“Let me go, Christian,” I growled as I turned to face him, ready to push him away so I could get in the car and disappear.
Was that what I was going to do? Disappear?
“You’re not thinking clearly.” I let out a huff and turned away, not willing to let him see any vulnerability. “I didn’t say anything. Just gave them O’Keefe’s card and told them anything further would have to go through him.”
That was smart. And probably what we should have done from the start. But I hadn’t expected a witness, let alone one I planned on leaving alive.
“Doesn’t matter. He’s connected us now. It’s over.” It almost felt like a weight being lifted off my shoulder. Every day it had gotten harder to lie to him. I hadn’t anticipated that.
“Don’t do anything stupid, man.” Christian gave me a look, knowing full well I must have already planned on doing something stupid.
I threw him a grin. “Does that sound like me?”
He huffed out a laugh. “Normally? No. Lately? Yes.”
Unfortunately, he wasn’t far from the truth. “I just havesome loose ends to tie up. And then I’ll let you know what’s up.”
That was probably a lie. If I disappeared, we both knew it would be best if he had no idea where I was going, or that I’d even left. But I knew the lie would make him feel better, at least for a moment.
After an awkward moment of silence passed between us, he gave me a fist bump and I slid into the driver’s seat of my car and peeled out of the garage. I needed to get to Clint and take care of him. He needed to go. Once I purged the desire for his blood, then I’d be okay for a little while.
Maybe I could come up with some believable lie to keep Aiden off my tail for a while. Then when I could work on trying to go longer between kills.
But I knew it was a lie. I’d never be able to, never be able to do it except how I’d always done it. Especially if I didn’t want to risk my little bird.
I’d kill Clint, then go back to Aiden, and everything would be fine.
For the moment.
As I drove to Clint’s house, I went back and forth on whether I should go back to Aiden or run. But I knew if I immediately ran, he would know I was guilty. There would be no coming back from that, no making him listen.
I let out a growl as I sped through the streets and stopped a little ways from Clint’s house. There was a light on, so I knew he was home. Not that I didn’t already know he’d be there. That was the point of stalking and finding out everything I could about my victims.
My thoughts raced, and I knew I was spiraling. I needed to calm myself. But the only way I could do that was by having someone at the end of my blade. As much as I hated it, having Aiden at the end of my cock only did so much. He could onlysate my hunger for so long before the need to kill became overwhelming.
I sat and watched, waiting for the moment my prey left his house so I could grab him.
An hour had passed when my phone rang. I glanced down, my heart squeezing as I knew there would only be one person it could be. Unable to deal with him at the moment, I let his call go to voicemail.
And the next.
And the next.
The slew of text messages with previews asking where I was and what I was doing, or saying that we needed to talk, all went unread and unanswered.
My mind was a mess and I couldn’t untangle the web of emotions I had become since I had met Aiden. In so many ways, my life had become so enriched with meaning. But in others, he was my downfall.
I shook my head, needing to clear my head. Murder required concentration and focus, otherwise mistakes were made.
With a glance at the time, I was surprised to realize several hours had passed since Aiden’s first call.
It was almost time for Clint to be getting ready to leave any minute. Not wanting to miss my opportunity, I got out of the car, hands in my pockets, and made my way down the broken sidewalk and past the vacant houses and those I knew had residents who wouldn’t want to notice what was going on around them.
That was one of the good things about the neighborhood Clint lived in. No one saw anything. Ever. Even if they did, they didn’t.
Just as I got to the front of the house, there was movement in the front window. I slowed my pace to give Clint time to getout so I could grab him. Thankfully, I didn’t have long to wait as he scrambled out a minute later.
I pulled out my phone and pretended to be preoccupied, so we bumped into each other when he got to the sidewalk.
