Page 67 of Psyop Kings

And Caius…I saw cracks in his impenetrable ice tonight. He’s not emotionless like he outwardly portrays. In fact, I dare say he might be hiding an incredible vulnerability. I’d seen a flash of genuine tenderness when he’d put on his show in front of Solomon.

I shiver at the thought of Solomon Grayhawk.

The man himself is nondescript. Plain salt-and-pepper hair, plain features, plain build. Nothing about him screamed “bad guy,” and yet…he’s definitely bad. When he appeared with blood on his face and a dead, naked girl in his arms, his bad-guy status shot through the roof.

Who was the girl?

Why did he kill her?

I’m dying to ask Theo more about Solomon, but it’s late and I know he’s still at the party. Caius is hiding out somewhere in this big house. I wonder if he’s hiding from me.

Guilt. Shame. Anger.

I swear I sensed hints of all those emotions on our drive back to his house. For an unfeeling kidnapper, he’s clearly going through something after tonight.

Was it me?

Was it because of the dead girl? Because of Solomon?

Once I’m dressed in pajama pants and a T-shirt, I grab my phone and seek out a cozy place to hang out away from Caius. Luckily, he’s not in his bedroom but has stoked the fire, so I curl up on a chaise nearest to the fireplace. A thick, fuzzy blanket is draped over the back of the furniture, so I grab it and cover my legs with it.

Time for a little research.

Since I don’t have any text or email replies from my family, it’s obvious the Crownes have cut me off from them. Otherwise, I’d have already been contacted. They’ve done something to my phone, though I don’t know what, to keep me contained.

At least I have the internet, even if some sites and apps are blocked.

The first thing I look into is Solomon Grayhawk. I learn that he’s in his late sixties, is married to a former congresswoman, and has three adult children. They live in Pennsylvania just outside of Pittsburg. His steel company is successful, and their website is professional.

How does a family man with a thriving steel business get involved as an investor for the Crownes? Solomon is a sicko murderer, so they must be into the same twisted extracurricular activities as him. They’ve kidnapped both Megan and me. Not exactly saints in comparison to Solomon.

Crowne Unity Project’s Instagram page flashes in my mind. There were celebrities, politicians, athletes, and wealthy businessmen galore. All the people photographed and shared on the page were proud to support CUP.

Solomon Grayhawk was there.

I vaguely remember a picture of him with his wife and Orion. And someone else… Closing my eyes, I attempt to piece together the fragmented memory of what I’d seen. It was an older woman, around Solomon’s age, with lots of surgical work to maintain a youthful appearance. Red hair, green eyes, plump lips.

Ava Herring.

Popping my eyes open, I type in Ava Herring into my internet search. The woman I’d remembered seeing in the photo is a philanthropist. According to my research, she’s donated millions to CUP, but her apparent passion is building orphanages in third world countries and then connecting those abandoned children with US families looking to adopt.

On paper, like Solomon, she looks like a good human.

Looks can be deceiving.

I mean, Caius looks devilishly handsome and put together at face value, but he’s actually a kidnapping, mind-scrambling, asshole beneath the lovely exterior.

My attention is drawn back to Ava. I find an article on her newest endeavor—a group home for troubled teen girls in Venezuela that recently opened. Despite knowing the name of the group home, Proyecto Renacer, I’m unable to find a website for it. I file away the name in my memory.

Something about Ava, with multiple photographs found freely on the internet, always standing close to Solomon, has me feeling unsettled.

Caius didn’t seem particularly surprised about Solomon’s situation earlier. He’s cleaned up Solomon’s messes before. It’s obviously a common occurrence. The thought of Solomon raping and killing other young girls has bile burning my throat.

And he’s so friendly with this Ava lady.

Queen of Helping Children and Teens.

I go back to digging into Solomon. He’s squeaky clean in every article I find about him. Couldn’t be further from the truth, though. When I come across a picture of Solomon with a familiar man, I pause to investigate.

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