Chapter 1
It was freezing already, and the snow hadn’t even started yet.
Eden found himself standing outside an old wooden building, the pale light from the moon creating an eerie ambiance he could seriously do without.
Though it was fitting.
Only an idiot would be out here like this.
His gaze dropped to the rectangular device strapped to the top of his right wrist over the long sleeve of his leather jacket. The body-borne device known as a multi-slate seemed to taunt him, the message feed he’d received earlier that day lighting up the area, momentarily casting shadows at bay.
The number that’d contacted him this morning was untraceable, and no matter how many times he’d asked for the person to identify themselves, they’d refused. That alone should have been enough reason for Eden to block them and move on.
But the contact had mentioned his family, had claimed to know something about the devastating event that stole them from him five years ago, and…Eden couldn’t pass this chance up. Couldn’t risk being too afraid to follow through in the off chance it was real.
He’d wasted years searching for answers only to hit dead end after dead end.
Rationally, he understood this could be nothing more than a shitty prank, or worse, a trap of some kind.
There were certainly reasons he could think of for someone to go to these lengths to get him alone.
While he wasn’t super famous, his face was recognizable throughout the universe thanks to his work with Astral Realms Innovations, the multi-billion-dollar company that’d used Eden’s likeness for one of their most popular characters.
“Okay,” he breathed the word out to himself, breath ghosting in the fridged air. “Let’s do this.”
Whether it was a crazy fan or a legitimate lead, he was about to find out.
It was off-season, so the boathouse was currently filled with parked rentals. When he entered through the side door like he’d been instructed, he half expected to be greeted by a security guard, but there was nothing but silence.
A single orange glow flickered from the opposite end of the large building, and Eden carefully weaved between the rows of boats to get to it, keeping his steps as quiet as possible.
Whoever was waiting for him obviously knew he was coming, but if there was a chance he could sneak up on them, give himself the opportunity to see who it was first, he’d take it.
The keys to his hoverbike were already in his left hand. If he had to make a run for it, he was prepared to do so.
The light spilled from a foot-wide gap in a door with peeling red paint, and Eden hesitantly pulled it open, wincing as the hinges creaked ominously. He wasn’t a scaredy cat typically, but nothing about this situation was normal.
Least of all, the fact that the adrenaline rush was starting to affect him in other ways.
He glared between his thighs when his dick twitched. It seemed like his body hadn’t caught up with his brain and thought this was merely another kinky play date he’d set up with a guy online. If only.
Actually…
He logged the idea away, momentarily distracting himself by picturing what it’d be like to race through this old building, a masked assailant hot on his heels.
A masked assailant he could control, of course.
One who’d signed a contract, and he’d set terms and agreements with.
Eden wasn’t about pain or leaving himself open to being accidentally murdered.
All of the sites he used to find suitable playmates were aboveboard, even if they were only mostly legal, and had thorough screening processes for all members.
Enraptured was his current favorite, and he haunted the chat forums frequently.
He’d only engaged in sexual relations with two other members so far, but the security measures went above and beyond what he’d been looking for.
During a session, multi-slates were tracked, and there were check-in protocols that both parties had to follow to avoid having the app's automatic systems alert the police to a potentially endangered person.
This wasn’t a scheduled playdate though, and if whoever had called him here had found him on the app, they hadn’t admitted to it. No one was coming if this ended up being a trap.
Eden was usually smarter than this, but they’d known the one thing to dangle in front of him.
The one thing he’d do anything for, including risk his own neck.
It also wasn’t something he spoke about openly, which had given this contact even more merit.
Since they’d known he’d been searching for his family’s killers, that had to mean they really did have some information.
Right?
The long hallway he’d been walking down finally came to an end. There were two doors, one on either side, but the one to his right had been left ajar.
Eden inhaled a shaky breath and then pressed a palm to the wood, slowly easing it inward. When nothing immediately jumped out at him, he stepped beneath the doorframe and entered a dimly lit room.
There was a click and a flash before a blinding white light illuminated in the center, causing Eden to shield his eyes and curse. After a moment to collect himself, he risked lowering his arm, blinking as he adjusted to the sudden brightness.
A spotlight shone down directly over a man tied to a chair. It left the rest of the room in relative darkness, but Eden hardly noticed, too shocked by the bound form struggling against his bonds.
“Galen?” Eden stared at the private investigator he’d been working with for the past two years.
As soon as the police department had decided to cut the investigation into the murder of his family, the lead officer at the time reached out and offered Galen Stone’s number.
The monthly retainer was no small feat, but Eden’s paychecks from Astral Realms provided enough coin for him to be able to afford it and still pay his other bills.
Galen was in his mid-forties, and though he hadn’t yet found anything to incriminate anyone, he was a hard worker, always keeping Eden looped in and up to date with the investigation.
Their last meeting had been a week ago, and the older man had arrived at the Velvet Brew café in a pressed navy suit, wearing a watch even someone in Eden’s financial position wouldn’t be able to afford immediately.
The watch was still there, gleaming in the light on the man’s right wrist, but the rest…
He’d seen better days. His white button-up shirt was torn, and blood stained the collar and the front.
His pants were covered in dirt and dust, and his gaze, usually collected, was wild as he tried speaking to Eden.
The silver strip of tape over his mouth prevented him from getting anything other than rushed mumbles out, however.
Eden instinctively took a step forward, coming up short when another voice suddenly spoke from a dark corner behind and to the left of Galen.
“I wouldn’t do that,” the speaker sounded cavalier and wasn’t familiar.
Eden froze, realizing they weren’t alone and feeling stupid for not assuming that sooner. It wasn’t like Galen would call him out here and tie himself up. He strained to make out anything from that part of the room, but all he was able to catch was the outline of a man.
Broad shoulders and taller than him, if his eyes were correct.
“Who are you?” Eden licked his lips and glanced at Galen. “What’s going on?”
“I wasn’t sure you’d actually come,” the man in the shadows sounded pleased. “It appears we have a love for games in common.”
“I’m not sure I’d consider tying a man up a game.”
“No?” He chuckled darkly. “I don’t know how truthful that is.”
Eden frowned. Was this someone from the kink club after all? Someone he’d interacted with on the Enraptured app? “Do we know each other?”
“Maybe in a past life we did,” came the cryptic reply. “It depends on who you ask.”
“I’m asking you.”
“Then I don’t know. I’m not sure how much I believe in things like that. What about you? What do you believe in?” There was a pause, but it wasn’t long enough to give him time to respond. “Justice? Or...is it vengeance?”
His frown deepened, and he rested it on Galen, silently questioning what was going on, even knowing the investigator wasn’t in any position to explain.
“April thirty-fourth, year X-89B,” the man in the shadows tone changed, as though he were reciting something from memory that he’d once read.
“Three dead upon arrival at the scene, one male, two female. No known survivors. Scene of the crime: Quick Grab convenience store and the apartment above it. Assailants entered through the open store. Forced entry at level two.”
“Stop.” Eden didn’t need to hear this. “How did you get a copy of the police report?” Had he stolen it from Galen? The report had been sealed from the public for reasons he still didn’t understand.
“I have my ways.” He sighed, but the sound wasn’t as sharp, like it’d been muffled by a mask. “We’ll move on to the next part then. Galen Stone, age forty-six, ex-detective—on Usurn, not to be confused with an agent of the Intergalactic Police Force. That’d be too good for him.”
Galen grumbled and rocked in the chair, but the ropes tied around his wrists, keeping them secured to the chair arms, held.
“According to his bank statements, he’s been on the Dephik payroll for nearly a decade,” the man said.
“Dephik?” Eden wasn’t seeing the connection.
“As in, the owners of InDepth United, the construction empire. It was built from the ground up by a millionaire who wanted to break away from the control of his parents. Basically, that family is old and new money, if you catch my drift.”
Eden really didn’t, and it must have shown because the man tsked, the first inkling of disappointment in his tone.