Forever Concealed

by Kathleen Brooks

  * * *

  Veronica pushed open the doors to the most luxurious salon in Lexington. She had the afternoon and night off, and she was going to take full advantage of it. She’d sent a text message and just heard back that dinner was on for tonight. In order to prep for her first date in ages, Veronica was getting a mani/pedi.

  She knew she could have gone to the Fluff and Buff in Keeneston, but they’d ask too many questions. And before her top coat could even dry, the whole town would be talking about her date—something her date probably wouldn’t appreciate. And neither did Veronica since her date had approximately a fifteen percent chance of turning into a second date. She knew this because she’d run the odds on her past dating history.

  Veronica stepped into the pedicure chair and let the warm bubbling water relax her. So she was a slight workaholic, okay, a full-blown workaholic. And she liked to be in charge . . . of everything. And she was very particular. Or so her past girlfriends had told her. Someday, she’d find someone who wouldn’t mind those characteristics. In the meantime, she kept her love life secret. Seeing what Zain and Gabe went through was enough to ensure she was doing the right thing. The Rose sisters were already on the hunt for a special woman for Veronica, and she didn’t need to give them any more encouragement by telling them anything about her private life.

  The thought made her smile as the two women sitting next to her, a mother and daughter by the looks of them, began to talk as their technicians left them drying their nails. Veronica put in her earbuds and began looking over her music before suddenly stopping when she heard the daughter, who was around Veronica’s age, begin to whisper.

  “Sloane,” she snorted. “What a stupid name to pick.”

  The mother looked over at Veronica who put her head back and closed her eyes. Her fingers flew over the phone pulling up the record button. Operating her phone completely blind was one of Veronica’s best talents and came in handy when one was in a meeting where electronics were supposedly banned.

  “I should have known I couldn’t send someone to get her. Chanel always was a problem. I should have let you kill her in the crib that night when you were five. You were so jealous of her. I caught you with the pillow over her. Imagine if I had just let you finish it.” Lisa Malone practically cursed herself as the three of them sat with their feet soaking in the pedicure bowls.

  “I can’t believe those idiots shot at her,” the daughter, Valentina Malone, said angrily. “We need her alive to get that recipe. Then I’ll finish what I started when I was five.”

  “The police report said the man she was with during the shooting is someone named Gabriel Ali Rahman. If we find him, then we’ll find her.”

  “Mom,” Valentina said, lowering her voice as the nail techs made their way over to the women. “He’s some kind of big deal around here. And that name sounds so familiar to me.”

  “So what? That’s never stopped us before. He thinks he’s a big deal. Wait until he meets me. I will end him if he gets in my way.”

  Veronica fought her instinct to leap from the chair and either run to warn Gabe and Sloane or to stab Lisa Malone and her awful daughter with a nail file.

  “Hi,” Valentina said loudly, trying to get Veronica’s attention. Veronica didn’t open her eyes. “Excuse me, ma’am?”

  Valentina reached over and touched Veronica’s arm. She let her eyes open and she pulled the ear buds from her ears. “Yes?”

  “We are in town for my sister’s graduation. I heard the name Gabriel Ali Rahman mentioned as some sort of local celebrity. Who is he?”

  They would have been very convincing as loving, caring relatives if she hadn’t overhead their conversation. “He’s a Prince of Rahmi.”

  Valentina’s eyes that looked so much like Sloane’s widened. “That’s why it sounded familiar. Mom, he’s that bachelor prince who is always in those trashy magazines you get.”

  Lisa’s eyes widened like her daughter’s. “What was he doing with your sister then?”

  Veronica waved a dismissive hand and leaned in secretively. “He’s a bit of a player. Local news is always reporting that he’s with a different girl every night. I’m so sorry if your daughter got caught up in that. I’m sure she’s probably nursing a broken heart like the long line of women before her have.”

  “Now that makes sense,” Lisa muttered. “Do they have a castle or something around here?”

  “I don’t know,” Veronica gave her an apologetic smile as the bright red polish went on her toes. No time for a manicure today. And there went her plans for the date . . . again. Veronica casually slid her phone out of view and sent the audio file to Nash before cancelling the date.

  20

  “How did they find me?” Sloane cried as she paced the security room at the farm. Gabe had just handed Draven off to his father when Nash found him and told him what Veronica had overheard.

  “We don’t know yet,” Nash answered her. “I notified the police, but when they arrived your mother and sister were gone. It may be time to reach out to your past. You say only you, your teacher, and her son knew about your name change. We know you didn’t talk, but someone did.”

  Sloane nodded as Gabe reached for her. He held her in his arms as her body trembled. “I should have known my mother and sister would come for me. Their soldiers I could handle, but them . . . they’re evil.” A shudder wracked her body and Gabe pulled her closer to him.

  “Here we go,” Nabi, the current head of security and Nash’s boss and mentor, said from behind three computer screens.

  Gabe and Sloane turned to the wall of television screens as Nabi put the information up. “It appears your teacher has passed away.”

  Sloane scanned the obituary. Gabe could feel her fear turn to sadness. “She saved me,” Sloane said softly as she looked at the picture of the woman.

  “It also appears that she left you part of her estate. The private investigators the estate hired must have found your name change,” Nabi told her as his fingers flew across the keyboard. A list of creditors against the estate came up. “Sholtz Investigations.”

  Nash pulled out his phone as Nabi continued searching documents. “Hello, Mr. Sholtz, please.” He paused. “I’m calling on behalf of the Rahmi royal family.”

  Sloane clutched at Gabe, and his heart pounded. She hadn’t been so fearful after being shot at or when they attempted to kidnap her, but at the mention of her mother and sister, Sloane had gone white. He couldn’t imagine someone as kind and loving as Sloane growing up with a family as cruel as the Malones. But maybe it was good they were here. The Malones were on his turf now, and if they thought they had power, wait until they saw what he would do for the woman he loved.

  “Hello. This is Nash Dagher, head of security for Prince Gabriel Ali Rahman. I need to know everything about Chanel Malone and her parents in relation to the death of one of your clients.”

  * * *

  Nash hung up and turned to the group. “It’s like Nabi said. Mrs. Holiday passed away six months ago. She left some personal items to a close family member, Sloane Holiday. Her son is fighting cancer, so when she made out her will she didn’t know who would outlive whom. She didn’t trust her daughter-in-law to give you those items, so she listed you in the will. The son is in remission, but the investigation started while he was hospitalized,” Nash explained.

  “They couldn’t find a Sloane Holiday in or around Chicago so they turned to Springfield where Mrs. Holiday lived for a long time and where her son was. That’s when they found your driver’s license. They recognized your picture, and being complete idiots, took it to your family. They thought your family knew you’d faked your death and changed your name. Mr. Sholtz said they thought you were just trying to blend in at college and informed your sister about your being enrolled here in Lexington. The rest you can imagine.”

  “And now my mother and sister are in town to find the recipe I stole and then kill me,” Sloane said with no emotion to her voice.

  �
��That won’t happen,” Gabe swore. His hands clasped her shoulders. “Look at me, Sloane. We will keep you safe.”

  Sloane shook her head. “I have to go. They’ll just kill you, too.”

  “I’m pretty hard to kill,” Nash said evenly. “And besides, my wife likes you. I don’t want to tell her that her new friend ran away.”

  “And I’m not losing the woman I love,” Gabe said, forcing her to look at him.

  Her eyelids blinked in surprise. “Love?”

  “Yes. I knew the first time I touched you. Our bodies recognized each other. It’s early, I know. We’ve only known each other a couple of weeks and I want to go slowly. But I don’t want you thinking you don’t have anything to fight for. You do. You have me. You have us. You have our future to fight for, and you won’t be fighting for it alone.”

  As Sloane stood silently looking up at him, Nash pressed Play on the recording Veronica had sent. The voice of her mother and sister was like a slap to Sloane. Her body physically reacted to their voices. But when they threatened not only Sloane, but Gabe as well, the color returned to her cheeks as her head began to slowly shake back and forth.

  “No. No. I won’t let them hurt you.” Sloane grabbed the lapels of his suit jacket and clung to him. “I won’t run away. I have to stop this. I can’t let you all risk your lives.”

  “I don’t know if you’ll be able to stop us, Sloane,” the deep, smooth, cultured voice said from the doorway.

  Gabe looked up to find his father standing casually with his hands in the pockets of his dove gray suit. Sloane whipped around and stared as Prince Mohtadi Ali Rahman reminded them exactly who he was.

  * * *

  Keeneston’s text chain had been activated. Within thirty minutes, half the town was crammed into Mo and Dani’s living room. Cody Gray and Matt Walz were organizing the sheriff’s department. Bridget and Annie were doing whatever it was that they did. By the gleeful look in their eyes, they looked ready to go into battle. The names of the Davies cousins whipped through her head and blurred together, but each one showed up offering support, volunteering to watch the road for visiting cars or offering to stay with Sloane at all times.

  Then she’d met all the parents. The Davies brothers and their sister, Paige, stood in a row with their spouses. Guilt washed through Sloane. She couldn’t put these people in danger. And there was no one as dangerous as her mother and sister.

  “Excuse me,” Sloane said suddenly. The room quieted as Poppy and Zinnia were touting the benefits of their longer-handled pans. “I am so humbled and grateful for your help. But I’m sorry, I can’t let you do this. I couldn’t live with myself if my mother or sister hurt any of you.”

  The group looked at her and then went back to preparing. Frustrated, Sloane walked out onto the terrace. She heard the squish of orthopedic shoes behind her and turned to see Miss Lily following her.

  “You have to understand Keeneston, dear,” Miss Lily said, taking Sloane’s hand and patting it. “We don’t scare easily.”

  “But my mom—”

  “But nothing,” Miss Lily said, cutting her off. “Ryan and his father are FBI. Annie is former DEA. Bridget’s father was the head of the entire military, and she’s no slouch either. Miles, Marshall, and Cade were Special Forces. And while they won’t tell anyone, they’re still involved from time to time. Zain and Gabe have trained with Ahmed, Nash, and Nabi their whole lives, and there is no one deadlier than Ahmed. And don’t discount Pam in her minivan. She’s mowed down more than one bad guy over the years. What I’m saying is, everyone has gone through something in their lives, but you wouldn’t know by looking at them. Gemma was kidnapped and Cy saved her. Tammy was sitting on a bomb and Pierce rescued her. Cade was to be killed and Annie rescued him. Trust me, he hasn’t lived that one down yet.”

  “But that had to be a lifetime ago,” Sloane protested even as she shook her head in wonder.

  “Ask Sophie what she and Nash went through. I can guarantee you the people after them were a lot scarier than your mother and sister. Zain and Mila, Riley and Matt, Sienna and Ryan, Sydney and Deacon—they’ve all had their own struggles. However, they all defeated them with help, because in the end, love is the most powerful weapon of all.”

  Sloane stood and watched Miss Lily slowly amble, squish by squishy step, back into the room.

  “That was beautiful.”

  Sloane gasped and spun to where Draven was walking through the shadows of the garden. “You have got to stop sneaking up on me.”

  Draven shrugged. He was out of his uniform and in jeans and an Oxford shirt. He looked real for once. “You gave me advice and said you were my friend. Will you let me do the same?”

  Draven reached up and pulled himself over the rail and onto the terrace. “Take the help. Gabe is madly in love with you and you with him. It would be a shame to lose that.”

  “I thought you didn’t believe in love.”

  “I never said that. I was raised to never expect it. Sex, yes. Women falling at my feet, yes. Love, no.”

  Sloane cocked her head and looked him over. He seemed sad tonight. “What happened today?”

  “My eyes were opened. It was that damn book you gave me.” Draven gave a forced laugh. “And I googled myself. That was a humbling experience.”

  Sloane cringed. “I’m sorry.”

  He shook his dark hair. “I’m not. No one likes me, and I only have myself to blame.”

  “You’re in the right place to become a better leader.”

  “I know. I’m taking your advice. I listened to Gabe. I learned from Prince Mo. I will even be meeting separately with Queen Suri and President Idris tomorrow. Now, you need to take my advice. Take the help they are so eager to give, and take mine. My security is at your call. My country is at your call. After all, you’re the first friend I’ve ever had.”

  Sloane felt her throat tighten as Draven lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles. She watched him as he walked away, disappearing around the corner of the house. He was right. She wasn’t alone anymore. She had friends and someone who loved her. She could face her mother and sister and know they could never hurt her again.

  “Sloane,” Gabe said in a rush, “we have a problem.”

  * * *

  Gabe found Sloane standing outside alone. Dinky had just called. It wasn’t just the Malone family they had to worry about.

  “Shannon Lang died of an overdose,” Sheriff Matt Walz announced to the room.

  Addison gasped. “She’s in the Keeneston Belles with me. I just saw her this morning.”

  “What kind of drugs?” Marshall Davies, the retired sheriff, asked as Annie listened closely.

  “That’s the strange thing. She didn’t ingest it. She just held it. It crumbled in her hand and that was enough to kill her,” Matt answered.

  Sloane stood ramrod straight next to him. “Was it white?” she asked so quietly Gabe wasn’t sure Matt heard her.

  Matt nodded and pulled up a picture on his phone. “Dinky just sent this over as we wait for the coroner.”

  Sloane reached out for the phone and looked at the picture of the drug still in Shannon’s hand. “You have to warn everyone. My parents are making White Lace again, only the batch isn’t good. They still haven’t found the correct recipe. Was Shannon using heroin?”

  Addison shook her head. “I don’t think so. She’s been in a real good mood every time I’ve seen her, except she’s been battling a runny nose. But it’s Kentucky, and we have allergies.”

  “Yeah,” a visibly shaken Nikki said. “She even lost a bunch of weight and was ready to get back into the dating scene after her last breakup.”

  Sloane shook her head and Gabe laced his fingers through hers for support. “Those are signs of heroin use. Euphoria, weight loss, runny nose . . . did she have a really bad temper, too? Maybe after she was with you for an extended time?”

  Nikki slowly nodded. “Just recently. We did an all-day charity event, and she snapped at me. I told her to
get something to eat because she was being a bitch. Twenty minutes later, she came back happy as can be. I had no idea.”

  “Tell the coroner not to touch it. Even with rubber gloves. And make sure Dinky stays clear of it, too,” Sloane told Matt who hurried from the room with his phone to his ear. “You have to call everyone. If my mom is selling this here, it can kill every single person it touches.”

  “Why would someone do this?” Dani asked, her eyes wide with fear.

  “They want the next big high. They’re addicted to the high. The danger of the drug either never crosses their mind or just enhances the high with the mix of fear, just like playing Russian roulette,” Sloane answered as Annie walked out of the room with her phone to her ear as she asked to talk to the agent in charge at the DEA.

  “Will Narcan work to save someone from overdosing?” Piper asked about the opioid-overdose lifesaving drug.

  Sloane shook her head. “It’s something in the Lace that makes naloxone-based drugs like Narcan useless. If it were just the other drugs in play, then there would be a chance. But Lace is so powerful, and the chemical makeup makes it impossible to be treated.”

  “Piper”—Gabe got her attention as she was lost in thought—“can you use your lab to find something to help?”

  “Lab?” Sloane asked.

  “Yeah,” Piper said, snapping her fingers. “I run a nanotechnology lab and there’s been some study on nanodetoxification. Matt, I need that drug that Shannon took,” Piper called out as she ran after Matt.

  A phone rang and Code Gray, the deputy sheriff, looked at his. “We have another overdose in Keeneston, and there have been ten more reported in Lexington.”

  “This is all my fault,” Sloane said with tears in her eyes.

  Gabe took her hands in his and squeezed them, willing his body heat to warm her. “You protected people for nine years as they worked to redevelop Lace. You know your mother. How do you want to handle this? I can fly you anywhere in the world right now.”