Page 55 of Bloodlust

"She was at a frat party and someone roofied her," I say, forcing my gaze to remain elusive. It's easier this way. Like I'm talking to the wind. "You can put together the rest."

"I see..." He expels a charged breath as Pinto drops the stick at his feet. Hayden bends down, picks it up, and then whips it into the darkness. "Was he prosecuted for his crimes?"

"No." Resolve grips my heart, and I turn to face Hayden. "He disappeared before the court date."

He raises a brow. "Disappeared?"

"Mhmm," I hum, letting out a peaceful breath. "Vanished without a trace."

"Interesting," he muses. "Where do you think he went?"

"Somewhere hot I bet." I give him a knowing smile. "Maybe Mexico."

"If he's in Mexico, you could extradite him if you found him," Hayden notes. "We've got a treaty."

"I don't think there's a treaty where he went." My breath hitches as my arm brushes against Hayden's. I look up at his mossy green eyes, and my stomach churns. They're almost the same shade as Daniel's. How have I not noticed before? "I think it was a one-way trip."

"I see." Hayden's chest rises ever so slightly, like an earthquake no one feels. No one but me. "Is your assistant okay?"

"She will be." The ground beneath my feet quivers as he takes a purposeful step closer to me. "She's strong. Stronger than she knows. There's nothing she can't do."

"She's lucky to have a friend like you," Hayden muses. "Someone who believes in her. That's important."

"I'm not her friend." I swallow. "I'm herboss."

Hayden's lips twist up as if he's confused. "You speak about her like you're friends."

"I don't have friends, Doc." I bend down to grab the stick. I pet Pinto's head before tossing it into the air. "Friends are liabilities."

"Liabilities?" Hayden tilts his head. "Friends are essential, Camilla. It's imperative to have people in your life who love you. It's what makes life worth living."

"No." My jaw clenches as I glance over at Pinto, my heart sinking. "It's what makes life unbearable to live." Hayden's silent as I stare down the field. "You want to know what the real danger is?" I glance at him, and he nods tentatively, frowning. "It's love, Doc. It's the most dangerous type of evil."

Hayden doesn't say a word as he looks at me. Studiesme. Like I'm a relic. Maybe he didn't hear me. Maybe I said it in my head. Maybe, for once, he has no rebuttal. No follow up. Perhaps he knows it's the truth. A painful fact. A certainty of life.

"Has love betrayed you before, Camilla?" Hayden finally asks in a soft tone, like he's worried I'll break down and cry. But I don't cry. He knows that I think.

"No," I whisper. "Love didn't betray me... I betrayed love."

My love.

"Maybe it's time to forgive yourself." He lifts up his hand as the wind blows my hair across my face. I gasp, frozen into submission as his fingers tenderly run along my cheek until his touch is gone. "We are only human."

"Sometimes I don't feel human." I breathe almost inaudibly. "I feel like a ghost."

He swallows, taking a step back. "I don't think you're a ghost, Miss Bianco."

"What am I then? Tell me."

"I need to get home," he says suddenly, checking his watch. "We'll continue this another time." He looks at Pinto. "He's fast for a fourteen-year-old."

I frown, unsure of what to make of his comment. "It varies day-to-day."

"Right..." He nods. "I'll see you later this week." Pausing, he adds, "In the daylight next time, okay? No more midnight."

And then he leaves back into the shadows from which he came.

"You're back!" Zoey exclaims, pausing her movie. She stands up and walks toward me, sniffing the air. "You smell weird."