The meeting is being held in a conference room at a hotel owned by one of our members. It's a secure location where we don't have to worry about people listening in or cameras watching us.
There's a guard at the door of the conference room. At first he refuses to let me in because he wasn't given my name as an attendee. I show him the note from William and he lets me through.
When I enter the room, Phillip is talking but he stops when he sees me, the color draining from his face.
"Pearce? What are you doing here?" He can't hide the sheer panic in his voice. It just confirms that this involves me somehow.
"William asked me to attend," I say casually as I take the seat across from him.
"You can't—you can't just show up." He's flustered, scrambling to hide whatever papers he had in front of him. He stuffs them in a folder.
"As I said, William asked me to be here." I slide the note across the table to him. "He's feeling much better by the way."
"Did they find out what's wrong with him?" the man next to me asks. It's Ken, an older man I've known for years. He doesn't seem the least bit concerned that I'm here. Actually, no one here does except for Phillip, which tells me that the rest of the committee isn't aware of whatever Phillip is planning.
"Not yet," I say to Ken. "But I'm sure they will soon enough."
"You need to leave," Phillip says.
"I'm not leaving. The rules dictate that I follow the orders of someone at a higher ranking. I'm simply doing as I'm told."
"Since when have you ever followed orders?" he spits out.
I let out a laugh. "True. But today I'm being obedient. Doing as I'm told." I check my watch. "We should get started. I'm sure these gentlemen would like to get on with their day."
Phillip points to the door. "Get out."
"You can't order me to leave."
"I'm running this meeting and I choose who will be here."
"And face punishment for going against the wishes of an upper level member?"
"He's on a leave of absence. His orders are meaningless!" Phillip's face is becoming red.
"That's incorrect," Ken says. "The rules state that William's orders still stand despite his leave of absence."
"Then fuck the rules!" Phillip shouts.
All the men in the room look at Phillip, appalled at both his language and his disrespect of the rules.
"Maybe you should excuse yourself, Phillip," a man at the end of the table says, "until you're better able to control your temper."
Phillip straightens up and takes a deep breath. "Forgive me for acting out. I just wasn't prepared to have an unexpected guest at our meeting today. So no one else objects to him being here?"
The men give no response.
"Very well." Phillip opens his folder. "Continuing where we left off, we are now in the second stage of the interviews. I've met with both of our candidates and both have signed the contracts. At this point, they know too much to go back to their regular lives. They'll either become members or we'll be forced to resort to measures that will ensure they keep quiet."
"Wait," I say stopping him. "You're saying these men have signed the contract without knowing if they've been accepted for membership?"
"That's how it works now, Pearce," Phillip says, a smug grin on his face. "Things have changed since you were in charge."
"And you've shared this with the other members?" I ask.
"Not yet," Ken says. "It's a new rule. Phillip's suggestion."
"And you all went along with it?" I ask, looking at the other men.
Their eyes go to the table, avoiding my gaze.
"So you have no concern that an innocent man could be killed if you decide he's not worthy of membership? Even when that man was not given all the information?"
"They know it's a risk," one of the men says. "We don't have to come out and say it. They were told the consequences would be severe if they aren't accepted and they tell someone we exist."
"So if they keep quiet, they won't be harmed," I confirm, because that was the rule when I was in charge of this committee.
"We can't take that risk," Phillip says.
I meet his cold dark eyes across the table. "Meaning you'll kill them if we don't approve them for membership."
He glances away from me. "Moving on, the first candidate is an attorney from Miami. If you'll remember from our previous discussions, his father owns a multibillion dollar real estate investment firm that..." He continues describing the man, recapping pertinent details.
Both candidates have already been presented to the group, but only on paper, not in person. The committee has approved them based on their backgrounds, their psychological profiles, and what they can offer us. Early in the selection process, there's an in-person meeting with a candidate but only with one committee member, which in this case would have been Phillip since he heads the committee.
When Phillip is done speaking, the first candidate is brought into the room. He's a man in his forties, wearing a tailored suit and very expensive watch. Even without knowing his background, you can tell he comes from money by the way he speaks and the manner in which he conducts himself. His words are crafted, his smile is fake, and his face hides any emotion that might be a detriment to him.
He's a perfect fit for us. Everyone agrees, and when he leaves the room, we take a quick vote and approve him to move on to the next stage in the process.
"Now for our second candidate." Phillip pauses and blows out a breath through pursed lips. He grips the pen he's holding so tight that his knuckles turn white.
"Is there a problem, Phillip?" I ask.
He looks at the other men. "I would like to propose that we postpone the next interview until another day. The meeting is already running long and I'm sure you would all like to—"
"Just finish up!" a man barks from the other end of the table. "I'm not showing up here again next week. Hurry up and bring him in."
The other men agree.
"Fine," Phillip says through gritted teeth. He opens his folder again. "Our next candidate is a man from Los Angeles. He works in the music industry. If you'll recall from our last meeting, we enticed him to join by giving him an executive level position at his company. He is now..."
I'm unable to comprehend the rest of what he's saying as I realize who Phillip is talking about. A sick feeling crawls through me, eating away at me, guilt consuming me.
How did I not see this? How did I not know? How could this happen right in front of me? Why didn't I put the pieces together?
This whole time, I thought this had to do with me. Or Garret. Or Rachel. At one point, I even thought it might involve Jade. But instead, it's about the one person I hadn't even considered.
"Let him in." Phillip speaks the words into his phone.
I turn back to the door and there he is. Our next candidate slated for membership.
Dean Ashford. Reed's father.
Chapter Fifteen
Garret
"I seriously can't believe this," I say, sinking back into the couch.
"I know," my dad says, his voice faint, regretful. His face is covered in guilt, his body slumped in the chair, exhausted, lifeless. He hasn't slept since he found this out. That was two days ago.
My mom reaches over and puts her hand on his arm. "Pearce, you can't keep blaming yourself for this."
His head shoots up, his body stiffening. "Who ELSE is to blame?" he yells. "This is MY fault, Rachel! I should've paid attention! I should've known! The signs were all there and I didn't see them!"
"Dad," I say. "Don't yell at her."
He nods. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. I'm so tired right now I don't even know what I'm doing."
She rubs his hand. "You need to sleep. At least for a few hours."
He shakes his head. "I can't. Not until I find a solution."
"You're not going to find one when you're this tired."
"If I went to bed, I'd just lie there. I wouldn't be able to sleep. I need to figure
out what to do. What to tell Lilly. Decisions need to made. There's no time to sleep."
My mom looks over at me for help on how to deal with my dad. I agree he needs to sleep but I also think he's right in that we have to make at least a few decisions before Lilly gets home.
We couldn't talk about this with her around, so Jade took Lilly and the kids to Harper's house, which is only about ten minutes away from my parents' house. They've been there all afternoon and had dinner there and had planned to come back at seven but I texted Jade and told her to stay over there longer. We need more time.
My dad flew back this morning and got here just after noon. Yesterday, he spent all day talking with William, trying to come up with a way to stop this but they couldn't come up with a solution.
"Okay." I stand up because standing and moving around helps me think. "Let's go over this again."
"Honey, we already—"
"Mom," I say interrupting her. "I just need to hear it one more time. We can't make decisions until we know exactly what happened." I turn to my dad. "Tell us again what happened after Dean walked in."
He sighs, his eyes on the floor. "He came into the room and sat right next to me, across from Phillip. He didn't notice me there. He avoided looking at any of us at first. He was too nervous. Too scared."
"So he doesn't want this," I confirm. "He doesn't want to be a member."
"I don't want to make that assumption. Although his body language indicated he was reluctant to join, his words didn't match. Never once did he ask if he could back out of this. Instead, he proceeded to tell us why he would make a good member. He said he's committed to our goals and looking forward to helping us achieve them."
"Those were his exact words?" I ask.
"Yes."
"Someone made him say that. There's no way he'd come up with that himself. It sounds scripted, like Phillip wrote it for him."
"Regardless, those were the words he used and he sounded sincere when he said them. This is a man who doesn't know how to fool people the way the rest of us do. I truly believe that part of him thinks this will be good. That the perks will outweigh the downsides."
"But he doesn't even know what those are yet. Isn't that what William said?"
"For the most part, yes. At this point, the candidates know very little about us. They're enticed with money and, in Dean's case, money and a job promotion. But they're given very little information about the organization and what they do. It was different when I was running the committee. Back then, we only considered outsiders who already knew about us, such as Kiefer. But now, they're bringing in people who didn't know we existed, so I understand why the members are being extra cautious. The problem is that the candidates don't find out these things until it's too late."
"Okay, back up," I say, pacing the floor. "Go back to the meeting. When did Dean notice you there?"
"Soon after he sat down. Phillip welcomed him, then told him to introduce himself and say a few words. As Dean spoke, he looked to his left and his eyes circled the table until they landed on me. When he saw me, he almost fell out of his chair. He quickly righted himself, then asked what I was doing there. At this stage, the candidates aren't allowed to know our names so when he said mine, the other men became alarmed, but then calmed down when Phillip suggested that Dean had probably seen me on TV."
"So Phillip acted like he knew nothing about Dean's connection to Lilly."
"Yes, he pretended to be shocked when Dean said that he knew me, whereas the other members truly were shocked."
"You're sure Phillip was the only one who knew?"
"You can never be sure of anything when it comes to them, but I assessed their initial reaction and body language, and based on that, I'd say that Phillip was the only one in on this."
"But he never admitted it," I confirm.
"No. We spoke after the meeting and Phillip laughed in my face, telling me it was all a coincidence. That there was no possible way he would know that Dean's son is dating Lilly."
"And when you asked him about Katherine, he said she knew nothing about it. That she had no involvement."
"Yes, but that's not surprising. I knew he wouldn't admit to that."
"And you're sure that Dean becoming a member automatically makes Reed a member? William confirmed it?"
"Yes. But the rule states that Reed can only be a member if Dean requests it, which he did. Reed's name was added to the contract that Dean signed so if Dean is approved for membership, Reed will be as well. Phillip made that clear in the meeting, and when he said it, he looked directly at me, a smirk on his face, as if he'd won. As if he'd outwitted me." My dad gets up and walks to the window, pinching the bridge of his nose. "How could I let this happen? How could I not know?"
"So you haven't talked to Dean since the meeting?" I ask.
"No. He left after the interview was done and I didn't see him again. I assume they flew him home."
"But after he left, you told the others who he was."
"I did, but not in an appropriate manner. My anger got the best of me and I raised my voice and accused Phillip of setting this up in an effort to get Lilly to marry a member, thus making her part of the organization. I shouldn't have said it. I gave too much away."
"They would've figured it out," my mom says, "even if you hadn't spelled it out for them. And they needed to know. They needed to know that Phillip was deceiving them."
"It won't make a difference. Everyone there is deceitful. It's a trait that's considered appealing. A strength. They won't fault Phillip for that. And I'm sure at least half of them agree with him. They want Lilly to be part of it. The Kensingtons are founding members. We were there in the beginning, back when the group was created, and now I'm the only remaining member from my family. If they can't have Garret, they'll take Lilly."
"They can't have her if she never marries Reed," I point out.
"She loves him," my mom says. "She won't break up with him."
"She doesn't have a choice," my dad says. "I'm not letting them take Lilly. Her relationship with Reed is going to end whether she likes it or not."
This is just like when Jade and I were dating. My dad trying to break us apart? Now it's happening all over again with Lilly and Reed. And just like when it happened to me, Lilly won't understand why.
"Dad, you have to tell her the truth. Otherwise she'll just try harder to be with him. It'll be like me and Jade all over again."
"I don't want her to know. It'll change her. Make her see the world a different way. It'll make her see ME a different way. I don't want my little girl knowing what I've done. It was bad enough that you found out. I wish you'd never known."
"Pearce." My mom goes over to him. "Lilly will understand. She loves you. She won't judge you."
"Of course she will. How could she not? I'm not the person she thought I was."
"You said the same thing about me finding out. But I was able to look past it. Because I know you, Pearce, and I know you would never do those things unless you were forced to." She squeezes his hand. "Lilly will understand. Just like I did."
"I don't want her to know. She doesn't need to."
"If you don't tell her," I say, "she'll keep dating Reed, just like I kept dating Jade. Lilly will be at college in a month and she'll date Reed behind your back. You won't be able to stop her."
"Then she'll go to a different college. One far away from Reed."
"Pearce, that's not the answer," my mom says. "We have to find a different solution."
"There IS no other solution!" He hears himself yelling again and lowers his voice. "This isn't up for discussion. Lilly is no longer allowed to see Reed. It's as simple as that. I don't care if she hates me. I am NOT letting her be part of it. And the only way to stop it is to get her away from that boy." He's breathing hard, his anger ready to explode. "I need a moment." He storms past us and goes outside to the patio. Mom and I watch as he slams his fist on the table, then collapses into the chair, holding his head in his hands.
>
My mom goes to follow him but I stop her, holding her arm.
"Mom, don't. Let him have some time to himself. He needs to calm down. He'll come back when he's ready." I bring her over to the couch to sit down.
"Do you think your father is right?" she asks. "Is the only solution for Lilly to stop seeing Reed?"
"It's the obvious solution, but that doesn't mean it's the only one. But right now, I can't come up with anything else."
"Maybe they won't approve Dean's membership. Maybe they'll vote against it when he's presented to the other members."
"I don't think that'll happen. They've done a lot of work to get to this point and the committee won't want to start from scratch with someone new. If for some reason he wasn't approved, then yeah, Reed would be free but that would also mean..." I decide to not finish that thought. I assumed my dad told her what would happen, but from the confusion on her face, he must've left that part out.
"It would also mean what?" she asks.
I look at her, not wanting to say it.
She sighs. "They'll kill him. They'll kill Dean."
I nod. "Dad said it's a new rule but honestly, it's always been an option. When Kiefer told them he didn't want to join, they would've killed him if he'd had nothing to offer them. Luckily they needed his skills so his life was spared but they took away his career and family as punishment. As far as I know, Dean doesn't have much to offer. Yeah, they could use him as a connection into Hollywood and the L.A. society scene but they already have people for that. He's not critical to their plans. They don't need to keep him around."
She glances down at her hands, which are resting in her lap. "I thought William had changed things. Grace always tells me things are better there now. That they're not like they used to be."
"Better for them still isn't what we'd consider good. As far as I know, they're still controlling key political positions and they still get rid of people who stand in their way."
Her eyes go to mine. "Then I'm agreeing with your father. Lilly can't be part of this. She needs to end her relationship with Reed."
"She'll only do that if he tells her the truth. And even then, she still may not agree to it. When you're in love, you'll do anything to be with the person. It clouds your judgment."
Lilly and Reed: A Kensington Family Novel Page 15
