Page 56 of What Remains

“So we stick together this time. That way we can control the situation.” Carter peers at Constantine, and Constantine gives him a same-page nod as well. After that, he looks to Gideon and Julian. “We could use your help. I think you should stay with us as well.”

Julian defers to his brother, and Gideon agrees, “We can do that.” He surveys the cabin. “I also have people in Australia who can be your boots on the ground without the government knowing we’re having a look ourselves. We worked with them in New Zealand on the op my sister’s best friend was involved in. The one you all helped out on.”

Carter nods, then focuses on Zoey.

“No,” Zoey says before he can even ask.

“Yes,” Carter grunts back.

She glares at him and rasps, “I need to look for Molly and get to the bottom of this myself. She could be in danger, or, well . . .”

Betrayed you?

“It also wouldn’t be right for me to stay at The Sapphire,” Zoey tacks on after an uncomfortable moment.

“Not right?” Gideon echoes back in confusion. “What in the bloody hell am I missing?”

Although he was mostly raised in America, the British in him comes out from time to time. Probably has an Ameri-Brit vocabulary like me, and that reminds me of something important.

“Does Elaina know what happened to me?” I’m acting as if everyone was in on my interior monologue and can follow along. I might have a habit of doing that, so they’re used to it.

“No. We told Liam and Emily what happened, but we all agreed it’d be best if Elaina wasn’t looped in. She’d, you know . . .”

Dad doesn’t need to fill in the blanks. I already know. Elaina will blame herself for giving up her visions and not preventing what happened to me.

My shoulders drop with relief, only for a new concern to hit me. “But Easton said everyone from Falcon is meeting up at the hotel, and if that’s the case⁠—”

“Sydney and Beckett need to stay back in D.C. They understand the risks, but they can’t get away.” Dad understood where I was going with that thought.

Sydney and Beckett’s daughter, McKenna, is best friends with Elaina, and Elaina would figure out something is wrong if McKenna had to relocate to the hotel. They’d have to clue her in.

I’m fairly certain my dad is only part of this because of my connection to Falcon and The Sapphire, so the rest of Dad’s teammates should be safe. Still, I know he’ll warn them to up their security measures.

“I don’t want Elaina to stop taking her medicine to try and help solve this case.” I wait for Carter’s attention before continuing, “Or Camila. They both finally have their lives back. It’s too dangerous for them to help. We know what might happen if they stop taking their pills cold turkey.” I glare at him, waiting for confirmation he’s in agreement, and he nods. “We’ll find Jezebel and whoever is behind this on our own.”

“Yeah, well, I have no clue who Elaina or Camila are, but sure, okay,” Julian finishes saying just as another thought slams into me.

“Wait,” I blurt out, “are Sydney and Beckett the only ones not coming to the hotel? Everyone else from Falcon is? Griffin and Savanna. Jack and his wife. Uncle Gray and Aunt Tessa. Mason. Everyone everyone?”

Carter’s eyes lift overhead, thinking.

“Why can’t Sydney and Beckett come?” I ask, my heart racing. “What’s keeping them away?”

“A high-profile murder investigation, and Beckett is the lead detective on the case. He can’t come, and Sydney doesn’t want to leave him in D.C. alone. You know how she is,” Dad explains, his voice deepening as it more than likely starts to click for him, too.

“Any chance someone put this case in Beckett’s lap because they don’t want Sydney with you at the hotel?” Julian asks, catching on himself, but he’s missing the main piece.

“It’s not about Sydney or Beckett. Someone just needs their family to stay put.” I unbuckle, wanting to be on my feet to pace, but Dad holds my arm, not letting me up. Turbulence, right. I strap back in. “It’s about Elaina. Whoever is behind this knows about her.”

Natasha explains to Julian and Gideon about both Elaina’s and Camila’s prophetic visions and how they no longer have them thanks to a cure Camila found last year. “Basically, a natural homeopathic-type remedy blocks the visions from manifesting,” she adds at the tail end of her explanation.

“Wow, um . . .” That’s all Julian has to say, and I don’t blame him for being speechless. “Didn’t know there was an antidote to that kind of stuff, but after everything that happened to my family in the fall with those mind-control and memory-wipe drugs, I shouldn’t be surprised.”

True. “If McKenna has to hide out at the hotel, Elaina will panic and stop taking her medication in hopes her visions come back to help out.” I drop my head into my palms. This is hitting even closer to home than I thought. How long have we all been spied on?

“Why not just kill Elaina, then?” Gideon asks, which has me whipping my head up. “If they’re worried about her getting involved, that’d be easier, yeah?”

“None of us have been hurt yet. Maybe I really wasn’t meant to die. Not yet,” I say as an idea strums through my mind. “If they killed me, or if they were to hurt someone you all love, like Elaina⁠—”