Cracks in the Plan

Cracks in the Plan
Lena stepped out of her lecture hall, the last echoes of her professor’s voice fading behind her. 

Her body felt heavy, her feet dragging as she moved toward the exit.

She pulled her phone from her bag with a sigh. The screen lit up with dozens of notifications: texts from Lily, from Maya, and a new one from Aiden.

Damn it, she thought. Ignoring them was only going to make them suspicious, but right now she couldn’t find the strength to face their questions. 

She put the phone back into her pocket, letting it buzz incessantly against her thigh as she pushed open the doors of the lecture building.

A gust of warm afternoon air hit her face as she stepped outside, then a sleek black Mercedes rolled up to the curb right in front of her. 

The tinted window rolled down with an annoying smoothness, revealing Ethan’s handsome, smug face. 

His dark eyes glinted with mischief under the golden sun.

“Get in,” he said, his voice dripping with arrogance. 

His lips curled into a half-smirk that made her stomach twist in irritation.

Lena’s eyes darted left and right. 

Is he insane? They had agreed never to speak in public. 

If anyone saw them together, the questions would start, and their entire plan would unravel. 

She hissed under her breath, 

“What the hell are you doing here?”

Ethan tilted his head, feigning innocence. 

“What does it look like? I’m here to pick you up. Now stop wasting time and get in the car.”

“Ethan, we talked about this,” she spat, keeping her voice low as she stepped closer. “We’re not supposed to be seen together. If anyone finds out we’re twins—”

He cut her off with a roll of his eyes. 

“Relax. No one’s paying attention. And if they are, I’ll give them something else to look at.” His tone turned mocking as he arched an eyebrow at her.

Lena’s frustration simmered under her skin. 

Knowing a scene would only draw more eyes, she pulled the passenger door open and slipped into the seat, slamming it shut behind her.

“You’re impossible,” she muttered, arms folded tightly across her chest.

Ethan didn’t bother to hide his amusement. 

“Oh, come on. Don’t pretend you’re not happy to see me.”

Her eyes snapped to him, fury brimming. 

“I’m not happy, Ethan. I’m furious. You ruined everything last night.”

His smile slipped, just a fraction. 

“What are you talking about?”

“You know exactly what I mean!” she snapped. Her voice rose, filling the confined space of the car. “You ruined the dinner date on the rooftop. I had it perfectly timed so they would stay there long enough for me to get what I needed. But no—you had to show up and scare them off early!”

He scoffed, his eyes fixed on the road as they sped through the quiet suburban streets. 

“That’s not my fault. You were the one taking your sweet time. Maybe if you were faster, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”

Lena clenched her fists. 

“Don’t you dare blame me for your reckless stupidity.” She was seething, every word heavy with the fury that had been building inside her since the night before. “This was our plan, Ethan. Our plan. We spent weeks putting it together, laying every detail, making sure no one would suspect us. And now you’re acting like a spoiled brat, running around without thinking about the consequences!”

He let out a humorless laugh, the sound low and grating. 

“You’re overreacting.”

She stared at him, aghast. 

“We need them to let their guard down. That’s the only way we can make them pay for what they did to Alex.”

The car swerved a little as Ethan’s grip on the steering wheel tightened. His jaw flexed, but he didn’t say anything.

She couldn’t take it anymore. 

“Stop the car,” she said suddenly, voice trembling with rage.

Ethan’s eyes flicked to her. 

“What?”

“Stop the damn car!”

With a frustrated growl, he slammed on the brakes. The car lurched to a halt in a deserted parking lot behind an old shopping center.

Before Ethan could react, Lena threw the door open and stumbled out, her backpack bouncing against her hip. 

She slammed the door so hard the entire car shook. 

She started walking away, her footsteps echoing in the empty lot.

“Lena, get back here!” Ethan barked, climbing out of the car after her.

He grabbed her wrist, spinning her around.

“Let go of me!” she shouted, yanking her arm back.

“Would you calm down and talk to me?” he shot back, voice raw with exasperation.

She glared at him, her eyes shining with a mix of rage and desperation. 

“Why should I, Ethan? You don’t care about the plan anymore. You don’t care about Alex. You just want to play your little games. Is that what this is to you? A game?”

Ethan’s face fell. The cocky mask slipped.

“You know it’s not a game. But you’re acting like this is all on me.”

Lena’s eyes burned with unshed tears. 

“Because it is on you! You think I don’t know how you feel about Lily? How you’ve been watching her like a lovesick puppy instead of sticking to the plan?”

His eyes went wide. 

“That’s not—”

She cut him off with a choked laugh. 

“Don’t lie to me, Ethan. I’ve seen it. The way you look at her. The way you hesitate when we talk about hurting her.”

He looked away, jaw clenched so tightly a muscle ticked at his temple. 

“This isn’t fair.”

“No, what’s not fair is you sabotaging everything we worked for,” she said, voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. “We came here for a reason. We came to destroy them. You don’t get to back out now just because you’ve developed a conscience.”

Ethan reached out again, grabbing both her arms this time. 

“Lena, listen to me. I do care. I care about Alex more than anything. But you’re spiraling. You’re letting your anger cloud your judgment.”

“Don’t you dare patronize me,” she hissed.

She tried to wrench herself free, but his grip only tightened. 

“Lena, stop. Just listen to me—”

A sudden roar of an engine cut through the tense silence. 

Headlights from a nearby car flashed across the lot.

The doors flew open almost simultaneously.

Lucas stepped out first, his imposing figure framed by the open door. 

A moment later, Liam emerged from the passenger side, tall and elegant as always, his eyes narrowed with suspicion. Then Graham got out from the back, his expression dark and unreadable.

Time seemed to freeze. 

Lena felt her blood turn to ice as all three men took in the scene: her standing inches from Ethan, his hands gripping her arms, both of them looking like they had been caught in the middle of a heated argument.

“Lena?” Lucas’s voice was low and dangerous, slicing through the parking lot like a blade. “What the hell is going on here?”

Lena’s mind raced. 

This can’t be happening.