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She looks at the cameras for a moment, as if she knows I'm watching her, and enters the VIP room with the bodyguard, where an old acquaintance of mine, Thornton Joseph, is waiting for her.
Thorn is an aspirant for an important political post, and as far as I understand, he is the number one rival of Brandon, Kristine's ex-husband. Seeing them speak to each other, I realize that Thorn may have recognized Kristine as Prescott's ex-wife.
I watch them, trying to decipher the conversation, when I notice the tension on Kristine's shoulders. She brings her hand to her cleavage, smiling, and suddenly stops.
Her fingers begin to tremble, and she stands up. She looks overwhelmed and self-conscious at the same time.
Something's up.
“Clark, take my spot. I'll be back.” I leave the camera room and head down the private hallway to the VIP room.
I walk through my own private room and into the one where Kristine and Thorn are standing, causing Thorn to look at me with a raised eyebrow.
“Ethan, I didn't expect to see you around. You hate participating in these kinds of events.” Thorn stands and extends a hand.
“I've decided to make an exception tonight,” I respond, taking his hand and observing Kristine's nervousness.
Thorn notices the way I look at her. “Oh, maybe I should introduce you two. Kristine Prescott, this is...”
“I know him,” Kristine states, giving me a strained smile.
She comes to my side, and one of her arms clings to mine. I look into her eyes, trying to read her beautiful mind. But it's pointless and I need to get to the bottom of whatever's going on with her.
“I need to talk with you, alone, please,” she whispers.
Thorn seems to recognize the relationship between us. “Wow, this is a surprise. But I'm happy for you guys. I always said you were too much for Brandon,” Thorn states with a smile, turning to Kristine.
“You weren't wrong about that,” she jokes emotionlessly, and I stay composed as best I can.
“Thorn, have a good time tonight. We look forward to hosting a fundraiser for you during your next term. For now, Kristine and I need to head out.”
“Sure, sure. I'll hold you to it. Take care, old friend,” Thorn says goodbye as Kristine and I step away.
I lead her into my private room. “Kristine, tell me what's going on.”
She plops down on the couch, and bursts into tears. “Oh, Ethan, I'm so sorry!”
“Kristine, please! Tell me what's wrong.” I rush over and grab her hands.
She again takes a hand to her cleavage. Still trembling, she pulls a small white packet out from between her breasts and drops it in my hand.
“What are you doing with this?” I mumble through gritted teeth, recognizing a very powerful drug that dissolves in liquids. It's tasteless, odorless, and colorless, yet packs a mean punch.Too much can put a person into a coma-like state with no recollection of what happened.
Kristine sniffles. “Dexter Whitmore gave it to me.”
“Dexter? Why?”
She wipes her tears with the back of her hand. “Ethan, I'm so sorry...”
“Kristine.” I grab her by the cheeks and make her look at me. “I need you to explain what's going on.Now.”
“Brandon took Asher,” she admits, her tears now cascading faster down her cheeks. “He beat me to the airport today. I don't know how he knew I was going to get Asher, but... when I arrived, my little boy was gone.”
“Where does he have him?” I ask, but she shakes her head.
“I don't know. Legally, we have joint custody, so I can't go to the police and report him. He won't tell me where he has my son. He won't even let me talk to him.” She bursts into tears again, and I try to calm her down.
“And what does Dexter have to do with all this?”
