CHAPTER 14
Grant
For the most part, the Afterglow hadn’t changed. I scrutinized outside rentals, but any Afterglow requests from members I knew personally were fine. Yet I found myself in the owner’s office early in the morning, the scent of burnt coffee etched into the walls. I opened the tracking app to make sure Hazel was still at the apartment, then I scoured a list of attendees from the night Hazel had followed me there, trying to find discrepancies between photocopies of IDs and the written names.
There were a few inconsistencies, which was to be expected. Our lifestyle choices weren’t always welcomed with open arms, and many of our kind preferred to keep their outside lives separate, including their names. That was fine, but I needed to narrow down suspects.
Hazel’s stalker could have been open on their choices, choosing to use their given name, like Oliver Mitchell. I had seen him on the Strip once, dressed in black, the top hat somehow fitting in with the tourists in swim trunks and pajamas. He had been working on the software for a broken slot machine, but it was clear from his dress alone that he was into an edgier lifestyle.
Oliver was an easy target. He had attacked Hazel, and confronted her again.
There were a few other names I didn’t recognize, some with mismatched names on their driver’s licenses. If we hadn’t destroyed the records from Veil Security Services, I could have cross-checked the names with our info. But with no references, nothing stood out to me. Until I came to one name.
Renee Harrison the photocopy of the ID, next to the handwritten nameChristine.One of two Christines that had been at the club that night. The license photo looked old. Soft brown hair. Light eyes. It might not have been the same woman as Hazel’s friend. The copy was so worn that I couldn’t tell.
Christine had been kind to Hazel, but working for Zaid, I had learned to never trust anyone. The cleanup orders—on close associates, friends, and even family, so that the client could get ahead or exact revenge—were eye-opening. Even when someone was kind to your face, they could still betray you.
The best person for the job was Kiley. She had experience in hacking classified information. Though Zaid had insisted that I ask for LilyandKiley’s help back when I had purchased the Afterglow, I had only contacted Lily to run the club. As for Kiley, I had avoided the call. But I needed to make moves now. The situation was getting worse.
I called Zaid. “Grant,” he said.
So he was home. “You were supposed to be gone for months,” I said.
“After the engagement, one thing led to another, and we realized we wouldn’t be doing much hiking. We came home.” There was a soft quality to his voice, like he was daydreaming. Then he became serious. “I got your voicemail.”
I figured he hadn’t checked it yet. I had expected him to call back when he heard I quit. “You weren’t upset?”
“I understand,” he said. “And Heather said you two are still living together. No reason to be concerned.”
That was interesting. When I had started working for Zaid, he didn’t tolerate insubordination of any kind. It had taken me a long time to earn his trust. So it took me aback that he said he understood. But what did he understand, exactly?
But I knew. I wanted to help Hazel on my own. I didn’t want him or Heather to have anything to do with my actions. It was just us. Hazel and me. I was doing it because I wanted to.
Even with this adjustment to the situation, Hazel was wary of me. I could see it in her eyes. She had every right to be, considering our history. I would have to earn her trust too.
“You said Kiley will help with the anonymous messages?” I asked.
“Hazel is still receiving them?” Another surprise. Hazel truly hadn’t told her sister anything, otherwise, Zaid wouldn’t have asked.
“They’re getting worse,” I said.
“You’ll have to call Kiley.” I took down her number. “Put the focus on Hazel. Try not to bring yourself into it.”
That was the only way Kiley would help me. “All right.”
After we hung up, I dialed Kiley. “What?” she asked.
“Kiley?” I asked for confirmation. There was none. “This is Grant, from Veil Security—”
“Oh, come on, Grant. I know who you are.”
I held back a sigh. We were already off to a good start. “I have a favor to ask.”
“I don’t give out freebies.”
I rubbed my forehead. ‘Favor’ wasn’t the right word. I would pay her. Still, she needed to know that it was a personal matter. “I’ll pay.”
“Oh. My lucky stars. Well, then. What can I do for you, Master Tremmel?”
