Rumors

"Why didn't you tell Brian the truth?" Simone demanded. She was getting more upset, knowing she would not be able to stay with the Rezza Capital ruse much longer. Even though Brian had not found anything where Zane had been staying, even though Brian said he saw no one watching it, she was sure the Mai were there and would make the connection from Brian to Rezza Capital.

"Why haven't you told me the truth?" Whitley demanded.

"What do you mean?" Simone asked. "Tell you the truth about what?"

"The attack on the Mai Uniter," Whitley said, curtly.

"The attack on her was your plan." Simone said, "the attack on her and the attack her protectors."

"My plan was not executed." Whitley challenged. "Her protectors remain, are even more numerous. She lives. Whatever happened, it wasn't my plan."

"It may not have worked, but the plan was yours," Simone insisted.

"And further attacks on her are definitely not my plan," Whitley added.

Simone was surprised. "Attacking her is always the plan. She cannot be allowed to live."

"Yet, she lives." Whitley was glaring at her now. "Whatever game you're playing, keep Brian out of it."

Simone became even more concerned. She had not told Whitley about Zane's attack on Chloe, and she had not told him about sending Brian to Zane's apartment. Still, she didn't think Brian had been able to talk to his father since she had sent him there, so she wasn't going to reveal anything.

The only thing she was sure of was that she had lost control of the situation.

"Why haven't you told Brian the truth?" She repeated. "You said Brian told you he visited his grandmother. That would have been the perfect opportunity to tell him, to bring him into all of this."

"I did tell him the truth," Whitley snapped. "I told him his grandmother is dead. But he won't just accept it. His snooping led him to the hag, and if I tell him what the hag is doing, I'll have to tell him everything about what happened with his mother and about the Order."

Simone bristled at Whitley's use of the term 'hag' again, but she tried not to respond. She just said "Brian needs to know…"

"Brian does not need to know," Whitley insisted. "I couldn't protect his mother or …." He didn't finish the statement, but he added, "But I can protect Brian from this. He doesn't ever have to know about any of it."

"You really believe that?" Simone asked. "Even while he's dating the Mai Uniter?"

"He's not dating her." Whitley said.

"Of course not. Even though you told me he kissed her."

Whitley drew in a breath, but stayed silent. He wished he hadn't mentioned the kiss to Simone.

"What's even more curious is that he lives. He's not disabled, he's not dead. Don't you find that odd?"

Whitley just glared at her, so Simone continued "Unless the rumors are true."

"What rumors?" Whitley asked.

"The rumor that Brian's mother was working with the Mai to try to…resolve that problem."

The anger in Whitley's reaction startled Simone. He stood up and literally yelled at her. "Keep Brian and his mother out of your rumors! And keep Brian and me out of your plans to kill the Mai Uniter." He pointed at the door as he added, "You know the way out."

Simone left without looking back – until she reached the door. She was surprised at Whitley's strong reaction; and though she had just about decided it was a mistake to mention Brian, his mother and the rumors, she didn't want to appear weak as she left.

"Remember whose side you're on," she said as she closed the door behind her.

She was pretty sure now that, between the Mai and Whitley, she needed to get out of Rezza Capital.

Still, she resolved to make one more attempt to deal with the Mai Uniter herself before she had to face the Order's leader again.

Brian

Alek was not happy. As usual, he had done as Chloe asked. He and a number of other Mai had made sure that Chloe and Brian would be left alone, but Chloe could tell that nothing she said was making Alek feel any better about the meeting.

"Fine," the Uniter finally said. "Next time, I'll just have him go to my house. You guys already have that covered – it should no trouble at all."

"Next time?" Alek asked. "Exactly how many 'once and for all' conversations do you intend to have with him?"

Chloe knew she was messing this up, but she really did think that talking to Brian was the right thing to do. Still, she couldn't force her face to turn hard as she responded. She wasn't sure what her expression was as she said, "Just this one."

She saw Alek's eyes look past her briefly, then return to hers. "Good. Here he comes."

She didn't turn around, she just watched Alek as he ran towards a group of trees that she knew held other Mai, wondering how she could get him to realize that she agreed with him. She really did want to make her feelings for Brian stop.

Alek was out of sight before she heard Brian approach. Well, before she heard someone approach, but she was sure that the Mai would let no one approach her except Brian.

She used the time before he reached her to try to control her expression. She had to be firm; before this was over, she had to be sure about what Brian's involvement was with those trying to kill her.

"Chloe," Brian said as he went around the where she was sitting, and sat on the opposite side. "Why is this place so quiet."

"I arranged a nice, quiet meeting," she said, trying to keep her face blank. "It's what you wanted, right?"

"OK," Brian said slowly. "It's not really what I asked for, I just wanted to know if you would go with me Saturday."

She studied him and his expression, then said, "take my hand," as she reached across the table.

He took it, though a little tentatively. "Does this mean you're 'safe' now? Do you not have people around you anymore?"

"No to both," Chloe said, holding his eyes. "I'm not safe, and there are a lot of people around me."

Brian pulled his hand back and looked nervously around. "Chloe, what are you doing?"

She felt bad, she felt like this was a betrayal of his trust. Still, it was what she had to do.

She had gotten nothing from watching, no feelings or deception or anything like that when she touched him, so she pulled her phone out. The picture of her attacker had been sent to her, and she showed it to Brian.

"Who is this? Who are you with?" Chloe asked.

Brian stared at the picture a minute, then glared. "Why do you have this? Are you following me?"

The harshness of his reply surprised her. "No!" She quickly said. "But I need to know who it is."

"Why?"

She gave up on the 'firm' approach. Though he was acting defensive, she was convinced, again, that he knew nothing about who she really was. She could feel her face soften as looked into his glaring eyes.

"Because she's the one who shot me."

Brian's glare was gone immediately. "What?"

He was looking at the picture in Chloe's phone again, so she waited until his eyes met hers again. "Satuday night, when you found me. You found me after this woman shot me."

Brian looked confused, now. "Why would she…"

""Who is she, Brian?" Chloe interrupted. "Please, I need to know."

"Simone. My boss, my supervisor at work."

"She works for Rezza Capital?" Chloe asked, unsure if she was more upset that Whitley had kept this from her, or that Valenina seemed to be right about the company.

"Yes," Brian nodded.

"You went to an apartment, Brian." Chloe had to force herself to continue the questions – everything she saw in his expression, everything she felt, told her that he was not a party to the attacks on her. Still, she had to make sure it was the truth, not just her hope. "It was Zane's apartment. Did you know that?"

"Zane?" He asked, shaking his head. "I don't know who that is. Simone asked me to check on someone who had stopped paying rent."

"He tried to kill me, too, Brian." Chloe said, "But the people around me stopped him. They found out where he was staying, and they waited there to see who would show up."

"Why would someone try to hurt you?" Chloe couldn't read Brian's expression as he asked. His face showed none of the concern she had seen in it before, though he still looked a little confused.

"Your dad didn't tell you?" Chloe asked. "Even though he said that the people around me are protecting me?"

"You know he didn't. I told you that."

Chloe nodded. "Just checking." She raised her hand and made a 'come here' motion as she stood up. Seconds later, several people were near her.

Brian didn't recognize any of them, except Alek. Chloe seemed to wait for Alek to join her before she spoke again. "Tell your dad what I told you, especially about your boss." Then she turned and started walking away.

Brian was surprised enough that he hadn't been able to speak as watched people move to her, but when she started walking, he called out, "Chloe, what's going on?"

She didn't turn back. He was, again, frustrated with her. He knew she had been shot, but it was hard to believe that Simone would do something like that. Still, his father had said something about Chloe being protected, so she was probably telling the truth.

Brian headed for Rezza Capital, armed with new information, determined to make his father tell him what the deal was with Chloe.

Pictures

"You heard everything," Chloe told Alek. "You know he had no idea about people trying to kill me or who is involved."

"It doesn't change anything, Chloe," Alek responded. "You were attacked, Rezza Captial is involved, even if Brian wasn't."

Chloe had been taken to her meeting with Brian in a car owned by one of the other Mai. She was in the back seat, with Alek, as she was being taken home.

She knew Alek was right, though she had no idea what to do about that now. Should she try to talk to Whitley again or…

Her thoughts were interrupted by the vibration of her phone. She glanced at Alek, who had turned to look at her, but she held the phone so he could not see.

Chloe felt her expression change to shock as she saw a message, with two pictures attached.

"We need to talk – you need to come alone." The message was from a number she did not recognize.

She quickly opened the pictures. The first was of her mother, walking on a busy street, Anne beside her.

The second was of Simone.

She responded without thinking. "When & where?"

She kept the screen of the phone away from Alek as she wrapped her arms around herself, closed her eyes and leaned back while taking a couple of deep breaths.

She bit her lip as she heard Alek's "Chloe?", wondering if she could risk bringing him into this.