Damien coughed, his breath raspy as if the weight of his secrets had aged him prematurely. He glanced around the alley as if expecting someone to be watching, before leaning in closer. His voice lowered, gravelly yet filled with urgency.
"Every member has something—a ticket of sorts. A pendant, or some kind of trinket," he muttered. "That's how you know. That's how they let you in."
Sebastian furrowed his brows. "A pendant? For what?"
Damien's bloodshot eyes flicked from Sebastian to me, then to Zaire, like he was measuring whether we could handle the truth. "They arrange these parties, monthly, in every state. But it's only for the elites—the rich kids, the ones whose families run everything from the shadows. The rest of us? We're just the playthings, there for their amusement. Nothing good happens at those parties."
I swallowed hard, my mouth dry as his words settled in. This was deeper than we ever thought—more dangerous, more insidious. Andrew had been onto something far bigger than any of us realized. And now, so were we.
Damien shifted uncomfortably as if the rain pressing down on us mirrored the burden of his knowledge. His eyes flickered back to me, narrowing slightly. "Your mom... Lexie. She got too close. Loved someone from that elite group. She shouldn't have."
I froze, my heart dropping. I barely heard Zaire and Sebastian exchange confused glances—everything faded into the background. All I could hear was Damien's voice as it rang in my ears like a death knell.
"She was about to leave her line of work for him. They were gonna run away, start over. But they couldn't let that happen. The higher-ups... They don't let love get in the way of business. So they killed her. Snuffed her out to keep their dirty little secrets hidden."
My vision blurred as tears threatened to spill. My mother had been in love—real love. And for that, they killed her. It was too much. My hands trembled, gripping the photo of her so tightly it crumpled at the edges.
Sebastian stepped forward, anger flashing across his face. "You're saying they murdered her just to cover up their tracks? How the hell do we stop this?"
Damien chuckled bitterly. "You don't. Not unless you want to end up like Andrew. Or worse. These people? They'll do anything to keep their power."
I couldn't stay there any longer. The walls of the alley seemed to close in on me, and my breath came faster. Without a word, I turned on my heel and headed for the car, my footsteps splashing in the rain. Zaire and Sebastian exchanged a glance before following me, but they knew better than to ask me anything just yet.
Sebastian drove this time. The rain continued to pour, making the world outside look like a blurry mess of dark shapes and lights. I sat in the back seat, staring out the window, lost in my thoughts. My mind kept circling back to Lexie. She had wanted to leave—wanted a better life for herself, maybe for me too. But they'd stolen that from her. They had taken her away before I ever had the chance to know her fully.
The tears started rolling down my cheeks, hot and steady. I pressed my hand to the window, letting the cold glass cool my burning skin. I didn't want Sebastian or Zaire to see me like this. I couldn't break down, not now. Not when everything was unravelling around me. But the grief hit hard, and my chest ached with every silent sob I swallowed back.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Sebastian glance at me through the rearview mirror. He didn't say anything, but I noticed how his eyes softened with understanding. A moment later, his hand left the steering wheel and gently rested on my knee.
At first, I stiffened, unsure of the comfort. But then something about the warmth of his touch, the quiet reassurance it brought, made me relax. For the first time in what felt like forever, I felt grounded. I placed my hand over his and gave it a small squeeze, signalling that I was okay with it. I appreciated it, even.
Zaire, sitting in the passenger seat, noticed. His gaze flicked to Sebastian's hand on my knee, and I saw his expression shift for a brief second—something dark passing over his features. It was quick, subtle, but unmistakable. He didn't say a word, but the tension in the air thickened. He stared straight ahead, keeping whatever he was feeling locked deep inside.
The rest of the drive was quiet. Sebastian kept his hand on my knee for the rest of the ride, steadying me in a way I didn't even know I needed. I let the tears flow silently, my head resting against the window, watching the rain pour down in sheets, blurring the city lights.
When we finally reached my house, I wiped my face and straightened up. Zaire turned to me, his voice low and careful. "You okay?"
I nodded, even though we both knew I wasn't. But there were no words left to say, not now. Not with so much still hanging over us.
Sebastian met my eyes in the rearview mirror before I opened the car door. His look was soft but full of resolve. "We'll figure this out, Mia. I promise."
I gave him a small, grateful nod. As I stepped out of the car, Zaire was already watching me closely, though his expression was harder to read. He didn't say anything as I walked toward my door, but the weight of his silence hung heavy in the air.
As I closed the door behind me, I leaned against it, trying to catch my breath. My world had just been turned upside down again, and the people I thought I could lean on—Zaire, and Sebastian—were starting to pull me in different directions. I wasn't sure how much longer I could keep this up.