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  Like not get caught.

  So, I opened my mouth, ready to hear that tune of evil when a bark snapped right beside me. Before I could even ward off my hands as a warning, I noticed the playful silver gaze honing on me from the shadow.

  "Mikhail."

  "You are a hard woman to find." He boasted as if he was actually hurt. "I'm mortified that you'd try to run from me."

  Seeing another person, the girl should have asked for help but she was a strange one. Instead, she kicked me in the stomach and ran like her life depended on it. Oh no. I couldn’t hide the disappointment from my face.

  “Look what you’ve done. You made my dinner run away.”

  His eyes followed the girl and he breathed out heavily. “Let her go, I-I’ll fix her.”

  “Then?” His eyebrows raised in question so I elaborated. “Then you’ll find me another dinner? I’m hungry.”

  “Yes.” He deadpanned, making me squeal. “God, no! Lana, look at you.”

  I could feel the blood smeared on my skin.

  I was conditioned to just take, take and take.

  Whoever got in my way was their problem, not mine.

  Looking back at him and the bodies left behind, I let out a sigh. Staying at Mikhail's place wasn't safe. It was bound to happen one day. I had to leave even if he begged me to listen to him for once, to not leave. But I needed to find a shelter of my own. Especially, when I was supposed to be dead to the humans.

  It was a good thing that he was a good few feet away cause I was thinking of another murder in my hand. "Stop calling me, Lana, for God's sake. I told you, it's 5132, a number to fear and remember."

  "That stupid number you got from that horrible place?" His nose scrunched in disgust. "I'll pass. Now, tell me why you’re here, not picking up any call I leave for you. You're basically hiding from me."

  "I had to leave. You know how humans are, I was getting sloppy and..." I trailed off, trying not to think about the real reason. I was getting dependent on him. "We had a deal. We helped each other out and that's it. I want nothing else to do with you."

  No sooner than the words came out my mouth, he took an alarming step, the playful gaze turning into a murderous one. "Oh, you made that pretty clear when you left me on a motel after we fucked each other's brains out. Trust me, I know how to take a hint."

  “Apparently not if you are still following me around like a creep.”

  Before I could utter something else, he was there to grab my chin, forcing me to meet his gaze. "Stop it. You know the urge to take souls dims down when I am with you, my psycho beloved. I saw it, I'm sure of it. Like hell I’ll let you forget that."

  I knew it too, deep down. But I could never openly admit it like he could. So, I kept silent, stubbornly letting him stare. But apparently, he had a lot to say for both of us. "I know a place you can hide. I will shield the entire property, all you have to do is trust me."

  I couldn't hide the chuckle. "Trust? I can't even trust my own self around you. You think I can trust you?"

  "We will just have to see then, won't we?" His lips twitched in which could have been a real smile in months. "I have just started to figure you out, Lana. Don't give up on me now."

  Funny, everyone I knew already gave up on me.

  I was running again.

  Despite promising Mikhail. Despite all the things he could have done for me. But that was the catch, wasn't it? Once upon a time, Zach used to do the same thing. Coddle me when I was down, at times gave me a small lie I could get past or maybe most telling of all...

  At the end of the day, he wanted me dead.

  Where Mikhail just wanted to figure me out like a lab rat, Zach had known everything about myself, including my bloodline. He was the one who forced me to trigger the Reaper gene. How could I go back from that? And the worse part, I never knew if what we had was a lie either. The more I tried not to remember those moments, the more my mind took me to the past.

  "Want some?″

  "Only if you pay." I teased, poking my tongue out. Zach gave me a wink, killing the headlights of his bike. Removing my own helmet, I smoothed down the wild hair running down my shoulder.

  "Whatever you say, sweetcheeks." Giving me a brief kiss, he turned to enter the ice cream shop.

  Damn him. I didn't deserve him. No matter how many times I pretended otherwise, that was the truth. Any other guys would have left knowing what I did by now but him...

  "You should thank me that I was able to charm her up, Lana. Here, your rocky road." Zach suddenly appeared, bringing me back from the endless memories I was trying to run from.

  Rolling my eyes, I couldn't stop the chuckle. "She was an old lady, Zach."

  "But I was able to make you laugh." He said so quietly that I almost didn't hear it. No one in their right mind would take their girlfriend out at four in the morning for ice cream just because she had a terrible nightmare. But Zach was crazy like that. And that's why I loved him the most.

  "Zach? If you ever stop loving me...″ My voice cracked, unable to continue. I was tired of losing the people I loved. Dad didn't want me, mom was always busy and Samara...she was already gone. I didn't want to add another, obviously not Zach.

  "I won't," Zach promised, wrapping his arms around me tightly as if I would disappear if he didn't. "Never say that, never."

  If only I knew what was waiting for us back then. How foolish I was, clutching into a fairytale rather than seeing the things for what they were. But it wasn't too late. I still had something to look forward to. Mikhail could help me find my birth mother, but it was time to figure myself out without anyone's help.

  Cause when I finally met Keisha Deshayes?

  I was going to drive a knife through her heart.

  ***

  “Mr. Delion called.”

  I was listening to him but didn’t look up from arranging my board. “Did he now? So should I call the precinct and tell them we no longer have a missing person to report?”

  “Yes.” I could see him dropping on the couch from my peripheral view. “Said it was some kind of emergency so he left. He apologized too, for leaving without telling anyone.”

  “Good, good.”

  “You’re in a good mood.” He observed. “What are you doing?”

  “Making some notes I missed earlier.”

  "I’m surprised you refrained yourself from punching Valentine in his smug face." Aaron's back was hunched as he asked the question. There's no mistake that he had seen the interaction between Valentine and me.

  “I wanted nothing more.” I admitted, laughing. “But I’m not rich enough to afford it if that motherfucker decides to sue me.”

  There was a smirk on his face. “We can always go to Uncle Jimmy for money. He doesn’t know where to shower it enough. Now, what’s the plan?”

  "There's no plan, Aaron. We just have to retaliate as things come our way.”

  “What about your patient?”

  I masked my expression before shrugging. “Unfortunately dead.”

  “What?” He was truly shocked. Unlike me, he had a telling face that was easier to read. “When did you know? Shit, what’s happening? Why did I ever not know anything when it comes to this case?”

  My lips twitched at how easy it was to annoy him. “I can say the same thing about your nurse who doesn’t even exist.”

  He was silent. Too long for me to notice. “What?”

  “What if your patient and the nurse are the same people? Maybe they faked their death to disappear. It happens, right?”

  Fuck, maybe he was onto something.

  "I told you not to come here."

  By the time I knew how to stop myself, I was already facing mom and a hidden figure near her. Thankfully my footsteps were lighter enough for her to not hear me. That was good. I didn't want to see her any more than she did. Tiptoeing back, I dropped down, making sure mom didn't see me if by any chance her gaze wandered over here.

  "You think I enjoy this?" A man's voice carried away.
Struggling to bury my curiosity, I peeked over but the man was still hidden. Dammit. Who was she talking to? Mikhail? No, he wouldn't be that stupid.

  "I don't know what to think. She's gone, how did we let her escape through our fingers?" By her, somehow I just knew she meant me.

  "You should have been more careful. You did this." The man concluded, making mom gasp. "I told you over and over to take care of it but you failed. You fucking failed!"

  "Please, please, I beg of you, keep your voice down. If any one of them were to hear-"

  "Why should I care? You had the best prize and you lost it." Their voice raised with more accusations and for the first time, I didn't know who I just came home to. I only meant to search for any documents on my birth mother and leave but here I was.

  Witnessing a bloody site as mom threw a plate at the man, screaming profanities. I expected the man to retaliate just as badly but I didn't expect them to fall over the couch and start to make out in the middle of it.

  I bet this was what she did now. Inviting shady people and sharing grief in her own way. I wish I could feel bad about that but lately, I hardly felt anything. That stench of death was the only thing that made me feel somewhat alive.

  Smothering a laugh of my own, I decided to raid her room. Her office was where every important document was but something told me she wouldn't hide such a thing in her office. Mom wasn't the type to make hasty decisions. She calculated and invested carefully, only going after the win. I was her only failure in her whole carrier.

  It's only fitting that I was also her best prize.

  Shaking my head, I opened the door of her room, looking for anything that could hide an important piece of paper. To my annoyance, I realized she bartered the cabinet for a desk. Did she work from home now?

  Only one way to find out.

  Looking into the closet, under the bed, opening and closing a few drawers, I almost gave up when suddenly I slumped down on the floor, already feeling that tingling down my toes. Looking down, I saw the veins popping, indicating what I wanted to deny.

  Damn him.

  Mikhail had me locked up in a shady place, sitting beside me to prove the point that I needed him if I wanted the hunger gone. But I didn't want it gone, not like this. It was a part of me he had to accept if he really wanted anything to do with me. He'd probably wrinkle his nose if he could hear me right now. Just as another tingle went through my bones, I winced in discomfort.

  Guess it was time to have a real dinner...

  ***

  “Tim, hi.”

  “Hi.” He looked at me through his glasses with a cough. “What made you come here?”

  “Oh, me? I just had some questions.”

  And probably things to find.

  “Sure. What is it?”

  I took a deep breath. There we go. “You have swapped the blood samples from the sanatorium, right?”

  He nodded, frowning. “Yeah…what about it?’

  “The John Doe that was found recently, did you worked on him too?”

  For a second, his eyes widened but he quickly hid it. “Yeah, I did.”

  “Ok, I need a report on them, probably now.” I watched him swallow and then laugh. It was almost funny how easy it was to read them all. They made things boring, I liked a challenge.

  “Um, Detective. It’s lunchtime. How about I give them to you after lunch?”

  I shrugged, making my way to a chair near him. I had all day to play. “I’m fine here. Let’s have lunch together. Been a long time didn’t hear anything about your life. How’re the children?”

  His laugh was self-depicting but his voice was anything but. “Great. They are good boys, just like their papa.”

  Well, I hope not. Their papa was cheating and thinking of marrying that same girl in next month. I didn’t let him know. “Good, good. They grow up so quickly. How’s Mina? You still have contact with her? Never heard about her again after the last case.”

  The sub he was getting ready to chew flew out of his mouth and landed on my suit. Closing my eyes, I counted to ten and smiled. “Don’t worry about it.”

  Coughing, his hysterical eyes met mine. “I-I don’t know about her-why don’t you clean up while I finish lunch. You don’t seem interested in eating?”

  “Oh, I’m interested in eating. Just not food but information.”

  His coughing continued. “Right, right. What do you want to know?”

  “The reports, Tim.” I chided as gently as I could. If he accidentally choked on a sub and died, I would really feel bad. I just wanted to scare him, not drive him to his death. “I need both reports and what Valentine gave you.”

  “Mr. Valentine didn’t give me anything-”

  I pretended to be surprised. “Really? He had someone match the DNAs. Unless someone else was involved…”

  “Are you accusing me of something, Detective?” He gulped down the water, some of it dropping on his shirt. He didn’t even look down. “I’ll have you know, Mr. Valentine is a very respectful man who-”

  “Gives out favors, hide cheatings, or sides pieces, isn’t it?” I could literally see Tim’s life flash over his eyes. He could be doing something else, even being crooked was far better than just being a cheating asshole.

  “How do you know?”

  I shrugged, rubbing my suit piece of any dirt he left. “I’m the Chief’s favorite. Words fly, you’re not as sly as you think. Now, the reports.”

  “Look, I didn’t change anything, ok? I was just told to find the identity of the body. I did and Mr. Valentine called to ask who it was. I said they matched the blood reports from his place.”

  Shit. “Show them to me.”

  He stood up slowly, too slow as if it could stop me from getting my hands on the reports. After pulling out the papers, he looked back to see if I was still there and sighed. “Here you go.”

  I watched the whole thing without blinking, thinking back to every step to see if I missed anything. The body belonged to the one who threatened about evils in the first place. But there was no hope for that patient yet…

  “Tim, now do a favor for me.” I dropped the DNA and blood samples I got from the precinct. “See if this matches with anyone.”

  I was waiting in the adoption center.

  The waiting room looked like something straight out of a shady business place. The walls were white with strain all around them, the room was stuffy and not to mention I didn't need to hide my face because it seemed like no one even looked up from their work to see who was sitting there. Though the blonde woman at the reception gave me a look of disgust until I stared at her, not willing to break it. She was incredibly lucky that my stomach was already full of souls of our neighbors.

  On second thought, she'd make a terrible dinner.

  "What year did you say it was?" The woman beside me asked, startling me.

  "1997, Roth and David Gill." I read aloud, fixing my gaze at the paper I found in mom's car. That woman was keeping it in her car, driving it around for God knew how many years. If that wasn't paranoia, I didn't know what it was.

  "Yes, a Gill family adopted a child that time. I can give you her address-"

  You got to be kidding me.

  "The child just didn't drop from the sky, of course, I already know a Gill family adopted that child. What I asked is where that child came from. All I know is that a woman dropped her off. Perhaps someone named Keisha Dehsayes?"

  "It was a closed adoption, I don't know anything else." Fuck.

  With a mixture of irritation and shock, I called 5133. "Your witchy magic didn't work. She doesn't even know anything about a Deshayes. You sure I'm not just running a fool's errand?"

  From the corner of my eyes, I noticed the woman started to stammer. "W-Witch-"

  "Yes, a witch is on my payroll, that's yesterday's news. Keep up."

  "A-Are you a witch?" She asked, trying to stagger back. Ouch. Talk about rubbing salt in wounds.

  "Do I even look like a witch?" I blinked seve
ral times, smacking my forehead. "Why does everyone keeps reminding me of that?"

  5133 spoke up from the other side, all chirpy. "It worked just perfectly fine. You sure you didn't scare her off?"

  Me?

  "I didn't scare her off. Did I scare you off?" I asked, impatiently waiting for the woman to answer. She gulped, shaking her head.

  "N-No."

  "See?" Humming, I smiled. "Now, how do I know where my egg donor is?"

  "Fine. Give the phone to whoever that's near you."

  Fine by me. Letting the woman handle the call, I looked at blonde again to see she had her eyes on us again, this time not even hiding her curiosity. Just to have some fun, I smiled, showing her my completely black eyes only to hear a loud yelp.

  That's what you get for not minding your own business.

  "S-She wants to talk to you." The woman spoke, almost throwing the phone on the floor. Glaring at her, I picked it up again.

  "Yes?"

  Wherever 5133 was, it definitely wasn't human-friendly. Even I had to listen carefully to understand what she was talking about. "She was from the Red clan. If you want answers, start with that place."

  That's it?

  "Even I knew that." I released a deep breath, not wanting to trigger any more murderous thoughts. "You made me run in two places only to tell me what I already knew?"

  I heard what could have been a laughter. That bitch. "If I didn't, you wouldn't have believed me. Now that you have the paper as proof that you are adopted and your mom knew, get your ass over here. We're flying out tonight."

  Groaning, I felt the headache coming. "I hate flying."

  "Good thing you're not an angel then."

  Bitch.

  ***

  “Motives, start.”

  “Torture, identity thief, pills, hallucination?” Aaron started counting one by one with a frown. “Still one thing doesn’t make sense. This 5132, according to you, she’s dead. But I think she has just replaced her identity with the nurse. Maybe she had the patients take something that made them hallucinate her as the nurse. You said Byron used to come to her room and she couldn’t remember what happened. Maybe she did remember one day and took things in her hands.”