got attacked?" he asked, his forest green eyes unbearably dark.

I flopped back on the bed, tired. "I am sorry about Laurence."

"Did you really think he was me?" Tate asked. There was a hint of amusement in his tone.

I threw my arms over my eyes. "Yes."

"How dark was it?" I could hear the grin in his voice. "Was he wearing a Tate mask?"

"Why are you enjoying this?" I muttered from behind my arm.

I sat up and caught his playful smile as he looked down at me, arms crossed from where he continued to lean against the door. "It's nice to see how much you care."

I pursed my lips, trying not to get infected with his smile. "Of course I care. I just don't go around declaring it in song form, butchering the words like you do."

Tate laughed, rubbing the back of his head, strands of chocolate brown hair falling into his face. "Fair."

"Do you still want space from me?" I asked, trying to block out the sound of the noise downstairs. "I know you really didn't get to decide, with the crime crew we have running things downstairs."

"Would I have dragged you up here if I did?" he answered quietly, want and hunger sparking in his eyes, igniting a fire inside of me.

"Then why are you standing all the way across the room?" I murmured.

He blinked, seeming dazed for a moment, giving me the reaction I wanted as his cheeks tinted pink. "Didn't want to do anything stupid until I knew you were okay."

"So if I am okay, you are free to act like an idiot? Or does me being in my right mind cause your stupidity?" I asked, attempting to give him a scowl and epically failing. "That doesn't encourage me to be okay, Tate."

"You inspire my brain to take vacations when it isn't wise to do so," Tate offered. Then he took a step towards me. "Are you okay?"

"Are we okay?" I asked.

He stooped down in front of me, looking up into my eyes. "You are deflecting."

"So are you. Look, I don't like Laurence—"

"So you've said. Just answer my question," he urged.

"Tate." I took his hands in mine, hating how my own shook as I squeezed his tight. "I need to know if you are okay. If I hurt you. I don't like not knowing what is going on inside your head. It's freaking me out, okay?"

The bed shifted as Tate sat down next to me and pulled me into his arms. The smell of sandalwood, citrus, jasmine, and orange flower enveloped me, warmth radiating from his body melting into my skin. His dark lashes swept down as he looked at me, lashes kissing his cheeks.

"We are okay Allie," he murmured into my hair. "I just need to know if you are okay." He pushed several strands out of my face, fingers brushing fire against my skin, sending my heart hammering wildly. "You just had to spill your guts down there after being dragged to a dinner where you were nearly cornered into talking about your dating life. Which both go on your 'top ten things I hate' list. So other than the fact that getting you alone is something I very much want," he breathed, his voice a rumble in his chest, "I thought you might need a moment to breathe."

I looked up into his face, my own fighting off a blush as I melted under his tender touch. "You are too nice. Some people find it annoying," I replied, trying to combat the desire to get lost in his eyes, in him for longer than was appropriate considering people were waiting for us downstairs.

He kissed my temple slowly, his eyes thoughtful. "So I've been told."

"I'm okay," I stammered, flustered, having missed his lips, his tenderness, every inch of him.

Tate cupped my face, fingers brushing against my jaw, eyes dark. "Good. Because I've missed you." He leaned forward, lips a breath from mine when someone pounded the door.

"COME ON YOU TWO! WE ARE LITERALLY TRYING TO CATCH A BAD GUY AND WE KINDA NEED YOU BOTH TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN!" Delle shouted. "MAKEUP AFTER!"

Tate placed his forehead to mine, chuckling. "How offended would you be if I killed your sister?"

I smiled, working my fingers into the hair at the nape of his neck, not ready to let him go. "Not very. Do you think they will go away if we stay quiet?"

"Seriously guys! I can hear you!" Tate sighed as Delle pounded the door again.

He leaned away from me, frustration coloring his face. "We should go." He pulled me up with him. "We'll talk after."

I glared at my sister as I threw open the door, and she had enough common sense to look guilty. "I am going to pay for this aren't I?"

"A little," I muttered.

The three of us shuffled back down the stairs, greeted by a living room that fell into dead silence, clearly killing the conversation and replacing it with awkward quiet to the alternative of talking about me in front of my face. Ladies and gentlemen... introducing the world's worst topic changers in the world.

Once we were back in our seats, Tate sitting a little closer, hip pressed against mine, Aiden cleared his throat, starting the conversation back up like revving up an old car.

"Okay, so back to the topic..." Aiden said breaking the awkward quiet. "You kissed Laurence, then Person One takes a picture of it."

He stood up and walked over to stand next to Delle, counting on his fingers. "Then Person Two tries to hurt you but gets Iz instead. And before they can do more damage their counterpart, Person Three, calls them off."

Delle nodded and crossed out the number two and wrote the number three next to it on the hanging piece of paper. "What else do we know?"

"We know that someone broke into Susan's home," I said.

Tate shook his head. "Not exactly. I remember you saying she had let someone in."

Aiden raised a brow. "What woman living alone would let a stranger into her apartment late at night?"

I threw up my hands in agreement. It was weird. That girl needed a dose of paranoia. "Apparently he was cute."

Aiden raised a brow. "...Cute?"

Delle sighed. "So we are on the lookout for a... cute attempted murderer."

"And someone who is trying to pin this on Laurence Royal," Aiden added.

"Exactly," Delle continued feeding off of him. "So if we find out who had the most to gain from his downfall, we will find our culprit."

They both nodded at each other, almost forgetting that venom was the foundation of their first interaction.

"But Laurence said he didn't really have enemies," I pointed out.

Both Delle and Aiden started to laugh, finding the idea of not having enemies to be a hilarious notion. "Bull," Delle muttered checking her notes.

"Yeah, everyone is hated by someone," Aiden said.

Of course these two would bond over their lists of enemies...

"What a couple of optimists you two are," Iz said before taking a long slurp of her hot chocolate. "You should put that on a bumper sticker."

Delle wrote something down on a clean page, focused. "But Laurence did say his useless brother Carter and his garbage human of a best friend were always getting into trouble. There might be something there."

Aiden's head turned so fast that I thought it was going to snap right off his neck. "As in Carter Royal and Decklan Blake?"

Laliana's eyes went wide. "Those two are bad news."

Misty gasped, "OH MY GOSH! I read an article about it! Didn't you go on a date with Carter Royal?" she asked Laliana.

Everyone's heads turned to look at Laliana, suddenly putting her in the spotlight.

Tate started laughing. "That's right! That was right before you got stood up by Decklan right? I almost blocked that out!"

Laliana slunk down on the love seat, hands over her face. "Don't remind me!"

Iz offered Laliana's head a comforting pat. "It's okay. You didn't know he sucked."

"I don't feel so good," Laliana muttered from between her fingers. "I feel like I ate a bunch of kale chips."

"Do you want me to bring you some fruit?" Aiden asked, suddenly crouching down in front of Laliana, his hands on her knees.

Delle wrinkled her nose at the idea. "What is fruit going to fix?"

Aiden shot Delle an irritated expression. "Fruit helps combat all the grease from the pizza."

"MY PIZZA HAS AN APPROPRIATE AMOUNT OF GREASE!" Katherine shouted from the kitchen, making everyone jump.

"I'm okay Aiden." Laliana smiled down at him like he was the only one in the room, her cheeks turning slightly pink by the sudden attention.

"Fruit is about as useful to the food chain as a hat is to a ballgown," Iz supplied with a stage whisper, earning herself a snort from Misty before Misty could cover her mouth to stop it.

I blinked, realization hitting me so hard I nearly fell off the couch. I gasped, bolting to my feet. "Iz! That's it."

I began to pace, mind whirling, throwing images together until a tapestry began to form. "I know who did it... or at least I think I do." Pieces were starting to click, making my skin crawl. "Oh my gosh..."

I wanted to throw up. "Tate..."

He came into view. "Allie? What's wrong?"

I'm not safe...

"Allie," Tate said again, trying to get my attention as I stumbled, sitting down on the couch.

"Do you trust me?" I asked Tate.

There was no hesitation, his answer instant as he took my hands in his. "Yes."

"Then I am going to need you to do something for me."

"Fill us in Allie. I don't know what level of worried I should be," Delle said.

"I am going to need you to leak that picture and ask Susan out on a date."

---

Thank you for reading chapter forty-six! I hope you are enjoying the story! Or are at least curious to see where it goes! Add this story to your reading list to know when the next chapter drops!

UPDATE DAYS - A NEW CHAPTER EVERY FRIDAY!

Why does Allie want the picture leaked?!? What does she plan to do?

Will Tate agree to take out Susan? Why does Allie want that to happen?

It looks like Allie has a plan. But will it destroy her business? Everything she's worked for?

What will happen next?

CHAPTER QUESTION - Have you ever had to have an embarrassing conversation in front of a bunch of people? How did that go?