She's the one flying under the radar."
"Shit," Zara breathed, grabbing her phone. "But then why am I here? I bet they know the FBI is at Deviant, and we don't want me tied to that or it'll expose Jason."
"I'll make a tweet later," Rhaven told her. "That after the stress of what's been happening, it was nice to get some of my gamer girls together to blow off a little steam. We'll make it out to be no big deal."
"But if they realize who is working this case..." Zara hissed.
"You just got a contract," Kate reminded her. "I live close. Rhaven moved when she got the job. If Deviant announces that they're not going to let the harassment stop them, there shouldn't be a tie to Jason. Besides, the FBI's been here for days. You just got here, right?"
"There is that," Zara admitted.
"Then we're going to stop worrying about it and just have fun!" Kate decided.
And they did. The girls talked about their guys, their jobs, and most of all, the Columbus Expo, which was coming up in about five weeks. That event was hosted by Deviant in one of Adam's hotels. It was a chance for them to run the gaming news cycle for a few weeks, spotlighting all their games. The older ones always got a boost from it. The new ones were hyped and gained more of a following - which would help with awards at F5 in September.
The best part, though, was the tournament. Kate was an adequate player, at best. Zara was notoriously bad, yet loved it. Sadly, this time Rhaven wouldn't be playing. As a developer, she would most likely be on the sidelines, but she promised to cheer them on. However, she was happy to let everyone know that Deviant would be showing off their first trailer for Renegade and announcing the official title at F5. That meant a lot of teasing in August at the Columbus Expo.
Eventually, the food got cold or ran out. The conversation began to slow. With an hour drive back home and work in the morning, they decided to call it a night. There was a little squabble over the bill, but Kate won that, saying Riley had threatened Ice's balls, so he was paying. Her argument was that he needed the proof. Then they all headed outside together.
Kate was parked closest. She paused to give both Rhaven and Zara a hug, then climbed behind the wheel of her little Mini Cooper. She'd started it up, had her seatbelt on, and had just pulled out her phone to let Adam know that she was on her way back when she noticed a guy standing a few cars away from Zara and Rhaven. Nothing abnormal - except for how intently he was watching them.
She didn't hesitate. Kate put the car in reverse, backed out of her spot, and whipped around to shine her headlights right on him. If he came at any of them, she would run his ass over with her tiny little sports car! The man froze.
Zara and Rhaven stopped as well, but then the pair hurried to Rhaven's car - Braden's, really. It didn't matter. Once they were inside and the headlights were on, Kate sent a text to Rhaven.
Kate: You ok?
Rhaven: What the fuck? Yeah, we're good. Keep an eye on anyone following you. Zara's going to let Cyn know.
Kate: Message me when home?
Rhaven: Same. And if there are ANY issues along the way, we will come after you.
Kate: <3 Love you for that. Here's hoping I'm paranoid.
She backed up. Rhaven backed out of her spot. Then, the two cars both left the parking lot together. At the first light, they turned in different directions, but so far as Kate could tell, no one was following either of them.
Maybe she was paranoid. Maybe she was freaked out because of everything that had been happening, but she'd rather be called a bitch a few times than end up like so many other women had. After all, she had a scar on her jaw to remind her just how dangerous a bad decision could be. Now, she was in a position where she had the power to take care of not just herself but her friends as well. If the Kings of Gaming ever were dumb enough to stalk them, they would find out really fast that gamer girls didn't make for easy victims.
Chapter 13
Rhaven and Zara were shaken when they got home. Jason made them tell