All Chapters of The Darkest Obsession : Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

The truth of his words hit me like a physical blow, and with it came a wave of self-disgust so intense it made my stomach turn. How had I become so comfortable here, so settled in this apartment that belonged to the very man I was supposed to be investigating? I'd been walking around these halls like I owned the place, sleeping in his bed like it was my own, eating at his table and reading books on his balcony as if this was some kind of vacation instead of captivity.I knew I made rash decisions, jumped straight into the unknown without thinking twice, lost my temper at the littlest thing but never have I felt so foolish. I hadn't even bothered to ask. I strangely felt so safe here, it didn't strike me to worry. I swallowed hard and turned to meet his gaze. Those blue cobalt eyes of his that drew me in, whenever we made contact. I was beyond frustrated, I was annoyed and I didn't know what to make of this. I yanked at the loose strand of hair in my face to the back, and looked at Cas

Somehow, I'd managed to make it out. The car ride felt like it stretched for hours even though I knew it couldn't have been more than twenty minutes. Elias drove in complete silence, his hands gripping the steering wheel with a tension that made his knuckles white. I found myself staring out the passenger window at the city passing by in a blur of lights and shadows. The fact that he knew exactly where to go without asking for my address should have alarmed me more than it did, should have made me realize just how deeply Cassien had been keeping tabs on me, but I was too emotionally drained to feel anything more than a dull acceptance.I would have preferred Elias's usual crude remarks or his irrational scoffing to this unnerving quiet that filled the car like thick fog. The silence gave my mind too much room to wander, too much space to drift back to thoughts I was desperately trying to avoid, and no matter how hard I tried to focus on the streets outside or the low hum of the engin

"Captain, Jude isn't part of this," Kyle protested as he shut the door of Hawke's office closed, "As far as we know, Harris is nowhere to be found. He's part of the main suspect we have looming in."Captain Hawke's office felt smaller than usual, the walls seeming to press in on us as I sat across from his desk with Kyle beside me in the uncomfortable metal chairs that were probably designed to make suspects feel on edge. The fluorescent light overhead buzzed with an irritating hum that seemed to match the tension radiating from Kyle's rigid posture, his jaw clenched tight with barely contained anger."Why isn't this being done in the interrogation room?" Kyle demanded, his voice sharp with the kind of authority he rarely used, "If you're questioning Detective Laurent, there's a protocol that needs to be followed."I knew exactly why we weren't in the interrogation room, could see it in the way Captain Hawke's eyes flicked between Kyle and me with calculated precision. He probably wan

Kyle's couch was more comfortable than my own bed, but that didn't stop the restlessness from eating at me from the inside out. We'd fought for nearly twenty minutes about me taking his bed, Kyle insisting that he couldn't let a guest sleep on the couch while he took the comfortable bedroom, but I'd been stubborn as always. After many arguments that went in circles, I'd finally plumped myself down on the soft cushions and pulled the blanket up to my chin, refusing to accept his offer no matter how many times he tried to convince me otherwise.Now I was lying on my side, staring at the wall in the dim light that filtered through Kyle's living room windows, thinking about him the way I always seemed to do when the world got quiet enough for my thoughts to wander. I swallowed a sudden hiccup that came from nowhere and turned to the other side of the couch, drawing the cover all the way up to beneath my jaw like I could hide from my own mind if I burrowed deep enough into the soft fabric.

Thoughts raced through my head as I watched Cassien walk toward our table like a hunter stalking prey. The cafe around us suddenly felt too small, too warm, the scent of fresh coffee and pastries mixing with the familiar cologne that always announced his presence. He was coming over here and there was no stopping it. Should I get up and push him away or let them meet? My hands started shaking under the table because this was bad, so bad.I fidgeted with my fork, twirling it between my fingers as nervous energy coursed through my body like electricity. The metal felt cool against my sweaty palms, and I gripped it tighter as if it could somehow anchor me to reality, to this safe little corner of normalcy that was about to be shattered.Why was I terrified of him coming closer? Of course, Kyle. Because he was the Maestro, the man Kyle had been cursing about on the phone this morning. The criminal who gave every cop in the city nightmares. And now he was here, in our cozy little cafe with