Page 32 of A Midnight Romance
River
T he red banner rolling on the bottom of the TV screen catches my eye as I walk out of the bathroom.
PRESS CONFERENCE SOON, UPDATE ON CABIN WOMEN’S CASE
Wrapped in a white towel around my waist, I stand in front of the TV with the local news playing. The police will never find the bodies of the men as they’re all swimming with fish, but they will discover the connection between them once Nolen and Duncan are officially reported missing.
Which reminds me that I haven’t heard from Andrew. I assumed he’d touch base with me after my night with Duncan, but he’s been silent. Which leads me to believe he may have caught on to everything we’re doing and is backing off. Or maybe the police reached out for questioning.
“Whatcha doin’?” Lux emerges from the bathroom, her delicious body hidden behind a fluffy cotton robe.
Keeping my eyes on the screen, I open my arm for her to come to my side. “The police are about to give a press conference on the case.”
“I spoke with my dad last week. He said that they dissolved most resources due to a lack of leads,” she says, leaving my side to walk into the closet .
The news suddenly cuts to the press conference, and standing at the podium is a familiar looking man. “Lux, isn’t that your dad?”
“My dad?” Lux emerges wearing one of my white button up shirts, her eyes boring into the screen with confusion. “Last time we spoke, he said the FBI was taking over the case.”
Seems like he’s still involved.
I grab the remote on the dresser and turn up the volume.
“As you all know, Richard Smith, a local accountant, was reported missing by his wife over three weeks ago. Due to recent information that has come to light, we suspect that him and a few other accomplices are connected to this case. One of those individuals is Andrew Hughes…”
They’ve discovered Richard’s link to Andrew , which means it’s only a matter of time before they interview others in his circle.
Lux’s eye flick toward me with worry and panic.
“If they’re going public with this—” I begin.
“Then they’ve already tried arresting him and he’s nowhere to be found.”
I nod. “Exactly.”
She pinches the bridge of her nose and squeezes her eyes shut.
“If we hadn’t killed the accountant, his wife wouldn’t have reported him missing.
” She paces. “And then we would have had a little longer to get to Andrew,” she rushes out.
“Now they’ve probably scared him off—or worse, they’ll get to him before we do and all of this will be for nothing. ”
I step closer, grabbing her arms to steady her. “This isn’t all for nothing,” I correct her gently.” I slide my hands along the smooth skin on her upper arm.
She rubs her lips together, unsure if she believes my words. “How can you be sure?”
“I have been doing this a long time,” I say. “Trust me. We’ll get him. ”
“We are not as different as you think we are.” Lux’s hand coming up to my face.
The similarity between us is there, but I will always carry a darkness more dangerous and vaster than hers. Despite my growing feelings for Lux, she can never see the real me.
Besides, a life with kids and a house like every other regular person walking this earth isn’t meant for monsters like me.
My hunger for the hunt will always remain unsatisfied.
And once Lux finds out my desire to kill is not just based on the need to stop predators from hurting innocent people, will she still want me?
“Maybe,” I say with a forced smile before I make my way into my closet to get some clothes on. “I should touch base with Sebastian.”
Flipping through my shirts to grab one, I run through the last few weeks.
Everything has fallen into place with each of the men, but my instincts never steer me wrong, and I foresee getting our hands on Andrew may be more difficult than expected.
Something I don’t want to share with Lux because all she needs to worry about is healing and getting her vengeance on these men.
It’s not for her to be concerned with my slight uncertainty.
“I think I should go see my dad,” Lux says.
Pulling the shirt over my head, I step out. “What for?”
“He might be able to give me some useful information like last time.”
“You already knew the information last time,” I remind her.
A smirk plays at her lips.
Although I have my own sources, if Lux is trying to help, I’ll let her. “All right,” I tell her. “Once I meet with Sebastian, I’ll follow you out there. How about later this evening?”
She shoots me a side eye. “Always following me around. ”
“You love it.” I pull her toward me, pressing a kiss to her lips. “And I love—” I stop myself from continuing.
She draws back quickly, her eyes the size of saucers . “Did you just almost say love ?”
I clear my throat, ready to pay it off. “Uh, I don’t think so.”
Replaying what I was about to say, my heart pounds. The words escaped without a second thought, almost as if my subconscious was telling me something.
It can’t be true.
“Okay, well”—she runs a hand through her hair—“I have some writing to do, and you’re meeting with Sebastian.”
This situation turned awkward quickly. “So, I’ll go meet with Sebastian. I’ll text you in a bit, okay?”
She follows me to the door. “Yeah.”
“Okay.” I smile. Standing with my arms at my sides in the doorway.
“Okay,” she repeats, her cheeks blushing.
We both walk down the hall of the North Wing in silence, before parting ways. After the exchange with Lux, my mind is spinning with questions.
Do I love her?
Am I capable of loving anyone?
I shake off the thoughts and refocus on the important thing at hand. If the police outed Andrew’s name to the world and he gets word of this, he’s probably trying to leave the country as we speak, if he hasn’t already.
I open my laptop and pull up a flight tracker app that my team uses to monitor personal planes. It was one of the first systems I was able to hack into years ago. Then I take out my phone and send Sebastian a quick text.
Me: Are you at the manor?