I ground my teeth together and stalked out into the driveway, pounding on the hood of the SUV twice. The guys inside jumped up, pulling their feet off the dash. I headed back for the house, knowing they would follow.
“Where are you?” I asked Damon.
“I wish I could tell you,” he nearly fucking chirped. “I really do, because it’s just too good. If only you’d done just a little more research, man.”
“Damon—”
“It’s really a miracle for me that you haven’t yet realized.”
“Damon!”
“Can’t talk,” he said. “But I’ll see you soon.”
“Tonight?”
And I heard a click.
“Damon!” I yelled into the phone. What did he mean ‘soon’?
“Yes.” I heard a voice behind me.
I turned around, looking at the dead call on my phone screen. I could call him back, but the phone would be off, no doubt. Plus, it was a waste of time.
I saw David and the kid, Lev, step into the foyer, the younger one yawning.
Walking over to the table in the hallway, I dug out a set of keys from a small chest on top.
I tossed the set to him. “The third floor is yours,” I said. “Banks will organize your tasks in this house and outside of it, and I’ll put you on payroll. She’s sleeping now.” I stepped up to them, weighting my instructions heavily, so they knew I was serious. “Don’t leave her alone here or let her leave, and when she wakes up, tell her I’ve gone to run an errand, and I’ll be back soon.”
“You.” I looked to Lev. “Go to Delcour. Bring Will and Rika here and keep them here. Tell them to pack an overnight bag.”
“They won’t come with me,” he argued.
“I’m texting them now to let them know you’re on your way. Go.”
He sighed and took the car keys from David, heading out the front door, and I got on my phone, shooting a text to Michael to meet me at The Pope and then another one to Will and Rika.
“Check every window and door,” I ordered David, grabbing my car keys and walking out. “Once everyone arrives, it’s lockdown. You got that?”
He nodded. “Got it.”
Kai
Present
I moved absently through the ballroom, replaying everything in my head. That Devil’s Night all those years ago. Banks and me. The woman dancing.
How long had Natalya Torrance been there? How often did the Torrance’s use their secret floor? She had left Damon three years earlier. Had she been there the whole time?
There was something I was missing.
The morning light streamed through the windows, revealing the dust floating in the air, and I looked around, noticing the floor littered with flyers. There were stands for sheet music still sitting on the stage, and a few round tables around the dance floor.
I inhaled a deep breath, rubbing my eyes. She wanted to be close to him.
But then that raised another question. The Pope wasn’t very old. Where did the family stay when they were in town before The Pope was built? That was what picked at the back of my mind, and why I hadn’t paid any attention to it. It didn’t seem important, but it was weird.
And when something feels off, it is.