A/N: So, there's only one chapter after this one but unfortunately it's not going to be up next week. I'll be in New York next weekend (to see Hamilton!) and I'll be too busy to post. Hopefully you'll find the grand finale worth the wait! A lot of loose ends will be tied up.

I also posted the outfits the characters are wearing at the party in this chapter on my fandom Polyvore, if you want to take a look. Username is the same as on here.

Disclaimer: I'm just a fan.


November 3, 2017 9:00 a.m.

Southampton, New York

You remember when you were little and you had to have fire drills in school? And everyone thought it was stupid, because there was no way it would ever actually happen?

It was Friday, and the beach club was currently in the process of being transformed. The usual tables had been cleared out and replaced with circular high tops covered in white tablecloths, each one with arrangements of white lilies, lavender daisies, white asters, purple statice, green button poms and hanging amaranthus. Practically all of the champagne on Long Island had been brought in, as well as bottles of top shelf liquors and French wines. White balloons were tied to the backs of chairs and the staff was currently stringing up a banner reading: CONGRATULATIONS CHARLOTTE AND DREW!

Well when I was a kid, the elementary school in the district over burned down. And we never questioned the need for fire drills ever again.

"It's absolutely amazing," The bride–to–be said as she surveyed the premise. "You really didn't have to do this."

"Of course I did." Amanda insisted. "My little sister is getting married! This is a once in a lifetime experience, and what kind of maid of honor would I be if I didn't throw you an engagement party?"

"Matron of honor, technically." Charlotte said with a wry smile. She paused in front of the spot where the chocolate fountain was – though it hadn't been turned on and didn't have any chocolate in it yet.

"What's wrong?" Amanda asked. "Is the dessert table not big enough?"

"No, it's perfect. I was just wondering how you were doing."

You always have to have a back–up plan.

Amanda was a little taken aback by the question. "Today's not about me. It's about you and Drew."

"Not until the party starts at four," Charlotte said. "How are you? How's Jack? Are you guys doing okay or…?"

Amanda looked down at her clipboard, focusing on making sure her check marks were perfectly even. She hadn't told Charlotte Jack's secret, but her sister wasn't stupid and she could sense that something was off. "We're fine. Two kids is just a big adjustment – not a lot of time for romance." She forced a smile and squeezed her sister's shoulder. "You and Drew should savor this time while you can – I'm not sure I even remember what it's like to go to dinner and a movie."

Charlotte chuckled. "Well, I'm more than happy to just be Auntie Charlie for a while."

"Anyways," Amanda said. "You should get going. Your hairstylist is coming to your house at ten and I'll go pick up your dress and Drew's shirt from the dry cleaner's later."

A way to save yourself in case everything goes wrong.

Her sister sighed contently, not noticing that she was subtly being led to the door. "You are the best. What would I do without you?"

After they said goodbye and Charlotte left, Amanda shut the door behind her and exhaled loudly. She stomped over to the bar just as Jack and Nolan reappeared, carrying one of the tables. "Where do you want this?" Jack asked, but Amanda wasn't even paying attention, grabbing a random bottle of wine and popping it open.

You never know, you might need it.

Nolan raised an eyebrow at her. "Aren't you breastfeeding?"

"Shut up," Amanda said as she filled up a glass. "I'll pump this out of my system later." She lifted the glass to her lips and took several large gulps, as if she'd just been drowning and it was air.

"Something wrong?" Jack asked, he and Nolan placing down the table.

"I hate lying to her," Amanda sighed – clearly she meant Charlotte. "I told myself that I was never going to lie to my sister again, but…well, here I am."

Jack frowned. "Because of me, right?"

Amanda placed her glass down and walked over to him. "Don't blame yourself. You know I'd do anything for you, no question…" Jack nodded, but Amanda knew that deep down he was still beating himself up inside over this.

The door opened and Amanda thought that it was Charlotte coming back again, but when she turned to look she saw Louise walking briskly towards them. "Turn on the TV," She said, before they could even tell her 'hello'. She sounded freaked out.

Amanda picked up the remote and turned on the television that hung above the bar. The news was on and they all stared at the screen, wondering what Louise was talking about. "This just in," The news anchor said. "An inside source confirms that prominent socialite Louise Ellis is a person of interest in the murder of former NYPD detective Ryan North."


"Mom, can you get the door?"

Hailey paused in the middle of putting on her earrings when she heard the doorbell ring again. "Mom?" She repeated.

"Can you get it, honey?" Olivia yelled to her. "I'm just getting out of the shower!"

With a sigh, Hailey walked to the door, putting her second earring in along the way. When she got to the door, she was surprised to see no one standing there. She looked both ways, but saw nothing. It was only when she glanced down at her feet that she saw the box sitting on the step.

Hailey picked it up and walked back inside, placing it down on the counter as she rummaged through the drawer for a pair of scissors to cut open the box. She popped open the lid, and suddenly all the breath left her body.

There was one thing at the bottom of the box – a note, speared by a knife. It was written in red ink which Hailey would've thought was blood if she hadn't known better. But that didn't make the message any less menacing: WE KNOW WHO YOU ARE.

It didn't take a genius to know who it had to be from. It had been a month since Hailey had left The Liberators and she'd thought that her plan had worked. Matt hadn't spoken to her since she'd left, but there was no indication that he had given her up. She'd called Chamberlain to inform him of the plan, but he had never called her back. She'd assumed that he'd skipped town of his own accord, but now she was worried – what if The Liberators had gone to him for answers after she'd left? What if Chamberlain had felt betrayed and told them the truth? What if they'd tortured him until he gave her up? …What if they killed him?

She closed the box and threw it into the trash can. She felt like she was going to be sick.

Olivia walked into the kitchen then, wearing a bathrobe with her wet hair tied up in a towel. "Something wrong?" She asked, seeing the startled look on her daughter's face. "Who was at the door?"

Hailey looked at her and tried to come up with an excuse. "Uh…Jehovah's Witnesses. I told them to go away. I mean, I'm a child born out of wedlock living with her unmarried parents, I don't think they'd even want us anyway."

Olivia looked skeptical, but after a moment she nodded. "Alright. I'm going to go get dressed, tell me if you need anything…"

Hailey watched her go, and once she was alone again she looked at the box, now sitting calmly at the top of the trash can.

Who had given her up?


Back at the beach club, Amanda immediately turned the TV off, unable to listen for one moment longer. Louise had already begun pacing the floor, covering her face with her hands. "That's it," She said. "I'm gonna go to jail. I'm going to jail."

"No, you're not," Nolan insisted. "Olivia and I told the detectives that you were with us that whole afternoon."

Louise stopped mid–step and looked at him. "Detective Mueller called my house this morning. Apparently they interviewed the ER nurses who were on call after Amanda and Charlotte's accident, and they told the police that they saw me leave and then come back hours later wearing different clothes. They are going to say that I left, murdered North, and changed my clothes because I was covered in his blood!"

Nolan sighed and looked at Amanda. "There has got to be something in that building. Security cameras, or a witness who saw North walk inside with his real killer…"

"And implicate Jack?" Amanda said. "Hell no!"

Her husband looked at her. "I thought you said you didn't believe I actually did it."

Amanda froze, as if she hadn't even realized the connotations of what she'd just said. "I…" She floundered. "Look, Jack, it doesn't matter if you did it or not. The point is, none of us are going to jail for this. No way."

"Well if we don't do something," Louise said. "Then I am going to jail. So, anyone here have a plan?"

It was silent for a long moment, and finally Jack looked up. "I'll confess."

The other three all turned to look at him immediately. "What?" They gasped in synchronization – Amanda sounding angry, Nolan confused, Louise surprised.

"I'll tell them that it was me," Jack explained. "Not Louise. She'll be cleared and I'll…I'll go to jail."

"No!" Amanda said, walking over to grab both his hands. "You can't confess to this Jack. You don't even know for sure it was you…"

"I blacked out that day," Jack said. "I had the motive. And my clothes were covered in blood that didn't belong to me. I killed him, Amanda. Nothing else makes sense. And I will not let Louise go to jail for something I did."

Amanda took a step back from him, eyes flashing. "I will never forgive you if you do this, you know that right?"

"Hold on," Nolan said. "No one is going to jail, and no one is confessing!"

"Well then what do you suggest we do?" Louise cried. "I don't want Jack to get in trouble but I don't want to go down for this either!"

"Do not talk to the cops again without a lawyer." Nolan told her. "I'll talk to Drew about representing you. And you –" He looked at Jack. "Do not say anything. I'm going to handle this, alright?"

Jack nodded. "Fine."

Louise did the same. "Sounds like a plan."

Now Nolan turned to Amanda. "What are you looking at me for?" She asked.

"You need to let me handle this. So back off, alright?"

After a moment, she gave in. "Okay."

Nolan sighed, and then turned to Louise. "Come on, let's go."

After the two of them left, Amanda and Jack just stood there silently for a few moments, both of them unsure of what to say. "Did you really mean what you said?" Jack finally asked. "That you would never forgive me?"

Amanda took a deep breath. "I did."

"But what about me?" He asked. "What if I can't forgive myself unless I do this?"

"Jack," Amanda said. "It doesn't matter if you killed North or not. It changes nothing."

"Well what if it changes something for me?"

She sighed. "Look, we can talk about this later. Let's just focus on the party now, okay?"

"Amanda –" But she ignored him, heading back to the storage room and mumbling something about needing more plates.

So his options were either have his wife hate him, or hate himself. And neither of those options were something he could live with.


"What kind of chairs should we have at the wedding?"

Drew looked up from his newspaper and did a double take at Charlotte's question. "What?"

His fiancée was sitting on their living room floor, surrounded by a sea of fabric swatches, scrapbook pages and pictures from Pinterest boards. "What kind of chairs should we have at the wedding?" She repeated. "I don't know, I really hate it when people drape fabric on their chairs, but regular folding chairs seem too boring. Maybe we could put some bows on the backs of the chairs instead?"

"Why don't we just have our guests sit on bales of hay?" Drew suggested, and Charlotte scowled at him. "What? It was a joke."

"Drew, this is our wedding. Can you just take this seriously please?"

Drew folded up his paper – he had a feeling he wouldn't be reading The Times this morning anymore. "Charlotte, I really don't care about the chairs. Pick whatever ones you want."

"Fine," She gave in. "But this is a lot of work to do by myself."

"So let's elope. Go to Atlantic City."

"Is that another joke?"

"Yes, but I would do it if you wanted to."

Charlotte got up and walked over to him, and Drew turned around in his chair so she could sit on his knee. "I've daydreamed about my wedding since kindergarten. And while I would marry you tomorrow if I could, I picture it in the Hamptons with me in a custom Vera Wang – not on a decrepit boardwalk with an Elvis impersonator."

"Two things," Drew said. "One: I'm not sure if Atlantic City even has Elvis impersonators. And two: at least you figured something out. You want to have it in the Hamptons."

Charlotte smiled. "True. We haven't set a date yet either."

"How about tomorrow?"

"Drew."

"Okay fine, what were you thinking?"

Charlotte pulled up the calendar on her phone, mulling this over for a moment. "What about May 31?" She suggested. "It's the anniversary of the day we first met. It falls on a Friday next summer, and it should be far enough in advance that we can find a good venue…"

"May 31," Drew repeated with a slight smirk on his face. "Don't think I have any plans. Why not get married?"

They kissed, but then Charlotte pulled away.

"Drew?"

"Yeah?"

"I still can't make my mind up about the chairs."


"So, what happened exactly?"

From her spot in the passenger seat of Spencer's car, Hailey took a sip of coffee hoping to ease her nervous stomach. "They sent a note to the house," She told Spencer, voice shaking. "They figured out who I am. I don't know how but…they did."

Spencer took a deep breath. "Well, I hope he gets here soon. Because if he wasn't the one to tell them, he might be in danger."

A few moments later Hailey and Spencer saw a black car turned off the main road and down the empty side street where they'd parked. They looked at each other, summoning strength, and wordlessly both got out of the car. Hailey and Spencer walked side-by-side towards the other vehicle, stopping about halfway between the two cars. The driver's side door opened and a man slipped out of the vehicle.

"Hailey," Matt said, stepping closer to her. "It's good to see you…"

Hailey held up a hand in a 'stop' gesture. "Matt, we need to talk about something." She took a deep breath. "The Liberators found out about my real identity."

"Hailey…"

"Listen, Matt, I think you might be in danger…"

"Hailey." This time when Matt said her name he was much more forceful, and it cut Hailey off mid-breath. Matt just looked at her for a moment before he spoke again. "…It was me."

Hailey froze, her chest feeling tight. Next to her, she could hear Spencer's breath hitch. "…What?" She whispered, hoping that she'd somehow heard him wrong.

Matt gulped. "It…it was me. I told them who you are."

For a long moment, Hailey stared at him, jaw hanging open, unable to hear anything but the pounding of her heart. And then she lost it.

Her coffee fell to the ground and spilled everywhere as she lunged for Matt, trying to wrap her hands around his neck. Spencer reached out and grabbed her around the waist, pulling her back as Hailey fought against him. "How could you do this to me?" She was screaming at Matt. "You said that we were in this together! That you loved me! Was it all a lie huh? Your father, was that a lie?" Matt just stood there, not even defending himself from Hailey's blows.

Finally Spencer yanked Hailey off of Matt and he held her against his chest, both arms wrapped tightly around her body so she couldn't take another swing. She tried to shove him off at first, wanting another go at Matt, but Spencer didn't let go of her until finally she relented, letting her body still as she panted, trying to catch her breath. "Why?" Spencer asked calmly. "Why would you turn us in when it meant exposing yourself?"

"I had to," Matt began to say. "They were already onto you…"

"You liar!" Hailey roared. Spencer held her tighter as she thrashed.

"I wasn't lying when I told you about my father," Matt said. "I think Angelique really does know where he is. And if I want to find him…I have to stay on her good side. I'm sorry."

"Why haven't they killed you yet, huh?" Hailey snarled, and she saw Matt flinch. "You're a traitor! Why are they keeping you alive?"

"Because," He whispered. "They can't kill me. Even if they wanted to."

Spencer's brow furrowed. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Matt took a step back until he reached his car. "I have to go. I can't let them know I'm here with you…" He paused, his hand on the door handle. "I really am sorry, Hailey. And…I really did care about you. But I care about my father more." Then he opened the door, and Hailey and Spencer could only watch as he drove off.

After a few moments they got back into Spencer's car and sat there in silence for a moment. Spencer clenched the steering wheel so hard that his knuckles turned white and Hailey stared straight ahead, saying nothing. Spencer turned to look at her. "He told you that he loved you?"

It took Hailey a moment to respond, and when she finally looked at him Spencer saw her eyes had welled up with tears. "What does it matter now?" She said. "It was clearly all a lie."


"Wow, you look gorgeous."

Olivia caught a glimpse of Nolan in the mirror, standing in the doorway to the bedroom and looking at her. "Thanks," She said half-heartedly, focusing on putting her earrings in. Hailey had picked the dress out for her – a red and black brocade that had cost ten times more than she was used to spending on a dress – to match a suit that Nolan had, but Olivia hadn't been quite as enthused about it.

She'd spent the past month waiting for Nolan to bring the kiss with Ashley up. But he never had. And it was starting to drive her insane.

She was brought back to the present when Nolan wrapped his arms around her waist, leaning to rest his chin on her shoulder. "What are you worried about?"

Olivia looked away. "Nothing," She told him, picking up her necklace and handing it to Nolan. "Help me with this?"

With a slight sigh, Nolan took a step back and Olivia held her hair up so he could fasten the necklace around her neck. "I know you," He told her. "Something is bothering you. Is it Louise?"

"…Yeah," She lied, but Nolan gave her a look that let her know he didn't buy it. Once he got the clasp she let her hair drop back into place and turned around to face him. "That day that you took Ashley to the airport…I followed you. Not to be creepy or anything, just to return Ashley's phone. And…I saw you two kiss."

Nolan closed his eyes and took a step back. For a moment, he didn't say anything. "Olivia, it didn't mean anything."

"You're not cheating on me?"

"What? No!"

She bit her lip. "Then why didn't you say anything?"

Nolan sighed and closed the distance between them, his hands on her shoulders. "Yes, Ashley kissed me. In fact, it…it was more than once." Olivia shut her eyes, not even wanting to think about that. "But I didn't say anything to you because…I didn't think it mattered. It didn't mean anything to me and I thought if I brought it up it would make it into something bigger than it was. It was when Ashley kissed me that I realized I never wanted to be with anyone else but you. But I'm sorry that I didn't tell you. I promise, I will never keep things from you ever again." Olivia looked at him now, and she felt like she was tearing up. He smiled tentatively. "You forgive me?" Unable to find her words, Olivia nodded and Nolan cupped her cheek so he could give her a gentle peck on her the lips. "I love you."

She smiled feebly. "Love you too."


On the surface, the party seemed to be going perfectly.

Charlotte and Drew were greeting the guests as they arrived and it was clear that this party was the event of the season. The beach club was full of people, and practically everyone on Long Island had been clamoring for an invitation. Amanda, however, wasn't one of them. She was back in the kitchen, pacing in her expensive high heels, a glass of Chardonnay in hand. "We need to get the hor d'oeuvres out faster," She barked at the kitchen staff. "People are going hungry out there!"

"Of course, Mrs. Porter." The head chef told her politely, handing a tray to one of the cater waiters who immediately went back out there.

Amanda lifted her glass to her lips and took another long sip, continuing to pace. She had a feeling she'd have to give the baby formula tonight – she'd thought that a few drinks would calm her nerves, but now she'd lost track of how many glasses she'd had.

The door to the kitchen opened again but this time it was Jack, not a cater waiter. "There you are," He said. "What are you doing? You should be at the party."

"The food's not coming out fast enough," She told him. "I'm sorry, I really have to take care of this…" She tried to brush past him but then Jack grabbed her arm, halting her mid-step.

"Amanda," He murmured. "Is this about what I said earlier?"

Amanda glanced around, all the cooks seeming preoccupied, and grabbed Jack by his tie. "Come on," She whispered, before leading him off to somewhere they could be alone. She closed the door of the storage room behind them and locked it, just to assure that no one would walk in on them.

Amanda sat down on the crates, the same spot where she'd been sitting when Jack had told her about Ryan North's murder and turned her world upside down. Her husband remained standing, back pressed against the door, arms crossed over his chest.

"Amanda," Jack sighed. "I just…I don't think I would be able to live with myself if Louise went to prison because of me."

"Louise isn't going to jail," Amanda insisted. "Nolan is taking care of it, it's all going to work out."

"Okay, fine." Jack gave in. "But even if it's not Louise, it's going to be someone. And maybe the person who takes the fall will be someone I don't know, or someone who's not a good person – but how am I supposed to live my entire life knowing that someone else is in jail for something I did?"

Amanda was staring at her hands the entire time he spoke, and after Jack was done she still didn't look up for a few moments. But when she did, he saw that her eyes were filled with tears. "And how am I supposed to live my entire life knowing that I will never see my husband again?"

Jack was silent – he didn't know what to say to that.

Amanda let out a shaky breath. "I was so young when my father went to prison. You know what that was like? It was a nightmare! I spent every night of my childhood wishing I had him back, wondering if I would ever see him again, be held by him again…I don't want my children to go through that torture. Carl is younger than I was, and Marina is only a baby. If you went to jail Jack…" She choked back a sob. "Jack, she wouldn't even remember who you are. And that's…that's not the life I want for them. I…I don't want them to suffer like I did…" At this point, it was all too much. She burst into sobs before she could stop herself.

Immediately Jack rushed over to her and Amanda collapsed against his chest, his arms wrapped around her as she sobbed into his shirt. Suddenly, Jack understood why she had been so against him confessing – it wasn't that she was just being stubborn, or didn't care about his conscience. It was so much more than that. She was thinking about what she'd gone through, being raised without her father, and the thought of their children having to experience the same had been gnawing at her inside. He felt stupid for not realizing it before.

"It's okay," He mumbled, stroking her hair. "The kids are never going to have to know a life without their dad. I promise."


"Are you going to eat that shrimp puff, or just stare at it?"

Hailey didn't even have enough energy to give Spencer an annoyed look. She slapped the shrimp down onto a napkin and shoved it on the nearest table, knowing that her stomach was too unsettled to keep anything down. "Is it hot in here?" She asked Spencer, tugging on her sleeves. "I'm hot. Maybe we should go get some fresh air…"

Spencer placed a hand on her arm. "Hailey," He said gently. "It's okay."

"How is it okay?" She hissed under her breath. "I might be murdered any second now, that is not okay Spencer!"

"Hailey –"

He was cut off when Charlotte and Drew walked over, the former practically dragging her fiancé behind her as she raced over to Hailey and Spencer, teetering-tottering in her high heels. "I'm so glad you guys could come," She said, letting go of Drew and holding her champagne in her left hand so she could hug both Hailey and Spencer.

"Yeah, us too." Spencer said, trying to sound normal. He playfully elbowed Hailey. "Hailey and I got you some really nice his and hers bathrobes, right Hailes?"

Hailey forced a smile. While she wanted to be happy for Charlotte and she felt terrible that she couldn't be more excited about her best friend's engagement – well, things like that seemed trivial when you were worried that you might be murdered by an evil terrorist organization. "Right," She said, her voice clipped. "Bathrobes. Plush. Monogrammed. You'll love them."

"Thanks guys," Drew said, giving Spencer a pat on the shoulder. "Eat and drink as much as you want, okay?"

"Drew!" The engaged couple turned their heads when Nolan walked by, Louise and Olivia close behind him. "Can we talk to you for a second?" He gestured for Drew to follow them and the man did so, his fiancée following behind after telling Hailey and Spencer again to enjoy the party. While Spencer was distracted Hailey swiped a flute of champagne from a passing waiter, and she'd already downed half of it by the time Spencer turned back around.

"Hey, you're not supposed to be drinking that –" He said, reaching to take the glass from the underage girl, but Hailey wasn't giving up so easily. They were playing tug of war for it, some Dom getting splashed on Hailey's shoes, when someone cleared their throat.

"Miss Ross?"

Hailey turned her head, feeling sheepish when she saw the beach club employee standing there patiently. She let go, allowing Spencer to have the glass that was now empty anyway, and forced a smile. "I'm sorry. Can I help you with something?"

The employee produced a manila envelope from behind his back. "This came for you." Hailey took the envelope from his hand but before she could ask what it was, he'd already left.

She looked at Spencer. "Why would someone send something for me here?"

"I don't know," Spencer watched as she tore the seal on the envelope and pulled out a piece of paper from inside. Suddenly her face turned ghastly white. "Hailey? What is it?"

Slowly, the girl turned the message towards him so he could read it. She didn't have to say anything, the fear written all over her petrified expression. YOU REALLY THINK WE'RE GOING TO KILL YOU? PLEASE. WE'RE GOING TO HAVE SOME FUN FIRST.


Only about 0.3% of houses catch on fire per year. But what if yours falls into that 0.3%?

"…and I really, really hate to ask you this on the day of your engagement party, but it's really important."

Drew nodded as Nolan finished explaining the North situation to him – well, an abridged version of the story that didn't involve Jack's name. "No, I totally understand." Drew said. "And I would be more than willing to represent Louise."

"Oh, thank Heavens," Louise sighed. "Drew, you are a life-saver."

"Don't mention it. There's no way I'm letting you go to jail for something you didn't do."

And when you play with fire, your chances of getting burned go up exponentially.

Hailey rushed over to them then, Spencer not far behind her, what looked like a piece of paper crumpled up in her hand. "Mom, Dad," She said to Olivia and Nolan. "Can I talk to you guys for a minute?"

Olivia swallowed her sip of wine. "What is it?" She asked, not sensing Hailey's haste.

"I need to get out of town," Hailey blurted out quickly.

Which is why you have to have a plan for the worst case scenario.

This only made her parents more confused. "What?" Nolan said. "Where would you go?"

"I don't care," Hailey said. "I would go literally anywhere. As long as it's very far away and no one there knows me."

"Honey," Olivia said, putting her glass down on the table. "We can't just let you jet off to God knows where without a reason why. What brought this on?"

"I don't have a lot of time to explain, but –"

The doors to the beach club suddenly opened then, and Louise momentarily stopped breathing. Detectives Pratt and Mueller walked in, surveying the premises, and Louise wished she could melt into a puddle on the floor.

Amanda and Jack walked over to them – who knows where they had appeared from – just as confused as everyone else. "Is there a problem, detectives?" Jack asked cordially. "We can turn the music down, if that's what you're here for…"

"I'm afraid that won't be necessary," Mueller said. Before Jack could respond, he brushed past him and Amanda and walked towards the table where the rest of the gang was, Pratt at his side. Louise saw her reach for her cuffs. "Ms. Ellis," Mueller said to her. "You need to come with us, please. And put your hands behind your back."

You never want to be stuck wondering…

Louise looked to Nolan, at a loss for words and beginning to shake. He didn't know what to say either. Pratt walked over and forcefully turned Louise around. She heard the sickening sound of the cuffs being slapped onto her wrists and then felt the cold metal against her skin. "Louise Ellis, you are under arrest for the murder of Ryan North. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you…"

As Detective Pratt finished reading the Miranda rights she began to lead Louise towards the door, the socialite still in a state of shock. Drew stood up. "I'm her counsel," He told Mueller. "And I demand to see the evidence you have against my client!"

Mueller placed a hand on Drew's chest and shoved him back, Charlotte rising to her feet to grab her fiancé's arm. "I suggest you come down to the station," Mueller said. "See if we can settle on a plea deal."

"Plea deal?" Drew scoffed. "Yeah, there's no way that's happening! My client is being set up, this is ridiculous!"

While all this was happening, everyone at the party had turned to stare. Charlotte was rubbing Drew's arm, trying to calm him down. Hailey had rushed to Olivia's side, her mother wrapping her arms around her like she was a little girl. Amanda, Jack and Spencer were all staring in shock. And Nolan could only watch in horror as Louise's eyes desperately searched for him in the resulting chaos, her lips forming his name.

"Nolan, you have to help! Don't let them do this to me! Nolan!"

what the Hell do I do now?


The service elevator opened and she stepped out, her heels clacking against the concrete floor of the converted warehouse that was Liberators HQ. As she approached she spotted the women bent over something at her metal desk, her blonde hair pulled back into a sky high ponytail and her one extra sharp tooth absentmindedly digging into the pink flesh of her lip as she concentrated. She stood there for a moment, hands folded in front of her, watching the other women write something, before she spoke. "Louise Ellis was just arrested for Ryan North's murder."

Slowly, Angelique Franco looked up. Elizabeth Miller was standing before her calmly, her voice when she spoke like that of an automaton. A sick smile made its way across Angelique's face. "Not quite how I imagined this would go," She told Elizabeth. "But boy, has this been fun."