“You don’t gotta worry about me or any of us,” he said. “But you’re not good at the whole secret thing. You totaled your car, man. How are you going to explain that?”
“Do I have to?” I was trying to play it cool as if none of this was bothering me, but he was right. I was toeing the line dangerously.
“You don’t think your dad, who bought that car, will want to know what happened to it?”
“All I have to say is it was just me in the car. Problem solved.”
“Yeah, but don’t they do accident reports? For the insurance.”
Fuck.
Fuck fuck fuck fuck.
“I’ll call in some favors or something. Maybe my brother can help.”
“Seriously? You must really be in love with this girl.” Randy pulled into my driveway and I got out.
“I am. Thanks, man, I owe you one.”
“No, you don’t.” He laughed, pulled a joint from his coat pocket, and wiggled his eyebrows. “Just keep sending your old clients my way.”
“You got it.” I went into my house and peeled off my clothes to shower. I winced as I got a good whiff of myself. I was much riper than I had realized. I had just stepped into the shower when I heard a voice clear their throat from behind me. I spun around and snatched my towel to cover myself. Aleida stood in the doorway with her arms crossed.
“Where have you been?”
“On a job. What are you doing here?”
“We’re about to be married in a few months. I should be allowed to come and go as I please.”
“Well, you’re not. Why don’t you go spend time with your little Bloodshed boyfriend?”
“You’re focused on something so trivial.”
“It’s not trivial, it’s—” I trailed off as an idea sprung to my mind.
The way to keep Scout in my life. It was a risk. There was a high chance I could lose her forever. She either had the vampiric blood in her or she didn’t, and we wouldn’t know until she…
“Desiderio!” Aleida snapped her fingers to get my attention. “Did you hear me?”
I nodded.
If I wanted Scout forever, she’d have to become a Bloodshed. Which meant, I had to convince her to kill herself.
