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But what if it wasn’t a run-of-the-mill ability? Of all the rumors and stories I’d heard about our people since childhood, hearing someone else’s thoughts was never mentioned. Novak obviously didn’t want me cultivating abilities right now, but what if I told him and it turned out it was unusual or even special?

But there was a problem—it was only with one person, and I didn’t understand why it happened when it did. The high I’d just had—oh my God. Minutes before, I’d felt lost, and then it happened out of nowhere, as though reading his mind was something important I needed to know I could do. I’d entered into such a state of clarity.

I wasn’t stupid—it was terrible timing to confide in Novak. Allegations of insider trading had tarnished his image, and now he had our arrests to contend with. Novak himself had escaped any official charges so far, but it had put the wheels of Relocation in motion. Though everything had really started when that magazine article came out.

Mostly though, Angus’s comment that I wasn’t the right daughter played in the back of my mind. Still, I wanted to see my dad, even if now wasn’t the time to tell him what had happened.

I drove up Congress toward the Capitol, finally making it to his grand building. I handed my car keys to a valet and saw my dad’s Aston Martin in his spot. I was in luck—he was in town. There was no name marking his parking place, just a plaque with the company name: Sovereign Venture Partners.

A visitor’s badge stuck to my chest, the elevator transported me to the world of Sovereign. Their offices were located in the penthouse on the fifty-sixth floor. I was nervous. I rarely saw my dad, but I didn’t think I should feel like I was trying to get an audience with the pope.

The reception-area furnishings were stark white on a gray concrete floor, and the room had floor-to-ceiling windows with city views. No one was seated at reception. I perched on a leather chair and waited for someone to walk out, not sure what to do. The office was quiet, like my dad preferred. Phones didn’t even ring here—they just blinked. I stared at my dad’s collection of six Gursky photographs he’d bought at auction, beating out the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

“Excuse me? Julia?” Paul’s mother, who worked closely with my father, entered the room.

I stood up, smoothing my tennis skirt, feeling grossly out of place. “I’m here to see Kendra?” Why did my voice sound apologetic?

“She’s occupied at the moment,” Anne said curtly. She stood looking at me like she wasn’t going to encourage me to come into her house. It was a blank-faced Yes? like you’d give to a stranger.

I was annoyed. I’d have to use my trump card. I caught myself before I said, Is my Dad in? I knew he was in. “I’d like to see my dad.” Anne’s eyes flared. She had always been cordial—everyone had—so why was she acting like I was a trespasser? I hoped I was just being paranoid to think that somehow Novak’s punishment opened the door for everyone to show their true feelings about me.

“I’ll be back,” was all Anne said, and she pivoted in three-inch heels and disappeared beyond the reception area.

I waited for another fifteen minutes, growing more agitated. After playing with my phone for a bit, I got up and walked to the edge of the agarwood reception desk. I could see a bit beyond and down a hallway. A door opened, and I took half a step back.

“What do you want for dinner?”

“Let’s get Jim to pick up something around seven. No more barbecue.”

“Ha!”

I edged closer and watched a man walk down the hallway, leaving the door open behind him. I saw a group of about ten people—a mix of men and women I’d never seen before—working at a long conference table. Boxes were scattered around the room, laptops out.

Remembering the probability of security cameras, I quickly sat down on the closest chair. A woman walked out into the hallway with her phone.

“Hi. This is Helen Jacks from Pricewaterhouse Coopers, returning your call.”

There was an outside firm here. Auditors. I had no idea the SEC was this far along with their investigation. That had to be it, because outsiders didn’t get involved in Sovereign operations.

I realized I should leave. The moment I stood, people swept into the room in a sudden burst, rushing past me toward the elevator. It was security dragging an agitated young man. They practically lifted him off the floor as they walked on either side of him. It all happened so fast. Kendra walked behind them, her face blank.

The man was shouting back to Kendra as security hauled him to the elevator. “Whatever this is and whoever they are, you need to get away from them. You have to call your parents right now!” The doors to the elevator closed, and the office was startlingly silent.

The auditors had come out of the conference room to see what was happening. It took me a second to register Novak at the edge of the room. Everyone watched as Novak walked calmly over to Kendra.

In the lowest voice imaginable, he said next to her ear, “You ever bring that in here again, it’s over. This won’t work.” He leaned back to look at her and placed a finger under her chin to force her to look at him. Novak’s eyes practically glowed, and you could see every vein standing out in his neck. Kendra looked into Novak’s eyes and gave a very small nod. I noticed for the first time that her features looked uncannily similar to those of my family. She turned and left the reception area, everyone watching her.