Sweet Evil(46)

I leaned back into my seat and stared out my window at the last stretch of Texas as the sun sank lower, hoping Kaidan wouldn’t notice me wiping away the lone tear that slid down my face for him.

“Don’t pity me, Anna, and don’t think well of me for that small revelation. Don’t fool yourself into believing I haven’t enjoyed the work I’ve done, because I have. You should know who you’re dealing with.”

It was time to find out more about this person I was dealing with.

“Have you ever drugged a girl or spiked her drink?” I asked, still staring out at Texas.

“No. That’s for those who lack confidence.”

“Have you taken advantage of a girl who was wasted or passed out?”

“No. What’s the use if she can’t remember?”

“Forced a girl to do something she didn’t want to?”

“No. Are you training to be a psychologist?”

“I don’t doubt that you’ve physically enjoyed yourself, Kaidan. If you want me to know who I’m dealing with, then answer me this: Do you take pleasure in hurting people?”

I watched his chest rise and sink with a silent sigh. He spoke devoid of feeling, bordering on impatience.

“I feel nothing for them. I ignore their pain. I don’t let it into my thoughts. It brings me no pleasure or pain to see them hurting, with the one exception that we already spoke of. Is that touchy-feely enough for you?”

I would have to read between the lines when it came to Kaidan. To know him, I would need to know why he ignored their pain, and what would happen if he did let their suffering into his thoughts. If he took pleasure in hurting others, he would bask in their pain, not deflect it.

“Why are you trying so hard to make me think you’re a bad person?” I asked.

“Because it would be best for you to have a healthy fear of me so you can’t say you weren’t warned. I’m not like boys at your school. Think of the pull you feel toward drugs. That is how I feel about sex.”

Oh.

“Starting to get it now? Let me be even clearer.” His voice lowered as he walked me through his work. “I can feel out someone within five minutes of conversation to know what I would have to say and do to lure her into bed. That includes you, though I admit I was off my game last night. With some people it’s a matter of simple flattery and attention. With others it takes more time and energy. I do whatever it takes to get their clothes off, and then I attempt to make it so they’ll never be with another person and not think of me. I know secrets of the human body most people don’t even know about themselves. And when I leave, I know they’re ruined when they’re begging me to stay.”

My heart pounded. I was afraid now. He flicked his eyes around my aura.

“It’s about time,” he said.





CHAPTER TWELVE

KAIDAN’S COLOGNE

We kept our thoughts to ourselves as we entered New Mexico. The abrupt change in landscape filled my mind with relief. Flat Texas plains had morphed into expanses of gently rolling hills and small mountains, patchy with shrubs. The Southwest was wide open. I was amazed how far I could see.

Kaidan slowed to exit as the sun drooped low in the sky. We parked at a fast-food place and got out to stretch our legs. The absence of moisture made the air feel thin in my lungs. I was accustomed to choking on humidity.

We ordered meals and ate them in silence, sitting in front of the glass wall that looked out at the parking lot. The setting sun caused a robe of deep pink and orange to spread itself over the landscape.

“Nice country you’ve got. Very diverse.”

“It’s gorgeous,” I agreed, pushing the other half of my chicken sandwich toward him. He finished it while I nibbled the last of the fries.

“We’ll go a few more hours and then stop for the night,” he said. “I’ll wait to fill the tank until morning.”

I nodded and cleared away all of the trash to get ready to go. The thought of another night together made me nervous.

As we climbed back into the car and continued down I-40, the beauty of the Old West emboldened me. Kaidan’s gaze brushed over me as I turned toward him, pulling my bare feet underneath me.

“There’s someone else I need to see in L.A., besides my dad.”

He nodded for me to continue. I told him the story about the angel visiting Patti, and how she came to be my foster mother. Then I told him that the nun, Sister Ruth, had requested that I come and speak to her in person.

“I just can’t imagine what she needs to tell me that she couldn’t tell Patti.”

“Huh. I haven’t heard anything about angels coming down and speaking directly to humans in recent history either.”