“Hopefully she is. You didn’t say anything about her pregnancy, did you?” I ask, worry gripping me. Phillip cannot learn that a vial of Celeste’s blood exists.
Beth shakes her head as she finishes covering the Never tattoo. “No, my father and Phillip went into plan mode. They’re leaving first thing tomorrow morning.”
When she lifts the sponge and then adds some kind of special powder to my forearm to set the makeup, I eat another quarter of the sandwich and stare at my bare skin. It looks so weird without the Never there.
If only it were that easy to erase my past.
“I’m done waiting too. If my father and Phillip strike out in the Catskills tomorrow, the moment they get back I’m telling them about her pregnancy and insisting that we call the police.”
Beth’s adamant comment snags my full attention.
I have to convince her to help us get a sample of Celeste’s blood from the clinic before Phillip learns of its existence.
I could pretend to be Celeste and call the clinic myself, but I think Beth should ask. At least then, someone from Celeste’s family will be giving legal permission.
“That’s probably for the best.” I nod my agreement. “Did Phillip say if he heard back from his lab person yet?”
“Yeah.” She moves the sponge back to the tin and dabs more on the applicator. “He said that the guy ran into issues with the sample and is rerunning the test.”
God, the manipulative man is flat out lying to all of them. I want so badly to tell Beth to stop believing
anything
Phillip says, but my warning will just freak her out. While there’s still hope that Celeste could possibly be found and with no proof to say otherwise, I keep my thoughts to myself. Phillip’s subterfuge makes me more determined than ever to get his DNA, but I still need Beth’s help to get a sample of Celeste’s blood.
If I tell Beth the real reason I need a sample, she probably won’t be able to keep her cool in front of Phillip until the results come back. As much as I think he’s a self-serving asshole, I don’t want to accuse him of something that I can’t prove. So what seemingly valid reason can I give her for requesting a sample of Celeste’s blood?
A valid reason…ah,
that’s it.
“Beth—” I instinctively pull back when she runs the sponge across my wrist.
Sincere regret shines in her green eyes as she reaches for my wrist once more. “I’m sorry. Did that hurt? Are those scars I felt under your tattoo painful?”
I stare at the makeup half-smeared over the raven and branch on my wrist and my heart twists. It’s like my sister is being erased too. It’s just temporary, I tell myself.
If this helps us help Celeste, then I can handle one evening without you
,
Sophie.
Shaking my head, I push my hand back into her outstretched one. “Sorry. It was an instinctive reaction. That tattoo means a lot to me. It doesn’t hurt.”
“The makeup won’t mess up your tattoos,” Beth reassures while using a softer touch with the sponge on my wrist. “You started to say something?”
As she works on my wrist, her head bent in concentration on her task, I say, “I’d like your permission to retrieve a sample of Celeste’s blood from that clinic to have it tested.”
Beth straightens and tilts her head. “Why?”
“I want to make sure that, beyond the pregnancy, she’s fine health-wise. When she asked me to help her, she looked stressed and tired. We can test her blood to confirm that nothing else was going on with her health that might be preventing her from contacting us. For all we know, she might be in a hospital somewhere under a Jane Doe.”
“That’s a good idea.” Beth nods, her face brightening. “As far as I know, Phillip’s been concentrating on checking all Celeste’s vacation and spa retreats. I’ll contact the clinic when we’re done and approve the release of a sample.” She pauses, her brow furrowed. “Who’s going to retrieve it for testing?”
I exhale a quiet sigh of relief that she agreed. “I have a friend who can get the blood tested and have the results back to us by tomorrow. Just let the clinic know that Elijah will be stopping by today for a sample.”
A few minutes later, Beth drops the sponge in the tin and smiles. “And voila! All covered.”
I rub my fingers along my arm, surprised that the makeup doesn’t come off. “You weren’t kidding about this concealer. It’s there for good.”
Beth quickly puts her makeup away in the basket and stands, purpose in her expression. “I’m going to call the clinic now, but...just wait here for a sec.”
She leaves the room before I can ask why. A minute later she returns to my room minus the basket, but obviously something else is hidden under her sweater. Shutting the door behind her, she keeps one arm wrapped around her waist, holding whatever is hidden in place.
I stand, my eyebrow raised. “What’s that?”
“I believe you truly are trying to help find my sister.” Beth grips my arm and tugs me over to sit down on the end of the bed with her. Biting her bottom lip, she continues as she pulls the book out from under her sweater. “Maybe you can help me figure out what this is saying…”
My eyes widen and I instinctively reach for the book. “You’ve had your sister’s diary this whole time?”
Beth frowns, her grip tightening on the book. “You knew about it?”
I let my hand drop to my thigh. “I stumbled across it, yes. I was upset when I couldn’t find it in the spot she kept it after she disappeared. I’d hoped that it would provide some clue as to where she might’ve gone.”
Grunting her understanding, Beth pulls a bobby pin from her jean pocket at the same time she sets the diary on her knees. “I didn’t want Phillip or anyone else pawing through Celeste’s most private thoughts. The diary doesn’t make any sense anyway. It’s like she wrote it in prose-like code or something. I had no idea my sister had such a darkly poetic mind.”
“Wait, Beth…” I quickly unhook Celeste’s necklace and hold out the key to her. “Use this.”
“Hiding in plain sight, huh? Clever of Celeste,” she mutters as she takes it. “I can’t believe you had the key this entire time.”
I offer a slight smile. “Looks like we were both trying to protect her secrets.”
Beth opens the diary and sets it in my lap. “Were you able to decipher what she was talking about?”
I clasp the edges of the book and flip through her earlier entries. “No, but one thing I did notice.” Pausing on her July entry, I set it back on Beth’s lap. “After this is when something changed for Celeste.”
Beth stares at the blank entry, then pages back to the previous entry where Celeste talked about going to the beach. Flipping forward to the next one, she pages forward several more…and then more until she reaches the end. “What happened at the beach?” she whispers, disillusionment in her gaze.
I lift my shoulders, then let them fall. I don’t want to say anything else right now, but I also want Beth to be at least a little prepared. “I don’t know, but something obviously did.”
Closing the book, Beth stares off into space. “She ran away right when we got back. I just thought she was having a hormonal tantrum.”
I fold my hand over hers on the diary. “You were just a kid. You can’t blame yourself.”
“I had no idea she has been holding so much inside, but now it makes sense why we haven’t been close for a while. I just wish…” She exhales a trembling breath and meets my gaze. “That I had known. I wouldn’t have been so resentful and angry that she pretty much ignored me.”
I squeeze her hand. “Me too.”
Beth frowns. “What do you mean?”
Damn, I didn’t mean to say that out loud.
I stand and put some distance between us so she doesn’t see too much in my eyes. “Just that I wish I had known Celeste a little better.” As much pain as I have in my past because of Celeste pointing Jake in my direction, she’s also the reason I met Calder. He and I still have issues to work through, but he’s too important to me not to try. I just need to know he feels the same.
The guilt on Beth’s face tugs at my heart. “Regret is a wasted thought process, Beth. It’ll only hold you in place.” Stepping back to the bed, I clasp her hand and pull her to her feet. “I find that forward-moving thoughts like ‘lesson learned’ and ‘move the hell on’ are far more productive.”
Beth squeezes my hand and her lips curve into a smile of determination. “Thanks for that. I’m going to go call the clinic now. See you downstairs.”
The moment Beth shuts the door, I immediately group text Talia and Calder.
Me: Talia, the clinic will be expecting Elijah to pick up Celeste’s blood sample. Please send him asap. I hope Sebastian has someone ready to take the sample and run the paternity test. Also have them run another test on Celeste’s general health…that’s what I told Beth I needed the sample for, but it might be helpful to know regardless.
Talia: Will do.
When I don’t hear from Calder, I scroll back and see that he sent me a couple of texts earlier, so I reply.
Me: I just now saw your texts.
Less than a minute passes before someone knocks lightly.
The moment I open the door, Calder takes in my rumpled appearance. His eyes instantly zero in on my wrists before returning to my face. “Why aren’t you dressed, Miss Carver? You need to be downstairs in twenty minutes.”
The fact that he’s being so formal means he’s annoyed about something. “I was asleep until you sent Beth to wake me,” I say, hoping to defuse whatever is bothering him. Glancing back at the clock, I see that he’s right. “I’ll be ready in fifteen.”
I quickly shut the door, then pull the tags off the red underwear and bra and slip into them. Once I shimmy into the dress and slide on the red-bottomed black pumps, I finger-comb my hair into a semblance of tameness and freshen my makeup before clasping Celeste’s gold necklace around my neck.
When I open the door, I expect to find Calder leaning against the wall, not standing directly in my path. “Oh, hey.” I take a step back, suddenly self-conscious. Brushing my hair back from my face, I smile to try to lighten his surly mood. “I’m ready five minutes early. How’s that for promptness?”
“Not quite,” he says, reaching up to remove my necklace.
“Celeste always wears that chain,” I whisper when he drops it into his suit jacket pocket.
“Not tonight,” he rumbles and leans close to hook a choker style necklace around my neck. Straightening, he tilts my chin up and the enticing smell of his cologne makes my stomach flutter. “This is more like something Celeste would wear.”
When did he have time to do this?
Distracted by the soft collar’s inch-wide velvet fabric, I run my fingers from the delicate chain hanging from the clasp in the back to the metal on the front of the choker. Without asking, I know it’s a raven, but it’s not a silver-worked one like the other necklace he gave me. This raven is covered in…pavé. My gaze cuts to his. “Is this all diamonds?”
A corner of his mouth tilts in an arrogant smirk. “Sometimes a bank account speaks louder than sentiment.”
“You know I don’t care about—”
He covers my lips with his thumb, his voice low and tense. “You need to hear what I have to say, Raven mine.”
I nod mutely, excitement pinging through me as he lightly traces his fingers down the front of my throat.
“Your safety is my priority. It comes first, before my own desires
or
yours. Do you understand?”
When I start to nod, he shakes his head. “Do you?”
“I understand, Calder.”
His gaze sharpens. “While I’m training for this fight, you won’t see me.” Sliding his thumb along my jawline, he drops his hand to his side, his tone softening. “No matter how much I
want
to own your world, you’re not safe in mine right now.”
“When will the fight be rescheduled?” I ask, wondering how long I’ll have to wait to see him again.
“It’s already been rescheduled.”
I’m not sure whether to cheer or cry. I don’t want him fighting at all. “When is it?”
His jaw tightens. “You’re not coming.”
“
When
,” I demand.
“This upcoming weekend.”
“But you haven’t been able to train—”
“Miss Carver, your presence is requested downstairs,” Marco calls from the end of the hall.
Nodding, I walk away from Calder as if we weren’t just having an intense conversation and follow Marco downstairs.
“Gorgeous,” Beth says the moment I walk into the room where several guests are already at the bar getting their drinks. Lowering her voice, she continues eyeing my necklace. “It really goes well with that dress. I wonder why I’ve never seen it on my sister before.”
“It’s mine.” I touch the choker at the same time Calder walks in and stands next to the door. My brow puckers when I realize there’s only one way he could’ve commissioned such an amazing piece of jewelry without leaving my side. That was the ‘favor’ Alana did for him. As an artist she most likely has connections in the jewelry business. I’m not quite sure how I feel about the fact his ex played a part in this gift. “It’s a gift with…history.”
“Expensive history apparently.” Beth chuckles, then sobers as she nods toward her dad who’s greeting a couple just arriving. “Father is in a mood. He sent Marco up after you.” She glances at Phillip talking to Jake. “Phillip seems antsy tonight. I heard my father raising his voice at him earlier. I think he blames Phillip for convincing him not to call the police.”