Piper bit her lip. “There’ll be more victims out there.”
“Yeah,” said Levi, his jaw hardening. “When I looked into Moira’s death, I discovered there were three similar cases. I tried hunting him but had too little to go on. For years I kept a metaphorical eye out for repeats of such crimes but there were none. I thought he was likely dead, since killers generally don’t simply stop.” A muscle in his cheek flexed. “I was wrong.”
Piper narrowed her eyes. “You’d better not be feeling responsible for any subsequent crimes he committed or I will punch you in the dick.”
One corner of his mouth twitched ever so slightly. “Yeah?”
“Yeah. I would have reached the same conclusion as you. I’ll bet Knox and the other sentinels did too. The only person at fault for any of the lives this killer took is him.”
“I know. I just wish I’d continued to watch for signs he was still out there.”
“In my opinion, it’s unlikely he stopped killing for a long period of time. He probably just got better at hiding his kills. Probably also made a point of targeting women who wouldn’t be missed. And since his pattern of leaving children outside foster homes and orphanages doesn’t seem to have earned much notice, it might be that he moved around a lot.”
“Probably.” Levi sighed and cricked his neck. “My life is good. Despite everything, I don’t wish it played out differently. But it wasn’t his right to put me in a situation where it happened this way.”
Piper nodded. “And you’ll drive that point home when you get your hands on the bastard, which you will.”
“Yeah. Yeah, I will.”
Once she’d finished her sandwich, she thanked him for it and went to wash her plate. He took it from her, insisting he’d take care of it and that she needed to go rest. He even offered to run her a bath.
Dammit, could he not be an asshole to make it easier for her to erect a barrier between them? Apparently not.
She’d slam up that barrier somehow. She would. She just wasn’t yet sure how.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Levi was starting to notice a pattern here. Whenever the studio was closed for the day, leaving Piper free time to spend with him, one of the other girls would propose a group outing that always included Piper—just as Harper had today. During the evenings, Devon would often turn up at Levi’s apartment to ‘chat’ with Piper, saying she simply needed a break from Tanner’s overbearing ways. After the hellcat left, Piper often retreated to her bedroom.
In other words, Levi spent very little time alone with his anchor these days. And it was starting to feel as if that was by design.
And now, despite that he was never far from her side at the Underground’s small amusement park, she rarely addressed him. Rarely met his eyes. Though she did cast him a smile if their gazes clashed, and she did speak to him if he tried striking up a conversation. She wasn’t ignoring his presence or snubbing him. She simply seemed to prefer talking with the others.
Yeah, that stung.
Was it surprising, though? No. Despite his attempts to improve the situation, she no longer had the same ease with Levi that she had with their group.
It wasn’t merely due to the good ole discomfiting vibe. It was also courtesy of the electric sexual tension that now buzzed in the air around them—a consequence, no doubt, of their continued efforts to fight what flared between them. Instead of easing away, their hunger had only intensified until it was a palpable force that taunted them both.
Still, he gave her no distance. On the contrary, he hovered so close she had to feel his body heat—hence the tension in her neck and shoulders.
She hadn’t asked him to stay out of her personal space, though. Probably because she knew he wouldn’t. He didn’t like her being out in the open. Especially in such a public, busy place.
He’d brought along two Force members, Vin and Mason, to play bodyguard, since Enzo and Dez were off duty. But Levi couldn’t relax even a little. She was too exposed here.
It wasn’t so much a theme park as a section of kids’ rides, such as carousels, see-sawing pirate ships, bumper cars, and a small Ferris wheel. Music, screaming, laughing, and the whirr of machinery filled the air. The scents of hot dogs, fries, popcorn, and donuts made his stomach grumble.
Both Asher and Khloë’s little sister, Heidi, were loving the park. The two children were currently climbing into an overly large teacup with Khloë and Keenan.
Harper snapped photos of them. “I’ll have to send some pictures to Raini and Devon.”
“It’s a shame they couldn’t come,” said Piper, cuddling the stuffed animal Heidi had asked her to hold.
“I know, right?” Harper’s mouth curved as Asher giggled at Keenan. “That boy’s laugh melts my heart.”