Page 52 of Devil May Lie

“What’s this guy's name?”

“Nikita Vizant.”

“Why don’t you go to Kelevra and have him use his influence to pull some strings?”

“Because I don’t want to bother him with something like this, and you’re the one who came to me first, remember?” Ledger said. “Or should I just go and leave you hanging on the Butcher’s whereabouts?”

“Chill out,” Madden ignored the looks he got as he entered one of the main parts of campus, “I’ll have your guy enrolled by next week, the latest.”

“Thanks.”

Madden spotted the person he’d come all this way for stepping out of the cafeteria with a student and quickened his pace. “Text me when Berga leaves the café.”

“Will do.”

“Bay,” Madden called out to the Criminal Psychology professor, waving in an overly friendly manner once he had his attention.

For what it was worth, Bay didn’t seem nearly as surprised to see him as Madden felt like he would be. Instead, he glanced around and then met him halfway, until the two of them were standing at the top of the outdoor stairs between the cafeteria building and the one that would lead them to the man’s office.

The student followed closely behind, eyeing Madden all the while.

“Sila,” Madden greeted him just to be polite. He’d seen the other guy at the Docks, knew he and Bay were in a relationship, but wasn’t really close with either of them.

“What can I help you with?” Bay asked politely, his professor mode activated even though they were fairly alone at the moment.

“I have some questions about your friend,” Madden jumped right in, not wanting to waste any time. “I’d ask Nate, but I figured you’d be the more knowledgeable of the two for this.”

“Let me guess, it’s about Berga?”

He cocked his head. “Yeah, how’d you know?”

“He was in my office earlier ranting about all the ways he was going to kill you.”

“Should you be telling him this?” Sila slid his hands into his front pockets.

“Yes,” Bay stated confidentially. “All right, Madden. What are your questions?”

Sila snorted. “He wants to know what’s wrong with him.”

“There’s nothing wrong with him,” Madden corrected, then to Bay added, “But yes, basically.”

“Doctor-patient confidentiality is a thing on this planet,” Bay said.

“He’s not your patient, he’s your friend.” Madden had witnessed how the two interacted whenever Berga met Bay at the Docks after one of his races. Those were the only times the Butcher even bothered to be there, and it wasn’t for the hoverbikes.

“More of a reason he probably doesn’t want to tell you anything,” Sila stated. “Who wants their friend getting in bed with a Devil?”

“Kind of the pot calling the kettle black, don’t you think?” Madden challenged. This wasn’t what he was here for. “Look, I need to know what’s going on with him in order to—”

“Help him?” Bay cut him off. “Or control him?”

Both, actually, but Madden smartly kept his mouth shut.

Eventually, Bay caved. “Berga’s case is…complicated. While he does show some signs of psychopathy, he doesn’t check off enough of the boxes to be given an actual diagnosis of it. He’s got a need for stimulation and is prone to boredom, has a detachment toward people and things that he hasn’t developed a personal relationship to.”

“He doesn’t empathize,” Madden stated, only for Sila to shake his head.

“Berga can feel empathy,” he disagreed. “I’ve seen it.”

---