Page 111 of His Ruthless Match
“That’s what I’d like to know,” I snapped, pacing again. “Gabe says he can’t access the hotel’s security footage. It’s like it’s being deleted as soon as anything happens. Who the hell has that kind of access?”
Jareth set the phone down on the counter. “Someone with resources,” he said grimly.
“You think I don’t know that? This isn’t just about her reputation anymore. This is about her life now, Jareth. How do we get this under control?”
“You need more eyes on her,” Jareth said firmly. “If the hotel cameras are compromised, you install your own.”
“We can’t just waltz in and set up cameras inside her room,” I countered. “We’d need permission from the hotel management.”
Jareth gave me a pointed look. “It’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but he wasn’t wrong, and we both knew it. Letting out a frustrated sigh, I crossed my arms. “Fine. But she’s already on edge. We’ll need to handle this delicately.”
His gaze softened, just enough to loosen the knot in my chest. “We will. This isn’t going to go away on its own, Eva. Whoever’s behind this isn’t going to stop until we make them.”
“Do magical beings even show up on video cameras? Or can they go undetected by technology?”
“Everything should show up on video surveillance. Even if they can make themselves invisible to human eyes, their magical essence will show up. Just like the glimmer we saw on the video of Genevieve outside the gas station.”
I nodded, my resolve hardening. “Then let’s do it.”
I pulled out my phone and scrolled through my contacts. My thumb hovered over Genevieve’s name for a moment before I pressed call. The dial tone buzzed in my ear, each ring ratcheting up my tension. Finally, a quiet, wary voice answered on the other end.
“Hello?” Genevieve sounded exhausted, her voice thin and strained.
I got straight to the point. “Genevieve, I’d like to install additional surveillance in your hotel room. Just as a precaution. Are you okay with that?”
There was a pause, long enough that I almost repeated myself. When she finally spoke, her words were tired, resigned. “Will it help?”
“It will give us a clearer picture of what’s going on,” I explained, keeping my tone calm but firm. “If anyone gets in or anything abnormal happens, we’ll know about it immediately.”
Another silence. Then she agreed. “Okay. Do whatever you need to do.”
Relief flickered through me. “Thank you. I’ll have Gabe head over with the equipment. He’ll be discreet.”
Jareth nudged me. “Tell her I’ll need to drop by for a separate installation.”
I looked at him quizzically, but relayed it to Genevieve.
She murmured an acknowledgement before hanging up. I set my phone down and quickly fired off a text to Gabe with instructions to head to Genevieve’s hotel and install the surveillance gear. As I hit send, I stood and grabbed my coat from the back of a chair. “I’m going to head to Genevieve’s hotel. What is it that you need to install?”
“Vivian created some fancy-ass magical technology that creates wards and notifies you on your phone if those wards are breached. It allows you to flag safe creatures and only be notified when an unknown creature breaches the wards. She says it still has some kinks to work out, but she’s thrilled to help. Grelth’s going to pick it up for me.”
I took a deep breath. “That sounds… perfect, really. She blows my mind sometimes.”
“Yeah, she blows us all away.” Jareth pushed off the counter with a low grumble and grabbed his jacket. “I’m going with you to see Genevieve. Remember, wig.”
“Ugh.” I rolled my eyes but didn’t argue as I pulled my blonde wig into place. The crisp air hit my face as we stepped outside. It was refreshing and a welcome change from the stuffy weight of my thoughts. Despite Jareth’s complaints about the city’s unique aroma, the walk did wonders for me. I stuffed my hands into my pockets as I scanned the streets while we walked to the hotel.
The building was sleek and modern, exuding an air of quiet luxury. The doorman nodded politely as we entered, and I led the way to the elevator. Jareth stayed close, his presence steady and solid. It was both comforting and unnerving how natural it felt to have him there.
When we reached Genevieve’s suite, a guard nodded in our direction, as if absolutely nothing out of the norm had occurred.
“Have you noticed anything unusual with Genevieve?”
He shrugged. “No, she keeps to herself. It’s actually been the easiest assignment I’ve ever had.”
I crossed my arms. “Are you saying she hasn’t tried to sneak out? That you’d actually notice if she did?”
