Page 53 of The Hunted
“We need a list of everyone who had charges dismissed, and we need to keep an eye on them. If this is about revenge, we might have our targets.” And now Martin was back to being annoying. “We should also check out anyone who was particularly vocal and would be pissed enough to want to retaliate.”
Why was Martin picking now to be a model employee? What the hell had Amra whispered in his ear to show up and want to solve the case more than he wanted to drink beer and fuck the next person who peaked his interest?
This would put a damper on both his and the Reaper’s plans. If anyone was going to find the Reaper, it was going to be him.
I can’t kill him. It would get too complicated, but I can dissuade him.
“You going back to the office or you gonna go see your girl?” Martin asked.
It was on the tip of Santino’s tongue to deny Silva was his, but the lie never formed. She was already his in his mind, though the line between his to kill and his to keep was currently blurred.
“If she wants to see me, and since you clearly did me a solid,” Santino tried to keep his tone even, “do you want me to ask her to put in a good word with her friend, what was her name again?”
“Janelle,” Martin murmured, running hand over his mouth. His twitch was gone but the glint in his eyes was back as if he was slipping back into the role of playboy. A role he wore like a second skin. “You totally should have your girl put in a good word for me. I was close to sealing the deal before Amra and your girl took the claws out.”
“Don’t sound too upset. You didn’t go home alone.” Martin laughed as they walked toward his car. “You don’t think that’s a little messy? Aren’t Amra and Janelle friends.”
Martin shrugged, hitting his key fob. “So? Amra wouldn’t care. I mean, it would be a hit to her ego in some way, but not in a way that she’ll bad mouth me to Janelle or make things weird at work.”
“You know her pretty well?” Santino regarded him. He seemed to have the secret code in dealing with Amra. He wondered if he could use it to his advantage.
What skeletons are you hiding, and how do I find them?
Could he use Martin to flesh out Amra enough to mark her off as the Reaper? At the very least, he could use Martin to get her off his back.
“I know her well enough to get what I want out of her, when I’m bored.” The way he smirked, triggered something in his mind he couldn’t quite grasp. It was a memory, sitting on the edge of his conscious he couldn’t force out, like a sneeze that was stuck. “You heading to the office?”
Santino shook his head. He needed to go through his guardian’s things. Maybe she left him some clues to his past that would trigger what he needed to figure out how the Reaper was connected to him.
“I’m heading home too. I’m probably stopping to get more coffee.” He held up his cup. “No offense, but this coffee tastes like shit.”
Martin laughed. “Fair enough. The line at my usual place was too long. I’ll text you with the list once I get into the office.” He opened his passenger door and slid in, but Santino stopped him, hoping to delay him from doing any type of work today.
“You sure you don’t want to go home and change first?” He nodded toward the clothes Martin wore last night. “The office is going to be talking if they see you in the same clothes as yesterday.”
Martin smiled. “Good. I’ll text you later.”
Santino stepped back and watched him drive off. He needed to figure out his next steps in regard to his coworkers, both Martin and Amra. He hoped this newfound need to be a star employee didn’t last long with Martin. Putting tabs on the people he had already put on his list would leave him with no real way to appease the gnawing in his stomach. He’d have to adapt again, which wasn’t a problem, but he found he didn’t want to this time.
Maybe he could still indulge with his list. There was no way the local PD would be too enthused to guard people who were alleged predators. They would turn a blind eye, give him the opening he needed to hit his marks.
“Mijo, you must always follow your instincts, not your ego. If something feels off, it usually is. Don’t let your ego win. You may think you’re invincible, but you’re human just like your marks. You can get caught and die just like them.”
Santino held his breath for a count of four and released it. He unclenched his fists, cracked his neck, and bounced on the balls of his feet. He had some excess energy coursing through him but he had a game plan. He needed to go home. Back to his sanctuary to focus and find his guardian’s stuff.
“Let’s see if you have answers to my past,” he murmured, walking to his truck. His phone buzzed in his pocket again, and he felt himself smile, hoping it was Silva. But he didn’t reach for it. “Sorry, princess. I can’t have you distracting me just yet.” Because she would, and he’d be no closer to finding out exactly why the Reaper was targeting him.
ChapterTwenty-Three
Silva laid down on the park bench, throwing her arm over her face. Laying down was a mistake, but sitting up felt like too much work for her right now. Her skin was flushed, and she could hear her heart pounding in her ears. There was a trickle of sweat slipping down the middle of her back and into the waistband of her work out pants. Her other hand rested on her thigh, her fingers feeling for the cut she knew would be there.
“Marking your skin? These won’t deter me.”
Silva’s body shook and she focused on her breathing instead of the reason she was laying on the park bench in the first place. As much as she enjoyed working out and kick boxing, she hated running. She only did it when the nightmares happened.
“You’re so sweet for me.”
“Breathe, you’re not there anymore.” She shot up, feeling her phone vibrate against the sleeve on her arm. She knew who it was. He was the reason she had the nightmare in the first place. The reason her walls had come down and her mind had been able to remind her of what she’d gone through.
