Page 98 of Wounded Soul
Had Raph been humouring him?
Jesse thought back over their conversation. Raph had said Peter was an excellent liar, but maybe Raph was too. Maybe he’d believed every word Peter had told him and thought—
Stop.
Just stop.
All this silence was messing with his head.
That and the first edges of hunger creeping in, but no way was he asking these two to get him some blood. They’d probably shoot him on the spot for daring to ask.
The minutes dragged by until finally he heard the crackle of Blake’s earpiece.
The other officer—Watts, according to the tag on his uniform—couldn’t hear what was being said, but Jesse could, and he curled his hands into fists.
Fucking finally.
Turning to Watts, Blake pointed to the door. “I have to make a quick phone call. Harper’s orders.”
Watts nodded. “Lock the door.”
Jesse raised his hands and gave them a shake. As if he was in any position to make a run for it.
Blake did as requested and locked the door behind him as he left.
Try as he might to overhear anything, the room was far too heavily soundproofed. A fact he’d been grateful for earlier, but now cursed under his breath.
“She didn’t answer, did she?” Jesse blurted out as soon as Blake re-entered the room.
Jesse’s outburst seemed to take him by surprise, as though he’d forgotten Jesse could talk. “No,” Blake frowned. “But it’s late. She’s probably asleep by now.”
Jesse studied his face. When he found the faint traces of doubt in his eyes, he pushed a little harder. “It’s possible. But what if she can’t answer?” He had Blake’s attention now. “What if Peter’s holding her hostage somewhere so that Ian would back up his story.”
He knew he’d pushed too hard when Blake’s lip curled up into a sneer. “Like you forced him to back up yours? Maybe you’ve got her stashed somewhere?” He took a step towards Jesse, gun raised.
“I left Cate at the bar, you can check with her co-workers, and I didn’t force Ian to do anything.”
“No? I’ve known Ian for sixteen years, there’s no way he’d have asked you to kill him so that he could become a monster like you.”
Jesse seized on the first bit of that sentence. “That’s right. You’ve known Ian a long time. You spoke to him tonight, when I was with Cate. Did it seem like he was lying? That he was being coerced? That she was?”
Blake glared at him for a long time, as though he could extract the truth from him that way. “No.” The word seemed torn begrudgingly from his mouth. “But why has he suddenly changed his story and blamed you for everything now that he’s safely away from the coven?”
“What about tonight then?” Jesse asked softly, refusing to react. “Now you’ve seen him in person. Does he seem like he’s telling the truth?”
Blake looked down at his feet, but not before Jesse caught the flash of guilt in his eyes. “I haven’t seen him tonight.”
Ahh.
“He’s still Ian,” Jesse tried.
Blake’s head snapped up, eyes blazing. “He died, for God’s sake! You killed him and you brought him back by feeding him your fucking blood, turning him into a...” He shook his head, mouth clamping shut.
“A vampire.” Jesse whispered. “His body doesn’t work the way it used to, but his soul is the same.” Jesse had always believed that. As wounded as his had been when he’d been changed, he was still the same inside and so was Ian. “He’s the same Ian who’s been your best friend for the last fifteen years, who’d protect Cate with his life, and I think that’s exactly what’s happening now.”
Blake looked torn.
Watts had been quiet this whole time, but when Blake turned to him, he gave a slight shake of his head. “You can’t trust him, Jones. Vampires lie. All of them.”
