Much like my entire life.

  I could not get my mind off the events of the night before. There was no way of possibly putting it into perspective. The man had acted like my savior. What if he had been?

  Against perhaps anyone’s advice, I’d returned to the parking lot, the scene of the crime. While it was already filled for various matinee showings, I’d double parked and walked to the very spot. There hadn’t been any blood. Not a single drop.

  Even the substance covering my shoes had been mud, not blood. There’d been no streaks on my face, no bloody fingerprints from where the monster had touched me. And not a single mark. The only indication I hadn’t completely lost my mind was the single scratch on one arm.

  From all I knew, I could have inflicted the slight wound on myself in the middle of the night. During the sexual… nightmare.

  “See?” Ashley asked as she came up from behind me. “Perfect. You’re buying it.”

  “Yes, Mother.”

  “So… Have you applied for that hot job that’ll finally pay you what you’re worth?”

  “I sent in the online application, but haven’t heard anything yet.”

  “Have you told your father?” She gave me one of her salacious looks as she ripped back the curtain, eager to head into the dressing room with her armful of clothes.

  “You know how my father feels about the gaming industry.” He loathed my career choice, telling me I’d wasted my talent in a worthless attempt at gaining fame and glory. Since when was being good at something a detriment?

  “A dozen times, but you never told me why.”

  “Because it’s beneath me. Hurry and try those on. I’m starving.” Actually, I wasn’t certain I could stomach food. Not with gruesome images continuously flashing into my mind. However, I preferred enjoying a glass of wine to pretending I was having a good time. It wasn’t because Ashley was bad company at all. I simply had no feeling of control at the moment.

  I’d almost contacted the police four times and every time had lost the nerve. What would I tell them? More important, what evidence was there that a violent crime had occurred?

  “Ah. Parents. I’ll just be a sec.”

  I chuckled. She had a mom and dad who adored her. My mother had died when I’d been a little girl, and my father had rarely been present in my life. My sister had been my constant until she hadn’t. I’d always thought my father’s absence had been because he hated that I was the one who’d lived. Not my sister.

  Sighing, I held up the dress, staring at it while I thought about the job she’d mentioned. Being the head game designer for the Blackwell Group would be a dream come true. At four times the salary that I made now, their reputation alone would keep me in the top five percent of game designers in the world.

  But that wasn’t the only reason I’d sent in my resume. Far from it.

  My father would beg me not to consider working there. He had his reasons, yet he’d never disclosed them fully to me. He’d swept himself away into a prison within his own mind.

  I shifted back and forth, trying to find a smile. The dress did look great and I could tell it would accentuate my hourglass figure without making me look dowdy. Maybe I would purchase it. A slight laugh bubbled to the surface as Ashley continued babbling on about something from the dressing room.

  As I took one last look in the mirror to pass the time, a reflection caught my eye, a slight gleam as the sunlight hit something hard.

  Something metal.

  A knife.

  I froze where I was, horrified to think or breathe. He was there, standing just outside the shop wearing dark clothes and the same mask as the night before. And he was staring at me.

  The tiniest of whimpers escaped my mouth before anger set in. How dare the fucker follow me. I spun around, the fury becoming unbridled.

  “Jess. Is that you?” Ashley called. “Is something wrong?”

  The fucker with the invisible eyes was watching me just like he’d done before, the evil grin spiraling my nerves out of control. “I have to go after something.”

  “What? What did you say?”

  I didn’t answer her because I had no clue what to say. All I could think about was hunting him down as he’d done to me. I pushed my way through the store, ignoring the cries of a couple of women I almost mowed down in my zeal to reach the door.

  “Jess. What is going on?”

  By the time I reached the sidewalk, he was nowhere to be seen.

  But I wasn’t wrong.

  And I wasn’t crazy.

  My heart was thudding loudly and I did what I could to calm my nerves while I frantically searched across the street and down one side. A strange yet exhilarating jolt of electricity shot through me like a cannon hitting my senses. I slowly turned my head to the right.

  He was there.

  Watching me.

  Waiting to see if I’d follow.

  I shouldn’t, ashamed of myself for feeling the same white-hot sear of excitement I’d felt when he’d had his hand wrapped around my throat. But I took off running after him anyway.

  Even though it was a Sunday, the streets and sidewalks were busy, crowded with people enjoying a beautiful, sunny day. I didn’t care. Nothing mattered but getting to him, ripping off his mask and exposing the demon underneath.

  Maybe if I grabbed the knife, I’d find the evidence that would put him away for the rest of his ugly life.

  As long as he hadn’t gone on a killing spree overnight.

  I never lost sight of him as he took long strides along the sidewalk. Why wasn’t anyone noticing him, terrified of the big bad monster? I almost tripped when a woman purposely pushed me away, but caught myself just before slamming down on the hard concrete.

  Breathing heavily, I jetted forward, only to see him stop and turn. I was forced into a moment of panic, skidding to a stop just as he blew me a kiss from the evil grin on his face. Then he turned and walked away.

  “Hold on. Jess. What the fuck?” Ashley caught up to me, managing to grab my arm before I was able to run after him again.

  “Did you see him?”

  “Who are you talking about?”

  “The man dressed in black. Wearing a… a scary mask.”

  She narrowed her eyes but looked toward where I was pointing a shaking finger. “Are you okay? There’s no one there.”

  I snapped my head back to where he’d been standing, moaning from frustration. I took off running as if my life depended on it until I reached the crosswalk, one in plain view of all four corners. I looked each way, spinning around in a circle in a desperate attempt to find him.

  He’d disappeared, just like he had the night before.

  I slammed my back against the brick façade, taking gasping breaths as I laughed.

  Ashley moved in front of me, staring at my face with fear as her expression. “What is going on? You’re scaring me to death.”

  I continued laughing, unable to stop. “I don’t… know. I just…”

  “Calm down. Do you really think you saw a man in a mask?”

  “Oh, yes. Just like last night.”

  “What do you mean just like last night?”

  “He saved me from a man trying to kill me. Then he killed the jerk himself with a big, fat knife. I was right there. Witnessed the entire thing. Or at least I think I did.” I was still laughing, mostly at myself. Maybe I was losing my mind.

  “Okay. Hold on. How often do you play those goddamn video games?”

  “Every day and every night and they’re not. Video. Games. They’re virtual reality games.”

  “Whatever,” she huffed, blowing a strand of hair from her face. “You need to listen to me. Constantly playing them might be your job, but they’ve consumed your life. You’re living in a fantasy and the single night you allow yourself out of the house, you insist we see a slasher flick. That’s not normal and neither is sequestering yourself away in darkness with a headset on. You need to take a freaking break or you’re going to snap.”

  I leaned my head against the wall. Maybe she was right. Maybe what I really needed was a vacation. “Okay. Fine. I’ll stop playing them at night.”

  “Good. Jesus Christ. You scared me half to death. Now, come on before we get arrested for shoplifting.”

  When I opened my eyes, she pointed to the hanger I still had in my hand. I’d been certain I’d dropped it in the store. “Shit.”

  “That’s what I say. Now come on.”

  CHAPTER 6

  Xander

  “As you can see, lady and gentlemen, not only did we have a record quarter, but we also landed three prestigious awards for two different games.”

  Wilder’s grin was countered by the darkness in his eyes. Although he was salivating at the numbers, we agreed that money wasn’t everything. Neither was winning glitzy awards that meant nothing to three of the five of us.

  Perhaps it was all about the rush of being number one in the world, a distinction we’d fought hard for.

  “What about the new game set for release?” I asked as I drummed my fingers on the conference room table. These meetings bored the fuck out of me. Dark Nights would be our crowning glory.

  Zachariah slowly tilted his head back until he was able to see me. The same darkness appeared in his eyes. He had his arm on the table, constantly twisting his obsidian stone ring. I found it almost amusing how much various things had annoyed me lately.

  “On track for a soft opening next week on the fourth of June along with the multimillion-dollar advertising campaign. There won’t be a home in the world who hasn’t heard about Dark Nights after news hits the gaming magazines and people turn on their televisions.” Wilder appeared happier than normal. He was generally pushing for additional profits every quarter.

  “Perfect timing,” I said and glanced from Zach to Wilder. The game was exceptional, but there would be some who feared the content was too violent and sexual for the norm.

  Was there truly anyone normal in the world? Most were deviants hiding their dark secrets. The games we developed allowed them a taste of what they really craved.

  Zero consequences.

  “The great unveiling coincides with our fifteenth anniversary.” Zach was also drumming his fingers on the table, pleased with himself for remembering.

  The development of Dark Nights had been our best kept secret, a game easily capable of turning the industry upside down. With the use of Artificial Intelligence, we were one step ahead of the competition.

  Wilder nodded. “Which brings me to the point of reminding you about the gala all five of us are attending.”

  There was a collective groan in the room.

  “When were you planning on springing that bullshit onto us?” Christopher asked.

  I chuckled seeing the mischievous grin on Wilder’s face. “Right now,” he answered. “It’s a perk for the employees and we need to keep the company in the public eye as much as possible. So, you’ll all be in attendance.”

  “Where?” I asked, although I couldn’t care less. Yes, it was a necessary evil, but irritating, nonetheless.

  “The Waldorf Astoria. You know how much I value that hotel.” Wilder meant he’d enjoyed a particular dark and kinky night there a few months before.

  “I’m looking forward to it,” Elizabeth said. “We deserve to celebrate given all the trials and tribulations we’ve been through in getting this creation on track.”

  She was right about that. We’d caught two hackers, three individuals who’d attempted to break into the production facility and several reporters had been hounding us. A true pain in the ass.

  “Now that we have that settled. Are there any issues with the headset devices?” Christopher Canton was not only the corporate attorney, but he also served on the board. Some competitors said it was a conflict of interest. Pretty much none of the Blackwell Group executives gave a shit what anyone else thought.

  Had we succumbed to gossip and concern about ratings and marketability, we would never have acquired so much success.

  “All the small glitches have been handled,” Elizabeth Reynolds said. She’d been in charge of production as well as keeping word of development off the streets. We’d gone to great lengths to ensure we had a full lockdown on the software and the idea. Not only was it violent as so many of our games were, but the various levels also catered to every man and woman’s darkest fantasies.

  When various keys were unlocked, points won, doors were opened to the vast world of 3D imaging and more. It was holographs on steroids while allowing you to feel every electric sensation, every pang of terror. The game had been in the works for almost two years. Since Elizabeth preferred to spend almost all her time in the production facility located miles from headquarters, she had no true understanding of the pitch-black creations we had in mind.

  “Excellent,” Wilder said as he smiled at her.

  With new technology, the sky was the limit.

  Whatever you asked for, you’d get.

  As long as you paid the price, often not in terms of money spent on a game or headset. I smirked at the thought, realizing I was now the one twisting the obsidian stone ring on my finger. Everyone in the private society was given one after their admittance, and we were expected to always wear it. So it would seem I was itching to engage in the yearly contest.

  “How has our upper tier of gamers enjoyed the new toy?’ I challenged everyone, but Elizabeth was quick to answer.

  “We’ve received some of the highest black stars of any game produced. They are loving it.” She even had a gleam in her eyes, a rarity.

  Black stars, a way of making their approval known. We offered perks to customers who’d been with us the longest including an advance copy of every new game. As long as they provided a review to a list of qualified sources.

  “Are there any concerns about the release?” Zachariah asked.

  “There’s one issue that’s been brought forth.” Christopher glanced around the table. I could tell he was more troubled than he’d let on. “I just discovered and confirmed that Merrick Corporation has a similar game being released about the same time as ours.”

  What the fuck?

  I slammed my hand on the table while sitting up straight. “Why was this just brought to our attention?”

  “Because my kid showed me a preview game that had been sent to him by mistake.” Christopher huffed. “He’s nine and the game is clearly X-rated.”

  “Well, fuck. How did Joel Merrick get ahold of our plans?” Wilder asked the question while staring straight at Elizabeth. “We were on a lockdown after the crap we’ve already been through.”

  She didn’t flinch in the least. The woman was tough as nails. “I assure you not from one of our employees. They know what consequences they’d face and their emails and cellphones are swept every week. There have been no breaches in security shown on the cameras.”

  An excellent security measure, but not necessarily foolproof. It wasn’t unheard of that details and designs were pilfered from the competition, but we’d put a hell of a lot of money into the project.

  “Then release the game earlier than anticipated. We get the jump on them.” My suggestion was met with raised eyebrows.

  “That could create several problems with advertising,” Zach said. I could tell his wheels were turning. “Plus, the great gala.”

  “Maybe so, but Xander is right. Unless something drastic changes with what happens around Merrick’s release, we need to get our product on the shelves and up on our website. We pay the fucking advertising firm enough money they will bend to our needs. Period.” Wilder gave everyone a harsh look, but he ended by shifting his darker gaze from Zach to me.

  The two of us knew what he was communicating. There were no words needed between the three of us. Our blood was tainted, entirely different than most. We thought alike in almost every aspect.

  “I’ll take care of talking with the advertising company,” Christopher offered. “Just so we’re fully aware of our options.”

  “Good. Let’s get this done.” I nodded to Wilder who closed his laptop lid, ending the meeting.

  “Let’s meet again just after the release and the great gala.” Zach leaned forward, grumbling under his breath.

  “Yes, we’ll need to.” I remained where I was as Elizabeth stood first. I could tell by the look on her face she was determined to find the leak.

  When she did, the type of consequences the fucker would face wouldn’t just be about termination from his employment.

  She walked out, Christopher following while the other two remained in the room. Just before Christopher closed the door, he stuck his head back in, his grin alluding to exactly what I knew he’d ask.

  “Are we on for the contest?” he asked. “It’s been almost a year. A perfect ending to this gala.”

  Wilder chuckled in the dark way he always did when discussing our extracurricular activities. “We are. We’ll discuss options this year before releasing to the Obsidian Society. Stay tuned. And don’t mention it to anyone.”

  “Not a word. While I can’t participate in selecting a female participant, I do enjoy the festivities.” He’d recently married the love of his life, her little boy soon to be adopted and taking his name. He handled all the nondisclosure agreements as well as the few issues that had surfaced from the events held in previous years. Some people were more easily frightened than others.

  “You’ll have a chance,” I told him. “We know how much you enjoy prodding the male competitors.”

  Prodding. He was brutal with the men who hungered to reach to the upper platform of our company. Likely since he’d endured the hazing effects of the first event we’d held seven years before. He’d shown his muster and his value to the company while competing.

  Christopher wrinkled his eyebrows while pumping his fist. As soon as he closed the door, the three of us looked at each other.

  Zachariah rose to his feet, heading for the credenza while pulling out photographs of the female contenders selected for round one of the selection process.