She shakes her head. “Nope.” She sips from her drink, studying me. “You know I won’t give a fuck if you like him. He’s a dick, but he’s sexy as hell. I’d bounce on his cock if I got the chance and you weren’t into him.”
“I’m not into him.”
“Babe, the sexual chemistry between you two is enough to fuel a small planet.”
“My life is already complicated enough without adding him to the mix. Jase might be cool with it, but Chad would never go for it. Nothing is worth losing Chad over, and I’m not entertaining notions of adding Ares Haynes to my little harem. In case you’ve forgotten, he’s blackmailing me.”
“That’s why I’m here.” She hands me a thumb drive. “Everything my guy found is on that.”
I slip it into the pocket of my hoodie to check it out later. “Give me the CliffsNotes version.”
“He’s a ghost. Hera too.”
I dribble wine down my chin as I almost choke. “What does that mean?” I wipe my chin with the sleeve of my hoodie.
“It means there is no record of Ares Haynes or Hera Haynes beyond the last two and a half years. Hera was in Cali the whole time, but Ares was in Boston for eight months before moving here with his mom.”
“So, there is nothing to be found before that?”
“Nope. There is no trace. Like they didn’t exist.”
“What about birth certs and social security numbers and other official records?”
“All issued two and a half years ago. Births are listed as US, but the parentage is fake.”
“That isn’t possible.”
“Their history has been wiped for sure.”
I put my wineglass down on the end table and wrap my arms around my knees. “What are they trying to hide? Are they luminaries?” I ask the obvious question.
She shakes her head. “They can’t be, or I’d know about it.”
“Ares mentioned living in Europe. Isn’t it possible he’s part of some European Luminary family?”
“If he was, there would be records.” She puts her glass down and scoots up closer. “Babe, the only way this could happen is if someone within Luminary circles wiped the records. It’s the only explanation that stacks up. Though it’s stupid because it makes it so obvious. It’s why we all have fake records so it’s not as suspicious if someone comes looking.”
“Why would someone within the Luminary world do this then?” I bite down on my lip. “Could this have happened when Hera started dating my dad? Would her background have been checked? If they found something disagreeable or unsavory, would they have done this to cover it up?”
Her nose scrunches up. “That’s actually a clever theory.”
I swat her with a cushion. “Don’t insult me. I did graduate high school with a four point oh GPA. I’m not some bimbo.”
“I didn’t mean it like that. I know you’ve got smarts. That theory could totally explain why there is no fake profile. They aren’t Luminary, but Hera is married to an expert, so they couldn’t have anything shady on her profile, but they don’t care enough to create a false history.”
I shake my head as another thought occurs to me. “It couldn’t be that. Dad didn’t even two Hera two-and-a-half-years ago.”
“Oh, good point.” Bree purses her lips. “There’s got to be another reason.”
“What did they do that warranted such drastic action?” I ponder out loud, grabbing my wineglass again.
“I don’t know, but we’ll find out.”
“I’m glad I didn’t ask Theo to go snooping now,” I admit in between sips of wine.
“Definitely don’t involve outsiders. I told you our experts are the best, and each family has their own contacts. My guy is a fucking genius, and he’s discreet. Whatever you need to know, he’ll find it, or it’s not there to be found.”
“Keep digging. I want to know what they’re hiding.”
