Chapter 55

I'm still absolutely baffled by the lunch invitation I received from Becki, but Marcus, the Alpha, the Luna, Liam, and I all agreed it would be best to go and see what she's up to now. I ran it by Kent and the rest of the gang, too.

"I don't know, either," Kent says, stirring his coffee and tapping his spoon on the edge of the mug before taking a big gulp. "But I agree: best to go see what she wants, probably? Ty, what do you think?"

"I agree," Ty says from over at the oven, where he's pulling some bake-and-serve cinnamon rolls out. "I figure they're trying to get close to the Alpha again, for what it's worth."

"Sounds right to me," Torsten says from his spot at the table. "They don't know that Nicole is…well, Nicole," he points out. "They think she's some doctor from Australia, who doesn't know how Becki is tied up with Charles and everybody else."

"So, it would make sense to befriend 'Dr. Prism' to try to get a shot at getting close enough at the Alpha to take him out again," Brady adds.

"Just be careful," Kent frowns. "You know they tried to pin this murder on you, Nicole. They'll be gunning for you, next, once they realize they can't use you."

"She needs to be careful for her sake, and for ours," Torsten chips in. "We still haven't forgotten that Charles is trying to take over our business turf" – business, in this case, meaning the drug business.

"I'm afraid that's slipped lower on my list of priorities," I begin apologetically, but Kent waves me off.

"You've had a lot to deal with lately," he says. "And once Charles is down, it'll be better for us all. We just don't know what he's aiming for now. It's been quiet on the streets lately; no more robbery attempts. I wonder what he's thinking."

"He's bitten off more than he can chew," I say. "I think he's gotten himself in debt somehow, maybe through drugs, and he's been trying to take over your turf so that he can control the business and thus make enough money to get rid of his debts."

"But he's also tried to murder the Alpha, and he 'killed' Nicole to shut her up, he's probably trying to murder his mother for the same reason, he'll want to kill 'Evelyn,' and he's trying to get his wife on the Alpha's throne," Brady ticks off on his fingers. "Yep, dude has bitten off more than he can chew."

"Don't forget the possible embezzlement," I say. "I bet he's skimming the books at the mansion to cover up his debts, for now. He's got bigger fish to fry – Emmett and Marcus, for one – but we can't forget that he's a threat to the gang, too."

"I'm still amazed that you call him Emmett," Kent says in admiration. "Damn, girl, you really did get yourself a cushy spot in that household."

I laugh, but it's tinged with bitterness.

"Yeah, fine for me," I say. "I'm probably going to get murdered for it. Again."

"Nah, Marcus won't let that happen," Kent grins up at me. "He'll protect his Luna no matter what, don't you worry."

"I"m not the Luna yet," I mutter. "Marcus hasn't even been named the heir. This is probably going to end with all of us in coffins."

"Don't be so gloomy!" Kent exclaims. "Look at what we've accomplished already. And I've already spoken to Andrea about some extra security around you and the mansion, namely Marcus and the Alpha."

"Really?" I ask. "What can Andrea do?"

"Honey, I already told you: don't ask questions that you don't really want the answers to," Kent says. "The less you know about Andrea, the better."

"Well, fair enough," I say with a sigh. "I just hope this lunch meeting isn't a giant mistake."

"We don't have a lot of choice," Kent says. "But either way, I believe in you. We all do. You're a badass, Doc. You got this."

I glance around the kitchen, and all the gang members present smile encouragingly at me. Brady even gives me a thumbs up.

"I hope you're right," I say, then wave at Ty to bring me a cinnamon roll.

"So, I really don't know how much Marcus might have told you about me," Becki says to me from across the table, stirring her martini with its olive. "But I promise you, I'm not here to try to get into his pants or whatever."

I'm startled but try not to let it show. I have to convince Becki that I don't know anything about her, but threading that needle is difficult. It's hard to remember exactly what I am and am not supposed to know.

Espionage is getting tiresome.

"He hasn't mentioned you, no," I say, trying to sound curious and stirring my own martini as I watch Becki. She looks a little nervous, which is unlike her.

"I had a bit of a – a crush on Marcus," she says sheepishly. "I made a little bit of a fool of myself, to be honest. Tried too hard, interrupted his date with my ex-stepsister, that kind of thing. But I'm over it, I promise. I really do want to get to know you, not steal your boyfriend."

I'm still trying to stop myself from looking irritated at being called an "ex-stepsister" – after I was murdered, for god's sake! – when she finishes speaking, so I don't respond right away. When I do, I know I'm coming across a little awkwardly.

"Er, well, thanks, Becki," I say. "I'm sure you're not trying to…steal my boyfriend. And I understand the loneliness, I do. It's been hard to make friends, being so high up in the Alpha's household myself."

Can't help but rub it in a little bit, after all. She deserves it. Sure enough, Becki winces slightly before smoothing out her expression.

"I just – it was never even really about Marcus, you know?" she says, looking up at me with wide, innocent eyes. I barely restrain a snort. Of course it was never about Marcus for her – it's always only been about social climbing.

"Oh?" I say, trying to sound sympathetic.

"Yeah," she says. "I just – I'm not very good at this high society thing. My family has been given a huge leg up, thanks to Charles, and I just can't seem to fit it quite right. I thought that if we became friends, though, you could…help me."

"Help you?" I ask.

"Oh, and of course, I think you're super cool and want to get to know you for you!" Becki adds in a rush, like she'd almost forgotten that part.

Man, it's so hard not to roll my eyes. I deserve an Oscar for this performance, I think to myself. Might as well have some fun while I'm here, though. There's one way to ruin Becki, and that's to convince her that she needs to spend a lot of money to fit in.

Money she doesn't have, but will spend anyway.

"Well, I think the biggest issue is probably your…look," I say, glancing her up and down. "No offense, of course. It's just that the high society women I'm around would never wear anything that wasn't designer, of course. And they have entire wardrobes for each season, which get replaced almost yearly as styles change."

Becki looks down at her outfit, frowning in worry. My god, it's almost too easy.

"So, what should I do?" she asks me.

I smile.

"I think we should plan a shopping trip," I say, raising my martini for a toast. She gives me a true smile at that, lifting her own glass to gently ting against mine.

Taking down Becki is going to be a piece of cake.