Page 24 of Dark Obsession

“Was it the blood?”

Cold lanced through him, as if an icicle had pierced his skull, skewering him from the top down.

“What?” he said, even though his tongue suddenly felt too thick for his mouth.

“I saw your expression when you caught sight of that woman getting blood. Was it that?”

“No, I don’t know, I…” But the denial died in his throat. He drew in a breath, aware of the slight whistle and the fact that the air didn’t seem to reach his lungs. This was Jugs. He could talk to him.

The elevator doors opened and they entered the skywalk. A delivery truck rumbled by underneath as they crossed to the parking structure, sending vibrations along the concrete underfoot.

When they entered the garage, Cody said, “Yeah, the blood sort of, I don’t know, shocked me, I guess.” He wiped his forehead as he unlocked the truck. “We should be used to seeing blood in our line of work.”

“Secondary line of work.”

“Yeah, right.” They got into the truck and Cody started the engine but kept it in park. The AC from the vents was stale compared to the air inside. He gripped the steering wheel and stared at his hands. “Seeing blood like that, the dark color of it, and how pale that woman was…” His voice sounded scratchy and wounded.

“Those two in the waiting area.” Jugs’s deep voice was surprisingly gentle.

Cody’s throat tightened. “Yeah, them too.” The material of his polo shirt against his fingers was soft, and he realized he’d let go of the steering wheel and was rubbing the scratches across his chest. He dropped his hands to his lap where they lay in tight fists he had to willfully open. Throwing a glance across the cab, he saw Jugs staring straight ahead out the windshield.

There was more he wanted to say, a lot, actually. About Zenona and his concerns about her involvement. How good she looked these days, better than ever, in fact. But saying something like that felt like a betrayal, like he was talking behind her back. She’d been through so much the past year, shouldn’t he be glad she was taking better care of herself?

“Zenona looks good,” Jugs said, and the shock of hearing a portion of his own thought spoken aloud snapped him back to the moment.

“Yeah. She does.” He hesitated, but it didn’t feel right bringing up his…what? Concerns? Suspicions? But how could he have suspicions about Zenona, who’d been fighting beside them, fighting for them, all this time?

A smaller, softer voice in the back of his mind pushed the words forward like it was passing a note in class, being careful and trying not to get caught by the teacher.

Because she’d been involved with Michael Graham, who they’d found out later was a vampire.

Jugs’s phone buzzed, and he shifted to draw it from his pocket, grunting and sighing as he twisted.

That helped Cody push the thought—that note passed in class—back again. He pulled the seatbelt across and clicked it in place. “Is that the little woman?”

“Yeah.” Jugs buckled himself in as well. “She wants to have dinner out tonight.”

“Yeah?” Cody backed out of the spot and headed for the exit. “Is that a good thing?”

“These days, it’s hard to tell.” Jugs slowly turned his head side to side and rubbed his neck.

“Maybe she wants to celebrate you losing the collar and the fact you’ll stop milking it for sympathy.”

As he exited the parking structure, he glanced at Jugs and caught the glare. “What?”

“You’re not right, you know that?”

“I don’t know what you mean.” He stopped at a red light and looked over again, his grin feeling quick and more natural as the minutes ticked past. “We’ve got critters to catch, buddy. Who’s next?”

It had been a long but productive day by the time Cody parked his truck outside the office. He and Jugs got out and Cody unlocked the office door. Jugs used the bathroom then grabbed a Gatorade from the break room refrigerator.

“Hydrating for a night of celebration?” Cody said as he idly spun in his desk chair.

“I’m not responding to that.” Jugs put his back to the door and bumped it open. “Night, Bonker.”

“Stretch first,” Cody called after him, rewarded with a disgusted, “Fuck off,” before the door swung shut.

He looked around the office for a bit, swinging in his chair. The lights were off, and the early evening sunlight coming in through the big window and door behind him made deep shadows.