Page 179 of Eternal
“He remembered her.” I sit up straighter, my throat tightening. “He said she was smart.Quiet. Very pretty. That’s what he said. A few days before she disappeared, she told a social worker she’d gotten an opportunity. A ‘job.’ Someone promised she could leave soon, start over and have a new life.” I pause. “She didn’t want to stay.”
Kat murmurs, “They lured her.”
“That’s why she was never officially considered abducted. She was marked as a runaway even if the shelter filed a missing report.” I exhale slowly. “But that same week, there was a delivery from Donovan’s vineyard to one of Antony’s restaurants. Handwritten slip, same date, same time.”
Vik leans closer, eyes scanning the file. “It all lines up.”
I nod again, almost to myself. “That girl didn’t just vanish, they took her. My mother figured it out, right before Antony’swife died. That’s what she meant when she wrote about ‘a girl no one would look for.’”
Kat’s voice drops to a whisper. “So, what now?”
I look at the name on the screen. “Now I follow her, retrace her steps. Someone had to have seen something. Someone helped, maybe someone even made it out.”
Viktor’s jaw clenches. “You really think it’s her?”
“I’m sure.”
Vik furrows his brow. “What kind of shipment are they even using?”
“Wine,” I say, the word bitter on my tongue. “Now we know, the shipment wasn’t just wine. My mother suspected some deliveries covered something else. Too frequent. Too specific, especially for a company like Donovan’s. He catered to the rich, the kind who can make things disappear without a trace.”
I lean forward, rubbing my eyes, trying to make sense of it all. “Alana worked for Donovan’s company, or at least that’s what this report said. She was hired as a server, a hostess at private wine events he threw. High-profile clients, big names in the city, people who don’t like police investigations.”
Kat shifts next to me. “She was fourteen, and they hired her for those events? That’s... fucking sick.”
I nod, running my fingers through my hair. “She was a kid, probably had no idea what she was walking into. But the more I dug, the more I realized her disappearance wasn’t random, there’s a weird pattern."
Vik leans back, still processing. “What do you mean?”
I look down, my hands shaking slightly. I have a theory, and I don’t like it at all. “Donovan’s people were always careful with timing. Never late, once a month.”
Kat reaches over, brushing her fingers against mine. “What do you think happened to her?”
“I honestly don’t know. But when I killed Antony, he told me something that made it worse.” My voice falters, but I push it out. “He said the kids,boys and girls, were ‘cleaned’ before being sent out to clients. He mentioned a church. Some kind of place where they prepare them.”
Vik and Kat exchange looks, disbelief and horror on their faces.
“And you think that’s what’s happening?” Vik asks, voice low, cautious.
I take a deep breath. “Yeah. I think there’s an entire organization behind this. Donovan’s just one actor in the front, the one they use to reach the rich clients. There’s more, a lot more. And Alana was just one of the first... one of many.”
Kat squeezes my hand, barely whispering, “You think they’re still out there, don’t you?”
I meet her gaze. “I know they are.” I can see Vik and Kat exchange a look, like they think I’ve lost my mind.
“You think I’m a monster, talking about this like it’s some kind of fact?”
Vik lets out a short chuckle, his hand moving to grab mine. “No. I think you’re a genius. And you’re one hell of a person for chasing down this case and getting to the truth about all this sick shit.”
The mess I’ve uncovered is a hell of a lot deeper than I ever thought. This isn’t just about revenge anymore.
Kat glances at me, her eyes still focused, but I can see the concern in her face. “So, what do we do now? How do we take this down?”
Before I can answer, Vik interrupts, his voice tense. “Actually, there’s something I need to tell you. It’s about the shit going down in Vesper. You need to know about this.”
I turn to him, instantly on alert. “What’s going on?”
Vik exhales slowly, his gaze hardening as he speaks. “The Don, the Pakhan, and the Emira, they all know about an organization. They’ve been dealing with them in Vesper for a while now. It’s not just your typical criminal group. They’ve got deep connections, and they’re brutal. Mercenaries, powerful people, underground names and politicians too but they’re operating on a whole other level. Mostly targeting young women and kids.”
