“So that’s his evil old mama?” Beau said, peeking around the corner. “You know, that dress isn’t doing her any favors. Most women with a figure like hers would want to show it off a little. If I made her a formfitting Cruella de Vil number, she’d be the hottest villainess this side of Disneyland.”
A memory flitted through Haven’s mind, leaving behind a wide smile on her face. “Oh boy. Have I got a surprise for you,” she told Beau.
“Save it for later. My surprise reflex is dead at the moment. Anyway, looks like Cruella’s just hit the road.”
Haven saw Iain standing alone in the lobby. It took less than a second to reach the boy and wrap him up in her arms. She didn’t need to ask what answer he had given his mother. Whatever his decision had been, Haven knew it had been the right one.
CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
“This is where my supposed soul mate resides? I don’t know if I could get used to such luxury,” Beau joked, but Haven could tell he was nervous. The four of them stood in the grand lobby of the old police headquarters, waiting for the doorman to materialize.
“Yeah, it’d be a real struggle,” Leah said, gazing up at the gilded ceiling. “He’s got the penthouse too.”
“You’ve seen my soul mate’s apartment?” Beau asked her.
“Weren’t you listening in the back of that cab? I’m the snake goddess—all knowing, all seeing.”
“Save your bragging for people who didn’t go to kindergarten with you,” Beau said. “What’s old Earl going to say about all that, anyway? D’your uncle always know he was in the presence of a goddess?”
“He does now. I called him the other night and told him all about it. He didn’t stop laughing till I hung up the phone.”
“You should have one of your snakes give him a nice little nip the next time he’s preaching. That ought to teach him.”
Leah’s brow furrowed. “I don’t control Earl’s snakes any more than I control my visions. You know I was just joking, right?”
Beau mussed the girl’s hair with his knuckles. “Yeah, Leah. I know you were joking.”
“ARE YOU HERE to see someone?” The doorman appeared holding a cup of coffee and a microwaved burrito.
Haven stepped toward the front desk. “I’d like to see Owen Bell. Please tell him Haven Moore is here.”
“You leave your watch at home, sweetie? It’s almost three o’clock in the morning. You sure Mr. Bell will want visitors?” He clearly wasn’t with the Ouroboros Society.
“Why don’t we ask him?” Haven said, almost regretting the sudden loss of her VIP status.
“Okay,” the doorman agreed reluctantly. “What are your friends’ names?”
“I’m going up alone first.” She glanced back at Beau. “Business before pleasure.”
“If you say so,” the doorman said. He rang Owen’s apartment. It took forever before anyone answered. “I’m really sorry to bother you, Mr. Bell. I have a Haven Moore here to see you. Mmm-hmm. Will do.” The man hung up and pointed toward the elevator. “Go right on up, Miss Moore.”
“HAVEN.” OWEN WAS in his boxers and a T-shirt. “I’ve been trying to reach you at your hotel for the past two days. I heard Calum had something to do with your friend’s disappearance. Is that why you’re here? I swear I wasn’t involved.”
“I know,” Haven told him. “I found Beau. He’s downstairs right now. He wants to meet you.”
Owen looked down at his outfit. “I suppose I should get dressed, then.”
“No rush,” Haven told him. “I was hoping I could have a word with you first. About the Ouroboros Society.”
“What’s there to talk about?” said Owen, leading Haven to the seating area in the middle of the large round room. “It’s over. Have you read the papers?”
“I know what happened, but I’ve been a little preoccupied for the last twenty-four hours. How bad is it?”
“It couldn’t get any worse. Padma Singh destroyed hundreds of careers. Some of the stuff these people did . . . I can’t even imagine. Calum Daniels was one of the worst. Even the mayor. Did you know about his little fetish?”
Haven shook her head.
“I didn’t either. But I guess there were a lot of things that I conveniently overlooked. I feel sick that I ever had anything to do with Adam Rosier. I had to take a shower after I read the Post this morning. I suppose he’ll get away with it all. But to think that I helped . . .”
“Adam was going to reform the Society,” Haven told Owen. “I really believe that he was.”
“How can you be so sure?” Owen asked her.
“Because he hired you. But you don’t need to worry about Adam anymore. He can’t cause any harm where he is.”
“Where is he?” Owen asked.
“Probably best if you don’t know.”
“You’re right,” Owen agreed.
Haven sat back in her chair. “So you said Padma destroyed hundreds of careers. But there must be a thousand members of the Ouroboros Society.”
“Twelve hundred if you include the kids at Halcyon Hall.”
“Then only a small percentage of the people at the club were corrupt.”
“No, we were all corrupt,” Owen said. “But only some of us were criminals. Most of us were just like Alex Harbridge, trading points for nose jobs and Oscars votes. Then again, poor Alex doesn’t really deserve the embarrassment she’s going to suffer.”
“What do you mean?’
“It’s one of the things the press picked up on in Padma’s report. A while back, Alex let her account get low. She went to Padma to beg for help, and Padma decided to humiliate her. For about a year, every time some bigwig’s kid had a birthday, Alex was the entertainment. She only got paid about five points per party, but it got her out of debt in the end.”
“That doesn’t sound too bad,” Haven said.
“Oh, it gets better. You know how sensitive Alex is about her weight. Well, Padma made her dress in a pig costume and serve cupcakes to the kiddies. I guess the guests never figured out who she was. But Padma kept pictures from the parties in her files.”
“Damn,” Haven said, trying not to laugh. “That’s cruel. But your story proves the point I’m going to make.”
“Which is?”
“Cupcake-serving pig wasn’t the first job Alex was offered. Padma asked her to deliver drugs to an OS member who was vacationing in France. Alex turned the job down. She didn’t tell me what Padma made her do instead. I’d never have guessed if you hadn’t just told me. But I suppose Alex chose to be humiliated rather than do something she knew was illegal.”
“But still, she hung around with Calum.”
“Yeah, but so did we. And just so you know, Calum’s gone too. He’s going to be taking an extended vacation.”
Owen sat back and crossed his arms. “What exactly are you trying to tell me, Haven?”
“I’m trying to say that the Ouroboros Society isn’t quite as rotten as everyone thinks. There may be people in the organization who were led astray, but I remember the speech you wrote for Milo. You said OS members had the ‘money, talent, and brainpower to change the course of history.’ That’s as true as it ever was. With the right leader, they could do a lot of good.”
“Who do you have in mind? Wait. Hold on. You’re talking about me?” Owen asked. The suggestion seemed to scare him. “You know why I can’t say yes to that, Haven. I’m not one for the limelight. As much as I’d like to help you, I can’t.”
“I don’t want you to do it for me,” Haven said. “I want you to do it for the kids at Halcyon Hall.”
“Halcyon Hall?” Owen looked confused. “I thought they were all little robots.”
“And who told you that? Calum?”
Owen nodded. Haven could see that her message was starting to get through.
“I went up there. Spied on a few classes and talked to some of the kids. I’ve never been more jealous in my entire life. When Beau and I were in school, everyone knew we were different,
and they made life pretty hellish for us. Especially for Beau. You know that old cliché, ‘What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger’?”
“Sure.”
“Well, in Beau’s case that’s been true. But most people couldn’t have survived the first eighteen years of his life. They’d have ended up dead. Or dead on the inside. I can’t help but think that’s what could happen to the kids Adam recruited. I watched this boy up there who had created one of the most beautiful dresses I’ve ever seen. None of the other students poked fun at him or called him names or threatened to beat him up. They just appreciated his talent. So think of what Halcyon Hall means to that kid. And think of what it might mean for him to see someone like you at the head of the Ouroboros Society.”
“That’s a pretty big responsibility, Haven. I never set out to be anyone’s role model.”
“I know, but consider this: If there’s no one around to inspire those kids to use their talents and skills to improve the world, we could all be in for a whole lot of trouble. You said the same thing about Milo, and you were right. He’s incredibly dangerous. And there are people waiting for their chance to whisper in his ear. People much worse than Adam. That’s why you need to stick around. Someone’s got to guide Milo and his classmates down the right path.”
“Wow,” Owen said. “And you really think I’m the one who should take charge of the OS?”
“There’s no doubt in my mind, Owen. I think I knew it from the moment I met you. Even Adam said you were incorruptible. Just out of curiosity, how many points do you have in your OS account? Three thousand? Four?”
“Something like that, I guess,” Owen said with a shrug.
“And how many have you spent?”
“God, Haven, I wasn’t expecting such a hard sell. Can I have some time to think about all this? Maybe when I’m wearing pants?”
“Sure,” Haven agreed. “Why don’t you go ahead and get dressed? I’ll go downstairs and send Beau up.”
“HE’S GOING TO think about it,” Haven told the others who had been waiting downstairs. “He’s still a little wary of all the attention. But I think I know someone who can convince him to go public. You ready, Beau?”
“I guess so,” the boy said.
“Then go on up to the top floor.”
“By myself?” Beau asked.
“Why can’t we go too?” Leah complained. “I’ve been looking forward to this all night!”
“Because Beau’s going to look back on this day, and when he does, he’s going to be glad none of us were watching from the sidelines.”
“She’s right,” Iain said. “No offense, but I’m glad neither of you were around when Haven found me.”
“Are you sure about this?” Beau asked. “I can’t take another disappointment just now.”
“You’re not going to be disappointed,” Haven told him. “I promise.”
CHAPTER FIFTY
An e-mail had gone out to all of the members of the Ouroboros Society. Not just the famous and distinguished. The workers and the gray men too. A meeting had been set for nine in the morning on March tenth. Attendance was not mandatory.
“Do you think anyone will come?” Haven asked Iain as they strolled up Irving Place hand in hand. Even Leah wasn’t going to be there. She had stayed in New York to make sure her visions were over. But she was done with the Ouroboros Society, she’d told Haven that morning. She was going to the Bronx Zoo instead.
“I don’t know,” Iain said. “A lot of these people have had a pretty tough time. Let’s just hope Owen shows up. Did you talk to Beau?”
“I called him, but he wasn’t all that interested in chatting. I can’t even imagine what kind of sordid things have been going on in that penthouse.”
“Yes, you can,” Iain said with a laugh.
“Yeah, I guess I can. But it’s been a week! You’d think they’d have gotten sick of each other by now.”
“You’re just jealous because you have to share your best friend with someone else. No wonder you’ve been in a funk.”
Haven narrowed her eyes at him. Beau’s absence wasn’t the only reason she hadn’t been herself. Something else was gnawing at her.
“You know I’m right,” Iain said. “You also know that Owen needed this week to get ready.”
“Well, let’s just hope he knows what to say today,” Haven grumbled, though there was no doubt in her mind that he would.
They turned on to Gramercy Park South. Haven checked the time on her phone. It was only eight fifty-five, but the sidewalk outside the Ouroboros Society headquarters was packed. The doors to the building appeared to be locked, and the mob was growing restless. As Haven and Iain approached, a woman at the edge of the crowd pointed in their direction.
“It’s him,” she shouted, and hundreds of heads swiveled at once.
Iain and Haven both froze and checked over their shoulders. It was clear the woman was talking about Iain.
“This is all your fault,” the woman snarled. “You’ve destroyed the Society. You and Padma Singh sold us out to the press. Now everyone thinks we’re all drug dealers and prostitutes. I write children’s books. I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve gotten a lot of help from the Society, but I’ve never sold my body to anyone.”
“She’s right,” a man added angrily. “My ex-wife’s been raking me over the coals for a week. She’s convinced that everyone at the OS is a pervert. She told my kids not to talk to me.”
The crowd was marching forward toward Haven and Iain, refusing to let them defend themselves. An image suddenly flashed through Haven’s mind. The painting Iain had hidden away in their closet back in Rome. The one Marta Vega had sent as a housewarming present. It had shown an angry mob converging on Haven and Iain. Was this the way their story was meant to end?
“STOP!” THE FAMILIAR voice was so forceful, Haven was certain Owen had brought a bullhorn. But his hands were empty. With all eyes on him, Owen gave Beau’s arm a quick squeeze, then pushed his way through the mob to the steps of the Ouroboros Society. Seeing Owen face his fellow Society members, Haven suddenly knew. Marta Vega’s painting hadn’t foretold a future disaster. It had predicted a triumph.
“I’m Owen Bell,” the young man announced. “I’m the one who suggested we meet here today.”
“We know who you are!” someone shouted. “Are you going to open the doors or what?”
“No,” Owen replied, and the crowd began to buzz once more. “Too much at the Society has taken place behind closed doors. From this point forward, all our business will be conducted in the open.”
“Where’s Adam?” another person shouted.
“Adam Rosier is gone. I am assuming temporary command of the Ouroboros Society until an election can be scheduled. In the meantime, I intend to make a few changes. Anyone who disagrees with these changes is welcome to resign from the OS or run against me in the first election.”
“What sort of changes are you talking about?” The latest voice was less angry than curious.
“First, any member who is convicted of a felony will have his or her membership revoked immediately. Second, our membership rolls will be made public. And last of all, the Society’s points system will be completely abolished. As of this moment, all debts have been expunged.”
The crowd reacted with stunned silence.
“But the points system encourages us to help each other,” a man finally said. “Don’t good deeds deserve a reward?”
“There is a reward. Some people call it karma,” Owen said. “And in addition, you’ll have the satisfaction of belonging to an organization that’s devoted to changing the world for the better. That’s what our founder, August Strickland, intended the Ouroboros Society to be—a powerful force for good. It might take years to put this scandal completely behind us, but I believe we have the resources to start improving the Society’s image and the lives of our members this very day.
“In fact, the two people you were about to string up a few minutes ago have b
een the first to take action. Iain Morrow and Haven Moore just donated fifty million dollars to Halcyon Hall. Without their generosity, the school would have been forced to close by the end of the month. Neither one of them has received a single point in return.”
While Iain watched Owen save the day, Beau threw a muscular arm around Haven’s shoulders. “Damn, I have great taste in men,” he said.
Owen had started taking questions from the crowd. He had an answer for everything—and it was always the right one. No one would have guessed for a moment that he was a reluctant leader.
“Yeah,” Haven replied. “Hot and righteous. The very best combination.”
“Thank you,” Beau said. He stopped her before she could make another joke. “No. Seriously. Thank you for this, Haven.”
“It’s the least I could do,” she told him.
“Hell, I’d have spent a month in that vault if I’d known this would be waiting for me. Consider us more than even.”
“That’s not what I’m saying. My whole life you’ve been there for me. I wish I had done more to deserve it. Maybe now I’m getting close.”
Beau’s face twisted with confusion. “You wish you had deserved it? Are we thinking about the same life? You remember that time you fixed my Barbie lunch box after I got into that fight with those kids in fourth grade? Or the time you punched Dewey Jones in the head ’cause he asked me if I was wearing a bra? Or how about when you boycotted Mr. Goodman’s class after he said homosexuality was a psychological disorder?”
“Yeah, but there were other times—”
“Other times? So goddamm what? I got news for you, Haven: You’ve never been perfect, and I’m the last person who’d expect you to be. But all I had to do was send you a text that said ‘pan-pan,’ and you were on a plane to New York in a heartbeat. Could you ask any more of a person?”
“I didn’t get on a plane right away. I stayed in Florence to try to see more of our past life together. I was hoping to find a clue that would lead me to the person who took you. By the way, I know a few things about that life that I should probably tell you.”