Page 83 of Visions of Darkness

God, how could I turn my back on her? Make her worry this way?

Pax continued, “Cameras got a shot of my profile. They’re looking for the car we ditched. First reports had it labeled a kidnapping.”

I winced. How were we going to survive when threats were coming at us from every direction?

He scraped a palm down his face. “That nurse, though? The one who helped us?”

“Jill.”

Gratitude swelled.

His nod was clipped. “She made a statement that you’d been unsafe there, that a janitor had developed an obsession with you, and you’d run away with a trusted friend.”

Another rush of gratitude filled me, this virtual stranger who had put herself on the line for me.

Believed in me.

“That doesn’t mean we’re not wanted, though, and the way I went in isn’t going to help things.”

“It was the only thing you could do.”

“Not saying I regret it. It’s just something that isn’t going to stack in my favor.”

My lips tugged down at the sides. “You’re the bad guy in this situation.”

Incredulous laughter rolled through him, low and dark. “I am the bad guy in many situations, Aria.”

He kept alluding to it. The truth that I didn’t know him here. That he was as dangerous as he looked.

I’d forced myself to sit back from the lure of it when the server approached, carrying our order.

It did nothing to shatter the connection that strummed between us, a constant hum in my veins and a prodding from somewhere in the recesses of my soul. I was sure that I did know him, in every way that mattered.

“Here we go. Three eggs over medium with sausage and white toast.” She set a large plate in front of Pax. “And a Belgian waffle with strawberries and whipped cream for you.”

My stomach rumbled and my mouth watered as she placed the towering goodness onto the table. It wasn’t until then that I realized I really hadn’t eaten in days. Not since before I’d been admitted to the facility.

It felt like an eternity from then.

“Thank you,” I told her.

“My pleasure. Anything else I can get for you?”

“I think we’re good.”

“Just let me know if you need anything else.”

I watched her walk away, and when I looked back at Pax, I found him staring at me. The slightest smirk hitched at the edge of his mouth.

“What?” I asked him.

“Are you eating dessert for breakfast?” The tease played across his features.

I liked it too much. Him looking at me that way.

“It’s my eighteenth birthday. I think I’m allowed.”

And that impenetrable stone that normally hardened his expression had gone gentle. “I think you’re more than allowed, Aria. You deserve so much more than this.”

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