Page 51 of Between Desire and Denial

Esme had caught me though. I saw how her eyes widened immediately. “You know about the Diamond Syndicate, right, Olive?”

“Mm-hmm,” I said, but it was quite obvious from my tone that I did not.

“Olive,” she hissed, stumbling back, “how do you not know but your brother does? Oh my God. My dad is going to kill me.”

She tried to snatch the book she’d handed me back, but I wouldn’t let it go. “Stop. I won’t tell anyone,” I reassured her.

“Are you kidding?” Wildly, her eyes ping-ponged around the room while she combed her hands through her hair. “You need to leave.”

“Why? I’m supposedly a part of whatever secret society this is.”

“We’re never supposed to talk about it unless it’s with each other. I thought that your mother would have…This is bad.”

“How do you know and I don’t? Why was this kept from me? And… you said Zen knows? She hasn’t even lived here her whole life.”

“She’s from a different community where the Diamond Syndicate is also based.” Esme waved me off as she took deep breaths. “You can’t tell anyone and—”

“I won’t. It’s not a big deal.” It felt big, like my mother and father had kept a massive secret from me my whole life.

“It’s a huge deal. You don’t understand. Cousin Ricky started spreading rumors about this, Olive. He ended up gone. My dad keeps saying he’s vacationing in Bora Bora, but he’sgonegone.”

“What?” I whispered.

“Ricky was working with those men your dad and Knox are working with. In the mob. Ricky was selling drugs for them and I told Knox this. He got mad and now he won’t even look at me. I’m telling you—”

“You think Knox is selling drugs with these men?” I repeated softly.

“I don’t know what he’s doing but it’s something. And he’s doing it to make your father happy. Yes.”

“You can’t be serious. If that’s the case, we should go to the c—”

“Sheriff Reggie Boone lives across the street from us, Olive. He was the one talking to my dad about Ricky.”

“I…” I glanced around and everything felt dizzying. “I might be sick.”

“Don’t you dare throw up back here,” Esme yelled, and she rushed me out. “And don’t you dare tell anyone that you know. Not your dad, not your brother, not anyone in this town… and especially not Dimitri.”

Well, that wouldn’t be a problem… or so I thought.

Chapter Eighteen

OLIVE

That afternoon,my mind raced through my memories, through my childhood and high school years. When my father went to meetings with the board, I wondered now what those meetings consisted of. And then I mourned the fact that none of us were close enough to discuss something like this.

How had I fallen so far from the family tree? How had I lost such an integral part of me?

I knew how, but I didn’t want to accept it.

I thought of stories I’d heard as a child about secret societies, of the tales we told each other until we got to high school and realized they weren’t true. And then I thought of Knox, of what he must know, of what he was going through. I called him but was sent to his voicemail. I called him again. And again. And again.

“Olive, I don’t want to talk.” He finally picked up the phone and I almost dropped it with just hearing his voice.

“Knox! You answered,” I stuttered.

“To tell you to stop calling,” he ground out. “I’m in the middle of something.”

“Where? Are you home?” I heard men in the background. “Are you with Dad because—”