"Back to the subject at hand...I'm not surprised your father or mine would put business over family on a holiday, but don't these other people have families of their own to spend the day with?"
He nods. "They bring them with. There's sort of an unspoken rule that young children aren't welcome, but you'll see some people around our age there—several of them from Windsor. Besides, most of these people aren't what I would call friendly or family-oriented. Status and wealth are what drives them."
Awesome. Five hundred clones of my sperm donor in the same room.
My brows draw together. “You mentioned this thing will help you further the cause. How so?”
He blows out a harsh breath. “Because I suspect some of these men help our fathers with their side business in one way or another. And I’m pretty sure there are at least a few dozen men in attendance who are buyers, or possibly brokers. I’ve been keeping a list, but it’s pretty easy to pick them out of the crowd if you watch them carefully enough. They’re usually watching the younger, prettier females in the room. Some of them a little too young.”
I gag. “You mean we’re actually going to be in the same room as the sick fucks who’d buy and rape girls because that’s what they get off on?”
Kingston’s lips thin. “Yep.”
“I don’t know if I can do it, Kingston.” My heart starts beating rapidly as my eyes fill with tears. “How can I be in the same room with people like that and keep my mouth shut? The proximity to our fathers is bad enough, but dozens of them?”
“Hey. Breathe.” He grabs my hand over the center console and squeezes. “Think of the states.”
I breathe in and out a few times, trying to calm my racing pulse. After my meltdown at Bentley's house, I did some research on panic attacks. One coping method is to use a distraction technique like Kingston did when he kissed me. I couldn't find any articles that suggested engaging in a threesome, but I did find several that recommended reciting something from memory, like song lyrics. When I was in elementary school, we learned how to say all fifty states in alphabetical order using a specific beat, so I've been doing that whenever I start feeling anxious.
Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas...California, Colorado, Connecticut. Delaware...Florida...
By the time I get to Louisiana, I’ve regained my composure.
“You good?” Kingston squeezes my hand again.
I nod, blinking a few times. “Yeah, I’m good.”
He gives me a soft smile. “Which one did you get to this time?”
I lace our fingers together. “Louisiana.”
Kingston brings our joined hands to his mouth and kisses my knuckles. “It’s gonna be okay, Jazz. Bentley and Reed will also be there with their parents. Someone will be with you a
nd Ainsley at all times.”
I slump back into the Rover’s plush leather seat. “God, I hate this. I just want it to be over already.”
“Me too, princess. Me too.”
“THIS IS BORING AS SHIT,” Bentley complains.
“One of them is bound to give us something soon,” Kingston murmurs.
The three of us have been poring over surveillance videos for hours. Kingston installed the monitoring software on multiple devices, so Bentley and Kingston are on their laptops, and I'm using Kingston's iPad. Thankfully, the cameras are motion-activated, so we only have to watch footage when there are actual people in the room. So far, the only drama has been my father telling Madeline he would not be footing the bill for her next collagen appointment, followed by Madeline breaking out the waterworks and begging him to reconsider. Other than that, it's been a bunch of mundane business shit.
Bentley rubs the back of his neck. “I really wish we had another hand. My eyes are crossing.”
Ainsley's ballet classes are also canceled this week for the holiday. Reed's been keeping her occupied, so we can do this without raising suspicion. I giggle when I think about how he's likely keeping her busy.
Kingston lifts an eyebrow. “What’s so funny?”
“Nothing. Nothing at all.” I fake cough to cover my laugh.
His expression tells me his bullshit meter is ringing loud and proud. “You don’t want to tell me? Fine. I have ways of extracting information when you’re naked later.”
Bent groans. “I really need to get laid.”
Bentley’s phone picks that moment to vibrate on the table in front of us.