“And this is why I said you came back colder. I’m no longer the girlfriend, just a part of the plan.”
I frowned. “Jade, you were never my girlfriend. You were my ex. I didn’t call you to come back to be my girlfriend.” I asked her if she wanted to have some fun, not to restart my relationship. Apparently, my father’s reaction to her existence made her think this was more. Well, fuck. “Jade—” I reached across the table and she stole her hands into her lap.
“Don’t placate me and my feelings, Finn. I should have known how it works with you. It’s always about plans. Even when we were together.” She folded her arms across her chestbefore gesturing to the door. “I know I’m just the first stop of your morning so grab a coffee and keep going. Call me when you need me for the next part of your plan, Finn.”
She spat the words out like they were poisonous to her but I wasn’t going to stick around if she was just going to dangle our past relationship in front of my face. Just as I pushed to my feet, she asked one last question.
“Also, what happened to your eyes? The gray looks so… dull.”
“Don’t remind me,” I pushed out. “I’m trying something new.”
She’ll see right through that lie, Finn.
I shrugged as I headed for the newspaper, forgoing a cup of shitty coffee. I hadn’t expected Jade’s attitude but it was for the best that she knew where she stood. I didn’t want any surprises later.
What are you going to be doing today with our body, Finn?
I ignored Killian’s question, wondering where all this confidence was coming from. He was the original, so that made sense but I used to be his confidence. So did Daemon for that matter. But he wasn’t drawing from either of us. It was as if my appearance had brought back parts of him that he had hidden away.
I don’t like surprises, Killian. What’s going on?
I thought you liked playing games.
Not with you.
That’stoo bad. You’ll just have to wait and see.
“Does this have to do with Runo?” I asked aloud, not caring who was around me to hear. Silence met my question for several seconds before Killian finally answered.
Actually, yes. I just want to warn you that Runo might not be the person you think he is.
You don’t even know him.
Are you sure about that? I blocked him for a reason, Finn.
I waved my hand in the air as if that would get rid of Killian in my head. I hated not knowing what was going on with things I thought I was in control of. Runo not being the man I knew wasn’t allowed to happen.
SAMAEL
“Where. The. Fuck. Is. My. Son?” Chief Matthews bellowed as I stepped into his office. I immediately shut the door, seconds before something shattered near my head. One quick look at the shards of glass and I recognized one of the statues that sat at the edge of his desk. “Are you threatening me by keeping me from my son?”
I snorted, which was obviously the wrong reaction before taking a seat. “First off, your son is a fucking adult. Even more, because he’s Finn and not Killian.” I didn’t mention my suspicions regarding who I thought was the real cause of all this shit. “Second, I’m not in the business of kidnapping my exes. Yes, he was at my house last night. Why?”
“Because a certain woman showed up dead this morning in an alleyway that is a favorite of The Skinner’s. Looks like his work too. However, I’ve seen that girl. She works with my son and since I couldn’t fucking reach you, imagine my surprise when a little bit of digging brought up your name anyway.” He slapped a thin file on the desk and slid it across the surface.
For a man who couldn’t pinpoint The Three Terrors despite one being right in front of him, he had been working hard these last few hours. I opened the file, unamused to see Finn, Nyla, and Jade that he mentioned in passing. We were all recorded leaving the scene, the fake Nyla piling into a cab. Lace was safely at her home halfway across the city but the next picture revealed Finn’s handiwork.
“It’s not a crime to have sex with people, chief.”
“I thought you said you were done with my son.”
“We’re not dating.” And we weren’t. I had no idea what we were but it wasn’t dating in the normal sense of the word. “He invited me for a night out. Men have needs so I said sure. I made sure she grabbed a cab before I left.”
“My son had nothing to do with this, right? Because he’s going to be questioned and I can’t do this again. I won’t cover for him if he’s involved. If I find out that he’s truly… no. He can’t be. He came home to start anew. Since when were you two involved in tag-teaming? That’s one of the officers told me that was what you were doing.” The disgust on the old man’s face was evident as if I had corrupted Finn myself.
“I’m not going to explain my or your son’s sex life to you. If you’re curious, you can ask him. As for last night, we had our fun and then we left.”
Chief Matthews let out a frustrated sigh as he dragged his hands through his hair. "You just left? Just like that?”
