Hidden Devotion Read Online Free

Diyarbakir, where he was working with the Kurdish ethnic minority communities. One of Sebastian’s strengths, thanks to his degrees in international relations and civics, was in helping communities make the transition to self-sustaining governments, an undervalued step in the process of raising a community from poverty and/or disarray to self-sustaining governance.
    “How’s your brother handling this?” Sebastian asked.
    Juliette opened her mouth, prepared to tell Seb about everything else that had happened leading up to her brother stepping down, but she stopped herself. She was used to telling Seb everything, but things were different—had to start being different. Grand Master was not a role she could shrug off, even if it meant she held back information from a friend.
    “He’s handling it. Honestly, I don’t think he’s that sad to give it up. Now he can focus on his trinity. Have kids. Write boring research papers.”
    Seb laughed. “He can have his boring life. What I want to know is what you, all powerful Grand Master, are going to do next?”
    “First I’m going to finish unpacking.”
    “Your Boston clothes?”
    “Yep.” She tossed a pair of artificially faded nineties’ jeans onto the floor. “Most of them are still useable.”
    “Is anyone else there?”
    “Nope, just me. Hopefully no one else will be around. I need some alone time.”
    “You hate alone time.”
    “Oh shut up, you know-it-all. You should be nicer to me. I am the Grand Master, after all.”
    His reply to that was an elegant snort. Strangely, that made her feel better.
    “What are you going to tell North Star?” Now Sebastian’s voice was somber.
    Juliette sat heavily on the side of the bed. North Star was the human trafficking nonprofit she worked for. Since money wasn’t really a concern for her, she wasn’t on the payroll but spearheaded several projects, including technical training for cities and organizations that wanted to set up hotlines to report human trafficking for exploited women and children to call. If Seb knew how to implement infrastructure, Juliette knew how to work with and empower people.
    “I told them there was a family emergency. I can finish up the project in Edirne via conference calls, and then I just need to report out to some of the mapping agencies.”
    “Do you have a lot to report?”
    “Enough. I traveled with the local lead along the border areas.”
    Seb made an odd noise, one she couldn’t understand until he spoke. “You might be able to keep working, once things settle down.”
    “Don’t be stupid, Bastian.” She used the nickname on purpose, a signal that she wasn’t up to thinking about the future, and how different hers was going to be.
    “But of course, oh all-powerful Grand Master.”
    She snorted, smacked her hands on her knees and stood. “Right now I’m going to finish sorting my clothes, check in with the business manager and then start going through the records.”
    There was a long pause, and she thought the call dropped. “Seb? Seb?”
    “I’m still here. What was that last thing?”
    “I have to start going through all the Trinity Masters’ records.”
    “The membership records?”
    “Yep. Those and the archives.”
    “Do you need to do that? I mean you don’t have to go through all of those at the same time.”
    She couldn’t tell Seb that it was the archives she was really worried about, not without explaining that the key to solving the mystery of the threats on Harrison’s life had been hidden in their father’s records. She remembered the dusty boxes of diaries and old files that used to fill the Grand Master’s office in her father’s time.
    “Files are priority number one.”
    “Sounds boring, but you’re lucky I love you, because I’m still coming.”
    “You’re coming? Why?”
    “You need my help.”
    “Excuse you. No I don’t.”
    “Yes you do. Especially with the records.”
    Juliette frowned at the wall. Sebastian usually