Jolene nodded. “She was too scared to lie.”
“Dwain really could have decided to go traveling with Harmony,” said Ciaran.
“Yes, he could have,” agreed Maddox. “Not that that would mean he isn’t guilty of boycotting Urban Ink. He can do that remotely. All he’d require to send emails and post fake reviews are a computer and WiFi connection.”
Raini blew out a breath. “What now?”
“We continue trying to find both him and Demi,” replied Jolene.
Raini tilted her head. “Do you think, if Dwain did decide to accompany Harmony on her trip, that Demi might have gone with them? If he told her the truth, she could have agreed to go.”
Ciaran frowned. “But why would he have told her?”
“Maybe he felt bad lying to her,” said Raini, shrugging. “Or maybe she guessed. She could even have overheard something that gave up the ghost.”
“It’s possible,” Jolene cut in. “She’d have initially been angry with him, but she’d have been more relieved than anything else, because it would have meant he wasn’t mated. She’d have forgiven him.”
Maddox slipped his hands in his pockets. “Put in that light, it isn’t a far-fetched idea that Demi might have agreed to skip the cruise and instead enjoy a vacation with Dwain. And, like with him, if she is boycotting Urban Ink, being on vacation wouldn’t stop her from being able to continue doing so. In fact, going on a trip would have appealed to her because she’d be out of reach from anyone who’d think to question her.”
Raini groaned. “We still have too many theories and too few answers.”
“We need to identify the culprit soon, because they will eventually become unsatisfied with targeting you remotely,” Jolene said to Raini. “They’ll want to get up close and personal.”
Raini folded her arms. “Maybe I could do something that would spur them into making a mistake.”
Not liking the sound of that, Maddox narrowed his eyes. “Like what?”
“Nothing too dramatic,” said Raini. “Nothing that would put me in physical danger. But just consider that whoever’s doing this wants me to be, at the very least, utterly miserable. So let’s make it apparent that I’m not. I could throw a party or something.”
“Like to celebrate that you’ve found and bonded with your anchor?” asked Ciaran, his eyes darting to the infinity symbol beneath the hollow of her ear.
Raini pursed her lips. “That would work. We may not need to throw the party. But I could be seen to be planning it, looking at venues, include all our suspects on the guest list so they’ll receive an electronic invitation or whatever.”
“Maybe you and Maddox could also go on a few dates,” Jolene suggested. “It’s not as if it isn’t perfectly obvious you’re currently enjoying a fling—I could tell the moment I saw you both in the same space together. Flaunt it in whatever way you can. Make our suspects believe it might be more. Dwain and Demi would both hate it. Dwain because he’d be jealous, and Demi because you’d have what she wants—a relationship with your anchor. It would bait them into acting, if either of them is indeed our boycotter.”
Raini’s mind touched Maddox’s. It would also bait Marcella. I don’t know if it would bother Euan, but he might well hate that your lair will attend the party, because it would be a step toward accepting me.
His cousin probably would hate that, because he’d hoped to use Raini’s existence to get into a position of power. “We could try it. It may work.”
They returned to the living area of the penthouse, where Harper, Knox, Asher, Khloë, Keenan, and Levi were gathered. Jolene relayed all that Adeline had said, sharing the theories that she, Ciaran, Maddox, and Raini had volunteered. The female Prime then told them of Raini’s idea to bait the boycotter.
“That plan does have a lot of potential,” said Harper.
Raini sat beside her on the sofa. “And organizing a party would give me something to do, since I currently can’t work.”
“I think Keenan will be happy to keep bringing Asher here to you. He’ll appreciate the break.”
“He napped today.”
“Asher?”
“Keenan.”
Khloë chuckled at him. “Dude, you’re such a lightweight.”
“No, it’s that my grandson is tiring,” said Jolene proudly. “And that’s only natural for a Wallis.”
Knox sighed. “He’s a Thorne.”
Jolene flicked a hand. “You know what I mean.”
Khloë joined her hands together as if in prayer. “I can help with the plans for the party, right?”
Raini had seen that request coming a mile off. Imps loved a good party, and this particular imp was absolutely no exception to that rule. She was, however, a girl who did the craziest shit when “celebrating” things. “As long as you know that anything totally outrageous will be vetoed.”
“Define ‘outrageous,’” said Khloë.
“Remember your eighteenth birthday party? That kind of thing will be vetoed to death.”
Keenan frowned at the imp. “What happened at your eighteenth?”