All You Desire (19 page)

“Did you do that?” Haven asked once they were out of Alex's earshot.

“Pardon me?” Adam said. He retrieved Haven's coat and helped her into it.

“Did you just arrange for me to meet Alex Harbridge?”

“Is that what you think?” Adam opened the mansion's front door for her. It had started to snow, and the scene outside was a blur. Frosted with snow, the trees of Gramercy Park formed a dense white net of branches and limbs. “Did you happen to look in the mirror before you left? That dress you're wearing is a masterpiece. You're very talented, Haven. Why would you need any help from me?”

“Thank you for saying so, Adam. But I want you to know—I'm only taking the job so I can afford to stay in New York while I search for Beau.”

“I understand,” Adam assured her. “This is a difficult time for you. But let something good come out of a horrible experience. Your friend wouldn't want you to throw away a diamond just because you found it in the mud. Would he?”

He wouldn't,
Haven thought as she hurried down the steps of the Ouroboros Society. In fact, she knew
exactly
how Beau would react if he ever got wind of Alex Harbridge's offer. She still remembered the morning she'd shown him her acceptance letter from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. Beau hadn't even paused to consider what it might mean for him—that his one and only friend would be moving a thousand miles away. Instead, he'd let out an ear-shattering victory whoop and carried Haven through their high school's halls on his shoulders, shouting out the good news to hundreds of kids who couldn't have cared any less.

But Beau's approval wasn't what mattered. His safety was Haven's only concern now. Still, she needed money to search for him—and a movie star's cash was as green as the next person's. It would be fine, Haven told herself. As long as the Oscars dress remained nothing more than a job.

 

EAGER TO GET to work, Haven took a detour on her way back to the hotel. At a drug store on Third Avenue she bought a drawing pad. It was the price of a day's worth of energy bars, but Haven decided to call it an investment. Outside, she stopped on the corner to sketch out some ideas. They were arriving too fast to get them all onto paper, and the snowflakes were causing the pages to warp. A rowdy group of teenagers ran past, shouting colorful insults at one another as they slid down the snow-dusted sidewalks. It looked like fun, Haven thought. She watched as a boy and a girl hung back from the rest and kissed in a shadow between the streetlights. Her inspiration deserted her, and Haven closed the drawing pad. As she made her way back to the hotel, she couldn't help feeling a bit sorry for herself.

When she reached the door of her room, Haven tucked the pad into her coat pocket while she fiddled with the lock. She took one step inside the room and froze. She was certain she'd left all the lights on, yet the room was dark. She checked the outside door handle and found the DO NOT DISTURB sign still dangling there. When she looked up, she spotted a figure sitting in the armchair by the window. The light from the hallway fell across a pair of men's shoes. Haven's hand shot toward the switch on the wall. It wasn't where she remembered it. As she groped in the darkness, the figure rose and made its way toward her. The man was only a few feet away when Haven's fingers made contact with the switch.

“Keep the lights off. The curtains are open, and someone might see us.”

“Iain!” Haven gasped.

“Shhh.” Iain pushed the door closed and pulled Haven into the room. When his lips found hers, the numbness Haven had felt melted in an instant, and her body began to burn. In Iain's arms, with the smell of his skin all around her, she was perfectly content. Nothing else mattered. She wouldn't risk losing the feeling for anything . . . except. A quick stab of panic made her shove him back.

“What are you doing here?” she asked Iain. “How did you get into the hotel?”

“I snuck in through the delivery entrance. I had to see you.”

“I
know
. I miss you too, Iain, but do you realize how dangerous this is? We can spend every minute together as soon as we find Beau. Besides, we both have another meeting with the Horae tomorrow. We could have seen each other then.”

“You're right. I promise I won't do it again. But I needed to let you know that I've come up with a plan. Mia told me Padma Singh is still alive, and I think I know where to find her.”

Haven briefly wondered if all the stress had sent Iain over the edge. “Why would you want to do
that
?” she asked.

“Because Padma is Adam's first huge mistake, that's why!” It had been a while since Haven had seen him so energized. Even when he was still, he seemed to be moving. “I have no idea why he let her live. Padma kept secret files on OS members back when she was president. She knows every terrible thing they've ever done. If Padma still has access to the files, she has enough evidence to send half the members to prison. It would destroy the OS!”

“But Padma doesn't want to destroy the OS,” Haven argued. “I saw her yesterday begging Adam to take her back.”

“Even better!” Iain exclaimed, clearly thrilled by the news. “If Padma saw you and Adam together, she probably lost all hope of ever being allowed back in the OS. She'll be even
more
likely to help me now!”

It made sense, Haven thought as she turned to face the windows. Outside, fat flakes of snow fell down from the heavens. Far below lay a white void where Gramercy Park had been just a few hours earlier. Still, one lonely soul was out for a walk.

“Just give me one week,” Iain said. “That's all I'm asking. Keep your distance from Adam for seven days while I try to find Padma. And if I fail, you can always go ahead with the Horae's original plan.”

“But what about Beau?” Haven asked.

“Mia's looking for him. The police are looking for him. And you can inhale as much of Phoebe's smoke as you want. No one's going to put Beau on hold. I'm only asking that you stay away from Adam.”

“I don't have any problem with
that
,” Haven assured him. “But I don't know how you're going to convince Phoebe to go along with all of this.”

“I'll talk to her at our meeting tomorrow, but why would she argue? If the Ouroboros Society is shut down, then that boarding school upstate will have to close. The kids Adam's recruited will be sent home to their parents, and we'll have enough time to come up with a better plan to get Adam into that vault.”

“I guess you've got everything figured out,” Haven said, trying to identify all the feelings that were clouding her thoughts. At least one of them was relief.

“Well, there is one little hitch,” Iain said.

“Oh no,” Haven sighed.

“It's nothing major. I'll just have to be out of touch for a while. Adam probably has people watching Padma. I'll be careful, but if I'm spotted, I don't want them finding a phone with your number on it.”

“You mean I'm not going to be able to talk to you for a whole week?” Haven moaned.

“Don't worry,” Iain said. “I'll try to find other ways to stay in touch.”

Haven felt her coat being unbuttoned and removed. The sketch pad in the pocket landed with a thump when Iain let the coat drop to the floor.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Alex Harbridge arrived at nine on the dot with two coffees and a bag filled with croissants. Dressed in jeans and a black turtleneck, her signature copper-colored hair pinned back with a simple barrette, she seemed like any other New York girl. But Haven knew most designers would have strangled their mothers for a meeting with the actress, and she'd gone to great lengths to make sure she was ready. After Iain had departed in the wee hours of the morning, Haven stayed up sketching dresses until her new book was completely full. Then, at seven, she had found herself pleading with a tailor at a nearby dry cleaner. At seven fifteen, he finally agreed to lend Haven his measuring tape in exchange for her very last twenty-dollar bill.

“They're all so gorgeous.” Alex sighed, paging through Haven's illustrations. “I don't know how you do it. I'll never be able to choose. I'm good at a lot of things, but dressing myself has never been one of them.”

“Would you like me to make a recommendation?” Haven asked nervously.

“I'd
love
it.” Alex sounded relieved.

“How about something like this?” Haven flipped to a page toward the back of the sketchbook. There she'd drawn a sophisticated anklelength dress with a jeweled neckline. “I didn't have my colored pencils with me, so you'll just have to imagine that the fabric's a shimmering green.”

“Am I going to look like a giant beetle?”

Haven laughed. “I'm shooting for butterfly.”

“Do you really think I could pull off a color like that?”

“With your hair? I think you'd look stunning,” Haven assured her.

“And what about my giant ass? Is there anything you can do to make it look smaller?”

Haven was beginning to like the girl. “You know, there's nothing wrong with the size of your butt. In the right dress it could be your biggest asset.”

“Oh, it'll be my biggest asset all right, if I don't stop eating these things.” Alex threw herself back on the couch and bit into her second croissant. Haven wondered how much Beau would have given to see Alex Harbridge with pastry crumbs all over her sweater. “If you knew how many hours I spend in the gym every day trying to work off the crap I stuff down my throat.”

“Why don't you stop working out for a while?” Haven asked. “You've been rich and famous since you were thirteen years old. Maybe you should take some time off to live a little.”

“That's what my mom always says. But I'll have plenty of time soon enough,” Alex said. “I don't plan on working this hard forever. But right now I make the front cover of half the magazines in the country every time I gain five pounds. I've been called everything from Princess Porky to America's Fattest Sweetheart. Not that I give a damn. I've been through all of this before. I know what it's like. But the problem is that no one will hire me if I'm too tubby. So until it's time to retire, I'll just have to keep dragging myself to the gym so I can keep doing what I love.”

“You've really done all this before?” Alex was such amusing company that Haven had almost forgotten she was a member of the Ouroboros Society—and she was far too important to be innocent.

“Oh yeah. I've been acting for seven lives now. This is my second time in Hollywood. A lot of people at the Society think I've come back for the fame, but they couldn't be more wrong. Fame sucks. You think I like having gross men with cameras follow me around all the time? I only put up with it all because I'm finally getting to be a good actress!”

“Were you someone famous your first time in Hollywood?”

Alex grinned sheepishly. “You could say that.”

“Who were you?”

“Maybe later. It freaks people out. Everyone used to laugh when I told them. No one ever believed me before I met Adam. Wait, that reminds me. I've been meaning to ask. How do
you
know Adam, anyway? I haven't seen you around the club before.”

“Oh, we've known each other forever,” Haven said, sticking uncomfortably close to the truth. “I can barely remember how we met. Do you know him well?”

“As well as anyone, I guess. You know how mysterious he is. I used to . . .” Alex bit her lip and blushed.

“What?” Haven prodded.

“I used to have a terrible crush on him. He's so good-looking, and he was so sweet to me when I was a kid. My parents thought I was totally nuts, but Adam took me in and made me feel special. He arranged for tutors and coaches. He even helped me get a nose job.”

“A nose job!”

“Believe me, I needed it. I would have been playing the homely sister or bitter best friend for the rest of my life without it. Anyway, that was years ago. I got over my little crush. I've heard he's got a girlfriend now, anyway. By the way, have you ever noticed . . .”

Haven raised an eyebrow, and Alex leaned in.

“Adam doesn't seem to age. I'm nineteen, and I look older than he does!”

A sudden chill made Haven shiver. “I have noticed.”

“So do you know?”

“Know what?”

“They say when you reach the highest level of the Society, you're told the big secret. I think the secret's about Adam.”

“You're not in the top level of the Society?” Haven asked. “You must be pretty high up there if you know Adam at all.”

“Yeah, but I still have one level to go. So do you know what the secret is?”

Haven laughed nervously. “I'm not even a member of the OS. But if I find out, you'll be the first person I tell. Why don't we go ahead and take your measurements?”

She pulled out her measuring tape and had Alex stand in front of the full-length mirror on the bathroom door.

“You're not a member of the Society, but you
are
one of us, aren't you?” Alex asked, staring at Haven's reflection in the mirror.

“One of us?” Haven measured the movie star's waist.

“An Eternal One. Someone who keeps coming back. How else could a person our age have a talent like yours?”

“Yes, I guess I am.”

“Are what?”

“An Eternal One.”

“Well, if you're ever interested in joining the club, I'd be happy to introduce you to a few people. Is there anyone at the OS you've been dying to meet?”