Chapter Twenty-Five-Lucky night.

Chapter Twenty-Five-Lucky night.
BLAZE’S POINT OF VIEW
I’m on my way home, but I didn’t find anything. Nobody called me, which means nobody found anything either.
I pray to God he’s alive because I don’t know what I’ll do without him, or what we’ll do without him.
I arrive home and park the car in the garage, look after David’s and Fabian’s cars, but they’re not here.
God, I hope they come with good news.
I go into the kitchen, but no one is there, so I go into the entertainment room and see Camilla holding my mom’s head in her lap, gently brushing her hair.
“Do you know anything new?” I ask Camilla.
“Shh, she’s finally asleep,” she whispers, taking my mom’s head in her hands and gently placing it on a pillow, then we head into the kitchen.
“I don’t know anything new. I hoped you would...” She trails off, looking just as disappointed as she sounds.
“No. I don’t.” I barely get the words out when she sighs heavily.
“Oh, God, do you think...” She doesn’t finish the sentence, but we both know what she means.
“Hey, let’s look on the bright side. We don’t have bad news either.” I really don’t know who I am trying to convince. Me or her. Or maybe both.
“Yes… I’ll try.” Her red eyes fill with tears, and I change the subject. I’m on the brink of crying myself, and I’m not so good at soothing someone.
“Where are the others?” I ask, and she takes a deep breath to steady her emotions.
“Your dad is in his office. He’s been there since you left, and Liam and Fabian are still gone.
“I’ll check on dad. Maybe he has something.” Even though he said we would call if we found anything, my mind knows he didn’t, but my heart still hopes. I enter his office and can tell he has cried.
Damn it, this is not good news!
"Dad, do you have something?” I ask, still hoping my assumption is wrong, but the redness in the whites of his eyes reveals he cried, crushing my hopes.
“No, I don’t. And I don’t know who to call anymore. I guess you have nothing either.” I take a deep breath and try to sell him the same lie I told Camilla a few minutes ago.
“At least we don’t have bad news.”
“No news is bad news, and you know it.” His voice is hoarse, and you can hear the despair behind it.
We both know that in our line of business, missing means dead in ninety-nine of the cases.
So, no lie sold.
“Hey, Camilla told me I’d find you here. No trace.” Fabian’s voice breaks the deadly silence that has filled the office until now.
Our only hope is Liam, so I take a bottle of scotch and pour each a glass while waiting for some news from him.
ARTEMIS’S POINT OF VIEW
When I fed him and my fingers touched his lips, I felt a jolt of electricity run from the tip of my fingers through my whole body.
I'm making a big mistake; I spend too much time with him. The worst part is that I know it, but I keep doing it. It’s like I can’t help myself. I can’t even insult him properly, let alone hurt him.
I AM DOOMED!
“So, why were you so nervous? In the garden. I mean, even if I came from the front, I don’t think you would’ve seen me.”
“To be honest, I was supposed to go find someone tonight.” He sighs heavily, disappointed that he didn’t get to go.
“Business?” I ask curiously, and he shakes his head.
“Pleasure.” Well, that doesn’t sound good.
Stupid things in my stomach. GO AWAY!
But from another perspective, if he’s in love with someone, it would be easier for me to kill him. God, I am such a hypocrite.
“Girl? Boy?”
“Girl, of course.”
“Homophobic?”
“No, I don’t have anything against them. As long as they don’t try kinky stuff.” I can’t help but laugh, and he chuckles.
“I like your laughter.” I like it too. I haven't heard it in a long, long time. At least not my genuine laughter.
But I don't say that.
“Watch out, if you’re paying me that many compliments and your girl finds out, maybe I won’t be the one to kill you. And that would be a minus in my career.” He starts laughing, and a smile forms on my face.
He also has a beautiful laugh. Sexy too. Hot.
“Nice one.”
“Are you in a relationship with her?” For whatever fucked-up reason, my heart clenched at the thought of him being with someone else. Someone- not else, because he’s not mine.
“I wish. But if I get out of here alive, I will be even if I have to kidnap her and lock her up. Now I know how to do it too. You see, I learned from the best. I can’t move an inch,” he replies with a smile on his face, but this is good. He really seems to like her.
He’s walking on the path to Heaven.
"Another compliment. You're getting closer to death. Anyway, don’t stress yourself; you won’t get the chance."
"Has anyone ever told you that you're a very strange woman?"
“Well, I don’t have many friends, and the ones I do have are used to me. For them, I’m just--” I stop myself because I almost told him my name, and that’s a no-no.
That would be too personal, and we’re personal enough.
“You are…?” He trails off, waiting for me to continue.
“It doesn’t matter.”
“You almost told me your name, didn’t you?” He asks with a smirk, and I roll my eyes, even though he can’t see me.
“Almost,” I answer dryly, and he sighs.
“Why don’t you take my blindfold off? I mean, you’re gonna kill me anyway. At least I get to see your face.” What would he say if he saw me?
I am tempted, but not sooooo tempted.
“Nope, it’s better this way.”
“Why?” Because I would probably lose myself in your eyes, and I still hope I can pull myself together and kill you.
But I can’t say that now, can I?
“Chill out, cowboy. I’m the priest, not you.” He starts laughing again, and I find myself smiling again.
“Okay. But can I ask you a favor?”
“If you’re hungry again, I’m not gonna cook.”
“No, I wouldn’t torture you this way. But, I was wondering, before you kill me, could you please write a letter to my family?” He’s about to die, at least I hope so, and he's thinking about his family.
Can he be more perfect than that?
“I was planning to send them a note anyway, so I guess I could do that.” It wouldn’t be that bad. Everyone has the right to a last wish. Okay, not everyone, but... I can make one tiny exception.
“Thank you.” And polite.
“You’re welcome.”
“Fuck!”
“What?”
“I can’t believe I’m thanking you for sending a last message to my family before you kill me. This is fucked up.” The shock in his voice is somehow sweet, but also bitter.
“Tell me about it.”
“What’s the message you need to send them?” he asks, and I hesitate to answer at first, but then again, maybe he says something that will make me angry and help me do my job.
“The coordinates where they can find your body.”
“Ouch.. that hurts.” He grimaces as if it really hurts.
“No, it won’t. I’ll make it quick. Pinky promise.” And he laughs again.
“You are impossible. Why are you so nice to me? Shouldn’t you be torturing me?” he asks, genuinely curious, but I can’t answer.
“You’re tempting me again.” He chuckles and shakes his head in amusement.
“Okay, let’s continue," he says, and I proceed with my questions.
“So, who’s the girl?” Why am I asking that? It’s not like I want to hear it… But I do, and I don’t.
I’m crazy.
“Honestly, I don’t know her name. I don’t know anything about her. But why are you so interested in her?” And again, I can’t answer.
“Just because. Maybe I know her and might send her a message too. Your choice.” That’s bullshit, but I didn’t lie. I did say ’maybe.’
“Impossible. I already hired three private investigators to find her and they didn’t even have her name.” The disappointment in his voice makes my stomach churn, and my heart feels like it’s being squeezed again, but I take a deep breath and remind myself that he’s not mine.
"You're underestimating me again. Tsk tsk tsk, not so bright after all."
“Okay, sorry. Don’t shoot me.” He laughs, and I do too.
“I kind of like this game of words. It fits somehow. Oh God, I am a twisted man!”
“That makes two of us.” I’m also twisted.
"So, I saw her twice. First, at a club called Appoli, maybe you've heard of it.” Yes, I heard about it. I own it.
"And the second time she was on a bike, I only saw her for a couple of seconds. But one thing is certain: she is evil!" Oh my God!
He’s talking about me! I hope he doesn’t hear my heart pounding, because it’s beating pretty loud.
“How does she look?" I force myself to speak normally and keep my voice steady.
“She’s perfect!” he exclaims with a big smile on his face.
“A description. There are a lot of perfect women out there.”
“No, they aren’t.”
“So, you’re saying that I’m not perfect. Hmm, I don’t think I like you anymore,” I joke, and his smile turns into a smirk.
“So, you like me.” Holy shit!
“No, I do not.” Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!
“You just said it.”
“For fuck’s sake, it was a joke. Where is your sense of humor?” I try to recover, but the smirk doesn’t go away.
“Mm… as for the other thing, I could tell you if you took my blindfold off.” Nice try.
“Nope. I don’t need anybody to tell me that I’m perfect. I know I am.” Okay, he just told me I’m perfect, even though I’m far from perfect.
“Modest much?” I can’t help but laugh, and he chuckles.
“I didn’t say for whom I’m perfect.”
“So, you have someone?” He changes the subject.
“Why?”
“Just curious.”
“Curious people die fast.” He laughs deeply from his chest, a rich, husky, but also warm laughter, and I admire him.
I really like his laughter; I could listen to it all day long. And the fact that I make him laugh makes me feel all warm inside.
I’m fucked.