I laid down trying to ward off any Dare-related thoughts that would make me want to touch myself, and closed my eyes.
He was there, of course. Imprinted on the back of my eyelids. I didn’t know what I expected.
I took a deep breath, blinked him away and tried to sleep again.
It wasn’t working.
My phone beeped and I reached for it, glad for the distraction.
Unknown Number: Come out come out wherever you are
Great. Now there’s no chance of sleep, like, ever.
ELEVEN
DARE
“I’m sorry,” Slade said and I huffed. “There’s been nothing.”
Slade was one of the many teammates that had settled on the island, thanks to Wyatt, and he used his tech smarts to help with surveillance and tracking. Thankfully he was also studying to pass his exams so he could be a teacher, so he wasn’t entirely putting his life on pause and in danger because of my stupid ex.
I let out an expletive and Slade apologized again as if it was his fault that Victor the dickhead had gone MIA since his last stint outside Zach’s building.
“He must know we’re onto him,” Slade said.
“Yeah, I know. But if he was here you’d have found him. People like him think too much of themselves to hide.”
Slade sighed on the other end of the line, and I squeezed my phone. Neither he, nor my device were at fault here.
“And you’re sure there’s been no chatter on that GhostLink?” I asked.
Slade took a beat before replying.
“The GhostLink phone is as good as useless since its owner died.”
I huffed.
“Trust me. We’re as frustrated as you are about that. We’ve been waiting for so long to have an ear inside their organization, and as soon as we get it it’s dead.”
It had only been a month or so since Slade had apparently discovered a phone they’d cloned from one of the local gangsters had a secondary, encrypted function. GhostLink, it was called. Used by criminals all across the world to conduct their dealings and exchange funds and perversions. That development had been instrumental in rescuing Teddy’s boyfriend, Wesley, when he’d been abducted. But when his abductor, and owner of the GhostLink phone died, so did the chatter. Which made sense. Who would message a dead man?
“Look at me. A few days ago I wanted nothing to do with Wyatt’s mission and now I’m getting involved in this shit,” I groaned.
“I know. But…you care about Zach. We all do. It’s impossible not to get involved.”
I huffed again.
Was it that obvious I had feelings for the guy? I mean, how much more obvious could it get than taking him under my wing, putting him under my roof and keeping him there until the coast was clear and his ex was preferably eaten by fishes.
“I know. Thanks anyway, man. I might drive around in the afternoon. See if I can find him.”
“No need. We’re all on lookout. Even our boyfriends are on the lookout for that man. But we’re coming up empty. I know you don’t think so but I’m sure he’s hiding.”
It made no sense. Why would Victor come all the way to this island only to hide like a scared little kitten at the first sight of trouble? Men like him didn’t hide. They didn’t cower away. They were predators, not prey.
“I still don’t get how he found Zach,” I muttered.
Slade hummed.
