CHAPTER TWELVE

Exposure

The next morning I woke from my exhaustion in a ball of entwined limbs and lightly snoring men. Both Xavier and Sebastian had their arms wrapped around me and Marco, who would usually retreat to another room, lay astride the bottom of the bed, resting his head against my thigh.

I tried to move. Son of a bitch. Everything hurt. My arms, legs, back…my sex. Hell, even my hair felt like it hurt. It was much like the aching burn of a really good workout. Each pain—a reminder of the satisfaction of something greater—a gift. But unlike exercise, a bounty you give yourself, this one was given by my lovers, making it all the more precious.

Sebastian was right. I felt more in love with them in that moment than I ever thought possible. Most unexpected was the clarity of thought. The ache in my muscles erased a dozen dreaded fears of where I stood with these men. The lingering burn and soreness showed me the contrasting love they could offer—the harsh, punishing love when they bound me last night, and a softer love they shared as they lulled me to sleep in their arms. This somehow helped me bridge the gap between what I expected each of them to feel and what they actually felt, defining what we all had become.

I stared at each of their peaceful, sleeping faces and knew I could never be whole without them all. Because of that, and even though I would surely incite Xavier’s wrath again, my path could not be clearer. If I wanted us, forever, a happily-ever-after, Victoria England would need to be stopped. Before I finalized my plan, I wanted to get Gretchen as far away as possible.

Xavier’s soft snore drew my attention. I stroked my finger gently along his stubbled cheek. I loved him, there was no doubt. I loved him enough to save him from himself once, and I’d do it again. But he was too much of a wild card to involve him in any plan I had. I couldn’t predict his actions. I hated to keep him in the dark, but it was for our own good.

I turned my head toward Sebastian. His beautiful, blond lashes made him look like an angel. Every day I could feel his love for me grow stronger, and my fear of losing him someday was nearly gone. He was too protective of me to simply walk away, and his loyalty to Miriam proved his commitment. But like Xavier, he was too much of a risk. He’d allow his duty to make him a fool. But I had no doubt, after the last time I left the house and returned covered in Oscar’s aftermath, I wasn’t going out alone.

I propped myself up on my elbows and glanced down at Marco’s curled up form. He looked so tranquil and innocent—almost child-like. He was my best bet.

I shifted my leg, and his head fell against the mattress. He sat up and looked at me. “Bella, you OK?”

I took stock of my morning breath and could only imagine the mess I was the night before, and I giggled. “Yes, I’m fine. I just need to go get cleaned up. Will you go with me to see Gretchen today?”

He yawned and then smiled. “Sure.”

I moved Xavier’s and Sebastian’s arms from around me and rested their hands on their hips. I tried to wiggle out from between them, but it was impossible without waking them.

I kissed Xavier on the forehead. “Xavier… Good morning.”

He twisted his neck to the side and allowed his eyes to flutter open. “Good morning, my queen.” He cupped my cheek and tried to focus on my face.

I ran my hand through his tousled hair. “Don’t wake up too much. I just wanted to let you know that Marco is going to go with me to see Gretchen. I didn’t want you to worry.”

He licked his lips a few times. “Thank you.”

I patted his hip. “Go back to sleep. I’ll be back soon.”

He mumbled, “Be careful.”

“I will.”

“I love you, Elaine.”

“I love you, too. Now roll over and get some sleep.”

He did, but it didn’t make it any easier to sit up. I stretched and pulled at my limbs in an unsuccessful attempt to wriggle out from under Xavier and Sebastian. “Marco, can I get some help?” I extended my hand to him, hoping he could pull me free.

“Absolutely,” he mumbled through another yawn. He reached out, clutched my hand, and pulled, but the moment I was seated upright, I was yanked back down onto the bed.

Sebastian hooked his arms around me and pinned me to the bed with half his body weight, trapping me against the mattress. “Where do you think you’re going?” He growled and nipped at my neck.

I giggled. “I’m going to see Gretchen. Marco’s taking me.”

He let out a sound somewhere between a hum and a moan and nuzzled his mouth up and down my skin. “Hmmm…enjoy your time. Stay safe. But Elaine…I have a new rule.”

I rolled my eyes at his comment. “You love your rules.”

“Yes, I do. But I love when you follow them more.”

I laughed. “Of course. OK…what rule?”

He leaned back, removing his lips from my neck, peering into my eyes. “I don’t want you to ever leave my side without hearing me tell you how much I love, want and need you. I want it to always be what you remember when you think of me. Elaine?”

“Yes.” I was somewhat surprised by his demand.

He kissed my forehead. “You are wanted.” He kissed the tip of my nose. “You are needed.” A quick kiss to my lips. “You are loved.” His arms tightened around me and tears formed in my eyes.

He reached up and caught an escaping tear with his thumb. “Go on…enjoy your time with Marco. I’m going to get some more sleep. Somebody wore me out.”

I laughed but then turned serious. “Sebastian?”

“Yes, love?” he responded in a sleepy voice, his eyes already drifting back to sleep.

“I love you.”

His beautiful, sky-blue eyes popped open and looked at me with more adoration than I ever would have thought possible. It was the first time I had told him.

Xavier’s hand reached over and caressed my hip.

Sebastian stroked my cheek with his thumb and stared into my eyes, savoring the moment. “I can’t think of more pleasing words to hear fall from your lips.” He kissed me quickly. “Now go with Marco, see your sister, and I’ll dream about the gift you just gave me.”

Another tear fell.

He wiped it away. “You’d better go, or you might have to call your sister to tell her you got tied up and will have to cancel.” He grinned and rolled away enough for me to get out of bed.

Marco took my hand, helping me sit up.

I scooted toward the end of the bed, and pain seared across my backside. “Holy shit. My ass hurts.”

They all chuckled, but it was Sebastian who spoke. “You’re welcome. Every time you sit down today, you’ll think of me.”

“Fuck.” It was unpleasant and fulfilling at the same time. I never would have imagined.

Marco helped me off the bed, coaxing a groan from my mouth.

Once my feet were on the floor, Marco extended his arms toward the ceiling, his face tightening and eyes squeezing shut as he stretched every bunched ripple of muscle loose in his body before relaxing again. “Go get cleaned up. I’ll do the same, and then we can go get some breakfast. I’m starving.” He swatted my ass, and I squealed from the pain.

“Oops, sorry.”

“No, you’re not.”

He leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to my lips. “You’re probably right.” Another kiss. “See you in a few.”

I showered in record time and readied myself for the day. On my way out of the bedroom, I stopped and gazed upon Xavier and Sebastian’s sleeping forms. So easy, so natural. They were glorious. They…were mine. I released a sigh of contentment before wandering toward the kitchen to join Marco.

When I approached the oversized island, he had already set out a light breakfast for me—half of an English muffin, a scrambled egg, and a few slices of orange.

He tossed the last bite of his into his mouth, his eyes darting up to watch me take a seat beside him.

“Thank you for breakfast.”

He nodded in acknowledgement. After chewing and swallowing the last bite, he smiled. “Are you excited to see your sister?”

“Yes. I really miss her.” I scooped a bite of egg into my mouth and glanced across the counter at the stack of mail that had started to accumulate. Gathering the stack, I sorted through the dozens of envelopes in search of the change of address card I needed to get my driver’s license updated. Since moving in with Xavier wasn’t something I had planned to do, there were a ton of loose ends to tie up.

Over half of the envelopes were personally addressed to Xavier and all written by one person. The messy script listed his name and address but no return address. Marco must have noticed my furrowed brow.

“Annie’s back in the states. X got a little reprieve from her insistence when she was arrested in Paris for pulling a knife on the two of you. The letters started again about three weeks after we returned.”

I stared at Annie’s shaky script. Her name was among those we found in the attic at Xavier’s house, now burned to the ground. Xavier said she’d been tormenting him because she believed he killed her sister. Everyone did until we found out the truth that night in the office above Lydia’s gallery. But Annie, she deserved to know, right? And if she was part of the Veritas Project like Xavier, she might have a unique perspective.

Marco’s kiss to my forehead pulled me from my musings. “Let’s finish getting dressed.” He then pressed his lips to mine in a quick kiss.

As he walked away, I pulled out my phone, opened the browser, and typed Annie’s name. Giving her peace and saving Xavier her madness was only part of today’s new goal. I had to find out if she knew anything else.

* * *

Marco rested his hand on the small of my back as I knocked on Gretchen’s apartment door. The muffled clacks of shoes against hardwood floors came to life from the other side.

He leaned in close to my ear and said, “You know, I’m excited to finally meet your sister.”

“You’ll love her. Everyone does. It’s impossible not to.”

“So, you two are a lot alike?” He kissed my neck, and I shivered.

Even though he couldn’t see, I rolled my eyes. “Not exactly.”

The door opened, and Gretchen’s excitement nearly bowled me over. “Elaine, oh my goodness, what are you doing here?” She smothered me in a tight hug, but her arms loosened quickly and she stepped back, beaming over my shoulder.

Shit. I was so focused in trying to avoid Xavier coming with me because of his domineering and protective ways; it never occurred to me that by bringing Marco, I would have some explaining to do. This was the last thing I needed.

Gretchen leaned around me and waved, “Hi.”

“Gretchen, this is Marco.” I motioned over my shoulder. “Marco, this is my sister, Gretchen.”

He nudged me out of the way, grabbed her hand, and raised it to his lips. “It’s such a pleasure to finally meet you. I’ve heard so many wonderful things.”

The puzzled look on Gretchen’s face would have been hilarious if I didn’t know I was going to have to explain that I was involved with three men. Was involved even the right word?

I decided that not addressing it was best. “I really need to talk with you. Can we come in?”

She eyed me suspiciously, and backed away from the door, propping it open. “Sure… What’s going on?”

We stepped into Gretchen’s small apartment. Marco stroking my lower back was not going to make any of this easier to explain. She shut the door and turned toward us, arms crossed.

I needed to get to the point. “You need to leave for Alaska tonight.”

“Why?”

“It’s an incredibly long story. One I promise I will give you all the details of soon, but I really need you to get on a plane…tonight.” I walked over to the couch and picked up her laptop. The login screen beamed. “Same password?”

She stared at me like I’d lost my mind and then at Marco. When I didn’t offer an explanation right away, she strolled over to the sofa and perched herself beside me.

I entered the password I remembered, and the screen unlocked. I typed my favorite travel site into the browser and searched for flights to Anchorage. I looked at her, directing her gaze away from Marco and spoke, “How long do you think it will take you to pack? Will you need a hotel, or can you stay with James’s family?”

Her innocent eyes fixed on me, brows pinched in the middle. “Elaine? What is going on?”

“Answer the question.”

“I’m sure I can stay with James, but I don’t understand.”

“I’ll book the 8 PM flight. That should give you enough time to get to the airport and have all your things together. If you forget anything, I’ll ship it to you.”

She leaned and whispered in my ear, “Where is Dr. Vincent?”

“He’s at home.”

“And your…friend?”

“That’s Marco, he’s Xavier’s friend.”

“Oh. And again, exactly why do I have to leave?”

I huffed out a breath and turned toward her. “I love you, but I’m about to make some scary people angry. I want you as far away as possible when that happens.”

“Are you in trouble?”

“It’s really hard to explain. Can you trust me on this one? Let’s just say, Dad had help.”

“Oh my gosh. Elaine, that’s dangerous. You can’t do this.”

Marco stepped to my side, resting his hand on my shoulder while I completed the ticket purchase. “I’ll protect her.”

She gaped at Marco, and from the look on her face, she registered the fact that Marco was running his finger along the line of my collarbone in a far too intimate way.

I twisted toward her. “Go. Get packed.”

She got up with reluctance and headed toward the bathroom.

Marco sat beside me on the sofa and whispered, “So, I’m Xavier’s friend.”

I pivoted my head to stare at him. “What else do you want me to tell her?”

“The truth.”

“Are you not Xavier’s friend?”

He glared at me. “Yes, but I also thought I was your lover, your friend, and your partner. I wasn’t expecting to be introduced by my association to someone other than you, especially to someone so important.”

“Do we have to talk about this now?”

“Yes. You need to get over this hesitancy about us. The last thing I want is for you to be embarrassed; besides, my ego needs your affirmation. I’m not exactly used to having a woman who doesn’t want to tell people she slept with me.”

“Well, won’t that make you want me more?” I teased.

His lips tightened in a thin, unhappy line. “No. It’s different than what I told you about before. I’m thrilled you didn’t throw yourself at me, but now that you have me, I want you to show me off.” He grinned.

“So you want me to explain to my sister what…that I’m sleeping with three men?”

“No. I want you to tell her that you’ve made a commitment to love us all.” His eyes narrowed for a moment. “Unless it’s not true. I heard you give the words to Xavier and Sebastian this morning. Maybe I am just Xavier’s friend.”

I glared at him. “You’re so not fair.”

“When you’re this good looking, you don’t need to be.” He chuckled.

“Are you seriously trying to guilt me into telling you I love you again?”

He held my face in his palms. “If anyone asks me if I have a girlfriend, the answer is yes. If anyone asks who you are to me, the answer is mine. And one day, when they ask about my wife, it will be you I tell them about, regardless of a piece of paper. If they ask who you, Xavier, and Sebastian are to me, the answer is easy—my family. I love you, Elaine. Is it really so hard to understand?”

Tears filled my eyes, and his lips embraced mine in soft gentle nudges. When I pulled back to look at him, there was so much love in his eyes, I couldn’t deny him. I smiled. “I love you, Marco.”

He kissed me again. “Good, you’ve finally come to your senses.” Another kiss.

A soft gasp floated through the room. I glanced up to see Gretchen in her bedroom doorway. The pair of pants she held in her hand dangled from her fingers as she gawked at us. It was time to come clean.

I patted Marco’s knee. “I’m going to go help Gretchen pack.”

When I stood, he grabbed my hand and pulled me in for a quick kiss. “Good. Let me know if you need any help.” He squeezed my hand.

“OK.”

Gretchen glared at me with a condemning expression. Once I was in her room, she began her interrogation in a forced whisper. “What in the hell was that? If you’re still angry with Dr. Vincent for the blonde, tell him. This is just wrong. God, Elaine…he told you he wanted to marry you. The most powerful man in the world—the one responsible for my life—and you do this?”

I crossed my arms. “Are you done yet?”

“You know, I don’t think I’ve ever been this angry with you.” Her cheeks reddened with frustration, her fist clenched at her side, and her expression could kill.

“Gretchen, Xavier knows about Marco.”

“What?”

“In fact, he’s responsible for Marco, Sebastian, and I meeting.”

“Sebastian?” Her brow furrowed.

“God…how do I explain this?” I pulled on Marco’s words. “I’m in a committed relationship with three men, they all know about each other, they happen to be long time friends, and we all live together…sort of…for now.”

“You’re sleeping with three men at the same time?” She covered her mouth with her hand, eyes widened in shock.

Little did she know how accurate her statement was. “Yes, it started out as just sex, even with Xavier. Incredible sex, I might add. That was the real reason Xavier asked me to Paris. Unfortunately, well…I guess…fortunately…we’ve all sort of fallen in love, as ridiculous as it sounds.”

“Holy crow, Elaine, I would have never imagined.” The disbelief was tangible in her voice. She paused, pondering the subject. “He asked you to Paris to have sex with him? Them?”

I laughed. Her enthusiasm was amusing. “Yes. He gave me a choice between a kinky interlude with the three of them or sightseeing in Paris. Now you understand why I didn’t have many stories about the trip. I wasn’t sure how to tell you.”

She blew out a puff of air that swept the hair from her face. “Yeah, now it makes more sense.”

“It’s also the reason I was so angry with Xavier. It was just supposed to be a week of sex, but before I left, he told me he loved me, yet didn’t stop me from leaving. I was disappointed, but then later he showed up at work with an explanation for everything, confirming he still loved me, and then disappeared again. I told you it was complicated.”

“But now you live with him and he wants to marry you?”

“Yes.”

She sat on the edge of the bed. “What about the other two? Do you call it off with them once you get married?”

God, why did she have to ask questions I couldn’t answer myself? “No. They are sort of a package deal. Since I can only legally marry one of them, it will be Xavier, but…” I sucked in a deep breath. “It will be like being married to all of them.”

She giggled. “How are you even able to walk?”

Visions of Sebastian’s expert knot tying flashed through my mind. I stretched and groaned. “Sometimes it takes some effort.” Like today.

“Elaine, Marco is gorgeous. What’s Sebastian like?”

“He’s French, equally as handsome as Xavier and Marco, and very protective. He used to be a spy.”

“Wow. How are you planning on making it work?”

I snorted. “I have no idea. They each have demanding careers, so I would imagine, if everything ever returns to normal for us, I’ll spend more time with them individually than how we have been. Plus, I would like to get back to work. Of course a career change will be in order.”

“Don’t they ever get jealous?”

“No. You would think, but it’s amazing how at ease they all are with it. I’m the one struggling.”

“You don’t want all three of them?”

“No, that’s not it. Honestly, I couldn’t imagine my life without them now.”

“Well…I know Xavier is head over heels in love, and the way Marco looks at you…” Her gazed flickered to the door as she smirked, then returned to me.

“Come on. Let’s get you packed.”

“Elaine…will you please tell me why I’m doing this?”

I walked to her, bent and gathered her hand. “The less you know the better, but I found out that someone convinced Dad to do what he did. He didn’t act alone, and I’m going to confront them. Just in case they decide to retaliate, I want you far away from here.”

“You are going to the police aren’t you?”

I hadn’t planned on it, but her words gave me an idea. “Eventually.”

“Are you going to go see the detective that handled dad’s case? I used to think he had a crush on you, but it’s not like you need another man.”

“Yes, my dance card is overly full. I don’t know what I’m going to do yet.” I wouldn’t tell her about how I allowed the detective to take me against the wall in my hallway, which could make for an awkward reunion.

“Let me help you get packed.” I turned and opened the door to her wardrobe. I froze as I grasped the smooth wooden handle. My father’s words echoed through my head—your mother wanted you to have it.

While Gretchen pulled items from the dresser drawers, I listened to Marco chatter away on the phone in the other room. I grabbed large groups of hangers draped with shirts and pulled them from the bar. “Gretchen, have you ever noticed anything unusual about this wardrobe?”

“No, why? It’s the same one we had when we were kids,” she answered while rifling through panties and socks.

“Yes, I know.”

“Why do you ask?”

“I went to see Dad yesterday, and he brought it up.”

Her head darted in my direction. “You went to see Dad? I thought you said you’d never go see him.”

“I needed answers about his accomplice, but as usual, he was a disappointment. I’m wondering why, of all the things he could have said in that time, he would bring up this piece of furniture.”

“I have no idea. He moved it here the summer before college.”

“I remember, which makes his statement even more bizarre.”

Grabbing the other hangers, I quickly emptied the bar and began running my hands over the cedar that lined the inside.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m looking to see if he hid something in here. There has to be something. It’s the only thing that makes sense. Why else would he mention it? I mean if mom really wanted me to have it, why would he have moved it into your apartment?” Maybe he wasn’t so useless after all, and if Victoria was right and Craver was never supposed to try to kill me, he didn’t send me to him thinking I’d die. What was he up to?

“I’ve had it for years and never found anything.”

I skimmed my hands along the sides. Feeling for what? I wasn’t sure.

I pulled out the first of two drawers at the base and removed the hats and scarves Gretchen had stored there. Nothing seemed unusual. I closed the drawer and pulled out the next. I discarded Gretchen’s neatly folded robe and slippers. With careful examination, I found nothing. I closed the drawer. I paused and then opened it again, only to close it once more. I opened the drawer above. There was a noticeable difference in weight and in how the drawers closed, yet both were empty, made of the same material and relatively the same size.

I opened and closed them again. The bottom drawer was significantly heavier and also shallower. Pressing the release on either side of the drawer, I slid it from the wardrobe and sat it on the bed.

In the back was a blocked off section about five inches deep, ten inches high, and ran the entire length of the drawer. It looked like it was deliberately part of the drawer, perhaps to keep items pushed forward enough to reach, but when I lifted the drawer it still felt too heavy for a cosmetic stop to make sense, and the wood was a slightly different color than the rest of the drawer. It was integral with the structure. I tipped the drawer forward to examine the rear side of the box, finding nothing unusual, and then I lifted the front to examine the underside. I paused as anxiety filled me, and I stared.

Gretchen must have noticed my reaction. “What’s wrong?”

I flipped the drawer over and exposed the sliding, wooden panels that gave access to the blocked off area above.

She gasped. “What do you think is in there?”

“I don’t know.”

I slid back the first panel, causing it to hide behind the other. Black foam had been stuffed into the space. I removed the first piece, revealing a small black box about 4 inches by 6 inches with a silver latch. There was more foam to keep the contents from moving and raising suspicion, an unmarked, burned DVD, an envelope, a clear plastic container filled with keys, dozens and dozens of keys, several more black boxes, a black silk bag, a list of 5 – 10 digit numbers written on notebook paper with an address scrawled on the back in my dad’s handwriting, and a photo of my father sitting on his bed in our old house surrounded by the objects I had just pulled from the drawer. Written across the photo in his handwriting were the words – watch DVD.

I looked at Gretchen. “Go get your laptop.”

She scrambled to the living room. She and Marco had an exchange I couldn’t hear, and when she returned, he followed her.

He wrapped his arm around my waist. “What is all that?”

“We’re about to find out.” The bag caught my eye first. I picked it up. It felt empty. I loosened the drawstring. Oh God. My breathing hitched.

“What’s in it?” Gretchen tried to peer inside, around my arm.

“It’s hair.”

Marco took it from my shaking hand and closed the bag.

I grabbed the DVD case next, pressed the button on the side of Gretchen’s laptop, and popped in the disc. It spun in the carousel. In the image that appeared, my father sat on the same bed as in the photo. I pressed the volume button a few times, increasing the sound as his lips moved.

“Elaine and Gretchen, first I want to tell you both that I love you more than anything in the world. You both have made me so proud. If you’re watching this, it’s because something bad has happened to me, and I’ve told you where to find this, or you found it yourself, and things are about to change. But before I explain everything, please understand I never meant to hurt you.”

Gretchen sniffled, and I pulled her close to me.

“After your mother died, I began seeing a Dr. England to help me with my grief. I never told you because I didn’t want you to worry, so I made my appointments when you both had soccer practice.” He cleared his throat and pushed his black-rimmed glasses up his nose. “Remember that night you ended up staying with the neighbor when we lived over on Northbrook? I didn’t make it home from my appointment. Dr. England had been attacked by a man named Charles Lemiux. I walked in on the scene. He threatened to kill you both if either of us went to the authorities. I stayed with her that night until the paramedics arrived. There is a photo of Charles in the envelope. Make sure you know his face and the faces of the people who associate with him.

“Fucking Charles. He’s dead and still a huge pain in the ass,” Marco huffed.

The video continued. “Charles belonged to the Bosch Society, but many simply call it the Society. It’s basically organized crime, but of the most perverted kind. Victoria told me about how her father owed them money, and that he allowed them to abuse her as a child.”

The fact that he’d stopped referring to her as Dr. England didn’t escape my notice. And organized crime… That was one way of putting it. But daddy dearest didn’t realize that his Dr. was a leader among them.

“She asked me to take a trip with her and showed me a picture of a woman she said had killed her father and worked for Charles.” He hung his head. “I’ll spare you the details, but Victoria killed the woman and made me watch. I got the feeling about half way through that this was not Victoria’s first time. She was meticulous about how she did it. Ritualistic even. I didn’t know what to do. She threatened to set me up for the murder or send Charles’s hit men after you. She knew all of my secrets and vulnerabilities. By the fifth or so time I had watched her kill, she said it was time I ventured out on my own. She had been training me, and by that time, I was numb to the whole process.

Gretchen tried to catch the sob in her throat, but her tears betrayed her.

Marco rubbed his hand up and down my back.

I watched, arms crossed, feeling the anger grow with each of his words.

“I targeted Charles’s hit men, or rather hit women. Victoria said he recruited women because the enemy rarely suspected women, and men were stupid when it came to women. He used their underestimation against them. So that’s when I started hunting. Charles’s assassins all bore a mark on their wrist.”

“That bitch,” I hissed through clenched teeth.

“When I returned from my trips, I had to prove to Victoria that I had silenced the correct person. She required the scar from their wrist, a sampling of hair, and a photo of the completed act to make sure I exacted her details. I did as she asked each and every time, and she rewarded me greatly.”

“I bet she did,” Marco grumbled under his breath.

“But there is one thing she doesn’t know about. If you’ve found this video, you’ve undoubtedly found the evidence. You’ll find a duplicate of everything I provided her each time. But the most important thing is something I wasn’t able to secure for you. Look up news reports for these two women—Alexandra Cline and Emily Steen. The reports speculate that they are copycat crimes because the murder weapon was different, but these women were two of the five that Victoria killed in the beginning. I mentioned that she was ritualistic in her approach. She used a special knife that left a very unique pattern, which is why the authorities are puzzled. That knife is the key. With the knife, the evidence, and my confession here, you’ll have everything you need to end this.”

“That crazy bitch. I bet that’s the knife she used at Ellington House.” I stared up at Marco.

“Without a doubt.”

“So if you have found this, I’ve either been caught, you got unlucky and found it by accident, or I left you this location in my suicide note. You don’t know how many times I’ve tried to end it, but it’s not as easy as you’d think. Anyway, I’ll continue to keep Victoria at bay, but I wanted you to have some insurance, should you ever need leverage over her or me, if need be.” Tears welled in his eyes. “I am so sorry. If there had been any other way… I hope you both can forgive me. But know that none of this means that I’ll ever stop loving you.” He reached toward the camera, and the screen went black.

My voice was monotone and cold. “She lied to him. Gretchen, don’t believe any of that. That woman is a leader of the Bosch Society. She’s why I need you on that plane. Even more so now.” I grabbed the pouch. A photo of a man with dark hair and sharp features sat on top of a stack. I flipped it over and written in my dad’s writing was Charles Lemiux. But it wasn’t Charles. I showed the photo to Marco. “Do you recognize this man?”

“No.” I showed him the back. “That is definitely not Charles.”

I had seen a photo of Charles in the journals I found in Lydia’s gallery office in Paris. That meant that the display my father witnessed in Victoria’s office was most likely staged. She did it to manipulate him, allow him to rescue her, create a bond.

I gritted my teeth in anger. That bitch would pay.

The next photo was of Lydia. Oscar. Xavier. No wonder he wanted me to stay away from Xavier. Victoria had him watching out for them. Thank God my father had not seen my wrist. But who was the mystery man that he thought to be Charles?

Marco opened one of the black boxes.

“What is it?”

He grimaced. “Samples. He prepared a sampling of their skin between two thin pieces of glass like a slide.”

I glanced in the box, but quickly looked away. Dare I look at the photos? There were dozens. Each depicted a woman naked and tied to a chair in their basement. Sliced throat, skinned wrists, and a slice down each cheek. Each tied with zip ties and duct tape. The same supplies I had seen in his car a million times. Nausea grew from within. I began to count. Forty-eight photos passed through my fingers. My chest grew tight. I wanted to scream, or throw up, or both. That meant there were at minimum fifty-three victims—the five Victoria trained him on, which were not included, and the fact that the last photo in the series was not the woman I caught him with meant there was at least one more. I closed my eyes and breathed deeply through my nose. Gretchen’s sobbing fueled my determination.

I walked to her closet and grabbed an empty duffel bag. I returned to the bed and filled it with the evidence before handing it to Marco.

With Gretchen in a near panic attack, her chest heaving and her eyes red with tears, I moved in front of her and dropped to my knees. “Look at me. I love you. These people have to be stopped. I want you on that plane tonight. Do you understand?”

She wiped her nose on her sleeve and nodded.

“I’m going to put an end to this. All of it.”