Page 20 of Killer Attraction

“You know you can talk to me, right? About anything.”

All I could do was nod. I didn’t know how to tell her I wasn’t asking because of the case but because of my boyfriend. So we sat in an uncomfortable silence for several minutes before she cut to the heart of the matter.

“You told me Nate seemed too perfect. That you weren’t sure if it was real or not. Is this… is this really about him? Did he do or say anything that upset you or made you question things even more?”

My best friend asked me to trust her, to unburden myself, and to let her in. She had already figured it out, even without meeting him. So what was I scared of?

“Do you think he’s manipulating you?” she asked cautiously.

“No,” I said, shaking my head. “I think he’s been refreshingly honest, actually.” And he had been from the start. Nate always said it like he saw it, though maybe he didn’t always see it right or have the best perspective. “I don’t think he’s using me, but I do feel like he’s hiding something.”

“Like being a psychopath?” she joked.

I snorted. “No, like I said, he’s refreshingly honest, including about that.”

Victoria’s mouth dropped open, and she tried to speak several times before she found her words. “Wait, wait, he actually told you that he was a psychopath? And you’re still dating him?” she hissed.

My eyes narrowed in confusion as I stared at her. I could feel my heart trying to beat out of my chest. This was why I hadn’t wanted to tell her. She was judging him without knowing him.

“Look, I love you. You’re like family to me. And I don’t want to shit on your parade, especially since you’ve been so much happier lately?—”

“Then don’t,” I ground out, cutting her off. But the scowl on my face didn’t dissuade her from continuing to speak her mind.

“Aiden.” Her stern mommy voice came out, and I hated it. I wasn’t a child, and I could make my own decisions. “You need to listen to me. I know what I just said, but people with ASPD are highly manipulative to where you might not even realize it’s happening. They can be violent and dangerous, just like this guy we’re looking for.”

I held up my hand. “Stop. Please. I have things under control. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“Like hell, you shouldn’t have!” she practically growled, keeping her voice low so no one around us would hear. “What do you really know about this guy, Aiden? I mean, really know? That you’ve been able to verify independently?”

I opened my mouth but then closed it. The truth was I hadn’t looked into Nate at all, but I wasn’t about to admit that. Instead, I turned the topic back to work.

“We need to head out. The latest vic’s boss returned our message, and there’s a meeting set up with him in an hour.”

As I got out of my chair and tugged my coat on, I ignored Victoria and the concerned looks I knew she sent my way. But I couldn’t talk to her about what I was thinking or feeling, and I shouldn’t have opened that can of worms.

Because the truth was so much worse than she thought. The answer was simple—it didn’t matter. I didn’t care who he really was or what he was capable of. I had fallen in love with Nathan Turner and he was mine. Not to mention, when he told me I was his and that he’s never let me go, I believed him.

I couldn’t walk away from him even if I wanted to. And god help me, I didn’t want to.

CHAPTER TWELVE

NATHAN

I shouldn’t have stormed out of that meeting. Even as I continued marching toward my car, I knew I was being childish and reckless.

Ask me if I cared.

With a swift motion, I yanked my tie out from around my neck and undid my cufflinks so I could roll up my sleeves. I felt itchy, constricted, out of control.

I knew what I needed but I had promised myself I would be better for Aiden. That I would be the man he needed me to be. Apparently, I couldn’t even go a week being that man.

The urge to kill was like a living thing crawling under my skin. If I didn’t give in, then things would be bad. That was the last thing I needed. I didn’t need Aiden becoming collateral damage to my urges. And I knew what would happen if I kept ignoring what was inside of me.

I’d only done it once, shortly after my parents died. I tried to contain it, to hold it at bay. Then I blacked out and woke up fourteen hours later with a body count of over a dozen. I’d been drenched in blood from head to toe as if I’d bathed in it, at some cabin in the middle of nowhere.

Every day I still wondered if someone would knock on my door looking to lock me up for what I did that night. But no one ever did.

I threw the car in gear 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 when I was done with him, I could work on trying to go longer between kills.