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“Do you believe in me?” I whispered, my insides quivering as I waited for his answer.
“Always.”
I didn’t know who moved first or what drew us, but within the serene silence we were pulled closer, inch by inch, our breaths mingling until there was nothing between us, our lips pressed together in a sensual, intoxicating dance.
This was different from our other desperately-heated kisses. Although it didn’t lack passion, it was softer, more alluring, his lips slowly exploring every inch of mine. Heat stirred low in my belly, churning and spinning, allowing me to relish every moment. Each small move of his lips and flick of his tongue against mine jolted me into a frenzy, pulling me in, reminding me of how far I had fallen for him with each day that passed.
After Goddess-knew-how-long, we drew apart, the room blurring back into existence, the weight of my responsibilities once again settling on my shoulders.
He pressed his forehead against mine. “Take her down.”
“Trust me,” I whispered, squeezing his knee, “I plan to.”
Chapter Forty-Eight
I barely remembered the journey to the clinic or even through the hallways and into Vanessa’s office. But the moment I stepped across the threshold, my senses sharpened, my instincts driving to high gear as I prepared for whatever battle I would need to fight within these walls.
“You seem stressed today, Kasha.” Vanessa looked me up and down, tilting her head. “Anything on your mind?”
Plenty, but that wasn’t the point.
“Work is just stressing me out.” I leaned back in my chair, my neck resting on the cushioned back.
“Moreso than normal?”
I nodded. “I can’t talk about the details, but it’s this case.”
“Oh?”
“Everything is just evolving so quickly.” I lifted my head up slightly, catching a peek at her crossing her legs back and forth as if she couldn’t get comfortable. I sat up again, hunching my shoulders. “I’ve never struggled this much before. I feel like I can’t keep up no matter how hard I try. Every move I make seems just too slow.”
“Sometimes we feel that way, when in reality, we are moving at the exact pace we’re meant to.”
“I’ve never had to work on such a high priority case before.” I shook my head, taking in a deep breath and letting out a loud sigh. “I just don’t know how to handle all the pressure. I feel like I have to keep it all inside, since I can’t talk about it to anyone outside of the Faction.”
“Careful, Kas.”Beckett’s voice drifted to me, warning me not to take this too far, but it was too late now. She needed a nudge to show a weakness in her secrets.
“Well, why not them?” Vanessa tapped her foot against the floor.
“I know it probably sounds petty, but a part of me believes they don’t trust my judgement anymore.” I had warned my team beforehand about the tactics I was going to use; I hoped none of them were taking this lie personally. “I’ve stopped giving them my theories, because I just don’t see the point when they won’t listen. But they’re just eating me up inside. I can barely sleep some nights, and I feel sick to my stomach.”
She stared at me pensively; I stayed hunched over, attempting to seem burdened by the whole ordeal. I had set the trap, I just had to see if she took the bait.
“You know,” she leaned forward, looking me up and down slowly, “anything you say in here is completely confidential. If you want to talk about specifics, I won’t tell anyone.”
I got her.
My chest tightened, pushing down the glee that rose up in me, keeping my features as tense as possible and trying to show that I was struggling with the idea of opening up about this. I twisted my fingers in my lap, staring down at them, shifting in my seat. Finally, I whispered, “You promise?”
“Of course, Kasha.” She smiled. “You can trust me.”
My blood boiled, but I smiled anyway, pretending that I actually believed her—as if she could take advantage of this completely fabricated weak moment. “I have a theory that whoever this killer is, they aren’t working alone.” I gripped my knees, looking up at Vanessa. “I think they have a Clan helping them.”
“What brought you to this theory?”
“It just seemed like so much for one person to handle. With that and the lack of consistency in the kills and victims, it makes sense that it’s multiple people working together under the guise of one person doing it alone.”
“I see.” She nodded, looking down to write something.
