Page 10 of Benicio

As he walked through the halls, he thought about what David had told him. Eleazar had killed Raiden, the leader of Ridgeway Riders, and Chainsaw, Zach’s kidnapper. The repercussions of those actions were far-reaching and had led to the formation of the Council of Darkness. It was evident that Eleazar had to go. But Benicio couldn’t take him out in a head-on collision. He needed to be smart and strategic.

He had a plan forming in his mind, one that would change Ridgeway forever. And he would make sure that David was safe throughout the process. Even if it meant keeping him by his side at all times.

* * * *

The moment David opened his mouth, he’d regretted making a deal with Benicio. He felt horrible for telling the ancient vampire about Eleazar. Although Eleazar had never done anything for David, the vampire still seemed like an okay guy.

Thank god David hadn’t told Benicio about the rumors he heard that Eleazar’s mate had become pregnant. Lord only knew how Benicio would have handled that news. He hadn’t been lying when he told Benicio that he was a walking dead man.

As soon as anyone found out that it was David who’d informed on Eleazar, he would be ripped apart.

“You sure know how to fuck yourself over,” he muttered to himself as he got up and walked out of the vivarium. “You should just go find the new leader of the Council of Darkness, whoever it is, and get your death over with. It’ll probably be less painful than what Eleazar’s coven is going to do to you if they find out what you did.”

There was no use running. When a vampire had your scent, they had it for life. It might take time for Eleazar’s coven to track David down if he moved across the country, but they would eventually find him.

He wanted to go see James and Deon. The two homeless men always brought a sense of peace to him. They probably didn’t know that vampires existed, but even if they thought him human, they didn’t judge him or make him feel unwanted. Deon was always around for a laugh, but it was James who brought David comfort when he needed it the most.

And David had never needed it like he needed it now.

Making sure Benicio or Matteo wasn’t around, David slipped out the front door and made his way to the lower east side. It felt like hours before he reached his apartment, though it was only eighty minutes.

But he didn’t go inside his building. David used a small amount of the money Matteo had given him and bought James and Deon some dinner at a twenty-four-hour diner.

The night seemed eerily quiet to him. Steam billowed up from the manhole covers as David went down the alley. He didn’t see Deon in his tent, but James was in his. David crawled inside and sat, handing the bag with the Styrofoam containers over to his friend.

“What’s this?” James asked.

“Dinner,” David replied, watching as James opened the bag and pulled out a container of greasy noodles. “I thought you and Deon might want something to eat.”

James smiled, his eyes crinkling with gratitude. “Thank you, man. That’s real kind of you.”

David shrugged. “Just trying to do something nice.”

The human ate in silence for a few moments before he spoke up. “You look like you’re carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders. What’s going on? Is everything okay?”

Why couldn’t James have been his father? Life was so damn unfair. “I might have made the biggest mistake of my life.”

James stopped eating and eyed him. “Is it something you can rectify?”

“No.” David played with a loose string on his jeans. “It’s a cosmic screwup that is going to get me killed.”

James put his fork down, his expression serious. “You’re not going to get killed, David. Not if you’re careful.”

“But it’s not just me,” David said, feeling the weight of the world on his shoulders. “I’ve put others in danger. And I don’t know how to fix it.”

“You might not be able to fix it alone,” James said. “But you can start by telling someone. Someone who can help you figure it out.”

No one in David’s life would be able to help him. Maybe he needed to go see Eleazar and tell him what had happened, help the ancient vampire stop Benicio from killing him. But that would only get David killed. Eleazar’s coven would end David’s life for what he’d done.

No, he was utterly screwed.

James tapped David’s knee with the back of his hand. “Things always seem bleak when you screw up. I bet whatever you did isn’t that serious. It just seems that way.”

The human might not have been able to help David, but there was a level of comfort just being in the guy’s presence. “Thanks. Make sure Deon gets his dinner. Don’t eat both of them.”

James winked. “If he doesn’t get back, no promises.”

David frowned. “Where is he?”

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