The Gender Game 2 by Bella Forrest (audio ebook reader .TXT) 📕

in the air, perfectly weightless and hurtling forward. Then the motorbike pitched forward and I was falling, the ocean of treetops hurtling toward me faster than I thought possible.

3

Viggo

After retrieving my motorcycle from where the wardens had been holding it, I hurtled down the darkened streets of Patrus City at top speed. I relished the howl of the wind in my ears; it matched my mood and helped drown out any doubts I felt about the mission I’d been given.

I didn’t have a lot of options when it came to recovering Violet. There was no telling where she’d gone or how she’d gotten there. Shortly after King Maxen left me, I’d realized that I only had one gambit: The tracking device that Lee had put somewhere on her. With luck, it was still active, and I’d be able to track her down using Lee’s computer.

While I rode, my mind raged with questions. Why had Lee and Violet botched their own frame-up? A part of me—a very small part now— piped up that maybe Violet was behind that. Maybe she hadn’t been able to follow through on the task because of her feelings for me?

I brushed the thought aside. It was unrealistic to think that, when she had lied to me from the very beginning. I had to stop wanting to believe that her affection for me had been genuine. It was a stupid, pathetic hope, built on loneliness and the desire to feel close to someone again.

I needed to let it go.

I twisted the throttle on the bike, urging it faster still. At this speed, it didn’t take long for me to reach Lee’s house. The ride was familiar to me now, anyway. Driving Violet around for all that time had made coming to this house second nature.

The triangular white and glass building loomed out of the darkness, all of its floors dark. I parked the bike across the street and stood studying it for a few minutes, looking for signs of movement.

I knew they were long gone, but it was surprising that the wardens hadn’t torn the place apart yet. Then again, reflecting on the damage to the lab, they might have bigger problems to deal with. Not to mention that Lee and Violet were long gone anyway.

I approached the house. The garage wasn’t locked. Its door slid open easily, and I stepped inside, clicking on my flashlight. Two of Lee’s bikes were still parked in here. I recognized the one that Violet had stolen to visit me, the long scrapes on the side from where it had fallen. It brought back an unwelcome flash of memory—Violet’s lips against mine, her body trembling in my arms. I shoved it aside just as fast, ignoring the feelings that came with it.

Moving toward the back of the garage, I opened the interior door easily. Climbing the steps quietly, I headed up to the first floor. The door leading to the house was locked, but I used my shoulder and broke it down.

I heard a sound, something moving in the darkness, and froze. Reaching slowly, I pulled out my gun. My flashlight beam cut through the darkness slowly as I swung it around, and I heard the sound of something moving again, but I couldn’t find its origin.

“Come out,” I ordered, but nothing happened. Taking a chance, I reached over and hit the light switch on the side of the door. Immediately, the lights flared to life.

Something brown shot across the floor with a yelp, dashing under the table. Slowly, I squatted down. A dog sat under the table, its body quivering. I stowed my weapon.

“Hey,” I murmured, reaching out a hand. The creature reluctantly came out, its head low and ears down. Slowly, it moved over to me, sniffing for danger. After a few seconds, it offered me a lick, its tail slowly wagging. I patted it on the head, trying to recall its name.

“Samuel,” I finally said, remembering Violet had mentioned it once.

The dog gave a small bark, its tail beating against the floor.

With a sigh, I stood up and began to inspect the house. The downstairs was homey, and ultimately empty. There was no computer visible but I tore the place apart anyway, looking for anything, any clue as to where Violet would go or what her plans had been. It seemed unlikely that I would find anything like that just lying around, especially with her betraying Lee so violently, but I had to hope I’d stumble across something that would help me discover her plan.

Nothing presented itself, so I headed upstairs, Samuel following me. I moved left, into one of the bedrooms. The room itself was almost Spartan, with a small bed and wardrobe. The bed had been made. I tore off the bedding and lifted the mattress.

I instantly knew this was Violet’s bed. I caught a whiff of her scent clinging to the sheets. I looked around, memorizing the details of the room. There was nothing here to indicate a long-term stay. In fact, her wardrobe was sparse—only a few outfits in the closet, no shoes, and her costume to obscure her gender.

That was it—there were no personal effects. I contemplated the implications of that. Violet had been a criminal before they had sent her here for this mission. It was reasonable to believe that she had still been treated like a criminal while she had been here, with Lee acting as her jailor. If that were true, then it also stood to reason that was why she’d killed Lee, and Queen Rina. She’d wanted to escape them.

I picked up one of her dresses from the closet. It was the one she had been wearing when I’d invited her to my fight. I ran my finger over the fabric, testing it. It was made of high-quality material. Why would Lee buy her a dress like this if she was a prisoner? It was expensive. It must have been to keep up the ruse: Lee would be