AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Maybe, yeah. Like Camila said, the Network is filled with powerful men. So it makes sense that people would be scared to cross them, even if they’re aware of what’s going on withthem.”
Hunter scrubbed a hand over his face. “Jesus,” he muttered. “Makes you wonder how deep it all goes, doesn’tit?”
“Yeah. Anyway…” I paused and flipped back to Vera Everett’s page. “What do you think this means?” I asked, pointing to the red line through hername.
Hunter frowned and traced his finger down to the financial section in her dossier. “Hardly any money was spent on her,” he said. “I guess it means sheleft.”
“Or shedied.”
He nodded, face arranged in a grim expression. “I wonder if she’s the girl from that oldstory.”
“You mean the story about the body some students apparently found at RFA in the nineties?” Iasked.
“Yup. It’s around the right year,” he said. “And all the rumors say she was a Medusa girl. Maybe she didn’t like what was happening in the society and she tried toleave.”
“And then they disposed of her so she couldn’t tell anyone what she knew,” I murmured, fingers twisting in mylap.
“I guess we don’t know for sure,” Hunter said, squeezing my arm again. “Maybe she died in a car accident, or something like that. Or maybe they let her go, as long as she signed an ironclad non-disclosureagreement.”
I nodded slowly. “Yeah.Maybe.”
“Go back to the first section,” he said, leaning his head closer. “I want to look at those letters and numbersagain.”
I did as he said and flipped back to the start. Hunter ran his finger across the top of the first page and tapped on the firstcolumn.
“This looks like it indicates the year,” he said. “The first ten say 1985, and then it goes on fromthere.”
“If they’re years, then the letters in the next column could be names,” I said, following his lead. “So this third one on the list—CRC. Could that be yourdad?”
He nodded. “His middle name is Robert, so yeah, it could behim.”
“What about the symbol?” I asked, glancing at the third column. His father’s row had an intricately-drawn Tudor rose init.
“I don’t know. I guess it could just be—” He stopped midsentence, brows rising. “Actually, Idoknow what itis.”
“What?”
He held up his right hand. “You know how I have this signet ring?” he said, nodding toward his ringfinger.
“Yes.”
I used to think his ring might be some sort of Prince-related thing, but now I knew that it was just an RFA sports clubring.
“My dad has a silver signet ring that he wears all the time. I always thought it was like mine—something from school or college. So I never paid much attention to it,” he said. “But I know it has an engraving on it, and I’m pretty sure it’sthat.” He pointed back at the Tudor rosesymbol.
“So this first part of the book could be a record of the Network members,” I said excitedly. “And each of them has a different symbol assigned to them for somereason.”
He nodded in agreement. “Judging by the first year on the list, it looks like they started the society in 1985 at RFU, with my dad as one of the foundingmembers.”
“He would’ve only been twenty-one or twenty-two at the time,” I said, shaking my head. “That’scrazy.”
Hunter’s jaw clenched. “Iknow.”
I looked at the fourth column in the book. “What do you think this string of numbers is?” I asked. “It’s way too long to be ayear.”
“Phone number, maybe?” Hunter suggested. “The one in my dad’s row is definitely not his number, but I’m guessing they all have burnerphones.”
“So this isn’t just a record book for the society. It’s also a way for the girls to contact the men if they needto.”
