The time I spent with Hadley, especially there at the end, left me with no free time for friends or social engagements. I hadn’t grown as I heard new ideas or changed as I viewed different perspectives. I had been stagnant until Cass came along and set my still waters rippling with a touch of her hand. An inappropriate touch, but still.
Boaz’s gaze tagged the mug by the sink, the one that smelled like bourbon even from across the room. “I’m guessing your dad doesn’t know?”
“No one knows.” I itched to rinse out the mug, but this conversation was about honesty, and there was no hiding Dad’s deteriorating condition. “Dad is only…available…during certain hours. Otherwise, he sleeps like the dead.” He spent precious few hours lucid. “Cass is the face of our team to protect my reputation.”
Digesting this, he nodded, clearly turning the information over in his head. “Cass’s presence at the crime scenes were all bounty-related?”
“Yes.” I flattened my palm on the table. “We collected, or we will, at all three.”
Usually, I didn’t mind how I earned a living, but this money felt like blood money since our targets were all dead when we found them.
Mouth gone tight, he worked his jaw. “I don’t know if I can keep your name out of this.”
“Yeah.” The blood drained from my face in a cold rush. “I figured.”
“I’ll throw as much of it on Cass as I can,” he promised. “I’ll make her the point of contact in my report.”
“But the kiss is going to make it a hard sell.” I exhaled. “They’ll know I’m involved in some way.”
Of all the times for Cass to go exhibitionist, she had to choose an active crime scene to plant one on me.
Vampires really had no impulse control. Whatsoever. The miracle was she hadn’t done it sooner.
I shouldn’t have let my former classmate get under my skin. Cass had reacted to my body’s cues without thought.
“It’s going to be okay.” He covered my hand with his, and I wondered if he thought that was why I had left it there. Maybe it had been. “You didn’t do anything wrong. We’ll figure this out.”
I hated the tremble in my tone. “We?”
“There are a lot of things in my past I’m not proud of, Addie, and I didn’t do them for the noble reasons you did.” He linked our fingers in a show of solidarity. “I’m still in this, if you are.”
“Are you sure?” I would rather have it out now than get waylaid later. “What if I’m exposed?”
“Then my sister will still get a second chance at life. She deserves it. Even if it’s as the sibling of a notorious bounty huntress.” One corner of his mouth twitched. “You and I will figure out the rest as we go.”
“Your family would gain nothing.” I had no control over my mouth, apparently. That or I was pathetically insecure. I could guess which, but I hoped he couldn’t tell. “Are you okay with that?”
“I care more about my sister than the prestige.” He glanced away from me. “I would have liked to restore the family name for my little brother’s sake, but he loves Amelie too. He’ll understand, when he’s older. I’ll make sure of it. We can weather the storm together, as a family.”
It hit me then, that the only person not getting a thing out of this bargain was Boaz himself. He was protecting his sister, safeguarding the future for his brother, and attempting to mitigate the scandal for his family. He was stretching himself thin to do it, but he was willing to sacrifice himself to make it work.
I could learn to love someone like that.
One day.
Maybe.
“We’ve been a step behind the killer this whole time.” I got chills thinking about it. “How do we get ahead of them?”
The sudden mulish jut of Boaz’s chin warned me he was about to caution me against further involvement, but he must have realized the damage had already been done. He shut his eyes, inhaled, exhaled, and opened them with a new calm. “I’m not sure.”
A stupid warmth spilled through my chest at his reluctant acceptance of my offer to help him.
“We’ve beat the sentinels to the punch each time,” Cass said from the doorway. “We’re useful to you.”
“He didn’t say no,” I pointed out to her.
“But he’s weighing our skills against his instinctive dislike of putting those he cares for in harm’s way.”
Those he cares for made that warmth spread right into my cheeks, like I belonged in the high school we just left.
“You might as well join us.” I cast an apologetic glance at Boaz. “I would say she’s usually not this bad, but it would be a lie. Believe it or not, this is Cass on exceptionally good behavior.”
“I can believe it,” he said with a chuckle. “She’s definitely unique. I’ve never met a vampire like her.”
“Why, thank you.” Cass sashayed in to join us. “I consider myself one of a kind, but it never ceases to please me to have my hubris justified.” She reclaimed her seat beside me. “Have I gotten you in very much trouble?”
For such a bold and confident personality, Cass was shockingly insecure when it came to the relationships that mattered. That was why she tried to sex away conflicts before they became problems. She figured if she made someone feel good enough, they would stick around as long as she kept making them feel good. That I didn’t trade her orgasms for friendship both puzzled and pleased her, but it made for awkward times, like now, when she would rather jump my bones than hear I was mad at her.
“We knew we’d slip up eventually.” I just never figured Boaz would be the
