Page 48 of Hide and Seek

“Well fuck me sideways,” Jace says distractedly.

“What?” Xave and I ask together.

“I found the file, but it’s sealed, and all the identifying information has been redacted.” He clicks a bunch of keys, his fingers flying over the keyboard as he stares intently at his screens.

“Can you unseal it?” Xave asks.

“Wait,” I tell my brother.

He stops typing and looks over his shoulder at me.

“Check it for traps and trackers before you do anything.”

“You really think the local PD put traps around a file for a kidnapping that happened three years ago and solved itself in twenty-four hours?” Xave asks.

“No, because I don’t think the PD are the ones who sealed it.”

Jace slowly turns around in his chair, a shrewd look on his face. “You think Myles wiped the records and sealed them?”

I nod.

“But why would he?” Xave asks. “What would be the point of scrubbing that information?”

“What’s the point of scrubbing all the information out there about him?” I ask. “Do you think it’s a coincidence that his entire online footprint has been locked down?”

“Maybe his family did it,” Xave suggests. “They’re in IT, and they used to live off-grid, didn’t they?”

“Not completely, but yeah. They were definitely on their way to being self-sufficient before they traded up and moved into the fortress they live in now.” Jace picks up one of his old butterfly knives from his desk and flips the blade open and closed, his expression thoughtful.

“You don’t think it’s the family either,” I say to him.

He shakes his head. “His brother’s and sister’s information hasn’t been scrubbed to the same level. You have to dig to find it, but it’s all there if you know where to look. Why would they put so much effort into scrubbing one kid from the internet, but not his younger siblings?”

“Huh,” Xave says thoughtfully. “That’s a good point.”

“What are you thinking?” Jace asks me.

“I’m not sure,” I say honestly. “But I don’t think what happened back then is connected to what’s going on now.”

Jace nods in agreement. “Yeah, I was thinking the same.” He spins around and faces his computer again. “I’ll check the file and unseal it if I can.”

“So,” Xave says as the soft click of Jace’s typing fills the air. “Are we going to talk about the elephant in the room?”

I lean back on my hands. “What elephant?”

“Are we really going to play that game?” He arches his eyebrow at me.

I shrug.

He rolls his eyes theatrically. “Fine. We won’t talk about how you’re obsessed with your mark.”

“I’m not obsessed.”

“You totally are,” Jace calls, not pausing his work. “And you can keep lying to yourself if you want, but at least stop lying to us.”

I don’t say anything. They’re not wrong, but I’m not about to admit that to them.

“Fine.” Xave rolls his head to look at Jace, who still has his back to us. “Anything?”