“Figures,” I say. I’m already mentally checked out and trying to figure out how I’m going to find the information I need.
“Sloane, let’s let the detectives do their jobs, okay?” He eyes me suspiciously.
“I will,” I say, standing. “Thanks for letting me know, Alex. I appreciate it.”
“Of course, Sloanie. Anything for you.” He stands, gathering the papers and placing them back in the file. He picks it up, tucking it beneath his arm, and follows me out of the room.
? ? ?
We went back to our separate desks in the office and resumed work. I worked for hours, finding bits and pieces that may or may not form a bigger picture. A lot of investigative work is simply fitting the pieces together until they form one big,coherent puzzle. The process can be exhausting, but the results are usually worth it.
At the end of my search, I was able to deduce three things.
One, the sigil is a secret symbol for whatever Sonus is hiding beneath the surface. I’d be willing to bet there’s a secret board working on the frequencies. I think the guys of Reverb were onto something that day Van tested me himself.
Two, the eye with the sound wave symbolizes an awakening through frequency.
Three, the number eight is a wild card. An eight turned sideways could be an infinity symbol, or it could be a mirror image. Perhaps a never-ending frequency, or Sonus Corp leading a double life? The number eight can also signify a new order and a new beginning for humanity. Maybe it’s all of the above?
While I’m not positive that my findings are correct, something tells me that I’m at least close to the truth. I’m grinning like I discovered a huge secret, and perhaps I did.
I’m so onto you, Sabel, and you’llneversee me coming.
31
Riven
Wow.
There are a million words, and none at all, to describe my night with Sloane. Somehow,wowis the only word that my brain can formulate. I thought that exposing Sloane to my darkness would dim her light, but it only illuminated it. My little nightmare has infiltrated my dreams, and I don’t ever want to go back to a time or place without her in it. I meant what I said about her being mine. I meant everything else, too.
I’m not sure she understands the enormity of my words. Iwillhunt her down to the ends of the Earth and beyond that if she ever tries to run. I will also destroy anything or anyone in my path that seeks to separate us. I’ve had a taste of the sweetest fruit, and now I’llneverbe satiated. There’s just one little problem.
Her father.
I might have told Callum that those “sensors” on Sloane’s bedroom window were only alarms, but that wasn’t entirely the truth. Those sensors double as cameras. I knew that if I told him, he would never allow me to place them inside her bedroom. I know it’s wrong, and yet, I couldn’t help myself from being able to watch her every move. I happened to pull up the feed at the exact moment she was placing those photos she took from me inside a little box on her bookshelf. She’s such a sneaky little thing.
I kept watching her until she decided to leave her apartment. That’s when I disarmed the system, walked in, and took the photos back. They aremine, after all. I know she’s still going to be searching for them. The idea that Van has something to do with her father’s murder has already been planted in her head. I’m not in a rush to clear Van’s name, butIalso can’t allow her to discover the truth. If she did, then we would both lose her. Like I said, this whole double life thing is getting pretty hazy. The lines are intertwining in a perilous fight to become one. My phone dings, pulling me from my thoughts.
Callum:Still meeting today at Raithes?
Riven:Yep, be there in 15.
I’m meeting with the guys at Raithe’s apartment today to check in and to come up with a plan to infiltrate Sonus Corp. It’s time. If Sabel and whatever prick she’s working for are allowed much more time, they might succeed at whatever the fuck they are planning. Seeing the way Sabel controlled the last group was horrifying. Wehaveto stop it. We’ve been sitting on our hands for entirely too long as it is. It’s only a matter of time before Sabel truly discovers that Sloane is an outlier. Sabel will come for Sloane, and that would be everyone’s worst nightmare, because I would unleash hell on Earth. In fact, hell wouldn’tbe enough for what I’d have planned for Sabel if she touched a single red hair on Sloane’s beautiful head.
I change, throwing on a pair of navy sweatpants and a black tee. I head out to my garage, eyeing my car and my bike. I chose the bike. The weather is beautiful, and the fresh air will be good for me right now. I grab my helmet from the handlebars and put it on, buckling it. I climb onto the bike, pull out my phone, and thumb through my playlist until I find the song that I want. I hit play, pocketing my phone. I flip up the kickstand and start her up, backing out of the garage. I take off toward Raithe’s house as the warm breeze hits me and “Numb” by Sleep Theory filters through my helmet speaker.
? ? ?
I pull up to Raithe’s street. His apartment is crammed between a tattoo parlor and a boarded-up bodega. The faded bricks of the building are tagged with spray paint, and the fire escape rattles faintly in the breeze. It’s pure chaos, but Raithe claims to enjoy that about it. It looks like Cal and Kai are already here. My pulse relaxes when I see Kai’s car, because I can never be too certain that he’ll show for these things. I park the bike, climb off, and rest my helmet on the handlebar before walking toward the beat-up door. I knock once before walking inside, stepping into the small foyer. I hear laughter from the living room, realizing how good it sounds to hear them all together, and happy. I walk through the foyer and stop in the archway of the living room.
“Hey, man,” Raithe says from his place on the navy lounge chair in the corner of the room.
“What’s so funny?” I ask, walking over to take a seat next to Cal on the sofa. Kai is sitting in a lounge chair opposite Raithe.
“We were being forced to listen to Raithe go on and on about hisextracurriculars,” Cal grunts, placing air quotes around extracurriculars.
“So many girls, so little time. Isn’t that what you said, Raithe?” Kai chimes in, leaning back and crossing an ankle over his knee. He’s playing with a toothpick between his teeth. That guy always has something in his fucking mouth. Probably an addict thing.
