Was this where he went when he wasn’t working on the couch? I padded over the gray carpet to reach his desk.
I sat practically swimming in his big chair. The surface where the monitor sat was clear other than the keyboard. I reached for the lowest drawer on the side. It rolled open smoothly. Files were neatly lined up, separated by dividers. I started from the front, reading the little tabs at the top.
Invoices, mortgage receipts, donations . . . I went through the rest, and it was all business stuff, but when I reached the last tab, it was almost hidden, and there was nothing written on it. I scooted all the documents forward, pulled out a thick folder, and dropped it on the desk. The mouse to the side of the keyboard moved and illuminated the screen.
I sucked in a breath. It was a picture of me sleeping. My hand was tucked under my cheek, and I had a small smile curling my lips. I looked cute.
Scowling, I flipped the file open.
Forest Peak VS. State of California.
Flipping through, I scanned the report. Each word I read made my stomach sink. They’d been witnesses in the lawsuit against Forest Peak. I hovered over the images of disgusting people charged.
There were Alphas and Betas both that hurt all those children. Parts of the report were missing, other than everything pertaining to them.
None of my Alphas’ first names were there, just Ironwyld Victim 1, and so on. It didn’t take me long to guess who was who and my stomach kept sinking. Not only had they beaten Dorian frequently, but they’d also starved Cade and locked him in closets for days.
Other than the regular beatings. Rafe . . . Rafe was raped. And he’d been hit across the neck with a metal pipe. That’s why his voice was the way it was.
The pages blurred, and I blinked them away. A man raped him. According to their testimonies, the one time it happened, Dorian had found out, and that was what led to him being hospitalized; he had confronted the rapist. One of the defendants, named as the director of the orphanage, had beaten Dorian to the brink of death.
When they’d taken Dorian to the doctor, they’d stated it was an altercation with another problematic youth. The report continued with the interview of the C.I. that had been there. I kept flipping, my stomach swirling.
On the last page was a collection of newspaper reports with every single abuser’s suicide. One by one, they’d ended up dead. Some in altercations with other prisoners, and many moreended up hanging from the ceiling. Most were ruled as suicides. The last report was someone’s blog describing how suspicious it all was, hypothesizing that there were hits ordered.
I sat back in the leather chair, reeling.
I wouldn’t blame them if they had them murdered. Not after harming children. There were certain crimes that were so viscerally abhorrent, and anything involving children was one of those.
The high-pitched buzzing of the doorbell ripped me out of my numb state, and I shot to my feet. Fern was finally here. I bolted to the front door, careening down every corner until I flung it open.
There was concern in her eyes and in the puckered line of her lips. I waved her inside to shut the door, and she followed me.
“Please sit,” I croaked.
“Are you okay, Eva? You disappeared out of the blue, for days, and when I finally hear from you, you ask me if I made a report against those Alphas.” She crossed her arms. She hadn’t been the one to report them, but she could help me figure out who did.
“I’m sorry, I should have gotten in contact with you before all of this, but I didn’t know what to say.” I stabbed my fingers through my hair. “Did you find out who made the report?”
“Reports,” she emphasized.
I dropped onto the couch. “Multiple?”
“Yes, both at the same place. I guess the first one seemed too overinflated to the investigators, but when the second report came in, they decided to take them in for questioning.”
Mierda.
“Was it The Bordello?” I guessed.
“Yes.”
I groaned and yanked at my hair. “How can I get them out of this?”
Fern frowned. “Okay, I know a lot is happening, but after this I need some sort of explanation.” I was already nodding. “The easiest way is for the charges made to be dropped. If they have a lawyer, it’ll be more likely to have the case dismissed.” She continued speaking, but I fixated on the first option.
“Will you drive me to The Bordello?” I blurted, interrupting her.
“Let’s go.”
