Page 7 of Ghost Among Lies

And if I was being honest with myself, I didn't even think that girl existed anymore.

CHAPTER FOUR

SLOANE

I was fuming.

At Anita. At Hayes. But mostly at myself. I had known this was how the conversation would go, but that didn't stop the fact that it felt like my heart was being ripped out of my chest for the second time in my life.

"You should've kept your fucking ass outside," I snapped at Anita.

I wasn't really mad at her, but since she was the only one left, she got my wrath.

"If yelling at me makes you feel better, then go for it, but we both know that conversation wasn't going to go well whether I was here or not. Your ex is holding a grudge."

I spun on her so we were face to face. "No shit, he's holding a grudge. I left without a single explanation. If the roles were reversed, I would've held a grudge as well."

Anita shrugged like she didn't have a care in the world, and based on the lack of an expression on her face, she probably didn't. "Maybe, maybe not. We'll never know."

"Excuse me, but I need to ask you to leave." An older woman with graying hair and glasses perched on her nose approached us. Her floral-printed dress hung loosely off her frail body. "This is a library, and our patrons expect silence. Your conversation is anything but that."

I had to give the woman credit. She didn't look the least bit intimated by two women who could snap her in half in under ten seconds if we so wished.

"We were just leaving." I snagged Anita's arm and dragged her away from the old woman. Fully aware Anita allowed this to happen because if she wanted to, I would never be able to move her. "Sorry for the disruption."

I didn't stop until we were standing in the middle of the parking lot next to my Jeep.

"I wasn't going to slit the old woman's throat," Anita deadpanned.

"Excuse me for being safe rather than sorry. You just threatened Hayes and then didn't have the pleasure of following through. That usually means your bloodlust is looking for an outlet. I didn't want the defenseless old woman as your new target."

"I don't make threats. I explain what's going to happen in advance so my target knows what to expect. It's the psychological portion of the torture."

What she didn't say was it was her favorite part. I wouldn't go as far as saying Anita played with her victims, but she wanted their last thoughts to be full of terror.

"Fine, call it what you want. But I wasn't going to chance that poor woman suffering at your hands."

If looks could kill, Anita's certainly would. "Let's get the hell out of here." She yanked the passenger door open and slid into the seat.

I took the time walking around the vehicle to check my phone. There was an encrypted message waiting for me from Hawk. It was a listing for a job. I didn't open the message. Instead, I slipped into the driver's seat and tossed the phone onto Anita's lap.

"There's a job offer from Hawk. See what it is and if it's something we want to bring to the team."

I started the Jeep, pulled out of the parking lot, and drove two miles before Anita spoke, "No need to bring it to the team. We're taking the job."

I had to correct the vehicle from crashing into a car parked on the side of the road after the Jeep veered to the right in my attempt to understand the viciousness in Anita's tone. "What the hell kind of job is it?"

"Organ trafficking. But it's the part about children's organ trafficking that sealed the deal."

Fuck!

A lot of people still thought children's organ trafficking was just a myth. But where there was a need, there would always be someone depraved enough to fill it.

"Tell Hawk we'll take the job. Then contact Lilith and Nyx. Let them know we'll be heading out as soon as we get back."

Anita typed away on my phone as I pushed harder on the gas pedal. I would make the forty-five-minute drive in thirty if I had any say in it.

"Beckett is going to want to come with us." The words were low enough that it made me wonder if Anita wanted me to hear what she said.