Page 34 of Demon Hunter

“I didn’t want to mention it yet,” I admit. “It might not be anything. I don’t even know whatitis, really.”

He’s still looking at me expectantly.

“Your phone.”

Expectation changes to bewilderment. “My phone?”

“Yeah. Your phone and smartwatch.”

Matt looks at the watch on his wrist, then back at me. “What about them?”

“They left them on you. They stole your cash and credit cards, but left the electronics behind.”

“They stole my kit too,” he reminds me bitterly. “Bastards. But they left the car.”

I nod. “They stole your kit—the sword, daggers, herbs, all of it. Plus they searched you for other weapons and took all of those too. Basically, anything that would make you memorable to the police.”

“Fuck you, I’m very memorable.” The offense in his tone would be funny if we were talking about anything else.

“Of course you are,” I soothe. “But think like a cop who sees victims of beatings and robberies all the time. Eventually, they probably all blur together… unless one of them had a freaking crystal-inlaid sword in his car.”

“Good point. And yeah, I agree it’s weird that they’d leave the car and the electronics behind, but I don’t get why this is bugging you so much.”

I ignore the implied question and keep following my train of thought. I’m hoping if I say it out loud, something will click intoplace. “The code was written to delete the job sheet. They didn’t want us to know exactly what had happened or who they are. They want to remain invisible.”

“That makes sense, though.”

I nod slowly. “Yeah, but then why not make you invisible too?”

Confusion vanishes. “If I had died, I would have missed my required check-in. The Collective would have traced my phone and smartwatch.”

“The police couldn’t identify you from the car because it’s registered to the Collective,” I continue. “But as soon as morning hit and the office was open, they could have called, reported what had happened with the car, and asked for information about the driver.”

“It was Reno.” Matt’s filling in the gaps fast now. “If it was someone who hated me and wanted to kill me, why let me be found? They could have taken me out to the desert and buried me. Or just let the animals get to me.”

“Exactly.” I put down my half-drunk coffee. “Instead they left you somewhere you’d be found, with clues there to help identify you. Or at least to help us find you.” I shake my head. “This isn’t personal to you. They didn’t want you dead because of a grudge against you.”

“I’ll stop working on my enemies list, then,” he says dryly. “It was depressing me, anyway.” Grimacing, he adds, “So this was a message, then? They used me to carry out a grudge against someone else?”

I shrug helplessly. “I don’t know. They know enough about the Collective to know how the cars are registered and how we manage jobs. Did they know all that before or after they hacked into our servers? If it was after, how did they even know we existed to hack into? I know Norval’s working on the whole grudge angle, but something about that feels… off. Like, if youwere holding a grudge against someone that was so intense you murdered—or tried to murder—their loved one and finally got your vengeance, wouldn’t you want them to know it wasn’t an accident?”

Matt seesaws his hand. “Meh. Maybe. If you’re cold-blooded enough to plan out a murder with this level of detail, you’re also probably cold enough to get satisfaction from knowing your enemy is miserable and suffering. But murder as vengeance is a big tit-for-tat. Whatever grudge they’re holding would have to be for something hardcore.”

“Or they’re seriously disturbed,” I counter. “Either way, this just raises more questions. And why would they go so far out of their way to remain hidden but make sure you could be found so easily? Making you disappear would cause just as much angst—if not more. It wouldn’t be easy for any of us to go on not knowing whether you were alive or dead, safe or being hurt. The pain would be ongoing, with no chance of closure.”

“I didn’t think of that.” Matt purses his lips, and I resist the urge to lean in and kiss that pucker. “Could it have been an accident?”

Huh? “You being bashed nearly to death after they lured you there? No, I’m pretty sure it was deliberate, babe.”

“No, I mean leaving my tech behind. Maybe they were supposed to take it—and the car—but they forgot. Or got interrupted.”

I stare at him, my mind racing. “That could be it. I—” Pushing aside the breakfast tray, I crawl out of bed. “Let’s go see if the police report’s been updated.”

Matt trails behind me. “Why?”

“Because last time I checked it, there was a note that they’d asked for any witnesses to come forward. The warehouse you were found in is a known make-out place—there’s even a sign so people know if it’s occupied already. I want to see if the copsfound anyone to talk to. Maybe we can get a better timeframe.” I’m already into the Reno PDs files before I finish talking. Having done it a few times already, it’s easier than the first time.

Matt looks over my shoulder. “Dude, did you hack thepolice?”

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