I already knew what he would tell us, and I was certain Blaire did, too. But waiting for confirmation like that was like waiting at the top of a rollercoaster you didn’t want to be on—one stuck at the top of the first hill.
Adam grinned, mouth full of yellowing teeth. I wanted him to stop smiling. “Don’t you know your own girlfriend? Shame on you, Winder. And here I thought you were smart. Little Miss Blaire here has been taking down Conrad’s inner circle, one by one. She was sneaky at first, and I don’t think Conrad could confirm it was her one way or the other. But you got sloppy, didn’t you?” He wagged his finger at Blaire, and the instinct to snap it was overwhelming.
But I wouldn’t, because Blaire needed me right now. I couldn’t be focused on my own anger when she was next to me hearing these awful things about herself. With a warning glare at Adam, I snapped my eyes down to my fiery girl.
Her hands balled into fists, and I just knew she was digging her fingernails into her palms to stop herself from breakingdown right there and then. She wouldn’t do that in front of Adam. She wouldn’t let herself.
“How many?” she asked.
“What was that, sweetheart?” Adam leered, getting too close to Blaire for comfort.
I took a step forward, intending to push him back, but Blaire stopped me once more.
Her face was angry, but clear. Adam’s words confirmed what she already knew, but didn’t shock her. I wasn’t sure I had ever been so proud of her strength. “How many have I killed?”
Those words had to gut her, and yet her voice didn’t shake or tremble.
Adam’s grin widened, exposing the missing tooth. “At the last count, seven. But who knows the real number, eh, sweetheart?”
“Where can I find Conrad?” she asked.
This time, Adam hesitated.
Blaire cocked her head, taking a step closer to Adam. “What? Is Conrad that scared of me that he doesn’t want me to know where he lives? I don’t know who would be afraid of me. Do you?”
Adam stepped back. “Listen. I don’t get involved in this shit. I’m just the messenger.”
“A messenger who knows where Conrad lives. Or at least where he works. Where he spends his time. You have to have some way to get in touch with him, since you don’t seem to like using a phone.” Blaire’s voice was icy, and as much as I wanted to help, I didn’t want to interrupt whatever spell she was casting in front of us. “Do you want to know a secret, Adam?”
Adam swallowed, and I couldn’t stop the smile from crossing my lips.That’s my fucking girl, I thought.My fucking girl.
“I don’t remember killing those people. Not. A. Single. One. Because it was so easy to kill them, that I thought I wasdreaming. You tell me I’ve killed seven people. Seven lives I’ve taken without remembering. But here’s the thing. If you don’t tell me what I need to know, I will remember killing you. I’ll make sure to remember every little second of it.”
Fuck, she was hot as sin when she was like this. In control. Powerful. It was fucking addictive, and I needed a taste.
“I…I don’t know. I don’t know. I swear.” Adam threw his hands up in front of himself, like those bony things would protect him from Blaire. “I meet with another man at a designated location every week. They tell me where to meet on a burner phone. It changes every week. I don’t know where he is.”
“Think hard before you answer again.” Blaire stood toe to toe with Adam, larger than her and yet currently scared shitless. “Thinkrealhard.”
His eyes grew as wide as they possibly could, and he stammered out unintelligible syllables
Blaire smiled, sharp as a blade, and Adam finally spat out something that made sense. “He has a room at the back of the club, Circuit. In the warehouse district. I have no idea when or even if he’ll be there. I just know he’s had me meet him there more than once.”
It wasn’t as solid of an answer as I would’ve liked, but it was obviously the best we were going to get out of him.
“Was that really so bad?” Blaire reached out her hand to stroke Adam’s chin, and he visibly quaked with her touch.
Holy fuck. I was going to die, right here. Right now. If she touched me like she touched Adam, I would splinter into a million pieces.
“He’s been tracking you for years,” Adam spit out, his words running together. “You only became a problem when he realized you remembered.”
She froze. “Remembered what?”
Remembered what?We were so close to the truth, maybe this was it.
Adam shook his head. “I don’t know. I only overheard that. Please don’t hurt me.”
Never mind.
