Page 37 of Blood

She flinches.

Walking past her, I head to my room without a look back, a smirk firmly planted on my lips.

And what a good Halloween it was.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Kaleb

The kitchen is as empty as the rest of the house. Spying a note on the kitchen table, I reach for it.

Taken the girls to the station. Lara and Michael have gone back to the hospital. Eat breakfast. Love, Mom.

Smiling, I place the paper back next to the basket of chocolate chip muffins. Taking a bite, I taper down my disappointment. I was hoping to get Sam alone before we headed out together.

The large clock ticks away on the cream wall.

Five past one, no wonder they went without me. I haven’t slept that well in months, but then again, I haven’t fucked that hard in a while either. Add in the physical exertion of killing two people, and apparently, you have the recipe for a great night’s sleep.

Opening the cupboard on the top right, I grab a blue mug, and place it under the coffee machine. Flicking it on, I make myself a flat white.

Dropping into a seat, I settle at the table and sip my hot drink. Caffeine is exactly what I need right now. Placing my phone on the table, I stare at it for a minute before snatching it back up. I try not to overthink it as I text Sam.

You okay?

I finish off my muffin and check my phone again. Still no reply. We really do need to work on her carrying that thing with her.

Are you still at the station?

I’m not expecting a reply, but my eye twitches as the hour stretches on. If she doesn’t want to talk to me, I’ll make her. She’s not the only one who needs to go to the police station. Stepping into my sneakers, I text her again.

You can’t ignore me forever, baby.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Kaleb

My earlier good mood has vanished. They weren’t at the station, and McCallister was his usual annoying-as-fuck self. He kept me there for hours, repeating the same questions over and over.

Fuck. Is it too early in the evening to go back to bed and call it a day?

My office clock reads six o’clock. And to top it off, Sam still hasn’t texted me back. My eye twitches again.

Toeing out of my shoes, I wiggle my toes. My injured skin stretches. It’s not painful, just irritated, like the rest of me.

Opening my top drawer, I search for painkillers, cursing when I find the box empty.

Lifting it high, I wave it, trying to gain Pauline’s attention in the other room. When I do, she gives me a thumbs-up.

Perfect.

Grabbing my cell, I call Samantha. It goes to voicemail again. “Call me back. We need to talk.”

Pinching the bridge of my nose, I sigh. Great, I’m getting a tension headache.

I am many things, but patient isn’t one of them, so I call again. And again. By the fifth call, I’m beyond irate and throw it on top of my desk.

Fine. She wants to act like a fucking child, then I’ll treat her like one. I pick up my cell again, but this time, I scroll to a different name.