The autumn sun beat down on Connie's shoulders. It was still as warm as summer, but the sky was a paler blue. The edges of the white clouds faded almost seamlessly into it.

A few moments ago, the triplets had raced away after James, not noticing they'd left Connie behind. Her heart felt a tug toward them, but she also felt too weighed down to move, as if she were fading into the background, becoming part of it.

She could sit here for a long time.

For the past several days, the world had blurred; words, faces, floated by… indistinct… a few bright flashes, a few vivid imprints, then gone, as if swept away by the wind.

Everything she had been doing had gradually slipped through her fingers. She'd learned a few things, but then the agents had taken over, and she hadn't heard from them since they'd taken over the investigation into Esther's disappearance.

She focused on playing with the triplets, but even they were leaving her behind; James had all the energy she didn't—he'd finally embraced his role of big brother, and they'd accepted him. They were a family; she wasn't part of it.

That was okay; she had a family of her own.

She had to take care of it.

The most real thing now was the little being she carried inside her, even though she couldn't see him, couldn't feel him. But he was her only tangible connection to Jason.

She could barely see him anymore… she had to draw out her phone to recall the details of his face… but looking at photos stabbed her heart and she couldn't stand to do it for long.

She could only think directly of the baby… the bittersweetness of imagining the face that had Jason's imprint on it… how she longed to see the tiny person… eight more months…

Jason will be back by then, she told herself.

But those were just dull words thudding against her heart… She'd repeated them so many times some of their impact had sifted from them…

The fall breeze carried the fragrance of dead leaves and dried petals…. A hint of cold things, things snuggling in the dirt, ready to hide from snowfall…

The roses near the bench had dried up; she crushed a petal and their perfume was sharp and sweet. She lifted the shreds in her palm and closed her eyes, imagining Jason beside her…

The day they'd sat here together… hands clasped…. Believing they might adopt three beautiful little girls…

Now it had all changed. She had a new life inside her. The girls were little princesses. And Jason was—

Gone.

Lost.

Torn apart…

They were doing horrible things to him; she couldn't delude herself they would spare him. But the panic from before had melted down into the dullness of grief… acceptance—not of what was done, but that she could do anything to help…

And she couldn't collapse completely because it would harm her child. And so she drifted…

But still, sometimes vividness sliced through and she could hear his screams, see him writhing in agony, bloodied—

She could only hope they wanted to keep him relatively unscathed… that her visions were just images born of fear…

She focused instead on his beautiful face and to her surprise and delight he appeared beside her, almost as real as real—smiling, his eyes brilliant … his chest chiseled with strength… he placed his hand in hers and she could almost feel its warmth—

Her phone rang and she jumped. Jason vanished and pain ripped through her heart as if part of it had been severed—

Better not imagine him here anymore. I could get lost…

"Hello?" she said, answering even though it was an unknown number. Agents usually had unknown numbers.

"This is Jeanne." The agent who had taken over the investigation into Esther's disappearance.

"Have you found her?"

"Yes, we have."

Her heart flipped over. To actually have good news! "How is she?"

"She's… traumatized. But at least she's relatively uninjured. She was especially valuable, so they didn't want to damage her too much."

"Who had her?"

"Thanks to the inside man in Kazfaq, we found a shell company related to it in Austria. An unassuming company building had several floors… and trafficking victims were trucked in and trafficked from there and inside the building. After staking it out, we found enough evidence to go in—and inside we found trafficked people. And zyx. We cast a wide net—took them by surprise—and caught most of the employees. It's too early to tell, but the fact that zyx is involved makes it possible that Yavesh is as well. We'll know more when we interrogate the employees. It's possible the op was totally in the dark and the money funneled to Yavesh through a middleman. Who could be one of the ones we captured.

"Esther was found in one of the inner rooms being sold online. We're not sure what she had to endure. She's at the hospital now. She's almost completely unresponsive. But at least she's safe."

She probably won't be able to feel safe for a long time… "Will she go back to the farm?"

"As soon as she recovers sufficiently. If she stays like she is, she may have to be admitted to a mental health facility."

"She needs a familiar place."

"She was kidnapped from there, so she may not feel comfortable there anymore."

"She needs what helped her before. David—and the foal."

"Others will decide that. I was just happy to be able to get her out of there. And the others."

"How many were there?"

"About twenty-eight. Most were being filtered through."

"Where were they going?"

"We don't know yet. We've confiscated their computers, and it looks like they didn't have time to wipe them. It'll take time to break through the encryption. That may tell us where they were headed. It may let us know more about the structure of this thing, too. It's looking more and more like Kazfaq is a central node—where things are planned—and others are connected in a network, with hubs for filtering or filming the trafficked."

"So… it could really be…"

"It's too early to tell if it's Yavesh. But at the very least it's a major trafficking network—which we will bring down when we have enough information. Hopefully the raid won't tip them off to our larger op."

"Could… Yavesh have… sold Jason to someone else?"

"It's possible." Her voice softened as she said, "We'll keep looking. We take care of our own."

"Thank you." Her voice caught.

"I'll let you know when we have something definitive."

She tried to speak but her voice had vanished.

The phone went silent.

The girls raced back toward her and tumbled onto the lawn, laughing. James caught them in his arms, careful not to hold them too close, and let them nearly trample him with happiness.

One of them broke away—Arina, to Connie's surprise—and dashed over to her. "Guess what!" Her eyes sparkled.

"What?" She was glad for the distraction from the impending pain of fresh hope.

"James said we can have kittens!"

"Really?" She looked at James, not sure if he could promise that.

He sat up, braced against a vivid viburnum bush. "My friend has some kittens—they're all pure white. I mentioned it to the girls… and well…" He smiled sheepishly. "Dad mentioned the other day how it'd be good for them to have pets."

"There is something healing about animals."

"We used to have some before we got so busy."

Avara came up to Arina while Aurora stood with her hands clasped, looking off into the distance. "We'll get to cuddle them all night!" said Avara.

"Kittens love cuddling," said Connie. "You have to make sure you take care of them too."

"We will."

"I can't wait to hold her!" said Arina, pressing her hands close to her heart as if holding a kitten.

"I'll teach you how to take care of them," said James, standing, brushing off some red-orange leaves.

In the past week, he'd accepted his responsibility as older brother… and it had drawn him out into the light. The triplets, wary at first, had begun to trust him because of how gentle and careful he was—almost instinctively understanding how they might react because of their trauma. If he startled them, he always backed away and tried to let them know he meant no harm.

"Thank you," said Aurora softly, sidling closer.

Compared to the others, Aurora seemed more lost than before. Arina had become braver, learned she could express herself without fear—showing energy that had been suppressed before. Avara had softened a bit, learning she didn't have to put on a brave face all the time or put up hard walls. Since Aurora had been the leader, the protector of the others, Connie suspected that now that she didn't need that role anymore, she wasn't sure what to do; she didn't need to help the others as much, but she also didn't seem like she could let her guard down. Perhaps she still suspected something bad could happen—she'd been in survival mode for so long, she couldn't shed it easily. The others had relied on her, and now that they were safe, they could blossom into their true selves.

Perhaps the new kitten would help. It would give her a focus.

"When can we get them?" said Avara.

"I have to ask my—our—parents."

Arina giggled. "You still have to ask your parents?"

James nodded. "Till I move out."

Aurora looked at him, guarded alarm in her eyes. "When will you move out?"

"I don't know." He smiled. "Don't worry. I'm not leaving for a long time. I'll probably stay here through college."

"How long is that?" said Arina.

"Five years—maybe more."

"Oh."

"Though I'm not sure how long we'll be royalty…."

"We won't always be princesses?" said Avara.

He crouched down, looked at all three girls in turn. "You will always, always be princesses—no matter what." He swept a strand of golden hair back from Avara's face. The red it had been dyed was gradually growing out now.

They all headed inside for lunch. At the door, Connie looked out at the rolling hills, the trees in the distance tinged with yellow and orange. She drew in a breath spiced with dead flowers. Then she turned and headed inside.

At lunch, the king and queen granted James' request for kittens, and they took the black sleek limo over to the nearby farm that afternoon. James' restrictions had gradually been lifted; he was no longer grounded, but because of the danger, he had to always be accompanied off the grounds by two security guards. They rode behind in another car so they didn't distress the girls.

James' friend Lane showed them to the haymow where three fluffy white kittens bounded through the haybales. Avara raced after one, but James admonished her to not chase them and she froze.

James knelt in the hay. "It's okay. They feel just like you do. They're scared of strangers."

"Oh," said Avara, crouching down.

Arina was already sitting in a little nest of hay, one of the kittens crawling into her lap. She petted her gently and the kitten cuddled into her arms.

Avara lay down in the hay and soon the other two kittens were crawling all over her while she tried not to giggle. They raced back and forth over her and she laughed. Then one of the kittens sat on her stomach, looking at her, and she pet her head and the kitten sniffed close to her face, tickling it with her whiskers.

Aurora hung back near the entrance. Connie stepped up to her. Chaff swirled into the shaft of light from the high window.

"They're very cute," said Connie.

Aurora nodded.

"Which one do you want?"

"They all look the same."

Connie laughed. "Like you."

Aurora nodded. "But we're different in little ways…."

"So are the kittens. If you get closer, maybe you can find out what the differences are."

Aurora's eyes sparked. Cautiously she shuffled through the hay toward her sisters. Then she knelt and soon one of the kittens snuck up to her, looking at her curiously. Aurora held out her hand.

The kitten licked her fingers.

Aurora looked startled, then a smile spread across her face. She picked up the kitten then leaned down and listened to its rumbling purr. Aurora closed her eyes and the cares woven into her young face melted away, consumed by joy.

James helped the girls put the kittens into a carrier and Lane gave them some kitten toys. Connie climbed into the limo beside Aurora, who slid the carrier onto her lap, looking at the kittens intently. She petted one that rubbed against the mesh. "I'm gonna protect you forever," she whispered.

At the palace, James helped the girls get the kittens set up in their room, and Connie headed to her suite. Just as she was about to drift off, her phone rang. She didn't recognize the number.

"Hello?" she said rather blearily.

"Hey," said Trysta.

"Oh—hi."

"Sorry I haven't been in contact lately. I just haven't had anything to report. Can't get close enough to anyone suspicious. Sierra's been doing her own thing, so has Demir. I suppose I could just let them take over… but I feel like I need to do something."

"Me too. I mean—I wish I could do something." She longed to help Jason, but she'd almost given up on believing she could do anything that would make a difference rather than hindering anyone or just busywork.

"Maybe you can. If you'd like to join me."

"Where?" She couldn't do anything dangerous.

"Alesya Morven is throwing a charity ball in a couple days."

"Morven?"

"Yes, does that mean anything to you?"

"Well, yes, that's one of the people we were suspicious of." She didn't want to go into detail and reveal Viktor's involvement.

"She wasn't on my list. I mean, I've had vague suspicions but… she's not one of the most dissipated of us. Extravagant, yes. I suppose she's been careful… doesn't want to taint her image…"

"It's more than a suspicion, actually. She enslaved someone."

"So—now we definitely have to go. I mean—I do. I'm still figuring on the off chance someone will let something slip… It is a party, after all. Revelry can lower people's guards…."

"When is it?"

"September thirtieth. That's when we usually have the annual charity fundraiser. Alesya's bid won this year. She often wins, since she's at the center of society. That's why this is rather surprising; I wouldn't have thought she'd jeopardize her position by bringing a slave home. There's never been any hint of it."

"Since we know she's part of it… she might be connected to someone else who is. Maybe someone from Yavesh."

"That's what I'm counting on. I figured there would be someone who is, but now we know someone is! That's why it's good to collaborate like this. Even for us who aren't agents—we can make connections too. The more connections the better."

"That's what I think too."

"Here I am, feeling rather useless—and I call you with this idea—and I feel much more hopeful! The thing is, we might not be able to get close to the ones at the center… but we still could pick up some vital clues, some that we could pass along to the agents. We do have to know them when we see them… But we do have perspectives and abilities the agents don't have."

"I'm not sure what I have…."

"You've got the ability to connect us, for one. That can't be underestimated. You gave me this clue about Alesya. For another thing… the elite will underestimate you. That's just how they are. You have more to offer than you realize. You've got to accept the possibility of your full potential… while downplaying it in the company of the nobility. The thing about this ball is that it really is a charity ball. That is—we are able to invite non-elite. Part of the point of it is to show off to the rest of you—look how generous and also amazing we are. We love to see the awe on your faces—you've never even imagined something this grand. That's how arrogant and petty we can be, even while being 'altruistic'."

"You're not like that."

"Some of it is probably because of my background. Even though we have some noble blood, we're self-made. We know how bad things can get—we appreciate what we have instead of believing we deserve it. At least…. I hope the rest of the next generation isn't getting as entitled and spoiled as… Anyway. Be on the lookout for that. Don't be offended; it's nothing personal. You have that advantage over me. They might see me as a bit of an outsider, but I'm still one of them. To the 'charity cases' we take to display our needless extravagance to… they can barely contain their pity and condescension, even as it's thinly disguised under a façade of politeness.

"I'm overexaggerating just so you're not caught off-guard. We're not all like that. In fact, I'd like to introduce you to some of my friends, people I trust. We can let them know something of the investigation. One of them has helped already—Cindy, whose friend Chayana worked at Kazfaq."

"That did help."

"I haven't heard anything about it lately, not since Chay quit."

"They're not sure if it's Yavesh, but it looks like it's a human trafficking center."

"What about Sierra? Do you know if she'll be able to make it?"

"I don't know. I haven't heard from her since we met at your house."

"I haven't either. She was going to go to the Fall Ball—but then she disappeared."

"She tends to do that."

"My introduction could have helped her… but then, it's probably best if we aren't seen to be connected. With you, it's different; you're not overtly an agent. Add that to how crazy and distracting parties can be… and you have a real opportunity to pick something up."

"I think… I will go."

"Wonderful! We could meet at my house, if you like."

"What time?"

"About five-thirty. That will give you time to get ready. If you like. It might be more comfortable to drive here in casual clothes."

"Good idea."

"Cindy might be coming with us, if that's okay."

"I don't mind."

"It'll give you a chance to get to know her."

"What happened with the Fall Ball, by the way? Did you go?"

"Yeah. I thought I might find something… but I didn't. I'd have invited you, but it's… hard for non-elite to get an invitation. Sierra would've been able to disguise herself. Who knows, maybe she did go. If she did— her disguise must be perfect. I didn't see anyone remotely resembling her there."

"Maybe she'll show up at the charity ball."

"Maybe. I have a feeling that if she doesn't want to be found—it's impossible to find her."

"That's Sierra."

"She's an interesting person—too bad she likes to work on her own."

"Will anyone else be coming? From your family?"

"Uma doesn't like to go to those things. Just sparingly. Dad is always too busy. The kids are too young."

"Zar?"

Trysta laughed. "He's still grounded. He was so upset he couldn't go to the Fall Ball—but Dad put his foot down for once. Didn't want Zar to pull his stitches. Plus, Zar's caused us enough trouble for a while. Dad finally sees how much of a liability he can be. We can't jeopardize what we've built."

"Zar would do that?"

"We have a certain reputation. Zar… flouts all that. I try to keep damage to a minimum… but it isn't always easy picking up the pieces in his wake. It's usually just the normal elite dissipation … but as I've said, we're trying to be better than that. He's acting like the entitled nobility… except he doesn't even care about appearances." She paused. "Sometimes I think there's something not right in his head. By the time Dad figured out a child shouldn't have everything he wants… the damage was done. Or maybe he was always like this. In any case, we can't indulge him anymore. But we do have to appease him, or he could get too antsy… He's going crazy, sitting at home. We're going a little too far the other way with him now, perhaps, but I'm not sure what the solution is. He said he changed with his birthday… I have yet to see it. That's when the disaster happened."

"What disaster?"

"Well… his appendix almost burst because he was partying so hard and ignored it. He got so drunk he fell downstairs. Before that he was… well. I don't want to air out all our dirty laundry. I'm hoping we can get past this… before he drags us down to the level of the ones who don't think they have to act upstanding in any way. That's the point of the elite, to me. Not just—the appearance of charity, like the impending ball. We're to be an example to others… not because we're automatically better, but because we have the responsibility. We've been given all these blessings… we need to use them for good."

"That's a good attitude."

"It's our duty, right, and privilege. I hope to show the rest… if possible. There really are only a few really bad apples. The others can learn. If only I knew which category my brother belonged to… I feel like I have more to prove, because we share the same parents… my other brothers and sisters are model citizens… perhaps something is also wrong with me, latent…"

"I don't think you're like Zar at all."

"That might be me overcompensating. There's always this unconscious… guilt… responsibility for him, since Dad left that by the wayside. And… I owe mom to keep up her reputation…. Both her children can't turn out rotten. I can't even say anything too negative about Zar…. He's just spoiled, since he was left to his own devices too much.

"As long as this really does mean he's turning another page…. If he can prove he can be better… there's hope. We'll have to see when his pain meds wear off which final form he turns into. Perhaps this accident was a wakeup call… In any case, what Zar has done is nothing compared to what other nobility are rumored to have done…. I'll let you know who the bad apples are if I see them. They might be especially pliable under the influence… Probably more than just wine there if you know what I mean."

"The people who know more… will probably be more careful."

"That's true. But the others could know something…. Even without knowing it. And the higher up a person considers themselves, the more likely they'll underestimate you. Morven will be one of those."

"Do you think I could get close to her? She's the organizer… she'll be busy, won't she?"

"Probably swamped. But I know her… I can introduce you."

"Really?"

She hesitated. "We go way back."

"You do…?"

"Not as friends, mind you."

Connie waited for clarification, but Trysta left it at that.

When Trysta hung up, Connie lay back on the bed, shivering. She dreaded going… and yet… she wanted to go.

Had to.

There weren't many options now that she was pregnant… and if there was the barest possibility she could glean a clue to help… she'd go.

After all… she had learned some things… such as Viktor's revelation about Alesya Morven… She'd been able to give Trysta that information and connect with her… perhaps she did have more to offer than she thought…

I have to take advantage of all my assets if I'm to do as well as possible there. To do that, I have to acknowledge that I have some… they're not just accidental….

Jason let me know the talents I have… didn't want me to dismiss them….

Being an outsider—having that perspective. That's a tool maybe, not a talent.

Intuition… I downplay that because it's something I have without effort… but Jason and other agents say not to underestimate that… if I'm in tune with it…. Learn to listen to it… maybe….

What else do I have?

Creativity, imagination… I just have to have confidence I can think of a worthwhile idea even though I'm not an agent.

Jason said I could be an agent…. He was just kidding, maybe. But he does believe in me.

I have to… believe in that belief.

His confidence in me isn't misplaced.

Dear God, please let me know what I can offer. It's not pride to embrace your talents…. I just didn't take seriously I had much to bring to the table with the agents…. Felt so out of my depth…

But here I am, alone, not even Whit or Jason here…. Going to a high society function with Trysta, who I really don't know well… for all intents and purposes, I am being a secret agent. In a less dangerous role, but still.

Dear God… please let me recognize all my gifts and use them well enough without needing much practice…. Please, please let what I find lead me to Jason.

Tears streamed down her temples, she realized, dampening her hair, trickling into her ears. She wiped them away, sitting up a little, and looked out the window.

It was still a beautiful day. She had time to enjoy it.

And so she wandered outside under the sunlight…. Her thoughts drifted to dark alleys. But this time, the darkness was sprinkled with shafts of hope.