Had the defiant glint in her eyes not reminded me so much of myself, I might have joined the long line of people who had turned their backs on this girl and decided she was someone else’s problem. But I thought about Clay, and how the hand of friendship he extended had pulled my head above the waterline when I was drowning in the same black magic addiction thrumming through Trinity.
Finally, I brought her around to a topic that had been preying on me. “Why Mystic Realms?”
“Mystic Realms is iconic. It’s the most popular MMORPG ever. Nothing else comes close. There were like twelve million subscribers last I checked, and over one hundred million accounts.” Her enthusiasm leaked through. “If you were going to recruit gamers for, well, anything, that’s the place to do it.”
Niggling fears that Parish had chosen Mystic Realms for Colby-related reasons subsided, mostly.
“Fair enough.” I could see the logic. “Why LARPers?”
“Markus and I had a club, so it was easier to explain meeting up with the others as role-playing.”
That tracked, which put me further at ease, allowing me to hope Colby remained a secret a while longer.
“Tell me where you buried the bones, and I’ll cut you a deal.”
“You’re not going to let me go.” She scoffed. “Not after that speech.”
“You’re too dangerous to be released unmonitored,” I agreed, “but that doesn’t mean you’re hopeless.”
“Feeling maternal?” Her voice dripped with acid. “You and your boyfriend looking to adopt?”
“I work for the Black Hat Bureau.” I watched for her reaction but saw none. “Do you know what that is?”
“Do you really think, based on what I’ve said, that our family sat around the dining table and had discussions on magic?” She cocked her head as the name sank in. “I thought you said you were FBI.”
“Black Hat is like the FBI, but for people like us. The agents are just like you. Killers who are given a choice. Join or die.” I drew in a sharp breath. “The choice is yours.”
“You’re a killer?” She swept her gaze over me. “You seem too…do-goody.”
“Join up, and you’ll find out just how do-goody I am. I have a reputation I’ve earned, and I’m not proud of it.”
“What about Markus?” Interest spiked her tone. “Will he be given the same choice?”
“We ask separately to ensure you don’t influence one another. It’s a lifetime commitment. You must be dedicated to the role, or you won’t last long. You won’t be partnered with your brother, either, since he’s part of the reason we’re having this chat, but you’ll be able to visit him during your off time. If you survive training. You won’t be kept apart unless you give the Bureau reason to put those measures in place.”
“I’ll have to be an agent the rest of my life?”
“That’s the deal.”
Eternal servitude or immediate demise.
“Not much of a choice, is it?”
“You already made the big decisions. These are the consequences.”
“Can I still…?” Her gaze dipped to her hands. “It probably sounds lame to you, but can I still LARP?”
“Depends,” I said wryly. “Can you LARP without murdering anyone?”
“I’m in it for the wigs, and the costumes.”
A game.
It was all a game to her.
The summoning. The evil spirits. The deaths.
“As long as it doesn’t hurt anyone else, you’ll be free to do your own thing in your downtime.”