"I don't watch the news," Jason explained. "This is still my case, though, and Dez sent me the post. The IP leads to Moscow, so that's a dead end, but I have a feeling he's stalking Rhaven."
"Why her?" Bradley asked.
"Because they think she's a traitor," Jason explained. "These men have issues with women. The idea of a woman who was born a boy? That's going to offend every sensibility they have. The fact that she's a developer now? Double whammy. Riley pissed them off - intentionally, I might add. Dez pissed them off accidentally. She dared to speak her mind. Rhaven? Her mere existence has them in a rage, and that's going to be how we finally catch them."
"You think she's up for it?"
Jason nodded. "I think Rhaven is a lot stronger than she knows. She's had to fight for everything in her life. She'll fight for this."
"Hope you're right," Bradley said.
Slowly but surely, the traffic crawled from where they'd been to a beautiful high-rise. It was the kind of place that most FBI agents couldn't afford, but this was where Bradley called home, thanks to his wife's lucrative day job. Once again, Bradley headed into a parking garage and the pair made their way inside and to an elevator. The security here was almost as impressive as the FBI's.
They came out onto a floor halfway up the building and Bradley led Jason and Crysis to his apartment. The door was barely opened before Crysis began wagging his tail. From inside, the sound of the television could be heard, proving someone was home.
"Kyle?" Bradley called out.
"He's with his friends," Bradley's wife answered, sounding like she was headed toward them. Jason had barely closed the door behind him when Bethany walked into view. "Jason!" she greeted him.
"Hi," he said, walking over to give her a light hug. "Sorry to drop in unannounced."
"Staying for dinner?" she asked.
"No," Bradley told her. "I have to go back to Ohio for a week, at least. Could be more. Figured I could pack some things and then crash at Jason's place tonight. We head out in the morning."
Bethany just lifted a finger at him. "You stay out of their way, Brad. Those two are still in the cute phase."
"You two are still in the cute phase," Jason countered. "Besides, Zara likes having my partner over for dinner. Doesn't happen enough."
"Now that we made up," Bradley grumbled.
"That goes the other way around too," Bethany told Jason. "One day, the pair of you will come here for the weekend. Ideally before your wedding, because I intend to spoil that girl as much as possible. Want to make sure she doesn't back out, you know."
Jason laughed. "Same. The last thing I need to do is scare her off."
"Let me grab some things real fast," Bradley said. "Baby, get Crysis some water? He's been in the truck a while."
Bethany waved for Jason and his dog to follow her, then headed straight for the kitchen. There, Bethany found a bowl for him; Jason filled it with tap water and put it on the floor for his dog. While Crysis sucked that back, Jason leaned against the counter. Bethany matched him.
"How long do you really think you'll be gone this time?" she asked, keeping her voice down so it wouldn't carry.
"Couple of weeks," Jason guessed. "Could be longer. These girls have been poking the bear, and the bear's going to slip up soon."
"You sound like you respect them."
He nodded. "The gamer girls? I do. This is a group of women who are breaking into an industry that doesn't know what to do with them. They fight hard - both in-game and for the respect they deserve. I'm sure you've heard that phrase about how a woman has to work twice as hard to get half as much notice? It's true for these ladies, and they're willing to double down, even with someone trying to kill them."
"Is it really that bad?" Bethany asked.
Jason nodded. "It can be. Most of the time, it's just harassment. Online, in person, doesn't matter. It's almost like there's something about getting online that makes some guys think we've gone back in time. The sexism is thrown out like it's a joke, but it's not. That line is just a way for boys to get out of trouble when someone gets mad about it."
"Brad's been talking to Kyle about what he says online," she admitted. "He told him about you getting shot at that