Chapter 1 #2
“He didn’t even tell you that much?” The man may or may not be looking at Galen now.
“Useless prick. Then again, your interests were never his priority, so I guess it makes sense he buried all leads. I thought for sure one of the officers on the case would have leaked at least a list of suspects to you, but apparently not. Note to self, everyone on this side of the planet is incompetent.”
Was he not from this side of the planet? At least with that statement, he’d divulged he was Usurn. In this day and age, with planetary travel so accessible, Eden could be meeting with literally anyone.
“Initially, there were three main suspects for the crimes committed against your family, but the case file, along with any evidence, was destroyed. Galen here happened to have a single name, but that’s only due to the nature of his job.”
“You found something?” Eden momentarily forgot what was really happening, the first rush of hope too great to keep a straight face. Excitedly, he turned to Galen, only for the man in the shadows to scoff at him.
“Found? He’s had that name this entire time, even before you hired him.”
“What?” That couldn’t be right. Eden wouldn’t exactly say they’d become close, but Galen had always been nothing but open and professional with him. There’d been nothing to even hint at what this stranger was suggesting. “You expect me to believe you? Based on what exactly? I don’t know you.”
The man stepped forward until the edge of the ring of light hovering over Galen just barely brushed against his front.
He was dressed head to toe in black, literally, with gloves and a mask.
A second later, the cyberpunk mask covering the bottom half of his face lit up, stripes of neon red flashing at an angle as though to highlight where his jawline should be.
Whenever the light reached the top part of the mask, the man’s eyes glinted, and Eden caught his breath when he realized how intensely he was currently being stared at.
“You can decide not to believe me,” the man continued.
“You could ask me to untie Galen and let you both be on your way. Continue to be played by him and his real employer, and never find the answers you seek. Or,” he tipped his head and slid his hands into the front pockets of his black commando pants, “you could take a leap of faith.”
“Why give me any choices at all?” It’d been Eden’s decision to come all the way out here tonight as well. No one had forced him, and even though the message had told him to come alone, he’d been the one who’d decided to follow that command.
If this person was lying about Galen’s betrayal, would he bother putting on a show like this?
If all he’d wanted was to turn Eden against the investigator, it would have been simpler to either show up and tell him directly or slip a folder with proof into his mailbox.
He’d done none of those things. Instead, he’d lured Eden here, clearly so he could see Galen panicky and humiliated.
Why?
“It’s for purely selfish reasons, I assure you,” the man responded, and it took Eden a moment to recall what his question had been and realize he wasn’t answering any of the ones he’d just thought of in his head.
“Like what kind of reasons?”
The man grunted. “I have no use for a weak player. Not on my team, or as a rival. If you don’t measure up, this will be the last meeting we have.”
“So this is a test?” A wave of anger overcame him, and Eden clenched his fists tightly at his sides. “You’re using my dead family to test me?”
“Yes.”
“I—” He took a step forward, but the man stopped him with a single word.
“Don’t.”
Eden exhaled and tried to clear his mind and untangle the messy swirl of emotions threatening to cloud his judgment. “Do you have any evidence?”
Galen tried to argue with him, but Eden ignored his mumbles.
“I’ll send over the bank statements later,” the man offered. “You’ll see payments made directly from InDepth United.”
“And the reason he’s being paid?”
“To keep you from getting close to anything real, obviously.”
It’d been clear he was hinting at the Dephiks involvement, but Eden still felt a sinking feeling in his gut at having it openly confirmed. He didn’t really know much about the family, aside from that they were rich enough to sit at tables with Black Harts, which was saying something.
If they were keeping this under wraps to protect one of their own…Eden didn’t stand a chance.
His family was never going to be avenged.
“Zonnie Dephik, the heir to the Dephik fortune, was one of the men who tried robbing the convenience store that night,” the man divulged.
“As soon as daddy dearest got wind, he had the police commissioner take control of the case to ensure his son wasn’t pointed out.
They erased security camera footage and silenced any possible witnesses who could have identified Zonnie, then they had their officers drag their feet for a year to make it seem like they were actively investigating, but they weren’t.
It’s been a closed case since the day after you put your family in the ground. ”
Eden made a sound, animalistic and raw, almost unrecognizable, but he couldn’t hold it back. The pain and anger overshadowed all else, and even though part of him still didn’t want to believe it, he had to acknowledge that it made sense.
How else would they have gone three years with nothing? It should have been clear-cut. Three assailants entered the store, started a fight, killed an entire family, and somehow managed to sneak off into the night without leaving any prints or traces? No way.
But if they’d had help, the type of power and financial backing that could make them virtually disappear…
“That’s only one name,” Eden said. “Who else was there?”
“I don’t know,” he admitted. “But I can find out.”
“For what price?”
Galen’s struggles increased, but Eden kept his gaze pinned on the neon lights of the man’s mask.
“We can discuss that once you’ve come to a decision,” the man replied.
“You’ve got more options. I can provide proof Galen has been helping the Dephiks cover up their crimes.
You can choose to deliver it, and him, to the police.
He’ll most likely meet an untimely demise before he’s even able to give a proper statement, but it’s up to you. ”
Right, because if the Dephiks really were involved, they’d have eyes everywhere. The second they found out there was a chance Galen was going to turn, they’d strike.
“What’s my other option?” Eden asked. He shouldn’t be entertaining this. Should have called the cops himself the second he’d stepped into the room and realized there was a hostage situation.
But he hadn’t, and he didn’t do it now.
“Hire me to do the job instead,” the man stated matter-of-factly.
“How do I know you aren’t just another person sent by Dephik to throw me off?”
“He wouldn’t bother with all of that. If you were really a threat, he’d simply kill you.”
Probably true. Still…
“Someone else then. There are two other people involved. You could be on either of their payrolls,” Eden pointed out.
“I don’t need money. I’m not short on coin.”
His brow furrowed. “Then…how do you want to be paid?”
There was a loud snapping sound just as he finished that sentence, and Eden’s head whipped toward the center of the room just in time to see Galen lunge from the chair.
He’d broken free from his ropes and made a beeline for Eden, but not in the way someone seeking help did. He shot forward like a man on a mission, arms lifting, hands reaching for Eden’s neck.
A gunshot exploded, echoing in the room and sending Eden to the ground in a protective crouch. He covered his ears and gasped as he watched Galen’s body sway and then topple to the side, crashing to the ground hard enough to send a cloud of dust into the air.
Eden coughed and scrambled back, coming up against the wall with a hard thump.
Galen wheezed, his eyes locked on Eden, but within seconds, he went still, a pool of crimson seeping from beneath him to puddle on the concrete ground.
“Good Light.” Eden’s gaze snapped up to where the masked stranger had been standing, but there was no one there. Cursing, he shot back to his feet, but there were no signs anywhere. When his multi-slate dinged, he quickly opened the new message, shock and adrenaline spurring him on.
Unknown: Get out. I’ll be in touch.
Eden read the two curt sentences three times before snapping out of it and shooting off a response.
Eden: What the hell? You shot him!
Unknown: It was him or you. I chose. It’s not that deep.
Eden: A man is dead!
Unknown: I know. That’s why I contacted a cleaning crew. If you don’t want them to find you when they arrive, I suggest getting a move on.
Stay here and risk possibly being pinned for the murder?
No, fuck this. Eden spun on his heels and jogged through the boathouse back the way he came, slipping the earbud attachment from the side of his multi-slate at the same time and shoving it into his ear.
He hit the call button on the side of the chat feed and waited, not sure what he was thinking, but unable to hold himself back.
“This call is unnecessary,” the man answered on the fifth ring.
“Who the fuck are you?” Eden made it to the exit and reached for the door.
“Wait. A car is passing by. Give it a second.”
He stared at his device and then twisted around, trying to see if he could find any obvious cameras anywhere. If they were there, he couldn’t find them. “Are you watching me?”
“Frequently,” he replied absently, then added, “All clear. Hurry along, the cleanup crew is only four minutes away.”
With a curse, Eden darted out into the cold, almost slipping on the ice in the empty parking lot. He’d parked his bike beneath a tree by the river that ran next to the building, and hopped on, intent on getting out of there.
“I’ll be in touch,” the man said as soon as Eden got the engine running.
“Wait—”
The bastard hung up on him.