Chapter 1
I f I didn’t need it to look like a suicide, I would’ve strangled him before I pushed him. But I’m not going to let anything blow back on her .
I don’t take my glow-in-the-dark mask off until I’m back inside my penthouse. I throw my keys on the granite counter, head straight for the fridge, and take out a bottle of ice-cold water. I press it to my forehead before opening it and taking a swig.
Fuck. I haven’t felt this alive in years. But I’m angry with myself. I shouldn’t have lost her in the crowd. The only joy I take is knowing that fucking pervert will never lay a hand on her again.
If I hadn’t checked the back door in time… Roxy Luna would’ve been violated by that pig. More than she already was.
I spotted her the second she walked into Joystick tonight. Fucking gorgeous. Dark, wavy hair, sexy curves, and soft lips I want wrapped around my cock. It didn’t take much to get those two idiots to tell me her name and gamertag when I went by her work a few months ago. I’ll have to do something about them too. I can’t have anyone else getting easy access to her.
It’s been a while since I’ve fixated on anything other than pain meds. My therapist would call this unhealthy, but I think it’s a breakthrough. I haven’t been interested in pussy since before rehab three years ago. Even my sponsor might think I’m spiraling again, replacing one addiction with another.
I know all the lingo. All the fucking tactics they try to use to keep me in check. But this new high is different. It’s the kind that makes me hungry for more than just rubbing one out in the shower. Roxy is perfection. From her throaty laugh all the way down to her fuck-me sneaker wedges. And she’s a fucking gamer. She’s mine. All mine.
The second she pushed past me crying, and I turned to see that disgusting piece of shit with his zipper down, I decided in that moment he had to die. The look in his eyes when he realized what I was about to do, it made me so fucking hard. I came in my pants when his body splattered on the cement below. If anyone so much as cuts my girl off in traffic, they’ll end up like him.
Roxy is mine to look after, to protect, and to guide. She needs someone like me to show her how to truly be free. The friends she currently has have done a shit job. Which, speaking of…
I power up my console and send off a quick friend request to BratBaby, Roxy’s blonde friend from the bar. I need her to bring me into their little gamer crew. That way, no one will suspect who I’m really after.
People think they know who I am online, but they don’t have a fucking clue. No one knows that ComeFindJack11 is also me—Punk Wilder, skateboarding legend turned degenerate. My gamertag has almost become more famous than my real-life persona.
After the fall, I had to recreate myself. I guess I’m addicted to the fame. To the accolades. If I hadn’t fucked everything up that night… I’d still have my sponsors, my family’s support, and my fucking dignity.
I glare up at the broken skateboard I have mounted above the fireplace. I keep it as a reminder. A warning to not let myself lose control again. My fingers shake around the controller as the memory of sirens and screams replay in my head.
My leg healed well enough so that I don’t walk with a limp. But I’ll never skate again. Not like before. So I threw myself into online gaming. It’s the only place I can be anonymous and famous at the same time. I can still get my fix. If they only knew who hid behind the mask… they might not take too kindly to playing with me.
An alert pops up on my screen. BratBaby has accepted your friend request . Here we fucking go. I load into After: 8113 and jump into the server she’s in. The thought of being one step closer to Roxy makes my palms sweat and my stomach do little flips.
I have to hear her voice again. I want to know every fucking thing about her. When I check the game dashboard, I see that BratBaby is already in a session with two other names I don’t recognize. I pull my hoodie up around my dirty-blond waves, disappointed.
“Wait. Hold on. There you are, baby girl.” My cock twitches when I see her name pop up. JillChick22. My beautiful obsession is about to meet her match.
I power up my headset and send a request to join their private group chat. My fingers tingle as I wait. I wish I could see the looks on their faces when they see my name pop up. I can only imagine the gasps and chatter between them right now. I almost never play with a team, preferring to charge through the apocalyptic landscape solo.
Within minutes of spawning in, I’m flooded with hundreds of random requests. I’m the one who other players have wet dreams about. Any of them would kill to play with me. But ComeFindJack11 only has eyes for JillChick22 tonight.
I know BratBaby has accepted when my headset is suddenly filled with giggles and banter.
Someone says, “Shhh, shut the fuck up. He’s here.”
I smile and lick my lips. “How’s it going, ladies?”
“Hi!” a girl shrieks.
“What’s up, bro?” a dude says.
“Welcome,” another guy adds.
“And dudes,” I say through a laugh.
Okay, time to figure everyone out.
“Thanks for the follow.” BratBaby—a.k.a. Juniper Lyons. Check.
“For sure. A friend of mine told me you guys play a lot. I’ve been having a hard time finding a team that can hang with me,” I lie.
More giggling ensues. This is too fucking easy.
I spawn my character over to the part of the map that theirs are at. “You can call me Jack, by the way.”
“Hi, Jack. Everyone here calls me Jill.” Her voice is smokier than I remember. Plus, it was so loud in the bar that I didn’t catch all the nuances or the depth of the rasp in it. I’m impressed she’s still up playing despite the pig who assaulted her earlier tonight.
I notice her character level is thousands below mine. I doubt she has any decent weapons or shield packs. “Come stand over here, Jill. I have something for you.”
I watch her avatar move across the screen, my heart racing, wishing I could physically be in the game just to be next to her. I already love how she responds to me. I can’t wait to see what else I can make her do.
She picks up the package I drop for her and sighs. “Oh, I’ve been wanting one of these forever. Thanks, Jack.”
“Anytime.” I drop a couple of things for BratBaby, Skat, and RageMachine as well, so I don’t look like I’m playing favorites. Or only giving gifts to the female players. There’s a code of conduct online. I don’t want them to think I’m some perv who just joined their group to get to the chicks. Just one chick . My chick .
By the time the sun is coming up outside, this entire crew is in awe of me. We make plans to play again, and they all friend request me before we log off. But the one from JillChick22 is the one I accept first. I need to play it slow though. She seems guarded and a little shy.
I can’t fucking wait to break her and mold her back together the way I want. She’s meant for so much more. And once I have her eating out of the palm of my hand, she won’t know who the fuck she is without me.