Page 38 of The Defender

“I know.” I scanned the car park, on high alert for any suspicious people or sudden movements.

Nothing. It was eerily empty.

Cold snaked down my spine.

It’d been a month since the intruder broke in—just enough time to lull me into a false sense of security. I’d convinced myself the break-in was a one-time thing, but the photo plunged me straight into paranoia again.

The taste of copper filled my mouth. My skin felt too tight for my body, and I wished I could change out of it the way I did my training kit. Be someone else for a day and leave Vincent DuBois behind.

I’d worked hard for my success. Most of the time, I loved it, but then shit like this made me rethink everything.

“Are you okay?” Brooklyn winced. “Sorry, that was a stupid question.”

“No, it’s fine. I’m okay.” I rubbed a hand over my face and tried to think.

Whoever left the photo was long gone. I could check in with building security, but they were pretty useless for anything other than basic patrols.

Although the lot was closed to the public, it wasn’t impenetrable. Just last year, someone snuck in and keyed Asher’s prized vintage Jaguar. We all knew it was one or multiple Holchester players, but the cameras didn’t catch them, and we couldn’t prove it.

“What are you going to do?” Brooklyn asked. She was still holding the photo, but she looked like she wanted to throw it in a trash bin and set it on fire.

“Bring it to the police and hope they’ll finally get off their ass long enough to do something.” They’d been almost as useless as Blackcastle security. I was convinced the detective on my case had forgotten about it altogether.

“I’ll go with you.”

“You don’t have to do that.” I took the picture back from her. “Go celebrate with your friends. I can handle this on my own.”

“I’ll take a rain check. I won’t be able to enjoy it anyway.” A half-hearted smile touched her lips, though her eyes remained worried. “We’re in this together, roomie.”

My stomach sank. “Shit. Do you think they know where we live?”

Now that the intruder had found me at home and work, my new (if temporary) lodging seemed like a logical next step for them.

“I don’t think so. I was joking with the roomie comment,” Brooklyn said quickly. “I don’t really think they’re going to show up at the flat and…I don’t know, stage a naked photo shoot with the plushies or something.”

I snorted out a laugh, but my mind churned with worry.

Should I hire a bodyguard? Some players had personal security teams, but I’d never received enough threats to justify the invasion of privacy. The thought of someone following me around twenty-four-seven made my skin crawl.

Plus, if I hired security out of the blue, the media would go wild with speculation. What if the attention emboldened the intruder to pull bigger stunts? I couldn’t risk it. Not yet.

“We should take my car to the police station. It’s less conspicuous. After that…” Brooklyn flicked a wary glance around the lot. “We should go somewhere besides home for a bit, just in case.”

A knot eased in my gut. The situation was still “fucked,” as she put it, but her determination to figure it out with me made it a little less daunting. No matter how bad things got, there was comfort in knowing I wasn’t alone.

“Do you have a particular place in mind?” I asked.

Her brow furrowed for a minute before it smoothed. She smiled, her eyes regaining their usual sparkle. “As a matter of fact, I know just the spot.”

Our visit to the police station was brief. I handed the photo over to Detective Smith, who promised he’d look into it and contact me if they got any leads.

It was the same spiel as the first time, and it didn’t inspire great confidence. I’d thought about hiring a private investigator,but after asking around, I was told there wasn’t much even the best P.I. could do for me. I was better off sticking with the police.

Luckily, I was so distracted by my current surroundings, I didn’t have time to dwell on how much I wanted to grab Smith and shake him until an ounce of care fell out of his overgrown mustache.

“I can’t believe you brought me here.” I looked around with a disbelieving laugh. “I haven’t been to one of these since I was twelve.”

“I thought you might like it.” Brooklyn grinned. “Everyone is so caught up in what they’re doing, they won’t pay attention to you unless you threaten to beat their high score. And even if they do notice you, they probably won’t recognize you.”