Clary sat in Luke's office, her arms awkwardly angled behind her back and a pair of handcuffs irritating the skin on her wrists. Jace was standing on the other side of the room, not looking at her. His arms were crossed tightly over his chest, and his jaw was clenched.
Their talk had not gone well at all. She had spilled everything to him, from Valentine being her father to Jonathan contacting and threatening her. She had explained what it was like growing up as a Morgenstern and how she and her mother had never agreed with Valentine's ways. Jace had stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him. When he had come back in a few minutes later, he was in cop mode. He was stoic and cold, and she found that worse than the anger. He had forced her up and painfully slapped a pair of handcuffs on her wrists, reading her Miranda Rights and claiming she was under arrest for impeding a criminal investigation.
He had dragged her out of the apartment, ignoring Alec's frantic questions as they walked past him. He had also ignored her pleas to just stop and listen to her for a second. On the way to the precinct, he had called Luke, demanding he come and meet them. Clary had forgotten to mention Luke and how he knew about everything, but at that point, she knew he would listen to her anyway.
She thought telling Jace everything would have helped alleviate some of her guilt, but all it did was make her feel worse. She was witnessing how her betrayal was affecting him, and it wasn't good. He was completely closed off now. They were finally starting to have a good relationship, and she ruined it. She wouldn't be surprised if he flat out hated her now.
The door to the office opened, and Luke walked in. He was in slightly disheveled street clothes, and his eyes were slightly red. He glared at Jace as he closed the door behind him, clearly not at all happy to have been awoken and forced to come to work in the middle of the night.
"This better be important," he stated.
"I think Clarissa should explain why we're all here right now," Jace replied, still not looking at her. Clary cringed at the use of her full name. She expected it from Jonathan, but from Jace it just sounded so cold and distant.
Luke looked over at her. "Why the hell is she in cuffs, Wayland?"
"He knows Luke," Clary finally spoke, looking down at her lap. "I told him about Valentine and Jonathan. I couldn't handle the guilt anymore."
Luke cursed softly under his breath. "I really wish you would have given me some warning."
"Wait a second," Jace interrupted. "You knew? This whole time you knew about this?"
Luke nodded. "That's why I brought her on the case."
"Really Luke? She could be some kind of criminal! She's probably working with him and tipping him off. I bet she's the mole!"
"But I'm not Jace! I would never do that. You have to just trust me on this."
"I don't trust liars, Clarissa." He finally looked at her. "And you've been lying this whole time. I bet you didn't even tell Luke about your recent interactions with Jonathan."
"Because I was fucking terrified, okay? I didn't do it to be deceptive! I'm scared for my mother and I'm scared for myself. I didn't want Luke taking me off the case."
"Well, you are sure as hell being taken off now. I can barely look at you. There's no way in hell I'm ever working with you again. In my opinion, you should be in jail right now."
"Wayland!" Luke yelled. "Enough! I have known Clary and her mother for years and I have a huge amount of trust placed in them. Clary has been an irreplaceable asset for this investigation. If she didn't tell me about certain interactions, I'm sure she had very good reasons for it. Now, take those goddamn handcuffs off her right now."
Jace huffed and walked over to her. He roughly grabbed her right arm and lifted her off the couch. She flinched at the force of his grip. He turned her around and unlocked the handcuffs. As soon as he took them off, Clary moved her hands in front of her and started rubbing at the red rings around her wrists.
"She got a letter from him," Jace said, pulling out the letter and photo she had shown him earlier from his pocket. "It's her fault that girl died." He handed the letter to Luke. "I'm sure that threat was just to cover up the fact they're working together."
Clary gasped at his statement and felt tears sting the backs of her eyes. Blaming herself was one thing, but having someone else blame her was more painful than she could have imagined. She also couldn't believe he would accuse her of working with him. She couldn't believe he saw Maureen's death as a way to cover it up. "H-How could you say that?" she choked out.
"Because it's true. He went and killed an innocent child, all because of you. He took her life with you as his motivation. That blood is technically on your hands. You might as well have just killed her yourself."
"Jace," Luke said in a warning tone. "Stop." He turned to Clary, who was now trying to stop the tears that were trailing down her face. "Clary, can you please give us a moment?"
"Yeah, of course," she all but whispered. "I'll, uh, be in the break room."
"You better not leave, Clarissa," Jace said. "Just because Luke thinks you're innocent, doesn't mean I can't change his mind."
"Jace!" Luke shouted.
Clary swiftly left the room, her heart in her stomach. Why did Luke want to talk to Jace alone? Was Jace right? Was Luke realizing he had made a mistake by trusting her? Was he now noticing all the damage she had caused? Did he now think she was working with Jonathan, too?
In the break room, she stood gripping the counter with her back to the door. She was trying to focus on her breathing, she but just couldn't manage to get it under control. Tears continued to leak from her eyes, and she felt herself falling apart at the seams. How had she managed to fuck up so badly? How could everything go so wrong so fast?
"Are you alright?" a voice asked from the doorway.
"I'm fine, Raphael," she responded, her voice thick.
"Really? Because it sounds like you've been crying." He was standing closer to her now.
"I'm fine," she repeated through clenched teeth.
"I know someone who can make you feel better." He was now right behind her.
Was he really trying to hit on her right now? "I'm not interested in you, Raphael."
"I was talking about your brother."
Before she could process what he had said, he grabbed her around the waist, and she felt the sting of a needle in her neck.
"What-What are you doing?" she slurred as the room began to spin around her.
"Shhh. Just relax, princesa," he whispered as her vision went black.
Clary felt like she was floating on a cloud, but as she fully regained consciousness, she realized she was just lying in bed. It had all been a bad dream. She hadn't told Jace everything and Raphael had not drugged her. She sighed happily and rolled over, burrowing deeper into the silk sheets that surrounded her.
Her eyes snapped open and she shot up. She didn't have silk sheets. She looked around the room she was in. None of it looked at all familiar to her. She was in a large, king sized bed bigger than any bed she had been in. The comforter was white and floral, not at all her style. The sheets were a soft pink that matched the canopy hanging above the bed and the drapes on the windows. There was a large white dresser across from her that matched the nightstand to the right of the bed and a large vanity on the left wall. The off-white walls were covered in expensive looking paintings, and an elegant crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, illuminating the room. She had no idea where Raphael had brought her.
She slowly got out of bed, her bare feet landing on plush, cream-colored carpet. The air was chilly and she wrapped her arms around herself. Looking down, she saw she was dressed in a lacey and sheer black nightgown that barely even hit mid-thigh. It was completely different from the oversized t-shirt and shorts she usually slept in.
She quietly padded over to one of the windows on the right wall and pushed the curtain aside. There were thick metal bars on the outside, and through them, she could the sun setting over a lavish garden full of rosebushes and tall hedges. In the middle of the garden stood an extravagant marble fountain. She tried to push the window open, but it wouldn't budge. She couldn't even find a lock anywhere on it.
She turned to the white paneled door next to the dresser and grasped the bronze doorknob. She jiggled it, but the door was locked from the outside. She started to look frantically around the room, trying desperately to find a way to escape, but all the exits were blocked. She tried to find something to break the windows with, but everything heavy was bolted down, from the lamp on the nightstand to the bench in front of the vanity. She didn't know why she bothered with that anyway. Even if she managed to break the glass, she wouldn't be able to get past the bars.
She heard keys jingle in the lock on the door, and she froze, standing at the foot of the bed. The door slowly creaked open, and Jonathan entered with a smile on his face.
"Are you finally done trying to escape, Clarissa?" he asked as he stepped closer to her, the door closing automatically behind him.
"H-How did you-" she started.
"Do you really think I wouldn't have any form of surveillance hidden in here? You are constantly under watch," he said. "You know, you are really quite beautiful when you sleep."
He reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She moved to get away from his touch, but he quickly placed his hand on the back of her neck, keeping her right where she was. He moved his face closer, his lips stopping centimeters away from hers.
"But I must admit, the fear in your eyes right now makes you infinitely more attractive."
Clary felt her stomach turn as his breath washed over her face. "What do you want?" she whispered.
He pulled away from her and started to pace the room. She now had a chance to really look at him. He was dressed in an impeccable gray suit with a pristine white undershirt and a blood red tie. His blond hair was perfectly neat, not a single hair out of place.
"I want to show you how great life can be. You and Jocelyn turned on Father and everything he worked for, but I want you to know what life on this side can be like." He stopped pacing and now stood in front of her again. "You could have anything your hear desires, Clarissa. Imagine how happy you could be with me." He smiled gently at her.
"There's more to happiness than material objects, Jonathan, and I would never be happy with you," she spat.
His dark eyes hardened and the smile fell from his face. "I wouldn't be so sure, little sister. You and I could run a vast and beautiful empire together. The kind Father had hoped he'd have with that bitch. Just imagine, two Morgensterns back on the throne, just as Father would have wanted. Nothing would be able to stop us. Plus, who do you have besides me? Jace hasn't taken too kindly to your news. It's only a matter of time before he shares it with Alexander and Isabelle. Then they will turn against you, too. And your mother is locked up in some safe house somewhere. You would be all alone if you left me."
"I have Luke," she said, standing her grown.
"Ah, yes. Lucian. I wouldn't be so sure about that either, though. Jace is probably planting seeds of doubt in his mind as we speak, And with you just disappearing after Jace's accusations, who knows what Luke's thinking. It looks like you were finally caught in a web of lies and ran away to hide with you brother, who you've been secretly in cahoots with the whole time."
How do you know any of that?"
"I have eyes and ears all over that precinct, Clarissa. The rumors are already circulating. If you went back, you'd be completely ostracized, probably even arrested. Do you really think you could handle that?"
Clary stared at him. She couldn't handle that. She couldn't go back knowing everyone hated her. She couldn't go back knowing she would be arrested and thrown in jail. This is why she didn't want to tell anybody. But the guilt had been so consuming, and she had slowly started to lose her mind because of it. Now, she was all alone. She was stuck in this house with Jonathan, and nobody was going to be looking to save her.
"That's what I though," Jonathan said in response to her silence. "But you'll be all right. You have me, after all." He wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug.
She stood there stiffly, not having any of idea of what her next move would be.
Thanks for all the wonderful reviews on the last chapter!