Five

CHAPTER FIVE

Back off !!!

The clicking of the laptop keys hurt my brain and my eyes. Let's not mention my ears, the sound is so irritating I wanna break the laptop but I still try to keep calm.

God, why does it hurt so much?

Because you drunk half of the bar, Kenzy, you idiot.

I'm never drinking again.

I try to focus on what I'm doing, rather than my pounding headache. The memories of Jake keep intruding. What the fuck was I even thinking? I was so close to having sex with a stranger. All in the name he looked like Dylan!

And why was I even thinking about Dylan that way?

He took it alright when I freaked just as he was about to get my pants down. I went back to the bar shortly afterward.

It's not Jake, exactly, that's bothering me.

It's the fact that I was only attracted to him because he looks like Dylan. I've gotten Dylan friendships back, and the least I could do is to ruin it with my inappropriate longings.

I force myself to look back at my laptop screen. I'm looking into Daravit Enterprises. Everything that I've found so far tells me the original suspicion was correct the company isn't real.

I considered calling Dylan but decided against it.

His stuff is coming in with a moving van tomorrow, and I've promised I'll help him move into his new apartment. I can talk to him then.

Not that talking to him got me anywhere last time, but I wouldn't be a journalist if I didn't know the meaning of perseverance.

Dylan can't be my primary source, though, not if I'm going on, so I'll figure out for myself.

The first step is to track whoever runs this fake website. They will be my first source in this.

I spend my morning talking to the website hosts, pretending to be an auditor. It takes a while but actually I got the name: Hunter Mills.

I expected Facebook to provide all the information I need, but I'm brought up short when my search results return no Hunter Mills in the area I'm looking for.

Who doesn't have a Facebook page nowadays?

I did a standard Google search, which turn up nothing. A good mystery always draws me in, and this one is no exception. I got lost in my search, determined to find him.

Eventually, I did. He's cited in a newspaper article about an apartment complex he had brought out. Whoever he is, he must be wealthy. He also didn't like the press- the reporter writing the article tried to question him but was turned away on multiple occasions.

Who are you, Hunter? What do you have to do with Dylan?

There was precious little information available, but I managed to find out that after buying the apartment complex several years ago, Hunter allowed many people to move in for free.

They seem a quiet group, from what can glean from social media, keeping to themselves.

This must be the community Dylan was talking about. What brings them together, though?

They all seem to be completely different people from various walks of life.

I can't figure out why Hunter would spend a fortune buying an apartment and then just let these random people live there living with him because he lives in one of the apartments too.

The ringing of my phone breaks my concentration. Annoyed, I answer. “Hello?”

“Back off”

“What?”

“You heard me.”

“Look, I think you have the wrong number .”

“I don't have the wrong number, Kenzy. Keep investigating me, and you'll regret it .”

Fear pools in my stomach, but curiosity overwhelmed me. “Hunter?”

“Stay away from us if you know what's good for you. Don't test me.”

“You know Dylan, don't you?”

“It's too late. He already hung up.

This isn't the first time I've gotten a threatening call, trying to get me to abandon a story, but something about the resolve in Hunter's voice gives me shivers.

I closed my laptop, wondering how Hunter knew.

He would have no reason to bug my laptop - he doesn't even know me. No, the most likely option is that he has software that lets him know whenever someone is searching his name.

Software like that didn't come cheap nor easily available. Whatever Hunter is hiding, It is very important to him.

His words echoed again in my ears and I shivered. What has Dylan gotten into? I try not to think negatively as it's causing my head to burning and right now, I really need to rest.

For now. I willl shelve it, but only until I take it to Dylan tomorrow. I close my laptop wondering who Hunter is and what his secret is.

**********************

The next morning….

The moving van was waiting when I arrived. It's a block of apartment buildings that looks suspiciously like the one Hunter owns. Dylan said he's joining the local branch of whatever group he's involved with.

I wonder if I'm about to meet Gavin's counterpart here.

Dylan was waiting for me in the van, and his smile weakened me to my knees.

What's wrong with me? He's my friend! Get your mind out of the gutter, Kenzy.

“Hey, are you ready to haul some boxes ?”

“Absolutely!”

It's Dylan who does most of the box hauling, leaving me with the less strenuous tasks of unpacking them.

"Need a break?" Dylan asked. I'm guessing he has been observing my mood and even though he is in the next room, he can still sense that everything is not okay with me. How he knows that is still a mystery but I let it slide away.

"No… not exactly. You?" I asked, turning my eyes to the direction of his sound but I didn't hear him speaking.

"Uhmm, I guess we need a break after a few more boxes." He said and I'm glad a golden opportunity has arrived for my question.

"Sure!" I smirked and continued unpacking the smaller boxes.

He comes out of the room shortly and during the moment of inactivity between boxes, I bring up things that have been gnawing inside me the last day.

“Who's Hunter Mills?”

I asked, my eyes fixed on him as he glared back, seeming somewhat afraid.