Underground Legends: The Hunt (BWWM)

Chapter 29 - Saint

Saint Botero (Male P.O.V)

October 23, 2074

Once Exterminator X entered the last safety hatch, his image distorted, and fifteen photos overlapped it. Each was of a different player with their names written in bold print underneath them. Eight had flaming red X's brandished across them, while the rest remained clear to establish the losers from the winners.

But in a situation like this, could any of them be considered winners?

It didn't seem possible to me. If anything, it seemed like a lose-lose.

Abella had made it into the next round, but after watching the others get brutally murdered, I felt sick.

"No way that was real." Nia's eyes glistened with unshed tears while staring at the television. When neither Quinton nor I responded, she turned to us and said, "Right?"

Quinton sighed and took the remote from her trembling hand. "I'm afraid it was." He mashed the power button, and the television instantly shut off. But even though the gruesome images were no longer on screen, they remained firmly implanted in our heads.

"No! It can't be." Nia argued. "Abella would never participate in that kind of sick game. No matter how much debt she may be in."

"You never know. Money makes people do all kinds of things." He tossed the remote onto the coffee table. And it landed with a clatter before falling to the floor.

"Come on, Quinton." I shot to my feet and stood in front of the television with my hands on my hips. "You can't possibly think Abella or any of them would do that for money!"

"No, I don't, but..." He ran his hand over his head and let out a deep sigh. "I can't think of anyone psychotic enough to create a game like this aside from Irwin and Finch, and they're both dead."

It was my turn to sigh because whether I wanted to admit it or not- he was right. "If only we had found something on the security tapes. Maybe that could have helped."

Quinton hummed in agreement and slowly nodded his head. "Yeah, but at least we now know Abella's alive."

How he managed to find a positive outlook in this fucked up situation was a mystery to me. Because I couldn't right now.

"Yeah, but for how long?"

"Hopefully, long enough for us to find her."

"And how are we going to do that? They can be anywhere."

He thought about it for a second before saying, "This person created a live version of the game, and that tells me three things."

"What?"

"They're hardcore fanatics, they're fucking loaded and-"

"And they got way too much time on their hands," Nia said.

"Yeah, that too." Quinton cracked a small smile before his expression turned back serious. "But maybe they also want to get Cromwell's attention. Which means we need to get to him before he makes an announcement."

"Okay, let's g-" A knock at the door interrupted me.

Nina rose from the couch to answer it, but Quinton rushed past her to do it himself.

"I got it." He said as she retook her seat. Moments later, he pulled open the door revealing Ken Lopez on the other side.

"Ken? What are you doing here?" He asked, allowing him to enter even though he appeared taken aback by his presence.

"I'm sorry to drop by unannounced. I tried calling, but it went straight to voicemail."

"Shit! I forgot to charge my phone."

"Like usual," I muttered under my breath, but Quinton still heard me and flipped me off.

I grinned for the first time in days, but it didn't last long. The memory that Abella was still out there somewhere was still at the forefront. And until she was safe, I didn't think I ever would again. It may sound sappy, but it was true. Over the years, I had protected dozens of people, but none of them had evoked such strong feelings until now. They had just been a job, a means of income, and nothing more. But Abella... She was different.

"I'll go and charge it while you guys talk," Nia said, breaking me from my thoughts.

Quinton said a quick thank you as she left the room before turning his attention to Ken. "Why were you calling?" He asked him.

"To tell you that Captain Blanks was looking for you. And he wants an update on the case."

"An update?" Quinton scoffed. "Is that how he phrased it?"

"Well, not in those words, but that was the underlying message."

I had never had the opportunity to meet Captain Blanks, but Quinton often regaled me with stories of the man. The one thing I surmised about his persona was that he wasn't the type to ask for an update. His request probably came with plenty of yelling and cursing that could reduce grown men to tears. From what I gathered, it was normal behavior since he wanted results, especially if the press was involved.

Quinton groaned. "Alright, I'll call him after I contact Mr. Cromwell. Maybe by then, I'll have something to tell him."

"Okay." Ken rubbed the back of his neck while shifting from foot to foot. "But there's something else you need to know."

"What is it?"

Ken swiped away the beads of sweat gathering near his hairline and swallowed a few times. "A few days ago, an uh...a missing person's report came across my desk."

"A few days ago?!" In a blink, Quinton's shocked expression morphed into one of concern. "I-Is it someone I know?"

"No, no." Ken rushed to assure him before his voice dropped to an almost imperceptible decibel. "But she's connected to the case you're working on."

"How?!"

"Her name's Karen Harper, and she's the aunt of one of the players."

"You've got to be fucking kidding me?!"

"No, sir. I'm not."

"You so..." Quinton took a few deep breaths and slowly unclenched his fists. "Why did it take you so long to tell me?!"

"She has a different last name from the player, and I didn't draw a connection between her and the victims until recently. I'm sorry."

Quinton grimaced at his apology, not in the mood to hear those two words. They meant nothing when our victim count just rose and could continue to do so. "Just...just find out if they have taken anyone else."

"Okay."