CHAPTER ELEVEN

"Mom, I don't want to go to the wedding," said the young girl. "There's no one going that's my age, and it will be boring!"

"Sonja, this is your first cousin's wedding. I know that you're only seventeen, but one day, it'll be you getting married, and you're going to want others to be there."

"For the gifts and cash, right?" she smirked.

"Sonja, that's not nice," smiled her mother. "But sometimes that's the truth. Your father and I had more than two hundred people at our wedding, and I swear to God, I barely knew thirty."

"Then why invite them?"

"Because," she laughed, "my mother made me."

"Oh, great. So, I'll have to invite people you tell me to invite," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Afraid so, kiddo. Look, you get this dress. Just pick one you're comfortable in, and I'll let you take the car to school for your first day as a senior." The girl smiled at her mother, picturing herself in her mother's little convertible.

"Seriously?"

"Seriously."

"Okay."

For the next hour, she would grab a few dresses and go into the dressing room, then come out shaking her head. Her mother would hand her a few more, and she would do the same. In the end, she found the perfect thing for her.

"What do you think?" asked Sonja.

"Well, it's very you," smiled her mother. "I like the pants and tuxedo jacket." Her daughter frowned, hearing her mother's tone.

"You don't like it."

"Actually, I love it," said her mother. "I think it's reflective of you, it's formal, and it fits you beautifully."

"Really? Thanks, Mom."

"You bet. Now, let's get changed, and we'll finally get some lunch before I fall over." Her daughter went back into the dressing room and a moment later, walked out with the pants still on, but the jacket replaced by a t-shirt.

"Sorry, but the t-shirt is a no." Her daughter shook her head, looking around to see if anyone else was there.

"Mom," she whispered.

"What's wrong?" frowned her mother. "Did you start your period?"

"No," she said in exasperation. "No. Mom, I think there's a camera in that dressing room. You have to stand at the perfect angle, but there's one behind the mirror."

Her brave daughter, who was afraid of nothing, had tears in her eyes, her face pale and drawn. She nodded at her, walking into the dressing room.

"Let me see if I can find the earring, honey," she said casually. "Are you sure you lost it?"

"Y-yes," said Sonja.

"I'm looking," she said casually. "Oh, I see it now. I've got it."

She left the dressing room, handing her daughter her shorts. She held up the tuxedo jacket and nodded for her to change behind the jacket. She tossed the pants to the floor and put on the shorts.

"Mom, what are we going to do?" she sniffed.

"I'm going to buy this outfit and have someone return it later and look in that room. Don't say a word. We're going to take care of this."

Her mother paid for the suit, smiling the entire time as the woman checked them out. When they were in the car, she drove straight back to their home and called the person she knew could help.

"Grandma? I need you to help me with something."

"Hey, Ruby. What's up?" asked Ghost.

"Ghost, my granddaughter just called me to tell me somethin' I don't like at all. Somethin' involvin' my great-granddaughter."

"Okay," he frowned. "How can we help?"

Ruby told the story as the men started to lean forward, staring at her. They interrupted several times, asking questions, then finally, Ruby stopped.

"You ain't actin' like this is new to you," she frowned.

"It's not, Ruby. We're working on something that we believe is related right now. What was the name of this boutique?"

"Evolve. It's off Canal. My great-granddaughter is beside herself with embarrassment. She said she was in and out of that room for nearly an hour tryin' on clothes."

"We'll head down there right now," said Ian.

"Thank you, boys. Thank you."

Ian and Ghost walked down the hall and out of the building to see their wives seated in the grove. They waved them over, and the women grinned at them.

"We going on an adventure?" asked Faith.

"A shopping adventure," said her husband.

Ian and Ghost explained what was happening as they drove into the city. Pulling into the parking lot of the little shop, they both looked at their wives.

"Don't take anything off," said Ian. "Just hold it up to you and turn several times. See if you can see the camera in the same spot that Sonja did."

Faith and Grace nodded, getting out of the car with their husbands and stepping inside. It didn't escape notice that this was the third place they'd found cameras in, and they were all smaller, independent shops. None of them were chains.

As the women looked around for something to wear, they noticed a man in his late twenties and a woman in her early thirties whispering to one another. Finally, the woman walked over and offered to help them.

"I think you should try these on," said the woman. "They'll really enhance your assets, and I'll bet your husband would love that!"

Faith laughed, shaking her head.

"My husband likes all of my assets. Don't you, babe?"

"I do," he smirked.

"Well, then, let's try these on. When you're done, we'll get you to sign up for our mailing list," she said, leading her to the dressing room. "Would you like some help undressing?" Faith turned to the woman, cocking her head with a strange look.

"No. I think I know how to try clothes on all by myself. If I need help, my husband or my friend can help me."

"Okay, just offering," said the woman, backing up.

Grace stepped into the dressing room with her, and both women smiled at one another. She held up a few dresses, turning in the mirror.

"Hey, I can see that you haven't removed your jeans," said the saleswoman. "You can't know if the dress will look good with your jeans on." Faith snapped the curtain back, staring at the woman.

"Are you watching me beneath the curtain? Are you observing me?" she said.

"What? No, it's just that I can see your jeans," laughed the woman.

"Really? What else do you see?" said Faith, stepping out.

"Oh, shit," muttered Ian. "I think my wife is about to go off."

"I don't know what you mean," said the woman.

"I mean, what else are you looking at, you sick, twisted bitch! Did you think we wouldn't see? Did you think I wouldn't notice the cameras inside the mirror, the one in the ceiling? Did you think I was that stupid?"

"I think you need to leave," said the woman. The salesman at the desk reached for the phone and screamed so loud the woman turned.

"You touch that phone, and I will break every bone in your body," said Ghost, gripping his wrist. He pulled him from behind the counter and threw him in a chair. The woman tried to run around Faith, but Grace stiff-armed her, forcing her backwards. Faith held out her leg, the woman tripped over it and hit the floor.

"You're sick," said Faith. "Sick and about to be a felon."

"No! N-no! Please, I didn't know," she said.

"You're lying. You knew, and you tried to get me to remove my clothes." Faith looked up to see Code and Ace walking in the door.

"We'll take care of it," said Ace.

"What are they doing? No! You can't touch anything," said the woman. She heard the sounds of sirens and placed her face in her hands, crying. "You don't know what you've done." Ian just stared at the woman, shaking his head.

"Neither do you."