All You Desire (41 page)

Adam took her hand, and Haven didn't pull away. “Yes, you will,” he promised. “You'll find a way to accept the past and do your best to avoid those mistakes in the present. Don't you see? That's what I'm trying to do now. The Ouroboros Society can make a difference in the world, but it will never repair all the damage I've done. It's a start, though. And if you're by my side, it could be a wonderful chance for both of us to make amends.”

“You still want me to help you lead the Society?”

“I do,” Adam insisted. “More than anything.”

Haven turned to face him. “Then prove I can trust you. Find Beau. And get rid of Milo Elliot. Send him away from New York—somewhere he can't do any harm.”

She had taken Adam by surprise. “What does Milo have to do with all of this?” he asked. “His only purpose now is to put Owen Bell's ideas into action.”

But what was his
original
purpose? Haven wondered. “You know Milo is dangerous, don't you?” she asked instead.

“He doesn't need to be dangerous. I can control him. Milo is whatever I want him to be.”

Haven couldn't help but shiver. “You've known Milo before?”

“Yes, we've worked together many times in the past. I've often thought of him as my secret weapon. I'm only able to tempt one person at a time, but Milo has the ability to inspire entire nations to follow him. I've used him in his other lives to lead the masses down perilous paths. Now I was hoping he could guide them in another direction.”

Adam didn't seem to understand what he'd done. Milo could never be harmless. It was like using a loaded bazooka as a coat rack.

“You have to get rid of him, Adam. Something terrible is going to happen in New York, and Milo may be responsible.”

“Are you saying you've seen the future?”

“No, but I know someone who has.”

Adam stared into the dark garden in front of them. “My men told me there was a girl waiting for you when you went to see Owen Bell. Is she the one who sees the future? What has she told you?”

Haven didn't reply. She had already given too much away.

“Well then,” Adam said. “It seems a wild card has been introduced to the game. Still, I'll do as you ask. My motives are pure. The snake goddess will confirm that I have nothing to hide.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

“Here! Haven!” Calum jumped up and dragged a chair to the end of the table he was sharing with Alex. They had called Haven at ten in the morning and insisted she meet them at a diner down the street from her hotel. Haven had accepted the invitation, though the thought of food made her queasy. She was more interested in swapping information than sharing breakfast.

“You didn't pay the owner to empty the place?” Haven asked Alex. There were other customers inside the diner, a few of them sneaking peeks at the two teenage stars tucked into a booth. “Is there a reason you've deigned to dine with the great unwashed?”

“We're undercover,” Alex explained. “This is where we come to get away from the Society. None of the members would ever set foot in a place like this. And after Owen gave me shit about buying out the café the other day—”

“Is he coming?” Haven interrupted.

“He got called in to the OS,” Calum confided, leaning across an omelet that he hadn't touched. “The
merde
is hitting the fan at Gramercy Park. Owen told me thirty people resigned this morning. And Adam's just letting them go! If Padma were still president, she'd have them all picked off by snipers as they walked through the door. Speaking of which, Haven Moore, where did
you
go last night? You left in the middle of all the fun.”

“It wasn't much fun for me,” Haven said.

“You poor thing,” Alex said, trying to commiserate. “Calum bet that you wouldn't be back. Looks like I won. Adam always gets what he wants.”

“I have a feeling that may change someday soon,” Calum remarked cheerfully. “Anyway, I was just rooting for Iain 'cause he's cuter. Adam's hot, but a little on the pasty side. Still, I'd be thrilled to see two guys fighting over me like that.”

“Guys?” Alex queried with a mouth full of eggs. “
Guys
don't survive getting stabbed with champagne flutes.”

“What are you two going to do now that you know the truth about Adam?” Haven asked. “Are you going to stay in the OS?”

“You're joking, right?” Calum asked. “We all suspected there was something strange about Adam. Besides, who knows how long he's going to stick around the Society, anyway? Speaking of which, did you hear about Milo?”

“Milo?” Haven asked.

Calum giggled. “It was announced this morning. As soon as Milo graduates from Halcyon Hall, he's being shipped off to Brazil. Adam wants to open another school down there, and Milo's going to oversee the plans. It's supposed to be an ‘amazing opportunity,' but everyone knows Milo's been banished. Owen sounded as pleased as fruity punch when he told me. I can't imagine
why
—Mr. Bell must not realize that he doesn't have a job anymore.”

Haven studied Calum. “You don't seem to be taking any of this very seriously. Shouldn't you be worried about the threats Padma made last night? Don't you have a skeleton or two in your closet?”

“In Calum's case, it's more like a mass grave.” Alex said.

“Yeah? Don't act all prim and proper, Miss Harbridge. Everyone knows you must have done
something
wicked to keep your account in good standing.”

“Think what you like,” Alex snapped, though her face had turned as red as the ketchup on her plate.

“Anyhoo, Padma won't have time to embarrass any of us,” Calum told Haven. “I bet she'll be recycled before noon.”

“Recycled?” Haven said. “You think Adam is going to have her killed?”

Alex shook her head. “Adam doesn't do that sort of stuff, but I'd volunteer myself if I didn't have to catch a flight in two hours.”

“That's right!” Calum exclaimed. “Oh, you must be so excited, Haven!”

“Excited?” Haven repeated, confused by the sudden shift in the conversation.

“It's the Oscars, darling! Alex is going to be wearing your dress tonight!”

“And just in time too,” Alex said. “You could really use some good press.”

“What do you mean?” Haven asked.

“You didn't see the papers this morning? They've got Iain Morrow all over them. You want my advice? Use those points Lucy Fredericks paid you to hire the Society's PR men. They can make you look like one of Iain's innocent victims. Otherwise people are going to think you've been hiding out with a murderer for the past eighteen months.”

“And forging wills,” Calum added. “You naughty girl.”

Haven stood up, her chair scraping against the tile floor.

“Where are you going?” Calum asked. “You aren't running away
again
are you? We're just trying to help.”

“I have to visit the ladies' room. I'll be back,” Haven said, leaving her phone facedown on the table to prove it. “Order me some coffee, would you?”

She wove around the tables and charged down a set of stairs toward the bathrooms in the basement of the restaurant. Even when Calum and Alex were well out of sight, Haven tried to keep the shock from showing on her face. Once she was in the ladies' room, Haven turned on the sink's faucet and splashed her cheeks with icy water, hoping to rouse herself from the terrible dream in which she was trapped. When she looked up at the mirror, there were two violet eyes staring back at her.

“How the hell did
you
get in here?” Haven demanded.

“The back door,” replied Padma Singh. Her dark wool dress could have used a good shearing, and a wide black belt had been wrapped twice around her emaciated waist. The rims of Padma's eyes were red, and it had been a while since her glossy black mane had been tamed by scissors. She looked like a beautiful, hungry beast. “I followed you from your hotel.”

“You need to get out of here,” Haven snapped. “The Ouroboros Society is out for your blood.”

“So what? They'd be idiots to try anything,” Padma said. “The moment I disappear, my files will end up on the desks of every reporter in town.”

“What do you want from me, Padma? Does Iain know you're here?”

Padma leaned against the sink counter with an arrogant smirk and tried to impersonate her former self. “I couldn't believe you'd abandoned Iain until I saw you and Adam together last night. So you're really with the boss again. I guess it was only a matter of time. You sat back and judged the rest of us, but I knew you would join the party one day.”

“Jesus, Padma, haven't you learned your lesson?” Haven asked. “Look in the mirror and see what happened the last time you messed with me. How's poverty treating you, anyway? Is it everything you hoped it would be?”

“I'm not going to be broke for long,” Padma said. “I wasted too much time trying to win my way back into the Society. Now it's in trouble, and I have all the information I need to deliver the death knell. Tell Adam I want to be paid
well
for my silence.”

“Tell him yourself,” Haven snarled. “I'd rather cut off a finger than lift one to help
you
. I'm the only reason you're alive, Padma. I think I've done more than enough for you. Now get the hell away from me.”

“Tell Adam, Haven, or the first people I'll take down are your two buddies upstairs. I have enough dirt on Alex Harbridge and Calum Daniels to keep them on the front page of the
National Enquirer
for the next twenty years.”

“What do I care? Embarrass them while you can. Soon there won't be any more scandals to expose,” Haven said. “The Ouroboros Society is going legit.”

“I can't believe you bought Adam's BS,” Padma snickered.

“What are you getting at?” Haven demanded.

Padma twirled a strand of hair around one finger. “Oh, I don't think I want to tell you. See, that's the thing about
adults
, they can be
so
difficult to persuade sometimes.
Children
, on the other hand, do what they're told.”

“You're talking about the kids at Halcyon Hall?”

“That's his big project these days, isn't it? That's why Adam doesn't care if he has to clean up the Society to impress you. All the action's moved upstate.”

“I've been to Halcyon Hall. I've seen it for myself. I know what Adam has planned for the children. So unless you've got some concrete information to share, I'm not interested in hearing any more half-baked theories.”

“If you want the real scoop, just ask your friends. They know better than anyone what happens to kids at the Ouroboros Society. They were two of Adam's first experiments.”

“Come on. Calum and Alex have never even
been
to Halcyon Hall,” Haven said.

“You're right. But Calum was the first child Adam recruited. Alex was the second. They're his little lapdogs. They do whatever he tells them. If they're your friends, it's only because he made them play nice with you.”

“I don't believe it.”

“Believe what you want,” Padma said with a shrug. “I don't give a damn about you or anyone's kids. Just make sure I get my money.”

Padma left Haven standing at the bathroom sink, listening to the faucet drip into a pool of murky water that still hadn't drained from the sink's basin.

 

HER HEAD THROBBING, Haven charged upstairs to find a young man sitting in her chair at the end of Calum and Alex's booth. Haven could tell in an instant that he wasn't a member of the club. It might have been his overeager smile or his less than luxurious clothing. Calum looked thrilled to entertain the stranger, though Alex seemed bored out of her mind. She jumped up as soon as she caught sight of Haven and headed toward the stairs to the bathroom.

“Save yourself,” Alex warned in a whisper. “Calum's getting his daily affirmation. Fanboy over there is giving him a verbal blow job. It's about to get really revolting. I'd steer clear if I were you.”

Heeding Alex's advice, Haven avoided Calum and went to stand at the diner's Formica counter, where she pretended to examine the day-old doughnuts inside a smudged cake dome. She could hear the conversation back at the table, and she might have laughed if her sense of humor hadn't been drowned in the bathroom.

“ . . . and you were
so
fabulous in that cameo you did in
Promises, Promises
. Don't tell Alex I said so, but that Oscar should have been yours, not hers. You were such an amazing frat boy that I was almost convinced you were straight. Not that it would have made any difference to me. I've been dying to meet you since the first season of
The Glittering World
.”

“God, I'm impressed!” Calum laughed. “I didn't think anyone watched the first season. I had to call in a million favors just to keep the show from being canceled.”

“Well,
I
was watching. I even bought the DVD. My favorite episode is the one where your sister brings her boyfriend home from boarding school. You pretend to be some neighbor named Roy, get the guy nice and drunk, and then seduce him in your parents' bed. I had a
serious
crush on you after that. I still dream about that scene sometimes! I can't believe I'm finally getting a chance to meet you in person!”

Haven ducked around the counter and squatted out of sight. Roy? Roy Bradford. The movie star name. The name of the man Beau had come to New York to meet. Could it have been Calum? Haven stayed low and out of sight. A confused waiter stepped around her but didn't blow her cover. A phone rang once in the dining area. She heard Calum answer.