Chapter 13 #2
“Then how—”
“I think it may be related to the game itself,” Swede says.
Ronan sets his water bottle down with a clunk. “You think an online game has something to do with the people trying to hurt Hazel?”
Swede nods. “I know it sounds a bit out there. But once I started digging, I found some interesting connections.”
“Like what?” Alec asks.
“A pattern of women going missing. Five I’ve discovered so far, all with two things in common.”
My heart lurches. “What things?”
“They’re all from the northeast. Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, and most recently, Rhode Island.” He pauses. “That wouldn’t mean much on its own. But after researching the women, I discovered they all played the same online game.”
Alec stiffens. “Let me guess. Tenebris Veil?”
Swede jerks his chin. “Yes. And given the message Hazel received in the game, it makes me wonder.”
“Who are the women?” Matt asks. “Maybe Hazel knows one of them.”
“There are thousands of people who play,” I say. “Not as many women as men, but still a lot. And most people never share their real names. So I’m not sure…”
“It can’t hurt to hear their names.” Alec squeezes my hand again. “It’s okay if you don’t recognize any of them.”
But on the fourth name Swede rattles off, a flash of recognition hits me. “Amy,” I blurt. “What’s her last name again?”
“Amy Anderson,” he says, “from New Hampshire. She’s a nurse. Lives alone, no boyfriend, and her parents are in Florida. I’m not sure about her character’s name—”
“Amy,” I breathe. “I know her. She used to be in my guild. I’ve talked to her. Had conversations…”
Alec’s hand tenses around mine. “Do you remember anything about her? Something she might have said?”
I search my memories, trying to catch a potentially helpful detail. “She hasn’t been on the game in a couple of months. I thought she had just quit. But—” My chest constricts. “She didn’t, did she?”
“Haze—”
As I try to recall the brief conversations I had with Amy, another memory jumps out at me. Feeling sick, I say, “She told me she was meeting a guy. From the game. She never said who it was. Just that it was someone she’d been talking to for a while. And that she really liked him.”
Enzo frowns. “Did women do that? Meet men from the game?”
“Sometimes. Not often. But I heard about it happening.”
“Did anyone ask you to meet?” Alec asks. Tension laces his voice. He glances at Enzo. “Maybe this sick asshole is pissed at Hazel for turning him down.”
“No.” I tug on Alec’s hand to get his attention. “I didn’t have private conversations with guys like that. It was either small groups or just talking to Jess. No one asked me to meet. Ever.”
Alec doesn’t look reassured. “So, someone might be out there, targeting innocent women playing an online game. Convincing them to meet and then taking them.”
“We don’t know that for sure,” Ronan says.
“Yes, Swede found a connection. But there are still a lot of unanswered questions. Did the missing women all make arrangements to meet someone from the game, or was it just Amy? Even if they all did, what does that have to do with Hazel? And how would they have discovered Hazel’s identity, or Jess’s for that matter, if she never told them? ”
“It’s possible someone could have hacked into the game servers,” Matt suggests. “They should be fairly secure, but with the right skills…” He shrugs. “I could do it. I’m sure Alec and Swede could, too.”
Alec scowls. “Yeah. I could.”
“But why Hazel?” Knox asks. “It doesn’t make sense.”
Swede looks at Enzo. “What about the guy who came after Hazel at the bar? The one hired in Boston? Did you find anything useful?”
Enzo shakes his head. “Unfortunately not. It was a Saturday night, the bar was packed, and the footage we got from the one surveillance camera gave us nothing. We’re still trying, but it’s not promising.”
“Do you really think it’s all connected to the game?” The small amount of breakfast I managed to get down threatens to come up again. “That someone—some people—could be tricking women into meeting them? And then what? Taking them? Killing them?”
I feel sick at the thought of it. Tenebris Veil, my safe haven for years, the one place I could escape to when the memories were too much; tainted. Ruined.
And Amy. What happened to her? I didn’t know her well, but I liked her. She was nice. Funny. And even though I didn’t think meeting a strange man she met through the game was the best idea, I wanted it to work out for her.
“What do we do?” I blurt. “If these people are targeting women in the game…”
“We don’t know that,” Alec says. He turns his chair to face me and takes both my hands in his. “We have a lead. Which may bring us to the truth, or it could be a dead end. We’ll keep investigating. Matt and Swede will help. We’ll figure it out.”
Knox sighs. “Hazel has a point. If more women are in danger, we should do something.”
“We can talk to the owners of the game,” Enzo replies. “Give them the heads-up. Maybe they can warn the players.”
“What about Amy?” My voice pitches up. “What about the other women? Are they still missing? Are they hurt? Dead?”
“Haze.” Alec’s thumb smooths across the back of my hand. “It’s okay.”
“It’s not!” Tears fill my eyes. “We need to help them. Or if nothing else, find out what happened to them. And we need to stop this. Before someone else I care about gets—” My voice cracks. “Before…”
The tears break free. “Alec. I have to do something.”
Alec’s face is a picture of misery. “Hazel. Sweetheart.” He pulls me into his arms. “Don’t cry. It’s okay. Don’t cry.”
The conversation continues around me while I work to contain my tears. Alec doesn’t take part in it; instead, he just holds me and rubs my back and tells me over and over again that everything will be okay.
But it’s not okay.
Lark, Rory, and Winter have to change their lives around because of me.
Jess is in hiding.
Wendy was hurt.
Angel was terrified she’d be taken from her daughter.
And those women. What of them?
One of the messages from last night comes back to me.
Stop hiding.
I know doing what they asked would be foolish. Dangerous, even. On my own, I’m no match for whoever’s behind this.
But I’m not on my own, am I?
I have Alec and his team. And with them…
Pulling out of Alec’s embrace, I wipe my cheeks before turning towards the rest of the group. “I have an idea.”
Enzo lifts his chin at me. “What is it?”
My heart speeds up. “What if we set a trap? I could go home, like the message said. But you guys would be hiding there, too. And if—when—someone shows up for me, you could stop them.”
“No way.” Alec shakes his head vehemently. “That’s not happening.”
“Why not?” I ask. “It could work.”
“It could,” Ronan muses. “We could do it safely.”
“No plan is without risk,” Alec shoots back. “And I refuse to put Hazel in danger again.”
Enzo lifts his hand in a pacifying gesture. “Not that I’m saying we do it. But we could keep Hazel safe. Remember when we set up the trap at my house for Winter’s ex? She was fine.”
“And terrified.” Alec scowls. “Winter was terrified. Don’t you think Hazel’s been through enough already? The car crash, and the break-in, and the attack at the bar. And shit. You all know what happened with her ex. I won’t let Hazel be traumatized again.”
I’m conflicted. On one hand, I love how fiercely Alec is trying to protect me. But on the other… What if my idea could work? What if we could end this? Wouldn’t that be worth it?
“Alec,” I say softly.
He turns back to me. “I can’t watch you suffer again. I can’t.”
“But if it works, all of this could be over. We could do normal things again. Everyone would be safe.”
“Haze.”
“We could go to the Halloween festival together,” I add.
“And we could visit your family without having to worry. We could go hiking. Take trips. Be a normal couple.” My chin wobbles.
“And I can’t just keep hiding here while there are women in trouble.
How can I live with myself if I don’t try to help? ”
“Shit.” Alec exhales heavily. “I don’t want you to be hurt. Not physically or emotionally. And the thought of you going through that, using yourself as bait…”
“Why don’t we table this for now?” Enzo offers. “A decision doesn’t have to be made right away.” He looks at me. “Take some time to think about it, Hazel. Think about what’s best for you. Okay?”
Before I can answer, Alec grumbles, “She’s not deciding today. It’s too fresh. I’ll take Hazel home so she can get some food and rest. Plus some time to relax. Then we can discuss it again.”
He looks at me with a pleading expression. “Let’s just think about it for now. Can you do that?”
I’m ninety-five percent sure of my decision already. But how can I say no when Alec asks me like that? “Okay,” I tell him. “Let’s go home. Eat. Take a nap. And then we can talk about it again.”
Alec releases his breath. “Okay.” Then he hugs me close, pressing his lips to my hair. And quietly, so only I can hear him, he adds, “I’m not letting anyone hurt you again.”