Page 86 of Hidden

I force my eyes back to the fourth monitor and restart the enhancement pass on the window frame, but my mind keeps drifting. Every time I swallow, I swear I can still taste her, that intimate, musky sweetness that belongs only to me.

I sit back and glance at the fifth screen again. Sadie hasn’t moved. Just the slow, steady rhythm of her breathing. She looks so innocent, and so safe. Because I’m watching. Because I tasted her. Because she’s mine.

I turn back to the case, but the ghost of her taste lingers on my tongue the entire time and I’m never letting her take it back.

***

I’ve been awake for way too many hours now, and if I don’t sleep, I’m going to fuck up somewhere.

The exhaustion clings to me like a second skin, but the moment we step into Grounds, the rich scent of espresso and pastries hits me. We order our coffee, and wait, then I look around and spot the most beautiful girl ever.

Sadie is already there. Sunlight spills across her skin, catching in her hair and highlighting the delicate curve of her neck. When she looks up, our eyes lock. The air between us thickens instantly. She holds my gaze a second longer, a small, secret smile playing on her lips.

I take my coffee, Mason grabs a few pastries, because he eats way too much and I start to walk over to the free table on the other side of the coffee shop. But Mason has different ideas when he moves to the girls table.

I slide into the chair directly across from her. Our knees brush under the table, and neither of us pulls away.

“You look terrible,” she says softly, but her voice has a warm, husky edge. Her eyes linger on mine a second longer, then to my lips like she did at the library.

I smile, letting my leg rest gently against hers. “Good morning.” I press my thigh a little more firmly into hers. “You, on the other hand… look beautiful this morning.”

Her breath catches, just a tiny hitch, and I see a faint flush creep up her neck. It’s time to see if she’s fully hooked on the Ghost, or whether she’s willing to play outside of the mask too.

“I slept like a baby, maybe not tonight or tomorrow,” she murmurs, her fingers tightening slightly around her steaming mug. Her gaze flicks back up to mine, then away again, like she’s trying not to stare.

“Regionals in two days?” I ask, shifting my thigh so it presses more fully against hers. The heat of her skin radiates through our clothes.

I’m hoping she is fully with the Ghost, and she lets me continue to have fun.

She nods, biting the inside of her cheek. I ignore the conversation happening around us, Mason’s talking about something to do with another party in a few weeks.

“I’m sure I can find ways to help you relax,” I say quietly, my voice low. Say no, say you have someone to help you.

Her thighs part just slightly in response, almost instinctively. She swallows, her lashes lowering as she stares into her coffee, but the corner of her mouth curves upward.

“You’re being dangerous this morning, Miles,” she whispers.

“It’s college, it's meant to be fun, isn’t it.” I stop when my phone vibrates in my pocket, and I pull it out looking at what my computer has sent me.

Fuck. Another girl has gone missing. Well, I know what I’ll be doing tonight, fucking hell.

“It is, but not when I have regionals in two days.” She smiles, and glances at my lips.

“Maybe, once they’re over, if my friend can’t help me,” she finally admits, her voice barely above a whisper. Her eyes meet mine, dark and sparkling with nervous excitement. She holds the gaze longer this time, her lips slightly parted.

The air between us feels thicker, and my cock stirs in my pants. Is she trying to work out if it’s me? Does she have an idea of who the Ghost is? I mean I could tell her, but where is the fun in that?

“Well, I’m ready when you are, whenever you’re ready… I’d love to be the one who helps you forget everything for a while.” I smile at her. I need her to just say she is seeing someone, then I’ll know she is with me, well the Ghost, even though that’s me too.

“You’re going to get us in trouble,” she whispers, but her eyes are bright, playful, and full of quiet wanting. The tip of her tongue darts out to wet her lower lip.

I go to answer when Juno asks what time we are getting there to watch them, and Mason tells her to let Lileah know the timetable, and I look at my phone again, and shake my head.

My system is working on the videos, and it’s finally got something, and I need to find out what it is.

I quickly get up and look at Mason. “I need to go.” He nods, knowing where I’m going. This might finally give me something, like who's behind this. Right now, I’ll take a fucking location.

Did I want to stop talking to Sadie? No, but like Cain always says, the family business always comes first, and nothing gets in front of it.