The Bound Between Us

Chapter 911

Hank could barely contain his excitement as he accepted the friend request from someone with the username "Scalpel." Creepy name, sure, but he'd seen stranger. They were officially connected now.

Jason leaned over and gave Hank a quick rundown. "Don't message him first. Wait until he texts you. You're supposed to be a woman right now-remember, this is about making money. Just focus on playing your part and don't worry about whether or not it's actually Harry. We can't risk you slipping up."

"Relax, Jason. I've been memorizing all those scripts you gave me. Trust me, men know men. I can handle these guys-piece of cake." Hank's confidence was obvious.

He and Jason had worked together on scams like this before. They knew each other's rhythm, and had gotten pretty good at it.

Jason took a sip of his drink, then added, "If he asks you out tonight, don't go. Not yet."

Hank grinned. "Got it-play hard to get."

Jason smirked. “That's right. And see if you can get him to up the price."

Their chat was interrupted by a new message from "Scalpel." It popped up: "Hey gorgeous, up late tonight? Feeling lonely? Need some company?"

That was Harry, alright. He'd been watching the "RabbitsLoveSalad" account for a while, and now he was biting.

Step one: get close. Step two: lure her out. Harry's intentions were darker than anyone realized.

Hank fired back with a voice message, using an app that made him sound like a sultry woman: "Oh, honey, I'm not that easy."

...

Jason was busy running his scam, Herman was working the other end- digging into Ben's death, pulling at every loose thread

Southridge Estates.

his study, long fingers flying over the

with practiced ease. Suddenly, Ben's entire digital life was right there in

time, Herman was using his

gather data—it analyzed it,

tracking which apps Ben used most and how often, Herman pieced together Ben's daily

sifting through everything, Herman finally caught

a tea drinker, hated coffee, and almost never went farther than ten miles

ago, Ben

a place called "The

even though it

and he wasn't even supposed to

café visits

"The Ridge Café" twice, if he hated coffee and

it anyway?

can you check out The

Road? See what you can

finally shut his computer,

room, pausing at her door. As expected, it

incident,

P.n