Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

Shine Buchanan hated everything about her life. Every morning she was forced to go about a routine that would hide what she was because of the embarrassment and political destruction it would cause her father if revealed. She was taught to be ashamed of herself, and she had grown up determined to make him proud. So she accepted the shots that the nurse gave her, though she'd had no idea what was in them until recently, and she wore uncomfortable contact lenses that made her eyes a bright blue. She stood in front of groups of people on a regular basis wearing expensive suits with her hair perfectly styled and proclaimed the need to keep the populations safe, and separate. Most importantly, separate.

All the while she knew everything about herself was a lie. A lie that could destroy what her father had built for them. At least that's what he wanted her to believe; that everything he did was for her as much as him. She had come to doubt that more and more lately. She had begun to rethink the narrative he'd fed her, the narrative that she had been regurgitating in interviews since she was sixteen. Talking of things she had no experience with. She was a fool, and she was certain that ninety percent of the world saw her as such.

She'd never even met a halfling, let alone spent time with orphans. No halflings were allowed in DC and she wasn't allowed out. She looked down at her hand, she had no implant which meant she didn't even technically exist, and yet, she was one of the most well-known faces in the States, perhaps the world. She couldn't walk out of her house without security and a female companion. She was never alone in her home, and she didn't leave her room until Nurse Reagan told her she was ready.

"Good evening, love, ready for your vitamins?" Nurse Reagan walked in with a tray right on time. On it was a needle full of a red liquid and a glass of orange juice, always the same.

"Yes," Shine said with a sigh and turned from her desk where she'd been reading letters from supporters. All of them had been prescreened of course. Her father and his advisors saw everything before she did.

It kept her safe. Or so he had always said.

She lived in a perfectly curated life, the only thing her father couldn't control was her thoughts, and lately they'd begun to wander into dangerous territory.

Shine closed her eyes as the nurse jabbed the needle into her upper arm. The red liquid flowed into her, and she felt a deep relief.

"It's still sunny out there, so make sure you stay in the shade if you go out to the gardens this evening," Nurse Reagan said as she pulled the needle back and handed Shine her orange juice.

"Yes, Nurse," Shine said with a sigh, gazing down at her pale skin. She'd been blessed with a complexion that hated the sun, just another thing she kept to herself. It made other people uncomfortable to know her differences, at least that's what her father had always told her. She needed to represent the kind of woman that everyone else should strive to be. A fullsoul with a long life ahead of her, hopefully with her soulmate and lots of little fullsoul children.

There was a knock at the door, and she turned to see one of the maids standing with red cheeks and a smile. "Ma'am, your meeting is early."

"Meeting?" Nurse Reagan said with surprise and irritation. "I wasn't aware of a meeting."

"Oh, yes, some activists from the west coast wanted a quick interview about the orphanage efforts that Daddy put me in charge of over there," Shine said dismissively. It was the usual stuff she dealt with on a daily basis, no reason for Nurse Reagan to think anything of it.

"You really shouldn't be around anyone for the next hour, let the vitamins do their job," Nurse Reagan insisted. She gave a sharp look to the maid who was still standing in the doorway. "If I had known, I could have given it earlier."

She'd been dealing with the same thing all of her life, twenty years of three-times-a-day shots of vitamins followed by an hour of relaxation. All watched over and administered by Nurse Reagan. She had been born with a condition they said, and these shots kept her from going into seizures. She'd never experienced one, so she supposed it worked. The defect had been discovered as soon as she was born apparently, only once had she had the seizure and since then she'd been healthy and her father took great care of her. But if anyone knew that a fullsoul could have such a severe health issue, they would revolt against all the good that was being done in the country to keep people safe and healthy. Her mother had died at Shine's birth, perhaps she'd had the same condition? Her father would never say. The pictures of Shine's mother had showed a beautiful woman full of life and committed to the same political path as her father. Her mother wasn't pale and there'd been pictures of her on beaches so Shine knew her mother hadn't had the same condition. Her mother had been perfect, or so it would seem.

Shine had wanted to be just like her mother and had taken up the reins of the orphan plight as soon as she'd been old enough to stand in front of a camera and speak intelligently. She'd never thought to question anything her father or Nurse Reagan told her, until recently.

Nurse Reagan had been there at her birth, had witnessed the seizure and been by her side ever since, injecting her. Shine trusted the woman with her health, but she was a bit bossy about her personal life and Shine knew the woman was loyal to her father, not to her. No one was loyal to Shine.

"Tell them I'll be there shortly, Anne, and offer them some tea while they wait. I'll be fine in a minute, I'm sure. Always am," she muttered to herself.

"Yes, Ma'am," the maid said and turned quickly to do as she was bid.

"I don't think—" Nurse Reagan started.

"I'm twenty years old. Let me take a little responsibility for myself," Shine snapped and stood to change out of the casual clothes she'd been in.

Nurse Reagan pursed her lips but didn't argue, just watched with narrowed eyes as Shine moved about the room and got ready for the meeting. Shine knew that if she gave any indication that she wasn't fine, she'd find herself strapped down to her bed for the next few hours and probably getting an extra shot too. Her head was a little light, she had to admit, but she wasn't going to back down. She kept a stiff back and chin up as she dressed in slacks and a sweater, then pulled her blonde hair up into a ponytail. She added pearl earrings and decided she looked perfectly pristine and proper. No one would guess at the trouble with her health.

"Be careful," Nurse Reagan griped at her as she left the bedroom and headed down the stairs.

Shine didn't answer, she was always careful, because if she wasn't, she was contained for her own good. Her irritation was high as she walked into the room where the men were waiting, but she forgot all of it when she saw what was waiting for her.

The men sitting in front of her mother's antique tea service made her gasp. They were huge, and dangerous looking despite their suits and polished shoes. She knew now why Anne had been blushing when she'd announced their arrival. Shine's own cheeks heated as her eyes perused the two. They didn't get men like this in the house, her father would never allow it.

She eyed them with suspicion. She knew they weren't here just to talk about orphanages. She wasn't an idiot. She never met with new people without a quick background check, and they had to scan in to even get an appointment with her. She'd seen it all immediately but of course she hadn't alerted her security; too curious to meet them in person and see what they might really be here for. It was no secret that Lark Duport, the man who's plane they arrived in, supported the orphanages in LA, but it certainly wasn't his main focus. Which meant these men were searchers as well and they worked with the best in the country. What they wanted with her, she wasn't sure, but she was willing to bet it didn't have anything to do with the orphanages.

"Good evening, gentlemen," Shine said, gaining their attention.

They both stood, setting their teacups down gently.

"Ms. Buchanan," the blond one said, reaching out a hand. "I'm Stone and this is my colleague, Granger."

Stone was blond and beautiful, reminding her of a surfer. His skin was dark from the sun, and she was jealous of his ability to enjoy it. Granger had long dark hair and his looks made her think he must have Native American heritage. Tattoos showed on his neck and hands, and she wondered what was hiding under his suit. Her mouth watered a bit at the thought. Both men had bright eyes indicating their fullsoul status and by their muscular builds, she would guess they had fought for that. Definitely not the usual type of guest she saw here. They were likely orphans themselves; it could explain why they had an interest in them. Though she didn't believe for a second that was why they were really here.

"A pleasure," she said, shaking each man's hand then retreating to a chair. Once she was sitting, they both retook their seats. Perfect gentlemen. "You wanted to discuss orphanages?" she said with a raised eyebrow. She wouldn't call them liars, at least not yet.

"Yes, we hear that the ones on the east coast are run smoothly, and we hoped to gain some insight to take back to the west," Stone said, apparently the spokesman while Granger eyed her with a curious intensity.

Shine picked up a cup of tea and took a sip as she tried to decide how to approach this. After a moment she decided direct would get her more with these men. They weren't politicians, they'd value honesty and forthright conversation over verbal theatrics and trickery. "No," she said with a sigh.

"No?" Stone said with a laugh.

"That's not what you're here for," she said.

Stone sat back and smiled at her, it was a dazzling smile and almost distracted her from her determination. "No?"

"You arrived on a plane owned by Lark Duport."

Granger grunted and stiffened slightly. She kept him in her periphery but kept talking to Stone, he was obviously the one in charge here. He only raised an eyebrow in silent question, unperturbed by the revelation of her knowledge.

"What are two orphaned and fullsouled searchers doing asking for a meeting with me?" she pressed. "Does Lark Duport want political influence? I thought he did quite well, working below the surface to find his marks. No politician would interfere with that; they all want the same thing." She enjoyed the surprised looks on both men's faces as she rattled off her knowledge.

"You know a lot about us, but there's not anything in the system about you," Stone challenged, taking a sip from his cup of tea. It looked ridiculously small and delicate in his meaty hands. But he held it gently and set it down with barely a tink against the plate.

She laughed and bent her head, pulling out one contact lens. She sat up straight and was more than a little satisfied by the gasps from both men.

"Daddy's little secret," she said.

"Fuck," Granger hissed.

"I don't know why you're here, but I want to hire you," she said, putting the bright blue contact lens back in with practiced ease. If she let this opportunity slip by, she may never come across one again. Ready or not, she had to jump in with both feet here.

"We're currently on a case," Stone said.

"I can't get out; I have no chip and I have people watching me constantly. I want you to get me out, I want you to take me somewhere I can disappear."

Stone didn't give anything away with his expression, sitting calmly and sipping his tea. Granger was glaring at her, but he still didn't speak so she ignored him.

"Your father would be quite upset with us and there's record of our visit, we'd be first on his list of suspects."

"Not if he's in jail," she whispered into her cup as she took a sip.

"We're listening," Granger spoke for the first time, leaning forward.

She smiled. She had them. "He's been testing halflings," she whispered. "He brings them in from all over the world, has them breeding and he's taking the babies, seeing how much, if any, soul is in them and then killing them when he's done. I don't know what he's looking for, but whatever it is, he can't be right in how he's going about it and he needs to be stopped."

"Jesus," Stone hissed. "Where is he doing this?"

"He has a facility in Vegas."

"And you knew about it, spouting your drivel on television weekly and you knew this is what he was doing?" Granger hissed.

She stiffened, hating that it was exactly what everyone would think if she didn't do this. She met the dark and intimidating man's stare. "No, I swear I didn't. I just found out recently and I had no way of doing anything about it. I'm a prisoner here, don't you see. I can't leave without a chip. I'm never alone and… I have some medical needs. I couldn't do it on my own, but you're here. I know you two can help me. I know you guys care about the halfling community. Help me take one of its biggest predators down."

Shine could hardly breathe after the words were out but she kept her gaze locked on Granger's, watching as his eyes narrowed and he considered her words. She couldn't keep living this lie, didn't want to. If that meant her life was short because of lack of medicine, lack of care from Nurse Reagan well then fuck it. She couldn't go on letting horrible things happen to people under her nose.

She had always wanted her life to mean something, and until she knew better, she'd thought it did. Now she realized she was making meaning for the wrong side.

Granger finally shifted his gaze from her and met Stone's. They shared a look that Shine didn't understand, then Stone turned to her and nodded. "What is your plan?"

"I want to confront him, publicly, and then disappear. If I can reveal what he's been doing, there will have to be an investigation. While he's distracted, I can just, go away." She rubbed at her arm where she got three shots a day, uncomfortable with the decision even if it was right. "I don't want to be a pawn in his game any longer. It can't be what my life is meant for." Shine knew her voice was high and desperate but she didn't care, she was desperate. If these men walked out without her, she might never get another chance like this.

"He's got a campaign event scheduled for tomorrow night in Vegas," Granger said. "We can take you there, probably even get you in and then find you somewhere to hide when it's over."

"I can pay you," she assured them. "Just get me out of this city, get me there."

"We will get you to Vegas," Stone said.

She smiled and grabbed a cookie off the plate, excitement and nerves filling her body. She was really going to do this.