For The Win (Gamer Girls, #6) - Auryn Hadley Page 0,200
missing. It's not the actual threats I need to be looking for. It's the general and allowed complaints. The 'typical' assholes. Bradley!"
"Almost done," the man called from his bedroom.
"We need to work this case like arson," Jason called back. "He's lighting fires and watching them spread. Soul Reaper doesn't have a tie to all of these women. He doesn't have an overall goal like we've been thinking. He's using the mass hate to hide his real purpose, and it has to tie back to Dez. She was first, so she has to be the source."
Bradley stepped into the living room dragging his luggage behind him. "So we go back to the beginning."
"And we do it now," Jason said. "They're hitting Deviant again. That's why Soul Reaper made that post, because they're his target. The rest of this? Riley, Kate, Rhaven? They're just what got hit by the sparks. We need to find the source."
"And the accelerant," Bradley realized. "Call Dalton and get the first case files. It's got to be in there."
Jason grabbed his phone and dialed. Behind him, Bradley pulled his wife aside and kissed the woman slowly. Jason noticed, but he wouldn't gawk. Those two were the perfect example of how to make a marriage work. Their relationship was why, no matter how infuriating Bradley had been over the years, Jason always knew the man was honestly invested in solving this case.
They were also what he hoped his future would look like. Jason didn't have any good examples of happily ever after in his life - except Bradley and Bethany. But, if they could do it, then Jason was damned sure that he and Zara could come close. They'd survived everything to get this far, after all.
Then, Jason had to call Deviant Games. Ok, so he called Dez. She promised that the guys wouldn't need a hotel. They were welcome to the warehouse rooms, her spare bedroom, or to stay with one of the devs. Bradley said he'd prefer the hotel, so Jason made arrangements for that, but he told Dez that Zara could pick for the two of them. It was kinda nice to have his clients excited to see him, though. It felt good.
No, it felt like coming home.
Maybe the reasons weren't good ones, but that didn't matter. They needed him, and he needed them. These people had taught him how to heal. They'd become his hope in the darkness of his life. Maybe the fact that this case had become so personal would look bad on his record, but Jason was done caring. He had to trust the men and women in the trenches with him, and the internet was still a wild and uncontrolled war zone.
The trip from Jason's apartment just off the UNY-N campus to Deviant's headquarters in Ohio took almost ten hours, including stops. The road trip was fun, though. When Bradley and Zara began singing to old 80s songs at the top of their lungs, it made the list of his best memories. That Crysis added his voice to the cacophony was the cherry on top.
They pulled into the drive for Deviant Games at five minutes after five on Friday evening. A dozen or more protestors stood on either side, held at a distance by the local police. But when the gates didn't automatically open, one man stepped up and tapped on the glass.
"Only authorized persons are allowed on property," the officer explained.
Bradley pulled out his badge and showed him. "We should be expected."
Jason tapped Bradley's shoulder. "Code for the gate is 1337."
The cop's eyes narrowed. "I guess you're authorized, then, huh?"
"They called us," Bradley said while the cop typed in the code.
The gate immediately began moving. "Well, seems like you have access. I wasn't aware this was federal. Just some trespassing."
"Different case," Bradley assured him. The moment he started moving forward, he rolled his window back up and looked over at Jason. "How'd you know the code?"
"That's geek for 'leet,' which is slang for 'elite.' It's what Dez picked for herself. Kinda like a middle finger to everyone who's