Page 67 of Guarded from Havoc

“No. It’s not bad news.”

“So it’sgoodnews?”

“Yes and no. It’s just…” Shit. Why is this so hard to say? With my teammates, I never worry about sugar coating things.

She grabs my hand and tows me over to the kitchen island, where a large plate sits in the center of it, heaped with cookies that look as good as they smell. Plopping down on one stool, she spins it to face me. “Okay. I won’t pretend I’m not nervous to hear. But if you think it’s important, then I really should.”

As she sits, she fidgets on the stool, and I have to fight not to pull her into my arms again.

Shit. Is this how my friends feel whenever they have to give their partners potentially upsetting news? Abstractly, I knew it had to be tough. But sitting here, worrying that something I say could trigger Tate into a panic attack or a setback, it feels pretty damn terrible.

I just need to get through it. Maybe it’ll be fine.

Dragging this out will only make her more nervous.

Catching her hand, I wrap mine around it. “Okay. So first, updates on the island. You know Dante got back from Maine last night. We’ve been in close contact with him and the Sleepy Hollow team, so there weren’t a lot of updates there.”

Tatum nods. “You said it looked like the traps on the island were remotely activated. Right?”

“Right. Unfortunately, the feeds were all cut, so Matt hasn’t been able to trace the origin of the connection yet. He’s hoping to find some clues left behind on the other end of things, like something hidden deep on the dark web. Something the people behind this forgot to erase.”

Tatum frowns. “I still can’t believe it. That someone was watching and triggering those traps intentionally. I mean, Iknowit happened. Obviously. But the idea of it…”

“I know.” Squeezing her hand lightly, I continue, “It wouldn’t make sense to you or me. Because we’re not bad people. We would never dream of hurting someone just because we could. Or taking enjoyment from it.”

“So… What next? Just keep searching the dark web? Looking for anyone who might have been involved?” She pauses to think. “Did they find anything on security cameras near the boat dock? Or at the airports?”

Impotent frustration rears up inside me. It shouldn’t be this hard to find something to go on. But it seems like we’re met with dead ends at every turn. Shaking my head, I answer, “Unfortunately not. One of the airports has a security system, but it was bypassed, so any footage from the night we were taken is gone.”

Her face falls with disappointment. “Oh.”

“But we’re still working on it,” I add quickly. “Cole and Leo are still in Maine, talking to the locals. And we’ve brought in some friends to help with the computer research side of things. Leo, of course. A woman named Beth, who lives in San Antonio. And a guy we used to serve with, Alec, who’s working for a security company out in Vermont. We’ll find something. I promise. It’ll just take some more time.”

Tatum nods. “Okay. So we’re still searching. And no other posts about the… game?”

“Nothing yet.” Sifting through the topics from our meeting, I add, “Oh. The guy who survived?—”

Anger flashes in her eyes. “The guy who tried to hit you with a rock?”

“Yes. He finally calmed down enough to speak with the police. But he wasn’t much help, unfortunately. Couldn’t think of any enemies, works in media sales in Augusta, no criminal record… While we’re not one hundred percent sure yet, it doesn’t look like he was involved aside from being an innocent victim. And we haven’t found anything linking him to you. Or to Blade and Arrow.”

After a pause, Tate sighs. “I’m glad he’s okay. But I’m still not okay with him trying to hurt you. Just saying.”

“I know.” I don’t feel too warmly towards the guy either, considering he could have hucked that damn rock at Tate and seriously hurt her.

Tatum picks up a cookie and nibbles the edge of it. Her brows arch up in a tiny V. “Is there anything else?”

My stomach twists. This is the part I’m least looking forward to. Because while I don’t regret my decision, there’s a possibility Tatum won’t like that I made it without her.

“We found more information about Daniel,” I reply. “Matt hacked into his computer and phone. There wasn’t any evidence tying Daniel to the island. We’ll keep looking, but for now, we don’t think he was involved.”

Her shoulders sag. “So that’s good news.” A beat. “Well. I guess it’s bad, too. Because now we still don’t know who’s behind this.”

“Matt found some other things, though. Illegal activity. Proof that he accessed your computer. That he was—” My jaw clenchesso hard my molars nearly shatter. “He was using your webcam to spy on you.”

“What?” Instead of looking horrified, she looks furious. “That piece of shit.” Her cheeks flush. “I don’t curse for real very often. But that’s just…”

“I know, Tate.” Sliding off my stool, I stand in front of her and hold both her hands. “Heisa piece of shit. And he’s going to pay for what he did.”

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