Chapter 31 UNANSWERED QUESTIONS 2
Folding the picture, I slipped it into my pocket and made my way down to the Control Room on the same VVIP floor. Times like this, I was grateful I had insisted on having it installed. I needed to erase every single piece of footage that could make Miss Carter look suspicious or expose her identity.
Pulling up the CCTV feed from earlier that afternoon, I watched a car pull over outside. Miss Carter stepped out, her posture calm but her eyes sharp. She approached the security team, who clearly dismissed her, but she persisted-hanging around for a while before eventually walking away.
A few minutes later, the first van arrived, dropping off a group of girls. Then came the second van, unloading more of them.
And there she was again. Miss Carter. Only this time, she slipped right into the crowd, blending in as if she belonged there.
A sharp sigh escaped me. My hand raked through my hair, frustration burning in my chest.
So that was how she'd gotten past security-they assumed she was one of the girls hired for the night. That also explained the dress.
But how could she be so damn reckless?
With another heavy, frustrated exhale, I erased every second of footage showing her arrival, including the part where she merged with the girls.
The only other appearance she made was inside the VVIP room-and nothing about that looked overly suspicious. Well, except for the moment she shoved that drunk idiot into a table, which, if I was being honest, was partially my fault for startling her in the first place.
I scrubbed through the rest of the footage, making sure there were no loose ends, before forwarding the cleaned copy to the boss.
Leaving the Control Room, I returned to the party-which was running smoothly now, as though the incident with Miss Carter had never happened.
Across the room, Scorpion's eyes locked on mine, cold and venomous, but I didn't give a damn. I sank back into my seat, trying to ignore the fact that I was surrounded by people whose very existence disgusted me. I wasn't here by choice.
But despite it all, my mind kept circling back to her-Miss Carter.
Why was she looking for Ravyn Vale? And why here, tonight of all nights? Did someone tell her she could find him? If so, who?
I'd been searching for Ravyn Vale myself for five years-ever since Emmy's death and the night that almost cost me my own life.
If I didn't get the answers I needed, there was no way I'd be able to think straight. That thought alone had me making a decision right then-I was going to find Miss Carter tomorrow. I had to see her, or I might go insane.
There was something about the way she reacted when I asked if we'd met before. Something in her eyes... it hooked me.
I could swear I've seen her somewhere before. But where? And does it have anything to do with the hate that burns in her gaze every single time she looks at me?
And then there was that kiss. It was supposed to be for show-just a cover-but it had me rattled. She tasted sweet yet maddeningly familiar, and for a moment, I lost myself in it.
"Jaxon! Thank goodness you're okay," Troy's voice, laced with panic, broke through my thoughts. I blinked and turned, only to find him sitting beside me. I could swear I hadn't seen-or heard-him approach.
"You look so pale... and your eyes," he said, studying me. "It's like the color's drained out of them."
I frowned. "What on earth are you blabbing about?" My voice carried zero interest in humoring him.
"About you, Jaxon. I knew something was off the moment I saw the lack of sleep in your eyes this morning. And you've barely eaten anything all day."
I sighed, already hating where this conversation was headed. "I'm fine, Troy. I just need to make it through the night." I shifted my focus back to the empty space in front of me, ignoring his probing stare.
"Of course you are," he muttered, "but we're checking in with your doctor the second we get back to Brookleigh."
That was the last thing on my mind. "Did Miss Carter make it to the airport?" I asked, eager to steer the conversation elsewhere.
Troy's silence made me glance at him. His eyes darted away, avoiding mine.
"Troy?" My voice carried a warning edge.
He exhaled sharply. "Excuse me for worrying about you, but... I was driving her to the airport when she mentioned she was going to sue us for sex trafficking with the girls."
I stilled, his words hitting me like a slap. "Sue us?"
"Yes. Apparently, she's decided to make it her mission."
"Wait, what? Miss Carter is threatening to sue our hotel?" My voice rose, disbelief and irritation threading together.
Troy nodded.
"She doesn't know when to quit." My jaw clenched as heat spiked through me-not because she could actually follow through, but because of the sheer stress she'd put me through tonight. "I risk my ass keeping her alive and she wants to turn around and threaten me?"
"She doesn't know better, Jaxon," Troy said, his tone carrying an edge of sympathy. "She's a cop. Her job is to arrest people like the Shadows and Scorpion. I get why she's upset about the girls, but there's nothing she can do. Not against them."
"I hope you told her that," I muttered. "She has no idea what she's walking into. And let's be clear-I'm not risking my neck to save her if she jumps headfirst into something bigger than she can handle."
Troy hesitated. "I didn't get to finish the conversation... but before I could, she mentioned you looked like you were about to pass out."
My brow arched. I refused to believe Miss Carter was worried about me.
"Whatever," I muttered. "She can find her way back to Hollowmere. Because tomorrow..." My gaze narrowed, already fixed on the plan forming in my head. "...we're meeting her."
Confusion flashed across Troy's face. "I thought we were heading back to Brookleigh tomorrow. And why exactly do we need to meet Miss Carter?"
"Because of this," I replied, placing the picture I'd found earlier on the table.
Troy picked it up, his brows knitting. "I don't get it... why do you have Ravyn Vale's picture?"
I stayed quiet, waiting for him to connect the dots.
"Wait a second," he said slowly, his expression shifting. "Did you get a tip on his whereabouts?"
I sighed, frustration tightening my jaw. I'd hoped he would grasp the situation without me spelling it out. "No, Troy. Miss Carter dropped it. And I'm sure this-" I tapped the photograph lightly "-is the reason she was here."
"Wait... what?" His confusion deepened. "Why would Miss Carter be looking for Ravyn Vale? And why at our party?"
Almost the exact question that had been running through my own mind.
"That's exactly what we're going to find out tomorrow," I said firmly. "But one thing I'm certain of-she wasn't here as a detective. She came for personal reasons."
Troy's eyes narrowed slightly. "And why are you so sure about that?"
"Because I can tell," I replied without hesitation, pushing to my feet. There was no doubt in my voice-just an unshakable certainty that went deeper than logic.
By now, the party had dragged on past midnight. The air was thick with music, smoke, and the suffocating presence of people I wanted nothing to do with.
"We'd better settle things with the Shadows so I can get the hell out of here," I muttered, my tone clipped.
Troy gave a brief nod, and together we made our way out of the noisy chaos toward the underground-into the discreet, heavily-guarded room reserved for the kind of "secured business" dealings no one ever spoke of above ground.