Earthshaker

Chapter 8

Chapter 8The masked man led us to a bedroom with the same video panel walls as the ballroom. Most of the room was taken up by a huge four-poster bed with pink satin sheets and a mountain range of pillows.

"Enjoy your private...conversation." The masked man backed toward the open door. "Call out if you need me. I answer to 'Holloway.'"

When the door closed, we turned to Phaola. She looked nervous and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Alone at last." Duke's expression turned grim. "Hello, Phaola."

"Hi." She pointed at me and Briar. "Are those two going to watch?"

"Actually," said Duke, "they're going to do the heavy lifting."

"Okay." Phaola met my gaze. "So lift."

I looked around the room, fully aware the place was bugged...not because I sensed it, but because it had to be. I imagined rows of cameras and microphones lined up behind the video screen walls; a panoramic aerial vista of a rain forest played on the panels around us as the hidden equipment recorded our every word and move.

Better to minimize our exposure at the risk of making Phaola uncomfortable. Sitting beside her on the bed, I leaned close and whispered in her ear. "Good to see you again, Phaola." I dropped my hand on her knee for the benefit of the cameras. "How've you been?"

"Fine," whispered Phaola. "What do you want, Gaia?"

"What's happening here?" I said. "What's going on with Divinities?"

Phaola shrugged. "It's self-explanatory, isn't it?"

Briar joined us then, sitting on the other side of her. "What's Groundswell?" he whispered. "Holloway said it's some kind of charity...?"

"It's a lot more than that," said Phaola. "It's going to change everything. With the money we make here, we're helping to change the world."

"So you're working here of your own free will?" I was stunned. Especially if all two dozen women shared the same mindset.

"We're doing our part." Phaola's eyes narrowed. "Not all of us are happy with the way of the world these days."

I frowned. Had the feeling I was brushing up against something new for the first time. "What do you mean exactly?"

"Man versus nature." Phaola shot Briar a pointed glare. "We're tired of staying on the sidelines."

"How does this..." I patted the bed. "...accomplish anything?"

"Divinities does the fundraising," said Phaola. "Our special abilities command a fortune in the bedroom setting."

"A fortune for Groundswell," said Briar.

"It's an investment," said Phaola. "It'll pay off down the line, believe me. We'll get our rightful place at the table."

"Unless Holloway's feeding you a line of s**t," said Briar, "and using you to line his own pockets."

Phaola ignored him. She stayed focused on me, c*****g her head and raising her eyebrows. "You ought to get involved, Gaia. Get in on the ground floor. You could be one of the best of us."

I felt a surge of anger. Squeezed her knee a little too hard, and she winced. "Like Aegle?" I had to fight to keep my voice to a whisper. "You want me to follow in her footsteps?"

Phaola blinked. I'd taken some of the wind out of her sails, I could tell. "You know Aegle?"

I squeezed her knee harder and leaned closer. Made sure she couldn't miss the dead seriousness in my eyes. "Where is she, Phaola? Where's Aegle right now?"

Phaola shrugged. "You'll have to ask Holloway. He handles the new recruits."

"I'll bet he does," said Briar.

"Where do you think she might be?" I leaned in so close, we were nose to nose. No room for misunderstanding. Give the cameras a whiff of s****l tension.

Phaola looked shaken, then offended, then shaken again. I think she realized how far I'd go to get what I wanted. "Aegle might be in Time-Out." Her voice at this point was so low, I could barely hear it. "There's been some...friction."

"What kind of friction?" It took everything I had not to grab her by the throat and choke the answers out of her.

"She seemed like a true believer," said Phaola. "But she started asking questions. Turns out she was doing an exposé for the TV station."

Finally, Aggie's involvement made sense. I couldn't believe she'd hook up with a s*x ring because she'd needed money or fallen for a cause like Groundswell. She wasn't the type to be coerced or suckered by a guy, either. Tough chick.

But this, I could buy. She'd been talking for a while about working with the news team at her station on a hard news project. This must have been it, a perfect assignment considering she was a nymph. So what had gone wrong? "How'd you find out about the exposé?"

"The questions made everyone suspicious," said Phaola, "but what really blew her cover was her training. She wouldn't go through with it, if you know what I mean. After that, I didn't see her around anymore."

"When did you see her last?" said Briar.

"Yesterday afternoon." Phaola looked away. Maybe there was a hint of remorse in her eyes. "I had other things on my mind."

The feeling of dread I'd had from the start was stronger than ever. I knew exactly how this was going to play out. But what else could I do? Ask a question, follow directions, see it with my own two eyes. "Where's Time-Out?"