Ghosted (Team Zero #3) by Rina Kent

He gives a curt nod. “I will fetch my laptop.”

“Shadow?”

He halts and throws a look over his shoulder. “What?”

I nibble on the inside of my cheek. “Are you going to tell Julian about this?”

“This?” He appears puzzled, then that satanic look darkens the grey of his eyes. “You mean the fact you’re using him to find your friend?”

“No! I’m not using him.” My palms turn sweaty and my heart squeezes. “Maybe at the beginning, but not after.” Now, I have these stupid feelings for him that I’m scared to admit even to myself.

Shadow faces me and crosses his arms. “You won’t hurt him.”

It isn’t a question or a request. He’s stating a fact.

And then I see it. In the darkening of his eyes and the tension in his body. The loyalty. The killer. Shadow would kill without second thoughts for Julian. I’ve no doubt that he’d finish my life if I’m deemed disadvantageous to Julian.

“I won’t.” I have no intention of hurting Julian.

“Since you’re Zoe’s friend, I’ll give you two days to tell him yourself. If you don’t, I will.”

Fair enough.

While Shadow goes to bring the laptop, my mind crowds with thoughts about how to tell Julian. I pace the room back and forth.

Will he forgive me? Will he throw me away?

The last option shrinks my heart.

Shadow returns with a laptop, and I manage to tuck thoughts about Julian’s reaction to the back of my mind.

We sit next to each other on the edge of the bed. The laptop rests on Shadow’s thighs as he plugs in the flash drive. My legs bounce while I wait for the feed to start.

This is it. I finally have a lead to where Zoe could be.

Although Shadow’s movements are precise, I catch the gloom shrouding his face. Even his pupils are slightly dilated.

Who knew he would be worried about Zoe almost as much as me?

“There could be nothing here,” Shadow says, and I don’t know if it’s to console me or himself. “We could be making a castle out of a molehill.”

I smile despite myself. “You mean making a mountain out of a molehill?”

“Same thing.” His expression tenses as the feed starts. Several cameras. All in each wing.

Shadow fast forwards the video of the first floor camera. Nothing much happens and there’s no trace of Zoe. He then checks the second floor camera. After a bit of fast forward, my breath hitches.

A blonde appears with Mist near her office. I squint as Shadow stops the fast forward and zooms in. Those huge green eyes and soft features are distinctively familiar. Zoe. I’m holding back my tears at finally seeing her. Even if only through a security feed.

Mist remains motionless in that haughty posture while Zoe appears agitated. I can’t read much of her expression because the camera’s angle isn’t optimal, but she’s watching her surroundings. Then, Mist ushers her inside the office.

“The fucking old hag,” Shadow mutters and fast forwards. Zoe emerges alone after half an hour, crying.

Shadow curses again and I want to do the same. I’m barely stopping myself from running to Mist and breaking her face.

Zoe heads to the stairs leading to the third floor but stops short at the corner. Her eyes widen and more tears stream down her cheeks. Shadow moves the camera to see what made her that way.

It’s him.

Shadow is talking to Kyle. His T-shirt is bloodied and his expression murderous as if he was butchering someone. Zoe hides in the corner, and when he leaves, she keeps watching his back for a full minute. Even after he disappears from view. Then she crouches to the ground and hides her face between her hands. I don’t have to see it to know she’s crying her eyes out. That’s what Zoe does when she’s devastated. Only she never lets me or anyone see it.

My scowl falls on Shadow. What the hell did he do so she would hide from him but also long after him? His hooded gaze stops me from lashing out. I’ll ask Zoe once we find her.

After a few minutes, Zoe staggers to her feet and takes the stairs up to her room with Scar. She comes out after an hour or so, dressed in a black dress.

We follow her from one camera to another. She takes the stairs to the rooftop. My breathing almost stops.

Shadow’s tense fingers type in for the rooftop’s camera. It’s dark and I can hardly make out Zoe’s blonde strands blowing in the wind and her shadowed face. She stands in the middle of the rooftop, hands wrapped around her middle. She remains there, unmoving, as if she’s waiting for something.

Or someone.

A man appears from the entrance. Out of bloody nowhere. I assume he’s a man anyway, because he’s tall and broad and wears a hood. His entire face is swallowed by darkness.

Shadow’s fists clench and so do mine.

The hooded man obviously moves silently since Zoe doesn’t turn around. Not even when he reaches into his hoodie.

“Zoe, run!” I shout as if she can hear me.

She turns around. The man stands in place and aims his gun at her chest.

“Nooooo!” I screech.

He pulls the trigger.

Zoe falls limp on the floor.

The camera goes black. And so does my world.





Chapter Twenty-Four





I sit across Kyle’s bed. “Who was it?”