Mapping Deceit, Playing for Keeps

The atmosphere in Kaelen's office felt electric as we gathered around his desk, a new determination fueling our investigation. I'd positioned myself boldly on the edge of his desk, earning a raised eyebrow from him that I pretended not to notice. The weight of his tie in my pocket gave me a secret thrill.

"My mother's hosting one of her insufferable charity galas this weekend," Jaxon said, breaking the contemplative silence that had fallen after his revelation about his father. His voice was tight with tension. "Everyone who's anyone in Grey society will be there, including several of my father's old associates."

"Perfect opportunity for reconnaissance," Silas noted, pushing his glasses up his nose.

"You mean spying," I clarified, swinging my legs slightly as I perched on the desk.

"Yes," Kaelen confirmed, his voice clipped. He stood a careful distance from me, but I caught his eyes darting to my legs. "We'll use the event to gather information discreetly."

I couldn't help noticing how Jaxon's jaw clenched every time his mother was mentioned. The tension radiating from him spoke volumes about his complicated relationship with her.

"Will your mother be suspicious if you suddenly show up with all of us?" I asked Jaxon.

He scoffed. "She'll be ecstatic I'm finally 'socializing appropriately.' She's been trying to parade me at these events for years."

I frowned, sensing the wound beneath his sarcasm. Whatever had happened between Jaxon and his mother went deep. She hadn't protected him from Victor, his abusive father. That much I'd gathered from his bitter comments.

"While we're waiting for the gala, let's keep digging," I said, sliding off the desk and moving toward Kaelen's laptop. "Can I use this?"

Kaelen hesitated only briefly before nodding. "What are you looking for?"

"That newspaper article mentioned several missing women around the same time. I want to map where they disappeared from." I started typing, feeling the others gather around me. "If these women were all Sterlings like me, there has to be a pattern."

Silas pulled up a chair beside me, his fingers flying over the keyboard as he took over. "Let me help. Social media will give us more details than news reports."

For the next hour, Silas and I worked side by side while the others offered suggestions or brought us coffee. We created a detailed spreadsheet of all the missing women from the article, plus several more we discovered through connected cases.

"Look at this," I finally said, pointing to the screen. "If we map where their mothers were living nineteen years ago—around the time they would have been conceived—we get two distinct clusters."

Silas nodded excitedly. "One in Chicago and one in Boston."

"That's not a coincidence," Rhys said, leaning over my shoulder.

Kaelen had been unnaturally quiet, standing behind us with his arms crossed. Now he walked to the window, his broad shoulders tense under his tailored shirt.

"My father owned properties in both those cities," he said, his voice hollow.

The room went silent. I turned in my chair to look at him, his profile sharp against the fading daylight through the window.

"Your father?" Ronan asked hesitantly.

Kaelen turned back to us, his face unreadable. "Add him to your list of suspects."

Jaxon's eyebrows shot up. "You think your own father was involved?"

"I don't know what to think," Kaelen admitted, running a hand through his dark hair in a rare display of frustration. "But he called those properties his 'insurance policy.' I never knew what he meant by that."

I felt a chill run down my spine. "You think they were... what? Breeding grounds?"

The crude term made everyone wince, but no one contradicted me.

"It would explain a lot," Silas said quietly. "A powerful Grey traveling between realms, finding human women..."

"Jesus," Rhys muttered.

I looked at Kaelen, seeing the conflict in his eyes. This wasn't just an investigation anymore. This was personal for him too.

"I'm having dinner with my mother tonight," Kaelen said, checking his watch. "I'll see what I can learn from her about my father's activities."

"Be careful," I said without thinking. "If she was married to him, she might be involved too."

His blue eyes met mine. "I know how to be careful, Ms. Thorne."

There it was again—that formal address that made me want to scream. After what had happened between us on this very desk, he was still pulling away, still denying our connection.

"I should leave shortly," he continued, gathering some papers. His voice turned stern as he looked at me directly. "And you should not get into any trouble while I'm gone."

I couldn't help the smile that curved my lips. "Trouble? Me?"

Jaxon snorted from across the room.

Kaelen's eyes narrowed slightly. "I mean it, Hazel. No reckless investigating on your own."

"You're the boss," I said sweetly, knowing my tone would irritate him.

He moved toward the door, straightening his jacket—and then paused, his hand moving to his throat where his tie should have been. I watched as realization dawned on his face. His eyes snapped to mine, a dangerous intensity in them that made my stomach flip.

"Looking for something?" I asked innocently.

The others were watching now, curious about his sudden stillness. Kaelen moved toward me with deliberate steps, stopping just a foot away. I felt my pulse quicken but refused to back down.

"This isn't a game, Ms. Thorne," he said quietly, but the heat in his eyes told me it absolutely was—and he knew I was winning this round.

"Everything's a game to someone," I replied, matching his quiet tone.

We stared at each other, the air between us crackling with tension. I could see the others exchanging glances, clearly sensing something was happening but not understanding what.

Just as Kaelen opened his mouth to respond, he abruptly reached past me and slammed his laptop shut with a decisive bang that made everyone jump.

"We'll continue this discussion later," he said, his voice deceptively calm but promising consequences I couldn't quite decipher.

As he turned and strode toward the door, I couldn't help wondering if I'd pushed him too far—or not far enough.