Page 104 of Seducer

God, the game had been far more addictive than I’d believed possible. The rush of adrenaline through my system had kept me feeling very much alive and in total control. The predatory nature of my personality had been provided with a night of freedom without fear of repercussions. Damn if I hadn’t enjoyed the hell out of myself.

Right up until she’d almost been killed. I paced the floor, inventing new ways of killing the fucker responsible. Gutting him wasn’t enough. Cutting out the asshole’s heart wouldn’t do. Sighing, I rubbed my jaw and allowed images of her sweet face and body to drown out the other noise.

My beautiful guest had fallen into a deeper slumber, murmuring my name when I’d carried her to bed. I’d sat in the chair in the dark, watching her sleep. It had been the most peaceful moment I’d felt in a very long time.

Uncertainty didn’t look good on me.

Neither did rage, although I’d prefer the feeling of anger running through my veins.

Sara had sensed someone else was following her, but at the beginning had believed I was her stalker. I found myself jealous of the freak who’d been taunting her. The green-eyed monster was strong, keeping my breathing ragged and my mind filled with ruthless thoughts.

The truth the person existed continued to be difficult to stomach.

I didn’t appreciate the Obsidian Society being used as a subterfuge. Or that my work was being copied. It was also possible they would attempt to pin her murder on me. Kill two birds with one stone, so to speak. I was ready to pitch my drink across the room. No one fucked with me.

As I waited for Sara to appear, I plotted the pieces of information I had so far. What seemed painfully clear was that individuals with no real connections to each other had been used in their twisted game.

Had it been to keep me on edge, or my wild kitty?

I checked my phone for a third time in case I’d received a text from Mack. It was no telling how long he would be on an investigation, but it felt as if time was running out. Perhaps I was going at this the wrong way.

It was late, but I made a call, catching Christopher on the third ring.

“You’re another man who never sleeps,” he said as he yawned.

“And you act like an old married man.”

“That’s because I am. You should try it. It might ground you.” He laughed. “What’s wrong?”

“I need some information I think only you and your connections can discover.”

“With all our tech, the capability of hacking into almost every database, and the fact you could easily blackmail anyone in the entire United States to get what you want, you suddenly need my help at… three in the morning?”

I laughed. “The word almost is the reason.” There were a few databases we chose not to hack into. The reason was simple. We didn’t need any shit coming down on us from law enforcement. There were enough reasons why to fill a notebook.

“Let me guess. Keep it quiet.”

“Very quiet. In case I’m wrong.”

“Does this have anything to do with the reporters nosing around?” he asked, now fully awake.

“Maybe. Or maybe this has everything to do with Sara Capshaw. Let me fill you in.”

I told him briefly about what Walker had discovered without expounding on the man’s identity. I also mentioned the night’s festivities and what Sara had mentioned while still under the influence of the sedative.

He laughed as soon as I was finished. “Wow. That’s quite a story, but we thought there might be copycats. Think about that first article. Enough truths were provided about the society that if a smart entity filled in the blanks, they could almost assume our identity. It’s honestly something I’ve worried about from a legal point of view.”

He wasn’t wrong. Copycats, whether for killers or idiots following the latest stupid social media trend, occurred all the time. Perhaps we’d been too arrogant to clearly see the possibilities.

“I hear what you’re saying. Perhaps putting a cease to the game for now isn’t a bad idea. Find out if there’s any issues with Brant’s father and the law as well as Jerry Offsinger. That might be the only connection.” I was leaving certain aspects about Sara’s life on the back burner. I wasn’t an idiot with regard to crime syndicates. They had moles everywhere.

“Blackmail is used more than you think. Now, let me ask you a question. Do you like this girl?” Christopher’s question wasn’t a surprise.

“Why does everyone feel the need to know?”

“Because I’m not an idiot, Zach. When I came to work for you, I did deep dives on you and your brothers. You might think you’ve kept me from your dangerous, rather twisted paths, but thatkind of shit follows you around forever. It’s only a matter of time before your father and your past exposures to the worst part of the foster system are exposed. I’m not certain what I’ll be able to do to protect you.”

I hesitated before responding. “You won’t need to, Chris. If our pasts are revealed, we’ll simply disappear. We’ve done it before.”

---