“Everly.” Alex greets me with a smile. “You having a good time?”
“It’s been fun. We’re just waiting for our photos to process.” I glance toward the slot where the pictures will be delivered.
Alex looks a bit reluctant as he introduces his boyfriend. “Cooper, this is my brother, Mason, and his girlfriend, Everly.”
“Such a pretty name,” Cooper says, shaking my hand.
“Thank you. It’s nice to meet you.” A small dimple dents his cheek as he grins at me. Oh, yeah, I can see why Alex likes him. He’s a cutie.
“Nice to meet you,” Mason agrees, shaking his hand.
Abruptly, the machine clicks and our photos drop into the slot. Alex picks them up, a mischievous grin breaking across his face as he peeks at them before handing them to me. “Glad to see we aren’t the only ones having fun with the photo booth.”
“See what you did!” I smack Mason on the arm, and he shrugs. The photo center worker chooses that moment to bring usour panda photo, and I waste no time holding it up for Alex and Cooper to see. Payback is a bitch.
Alex snorts, laughing until his eyes are full of tears. “That’s fantastic, Ev. I need a copy, please.”
“You got it.”
Mason shakes his head, and we say goodbye to Alex and Cooper. I glance back as they climb into the photo booth. I can only imagine the amount of inappropriate pictures that booth will take tonight. Mason slides his arm around me, tucking me against his side, and I yawn. “You ready to go, love?”
“Yeah, I’ve had a great time, but I’m done in.” Mason leads me to his car and we head back to his house. It’s been such a great day, I don’t want to dampen his mood by announcing I’m going home tomorrow. I’ll tell him in the morning.
As Mason shuts his front door behind us, I wrap my arms around his waist, stepping into his warm body, and he holds me tight. “Attempted drowning aside, it was a wonderful day.”
His chest vibrates with a deep chuckle. “You make my days wonderful, Evie.”
“I love you.”
“I love you, baby.” His bright eyes meet mine as he releases me. “I need to make a few calls, then we’ll go to bed, okay?”
“Sure. Can I borrow your laptop to check my email? My phone’s dead.”
“Of course. It’s in my office.”
I’ve never been in his home office before. A large cherry wood desk sits near the far wall. The room is warm and inviting. A crimson colored sofa and armchair provide a splash of color among the dark wooden furniture and flooring.
His laptop rests on his desk, and I turn it on. Curiosity gets the best of me while I wait for it to boot up. He thinks my father’s alive. There must be paperwork, reports or something that shows why. I’ve barely had time to consider that with all that’s happened.
With a quick glance at the door, I open the left hand desk drawer. It’s filled with pens, pencils, and general office supplies. I can hear Mason on the phone in the living room, so I still havetime. The right drawer contains a few file folders, marked with six digit numbers. On top of them is a plain white envelope.
When I pick it up, the flap opens and the contents spill onto my lap and slide to the floor. I’ve heard the expression ‘my blood ran cold’ but never understood it until now. I feel as if I’ve been dipped in liquid nitrogen and the smallest move will shatter me into a thousand sharp pieces.
Passports, at least a dozen, all with women’s pictures. Social Security cards, driver’s licenses, birth certificates. What the fuck is this? What kind of business is he running?
He’s still on the phone, and I creep to the door to eavesdrop. “Got three girls, clothes on their backs. Going to need a runner. No…no, it has to be tonight. I text you the address. Yeah, same deal, twenty-five grand each. Call me when it’s done.”
Oh God. Oh Fuck. Money for women, fake documents. He’s not saving women, he’s selling them. Human trafficking. That’s how he makes his money. What kind of monster have I been seeing? I have to get out of here. Who knows what he’ll do to me if he knows I found out.
He ends his call, and I know there’s no time to clean up the evidence. Panicking, I kick it all under the desk and dart from the office, closing the door behind me. “Hey, you ready for bed?” Mason approaches me, and I do my best not to stiffen up when he embraces me. I can’t let on anything is wrong.
“Sure, just let me grab a glass of water.”
His whole face is a question mark when he steps back and regards me. “Everything okay?”
“Of course, it’s just been a long day. Go get naked. I’ll join you in a minute.”
“Hurry,” he whispers, squeezing my ass.
