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She made sure to keep any eagerness out of her tone. “What can you tell us about the person running this gambling site?”
“Nothing really.” Moretti shrugged, watching her warily from the backseat. “Everything’s anonymous. Usernames and avatars only. Winnings get wired in from different offshore accounts.”
Roseline studied him, sensing he wasn’t being transparent. The nervous way his fingertips tapped together betrayed him.
“But someone coordinates the bets and payouts,” she pressed. “Handles the money coming in and going out. Are you claiming you do not know who oversees the operation?”
Moretti broke eye contact, staring down at the floor mat. “I told you everything already.”
Callan abruptly slammed his palm against the car, making Moretti jump. “That’s bullshit, and we both know it. Now start talking, or this conversation will get a hell of a lot less friendly.”
The threat hung ominously in the air as Callan glared back at Moretti. Roseline was grateful her partner could intimidate so effectively when needed. Moretti looked ready to crack.
He threw up both hands in frustrated surrender. “All right, all right! All I know is they call themselves the Game Master or some stupid name like Chess Master or Matrix Lord. That’s it, I swear.”
Moretti seemed genuinely scared now. Roseline maintained her steely expression but felt a surge of satisfaction inside. Pushing him was the right move.
“The Game Master. Is it the one who coordinates the entire betting site?”
Moretti nodded. “Yeah, must be. Makes sense for it all funneling through them. But no one knows who it actually is.”
Callan’s tone turned steely. “Were you the only one invited initially, or were there others?”
Moretti gnawed his lower lip, clearly dismayed Callan was pressing further. After a few seconds of silence, he responded. “There were others to start. Other big local players, I mean.”
Roseline’s pulse quickened further, but she kept her voice flat and calm. “Their names, Moretti. Now.”
He squirmed, avoiding her gaze. “I can’t give up names. These are dangerous people. They’d fucking kill me.”
Ice coated Roseline’s next words. “Keeping quiet won’t save you either. The names, or we walk out of here and start making things very difficult for you. Financially and legally.”
Moretti held out for several more seconds before caving again. “Jesus… fine. I know two of the other guys got invited when I did. Vincent Garofalo and. Enzo DeLuca.”
The revelation almost made Roseline jump in victory, but she could tell Moretti feared reprisal for revealing them. Garofalo and DeLuca likely moved in the same criminal circles if they’d been tapped early on alongside Moretti. If she could connect them back to the Game Master, too, this could blow the case wide open.
Callan gave her a subtle nod and exited their vehicle.
Before Moretti could react, Roseline twisted around to pierce him with an icy stare. “For your sake, I hope you’ve shared everything relevant. We’ll know if you haven’t. And we’ll be back. Don’t leave town.”
Leaving the threat implicit, she stepped out of the car into the humid night air and slammed the door. Without another word, Moretti climbed out and hurried back to his car. They left Moretti standing out there in the middle of the parking lot of the gym, staring after them with a stricken look on his face.
Roseline’s mind spun faster than the car’s tires as they pulled out of the parking lot. The intel from Moretti could be the break they needed. But they would need to uncover much more for it to help expose the Game Master’s identity.
Though, she sensed they were on the right path. The shadows were starting to illuminate, revealing the shape of the monster within. Adrenaline flooded her veins. She was ready to hunt it down.
Once they were back on the open road, Callan reached over and gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze. “We rattled him. It’s a start.”
Roseline nodded, thoughts racing. “This gambling ring Moretti mentioned, hosted on the dark web… that is to be tied to the Game Master.”
Callan glanced over, his eyebrows raised in surprise. “You sure it’s the same guy running both?”
“The names he revealed don’t lie. The live stream site had a chat box for spectators to place bets on the killings, basically gambling on how the victims would die.” Roseline’s hand tightened around the wheel as she made the connection out loud. “Far too similar to be a coincidence. And I think Moretti’s too shaken to lie.”
Callan leaned back, running a hand over his stubbled chin. “Shit. You might be right. Setting up something secretive and lucrative like an illegal poker ring takes major technical and networking skills. Just like live-streaming untraceable murder videos. And there is only one step between them two.”
“Exactly,” Roseline said. The stream of city lights flashed rhythmically across her intense expression. “I think the Game Master used the gambling site as a recruiting pool to identify potential victims. Moretti named two others invited early on—Vincent Garofalo and Enzo DeLuca.”
“The first victims,” Roseline finished with grim certainty.
