The Model Spy

Chapter 23 - An Unlikely Enemy

I woke up early the next morning due to the rapid pounding of my heart. The first day of Fashion Week. I groaned and flopped onto my stomach, hiding my face in the soft, feathered pillow. The fact of the matter was that I was scared, scared about what was going to happen, if Dylan was going to follow through with what he promised. Thousands of people were counting on Zach and me today and they didn't even know it.

Groaning again, I flipped onto my side and reached for the clock. It was only four in the morning. The city was still dark, the streets below my window still quiet. But as I lay awake in my bed, there was no way I was going to fall asleep again. Lazily I slid out of bed and wrapped a robe around my pajamas.

The floor was cold beneath my bare feet as I took the steps two at a time to the dining room. A quiet cough and the rustling of a newspaper, however, told me that I wasn't alone. Zach glanced up at me over the edge of the paper. I quickly ran a hand through my bedhead, untangling the knots in my brown curls. He smiled tiredly and gave a little wave with his hand which was also holding his smartphone.

"Couldn't sleep?" he asked.

I nodded before plopping myself down next to him on the couch, eyeing the paper over his shoulder. It was written in French, but he slowly moved the phone over the words and the English translations appeared on the touch screen.

"Crowds will gather at the Louvre in Paris today to kick off the first day of Fall Fashion Week," I read silently.

"Me neither," Zach said as he flipped the page without finishing the article. "That jerk better follow through or..." He trailed off with a deep sigh.

"After what you did yesterday, I don't think Dylan will ever cross you again. Ever," I chuckled before adding: "Thanks by the way."

Zach and I never got to talk about yesterday. We spent most of the afternoon and night with Fred on the phone, scheduling for backup. Fred was to arrive in Paris sometime tonight. I was looking forward to his arrival, just the thought of seeing a familiar face put me somewhat at ease. He was just as ready to nab whoever this person was as we were.

Zach surprised me by throwing an arm around my shoulder and pulling me close to his body. He smelled fresh, like he had only recently taken a long, warm shower. I breathed deeply and gave in, resting my head on his shoulder. It fit perfectly into place.

"What are friends for?" he mused, turning his attention back to the newspaper.

Oh. I lifted my head and sat up, pulling myself away from his hold. Friends. We were totally friends. So why did his finally acknowledging this cause my stomach to drop in that painful way that is reserved only for broken hearts? It wasn't like I liked him or anything. And he totally didn't even like me. No way he liked me when he was perfectly capable of getting a girl as beautiful as Christinne...if she hadn't had been murdered. No matter, he was used to girls tall and thin with perfectly coiffed hair and flawless skin, girls that were bubbly and carefree. Not walking disasters like me. Therefore there was no reason I should have even had that little flutter in my heart when he put his arm around me. To him, it was no more than a friendly gesture.

And I was completely fine with it. Honest.

"Oh my god," Zach gasped.

I tore myself away from my internal loathing for a moment to read the text he was pointing to on the screen of his phone.

"Fashion Week here in Paris is doesn't always go smoothly. From wardrobe malfunctions to stumbles off of the stage, there is always some noteworthy event that makes headlines, but fifty years ago Paris Fashion Week was enshrouded in mystery as the top model of the decade, Amelia LeFranc, was found stabbed to death in her Paris apartment with her lover Adrian Grenwar, a prominent businessman in the city. Grenwar's widow, Madalina LaTreque-Grenwar, was arrested for the crime, but released due to lack of evidence."

I forced myself to look at the black and white photo on the page, cringing as I did so. The style of dress in the photo was different, the face younger and fuller, the name slightly different, the demeanor confident, nearly arrogant, but the woman being led out of the building in handcuffs by French policeman was definitely no stranger.

"Zach," I breathed, my eyes wide as they stayed glued to the picture. "It's been her this entire time. She's the boss." My voice began to rise as realization sunk in. "She's doing what she did fifty years ago, like a celebration of sorts. An...an...an anniversary."

"LaTreque-Grenwar stayed out of the public eye after her release. Her whereabouts to this day are unknown," Zach read out loud.

"We know her whereabouts. She stayed in Paris this whole time," he responded as he ripped the page away from the paper and folded it in his hands purposefully.

I marched into the backdoor of the Louvre a few hours later, ignoring the paparazzi and reporters gathered around in a massive heard, screaming questions at me in French and their camera's flashing so brightly and relentlessly, I was blinded even through my dark sunglasses.

Zach was at my side, he too in dark shades that covered nearly the entire top half of his face. He was fuming, I could tell. He was biting the inside of his cheek as he walked in stride with me.

"I'm going to kill him," he muttered.

"Stay calm," I said under my breath as we got inside. We made it this far, there was no way we were going to blow our cover now.

Models and designers ran back and forth, reporters from different entertainment channels were intermixed between them, they and their cameramen lost among the chaos.

"Where the hell is he?" Zach asked as he scanned the crowd of people backstage.

I removed my sunglasses and I saw him in the back corner of the room, his shock of red hair the brightest color in the dim lighting. Dylan looked rather put-together for someone who wore a large and burdensome sling over the sleeve of his designer button-down shirt and who probably didn't get much sleep the night before, but his tired eyes gave away his exhaustion and anxiety.

I pushed myself through the flocks of people, ignoring the rude glares I got as I shoved them to the side. I lost Zach behind me, separated by the growing crowd.

Dylan saw me coming and shrank against the wall. He knew I knew.

I could have hit him, I wanted to hit him, but I could see the large blue and purple bruise on his chin from Zach's rather good punch and figured any punch I even managed to throw would pale in comparison to that one. Instead I got as close to him as possible, nearly pressing myself against his body and pinning him to the wall. By no means was I bigger than him, in fact he could have very easily pushed me to the floor and bolted, but he must have seen the fire in my eyes and figured it was better to stay put.

"Where's Madeline, Dylan?"

His voice was high. "I-I don't-I don't know." He made a show of searching the room, craning his head every-which-way. "Must be here somewhere."

"Dylan," I snapped.

Dylan glanced behind me, over my head slightly. I watched his Adam's apple bob in his throat as he took a large gulp. Zach was behind me.

"Where's Madeline?" we both asked in unison.

"Gone," he answered, his eyes flicking between the two of us nervously. "She left. With Cara."

A/N: Hey guys! So I never really leave an author's note at the end of my chapters, but I wanted to take this time to apologize for the long delay in updating, especially that this has been such a short chapter after such a long wait. School is really busy and I'm in my college's honors program, so sometimes it can get stressful. I'm sure any of you in college and even high school can relate!

I also wanted to give a special thanks to @DelinquentCinderella for the beautiful banner she made for me. I almost cried when I saw it because it was just too perfect. She was one of the first people to ever read the story and has been an awesome supporter! I also wanted to say that there are only three chapters left of The Model Spy (though I am working on a sequel). Those chapters will be up shortly because I am entering The Model Spy in The Wattys! I'm really really excited about it!

Finally, thank you all for everything so far, my followers and my silent readers (I know you are out there!). Your support means a lot to me and I never imagined The Model Spy getting so many reads. Hopefully you all like the rest of the book and the ending doesn't let you down!