41. Forever #2
I stood and walked to the bookshelf he’d correctly identified earlier. With a subtle push against a hidden mechanism, the section swung inward, revealing a small room beyond. Tristian’s eyes lit up, and he jumped to his feet.
“Fuck,” he whispered, then glanced at me. “Sorry.”
I waved him in, and he stepped past me into the hidden space. I followed, closing the door behind us.
The room was small but well-equipped with a computer terminal, surveillance monitors, and a small arsenal. But most importantly, a golf simulator I had installed after discovering my unexpected talent for the game.
“It was smart,” I said, answering his last question first. “And yes, I found it funny because you aren’t here to save your aunt’s life. You want to see if her business dealings can become yours.”
He gave me innocent eyes for about three seconds before they switched to something a little more calculating. The shift was impressive.
I turned on the golf simulator, and it lit up the room.
“Break it down to me,” I said, handing him a golf club and taking one for myself. “Cite your sources. Oh, and I will be telling your cousin, but lucky for you, I can delay him killing her if it warrants that.”
Maybe even stop it altogether, depending on what Velma was into. But I kept that thought to myself as Tristian began explaining everything he’d seen and heard. I listened carefully, filing away details and planning how to approach this with Demetrius.
The kid had good instincts, coming to me first. I didn’t mind looking into his matter, as long as he understood my loyalty would always be to my husband first.
I took him back to the compound myself, not wanting to leave him to his own devices. Solei was coming out of her place as I passed on my way out, and I stopped, rolling my window down as she walked down the driveway.
“Wanna get a massage?”
Solei frowned but stepped closer, clearly intrigued.
“Is that code for let’s go murder someone?” She shook her head, locked her car door, and then got into my car. “Doesn’t matter, I know it’s code for something fun.”
That was one thing I was beginning to appreciate about her.
She didn’t need every detail explained, just trusted there was a reason.
I wanted to use this opportunity to learn more about her, especially now that I was aware she killed frivolously.
And that we had a close relationship before I forgot.
“You ever been here before?” I asked as we entered the spa from the street.
“Don’t really care about being touched by strangers. I do love a good head spa, though. Scalp scrubs are my guilty pleasure.”
I chuckled, giving myself a mental reminder to gift her a few of those.
“Understood. Luckily, we ain’t here to relax.”
Her eyes were full of intrigue, but she didn’t question me further. I watched her scan the lobby after being checked in and hid a smile.
“Here are your key cards…” The desk attendant pressed them into my palm. “The changing rooms are through these doors.”
We were led to a private locker room area that smelled like the inside of Demetrius’s grandmother’s house.
Solei pulled her robe out and glanced at me.
“I’m keeping my gun,” she said quietly, already slipping out of her clothes.
Leaving mine behind had never been an option.
Once changed, our new attendant gestured for us to follow her down a corridor. Having checked the layout before leaving the car, I noticed we were headed in the opposite direction from the massage rooms and hummed.
“What’s first?” Solei asked.
“Special treatment room,” the attendant replied without hesitation. “As requested.”
We continued down the corridor until our guide stopped in front of a frosted glass door labeled Salt Room .
“Fifteen minutes,” she said, waving us in.
The moment we stepped inside, the door closed behind us with an audible click of a lock engaging. The room was dimly lit, with salt-covered walls and floor that glittered under the lighting.
Without a word, Solei and I both reached for the guns strapped to our thighs.
“I wouldn’t,” a voice called out as another door on the opposite side of the room slid open. Destiny LaPorte poked her head through. “We have limited time, and I’d rather not waste it with unnecessary drama.”
I sighed
“Forever,” she greeted, a slight smile playing at her lips. “Solei Cannon, right? I’ve heard a lot about you. Come in, we have something to discuss and not a lot of time.”
She disappeared back through the doorway, and I followed, making sure to block Solei as I entered and took in the lay of the room.
Inside was what appeared to be a sauna room, though it wasn’t currently running. Wooden benches lined the walls, and sitting on them were not only Destiny, but also Seo-Yeon and Ignis Holt.
I kept my gaze on Seo-Yeon the longest before allowing Solei inside. We still had unfinished business.
“Take a seat,” Destiny said, gesturing to the empty bench across from them.
I sat, and Solei did the same, though she positioned herself slightly angled toward the door, ready to move if necessary.
Smart girl.
“I’m assuming this isn’t a social call,” I said, addressing all three women but focusing on Destiny, since my mother mentioned her specifically.
“Hardly,” Ignis replied, her voice surprisingly soft for someone with her reputation. “We’ve been meeting like this for nearly a decade.”
She was married to Lamar Holt, the unofficial leader of the rejector alliance. His family’s whole agenda had always been to bring us together with the rejectors.
“Why am I here now?” I asked.
Seo-Yeon leaned forward, not an ounce of animosity in her eyes.
“Because your mother feels you should be a part of this, and I think…” she scoffed as if she couldn’t believe what she was about to say.
“I believe she’s right. It isn’t my place to tell you more than that we know your husband has aligned himself with the Fairchilds, and you’ve aligned yourself with him. ”
I bristled at the implication that I’d followed Demetrius’s lead rather than making my own choice.
“I made my own decision regarding the Fairchilds.”
“We know,” Destiny cut in smoothly. “That’s precisely why you’re here. We need someone on the inside.”
“Inside of what?”
The three women exchanged glances, some silent communication passing between them. Finally, Destiny spoke, and it almost knocked the fucking wind out of me.
“Solomon Fairchild is running a trafficking ring, and we’ve been spending years trying to dismantle it. We’ve been meeting more frequently after learning more girls are going missing from foster homes and, recently, this year’s ritual.”
The first thing I put together was that none of them knew Demetrius, Solei, and Oliver were Fairchilds by blood.
“That’s a serious accusation,” I said, despite the churning in my stomach. “Do you have proof?”
“More than you’d want to see,” Seo-Yeon replied, her expression grim. “We’ve been tracking disappearances for years. Young women, mostly from vulnerable populations—foster kids, runaways, girls with addiction issues. A few scholarship kids here and there. No one who would be missed immediately.”
“Until recently,” Ignis added. “They’ve gotten bolder. Two society girls went missing after last month’s ritual. Daughters of lesser families, but society members nonetheless.”
My mind raced.
That night was a blur, and Demetrius and I had spent most of it separated from everyone else.
“Why would he risk taking society girls?” Solei asked. “Seems unnecessarily risky.”
“He’s gone undetected for a long time. I’m surprised he waited until now to start moving up the ranks.”
“And what exactly do you think I can do about this?” I asked, trying to process everything and how it connected to me.
My mother wouldn’t ask me to do this if it weren’t connected.
What the fuck was she trying to tell me?
“You guys have Solomon’s ear now,” Ignis said. “You’re positioned to get closer to him than any of us could dream of. We need you to help us find concrete proof, enough to bring him down without collapsing the entire power structure of Everwood.”
The next thing I put together was that they had no idea about Soleme. So, either Solomon wanted her dead or the power struggle Lucien spoke of was actually happening within the family.
Probably both.
If Solomon fell, the ripple effects would be messy, but only if there wasn’t someone to take his place. Only if Soleme wasn’t in on it, too.
“I need to talk to my husband.”
“Solomon has eyes and ears everywhere. Be careful.”
As the words left her mouth, a timer beeped softly, indicating our fifteen minutes were up.
“We’ll be in touch,” Seo-Yeon said, standing. “Your mother will arrange it. And consider that other matter dead. This is more important.”
I felt sick to my stomach, and the feeling stayed with me for the rest of my day. Why did everything have to connect to me?
Dying might be better than this, Forever.