Hide Seek Kill - A Thriller Novel || Draft One

Twenty-Five: Zach

Hearing Chase's story was definitely something, but Zach wonders if the dude knows what he has just done. He gave them critical information that they could use against him!

And Zach isn't afraid to exploit. It's something that he does best, after all, along with aiming, and convincing others that he's right.

Eliza had always teased Zach for his preciseness and being overly cautious, but as the saying goes, it's better to be safe than sorry.

He has a feeling that Chase didn't consider this before sharing these juicy bits from his past. And knowing that he was a player like his father, makes Zach feel a little uneasy.

Zach wouldn't know what to do if Liz had seen him in that way. Thankfully she never has, or he hopes so. With Elizabeth Allen, it's hard for one to tell what's on her mind. Even him.

Chase left not long after Vivica and Naomi did, no doubt to do some more snooping on their own. It's a wonder that Vivica didn't murder Chase yet. All is forgiven, then.

"What do you think we should do?" Liz asks.

Zach doesn't know whether she's referring to the new found information or the clue they'd picked up while Chase was sharing his sob story.

"It depends. If you think that he's lying—"

She smacks his arm. "Not about that!" she scolds. "I mean what do we do about the painting?"

Liz gestures to Zuri's picture in her frame. If anyone asks Zach, he'd say that he's seen much more disturbing things. But they were gory.

This is downright creepy.

Who the hell does this sort of thing? How do they even do it, anyhow?

"Oh. Well, what are we supposed to do? It's not like we're the ones hosting this game." Zach can't help his grumbling. Who wouldn't when they're stuck in one big dirty and twisted puzzle?

"If it happened to her, it could happen to any of us." Eliza walks up to her painting and studies it. "Did you notice that each of these paintings are our hometowns?"

Yes, Zach has noticed.

But his hometown is the last place he wants to think of right now. Especially with what's going on and the government shut down on the schools in the county because of an active shooter.

He'd lobby against gun rights if he didn't carry one himself.

"No...and I don't care for that."

Liz spins around and he knows that she's about to get into one of her passionate motivational rants or something. It's just what she does. When she wants information, she finds a way to get it out of him.

Usually it's when that information is about something that has him worried. Because if he's worried about something, then she's worried about him. It's both sweet and annoying just like Liz herself.

"What's up with you?" She walks up to Zach so that her nose is an inch away from his. "You've been acting extra weird ever since we ran into that painting back in the bedroom."

"I'm not acting weird."

"Well, one of us is acting weird, and it's not me." Liz crosses her arms, looking up at him through her lashes.

Zach lets out a slow exhale of breath and takes a moment to think. Is he really acting weird? Or is Liz just trying to mess with him? She used to do that a lot, back when they were still together.