Chapter 23
NOAH
We’re meeting Theo at our rental place. It’s a risky move doing it in such a secluded place, but it’s also dangerous if Grey finds out we’re prying into business, especially if he is lying about being Maddy’s father.
We also had Lily go stay with her aunt. She put up a bit of a fight about it, but in the end, she caved.
I think she understood how dangerous it was for her to be around us.
We promised her, though, that we’d keep her updated, especially about her mom.
Even with Lily being gone, River is stressing hard as he paces the living room with his arms crossed. Every so often, he wanders over to the window and peers outside.
“You need to chill,” I tell him from over my shoulder while staring at the view on my computer screen.
Ever since I hacked into the satellites, I’ve been obsessively watching the aerial view of James’ island.
I haven’t seen any sign of Maddy or Finn, but the society members are constantly wandering around in their clocks.
I’ve figured out that most of them are surveying the island, but sometimes they hold gatherings where they drink and light fires, partying it up.
I also catch sight of James' guards every so often.
They wear distance outfits, black shirts, and matching cargo pants and books.
I can zoom well enough to sometimes be able to make out a face, but none that I recognize.
“I am chill,” River mumbles, letting go of the curtain. He glances at the clock on the wall that’s by the front door. “He’s late.”
“By a minute. Go take a shot or something, because if you’re this edgy when he gets here, he’ll be on edge.” I notice a man walking toward a cluster of trees. He looks familiar, so I zoom in. “And we need him to be comfortable around us or else he won’t tell us shit…” I trail off. “Shit.”
River is in the middle of pouring himself a shot of vodka over at the car. “What?”
I squint at the screen. “I think Aiden is on the island.”
River nearly drops the bottle of vodka, but manages to catch it before he does. “Are you sure?”
I swallow hard as I nod. “I’m positive. He’s walking toward the trees right now. I can see that reaper tattoo on his arm.”
River lifts the shot glass to his lips and downs the vodka without pulling a face, as I’m sure shock seeps through him.
Aiden is James’ bodyguard, at least to an extent.
But he also takes care of things for James, things that James wants erased.
Like one time, a man was blackmailing James after he took pictures of him at a whorehouse.
River, Finn, and I were about fourteen at the time, and we overheard a conversation between Aiden and James about Aiden taking care of the problem.
Aiden was fifteen at the time, but he’d been working for James well before that.
In fact, when he was younger, Aiden would sometimes attend the Aversons’ family dinners, but he never spoke to anyone, and James was always weird around him, as if he were grooming him.
But anyway, the man who was blackmailing James ended up dead; his body was found in his car, which was submerged in the river.
Finn, River, and I had questioned whether Aiden killed him.
Then rumors began to circulate that James had a trained, bloodthirsty assassin.
We put two and two together that it was Aiden.
He became sort of like the boogeyman in the shadows of the Royal City, but no one ever talks about him because they're too scared. I’ve often wondered how James had Aiden working for him before he was even a legal adult, but I’m guessing he trafficked him at some point in his life.
River places the empty shot glass down on the counter. “My father wouldn’t kill Maddy or Finn, so even if Aiden is there, it doesn’t mean anything.”
“I agree with that to an extent, but it’s creepy he’s there.” I close my computer and set it aside. “The guy is a trained killer.”
“No, it’s speculated that he is.” He rounds the bar and flops down in the chair. “No one has proof. It could all just be rumors.”
Is he shitting me right now? Or just trying to live in denial? “Do you really believe that?”
Before he can answer, someone knocks on the front door.
River leaps to his feet and runs across the room to answer it.
“Stay calm,” I whisper to him. “Don’t look anxious.”
River nods, wiggles the tension out of his shoulders before he opens the door.
Theo is standing on the other side, wearing jeans and a hoodie with the hood drawn over his head. He’s sneaking glances around the quiet neighborhood that’s dusted with orange and pink hues from the sunset.
“Hurry and come in,” River tells him, opening the door wider.
Theo rushes in, and River shuts the door. Only then does Theo lower his hood.
“I’m nervous about being here,” Theo confesses as he fidgets with his watch band. “If Grey finds out I’m here, I’ll lose my job and everything else I own.”
“He won’t find out,” I promise him, crossing my fingers I can make good on that promise. “You want a drink?”
He desperately nods. “Yes, please.”
I head over to the bar to pour him one while River tells him to take a seat.
“The message you sent me said you wanted to talk to me about Grey’s daughter. That if I showed up here, you’d pay me three hundred thousand dollars,” Theo says as I fill a glass with whiskey.
River drops down into the sofa across from where Theo is sitting. “As long as you answer our questions, we will.” He measures Theo up with a calculating look on his face. “We wanted to know if you were around Maddy and Grey when they did the DNA test.”
He hesitantly nods as he crosses his arms. “I was, yeah.”
I return to the room and hand him the glass. “Did you see the results?”
Theo takes a sip of the whiskey and then wipes his mouth with his hand. “I saw the test happen, but didn’t see the results.”
Not the answer I was hoping for, but that doesn’t mean this guy can’t help us.
I take a seat beside River. “Have you heard anything about the authenticity of the results?”
He stares into the glass. “I… I don’t know.”
River and I glance at each other.
Then River slants forward. “Look, Theo, I want to give you this money. I know your financial circumstances are bad and that your daughter is sick,” River tells him. “I know this money will help you out a lot, but in order for me to give it to you, you have to answer our questions truthfully.”
A slow exhale slips from Theo’s lips. “How do I know you’ll actually give me the money?”
River gets up, crosses the room, and collects the bag with the cash we withdrew from his personal bank account earlier today. James might find out about the transaction, but it’s a risk we’re willing to take.
River sets the bag down on the table. “It’s all in there.” He shows Theo the inside of the bag.
Theo’s eyes go wide at the sight of the stacks of cash inside the bag. “Shit, I’ve never seen so much cash in my life.”
“And it’ll be yours after you answer our questions,” River says as he zips up the bag and tosses it onto the floor beside his feet. “Do you know if Maddy is really Grey’s daughter or is this some sort of scheme?”
Theo remains silent as he drinks the rest of the whiskey, then sets the glass down on the table and eyes the bag on the floor.
For a moment, I worry he might try to steal it.
He’s a bodyguard too, so he’s got fighting skills.
But River and I have connections, and he’s aware of that.
If he steals this bag, he’ll be tracked down.
“He’s not her father,” Theo finally says.
“In the beginning, Grey was helping your father. They had plans to convince Maddy that Grey is her dad and that he wanted her to marry your brother to protect her.” He looks at River.
“They were going to have them get married, then have Finn knock her up so they’d have an heir to take over the world.
I’m not sure how they believe they’re going to do that, though.
I never heard the details, and honestly, I started to grow a bit worried they were going crazy.
There were a few secret meetings where they discussed a ritual that was going to take place on an island.
Something about sacrificing Everford blood in exchange for Everford life.
It was creepy, and to be honest, I’m glad I’ll be getting the hell out of this city after we’re done talking. ”
“This doesn’t make any sense,” River mutters with a frown. “How can they sacrifice an Everford if Maddy is the only one alive…” Sheer terror flashes across River’s face.
He doesn’t have to explain where his mind is at. Mine already got there on its own.
We already know Maddy isn’t the only Everford left. And if James is using her to make an heir, then…
“If this is true,” I say to River. “Then James is planning on killing Maddy’s real mom.”
Maddy’s real mom has been missing for a while, too. So has River’s mother. Is she there on the island too? What the hell is James doing? Has he gone crazy?
River clears his throat a few times before he can speak. “What went wrong?” River asks Theo. “I mean, why isn’t Grey with my father right now?”
“Because your father backstabbed Grey. I’m not sure why. All I know is that he did, and Grey used you two to track down where James is. Now that he has, he doesn’t have much use for you, which is why he hasn’t stayed connected very much.”
River shakes his head, his jaw set tight. “Who is Grey anyway? I know the version of him in the media, but that can’t be who he truly is if he’s doing all of this.”
“I’m not entirely sure, but I have a theory that Grey’s younger brother Sylas is actually Maddy’s real father, and that’s how he found out about her,” Theo says.
“Sylas has been missing for a while, and Grey refuses to report it. But I have a feeling that he might be keeping him locked up somewhere.”
“Why would you think that?” I ask, tapping my thumb against my lip. “Not that it isn’t a valid idea, but it had to have stemmed from somewhere.”
Theo slants forward and lowers his voice. “Because a few days before Sylas went missing, Grey and him got into this huge argument. Hours later, Sylas was gone, but his car was still in the driveway. Grey had me take it to a storage unit over in northside, which is strange.”
“If Sylas is being held somewhere by Grey, do you know of any place Grey owns where he could keep someone hidden for months?” River asks, propping his boot-clad foot onto his knee.
“He owns a lot of houses in various gem cities, but he owns one place in northside. That’s my best bet of where he’d be—” He startles as fireworks explode from outside. “Can I go now? The longer I’m here, the more at risk I am of getting caught.”
River and I look at each other, making a silent agreement.
River nods, then grabs the bag and tosses it to Theo. “Thanks for the information. I think it goes without saying that this conversation stays between us. You know who my father is, so you know what I’m capable of.”
Nodding, Theo clutches the bag against his chest and practically sprints out of the house.
“What do you think about what he said?” I ask River once he’s gone.
River goes over and locks the front door. “He sounded like he was telling the truth. And as for Grey keeping Sylas locked up in northside, it makes sense. It’d be too risky to do that in a gem city.”
Gem cities are the wealthiest and most secure cities in the world. They’re for the richest of the rich to live, and poor people aren’t allowed to cross the city lines. River and Finn’s father owns like eight houses in gem cities. My father owned one, but my mother got it in the divorce.
“Do you think you can track this house down?” River asks as he collects the empty whiskey glass and heads over to put it away.
Nodding, I sit down and get to work. Ten minutes later, I’ve found the place.
“Ready to go for a drive to northside?” I ask as I collect my wallet and keys.
“You found it?” River checks, and I nod. “Damn, that was fast.”
“Well, after what Theo just told us, I had to find it quickly.” Because if he was telling the truth, Maddy’s mother’s life is in jeopardy.