The Illusion (Book Two in The Illusion of Certainty Series)

Bleeding Heart

I didn’t pack up his senior painting. Instead I took it home and hung it on the wall across from my bed. Neither of my parents were happy about it. But I did it anyways. Aidan’s art teacher assured me the crate would be delivered to my mother’s painting storage as soon as possible.

I sat on my bed, Indian style that night, in my pjs, my phone in my hands. I kept flipping it open and then closed. I would press Aidan’s speed dial number but hit cancel instead of send. I was on the tenth time trying when someone knocked on my door. I snapped the phone closed and told the person to come in.

Three people walked into my room: Luke, my father, and Michael.

“What’s up?” I said in a nonchalant tone.

“We need to talk to you,” Luke said.

“About?”

My father crossed the room while Michael closed the door. He sat down on the edge of the bed in front of me.

“Honey…”

“What?” I said, my face dropping. “What’s happened now?”

My father reached out and took my hands, placing my phone on the bed next to me.

“Aidan’s parents called earlier. They’ve had some news.”

“O…k…”

My father looked up at Luke. Luke sat down next to me, taking one of my hands from my father. I probably looked like a strung up chicken but I didn’t care.

“The account they regularly put money into for Aidan was…emptied.”

“Emptied?” I said.

My father nodded. “There was a large sum in his account, over seven figures actually.”

“Your point?”

“They called the bank after they got a call from us to see if there was any activity. There was a debt from a florist and then the account was emptied. His parents aren’t planning on closing the account. They are actually planning on just doing the same monthly deposits. They’re not planning on shunning their son.”

I raised an eyebrow. “And the three of you had to come in here and tell me this?”

“No,” Luke said, his tone neutral. “We came to tell you something else.”

“I got a call,” Michael said. “From one of my contacts in Europe. I had the word out in case anyone spotted Jason. And it finally paid off. I got a tip. But he wasn’t alone. He had a boy with him, matching Aidan’s description.”

I looked from face to face. “What does that mean?”

My father squeezed my hand. “That’s not all.”

“The contact informed me that there was only one thing that didn’t match the description of the boy I sent information out about. The information I sent said to look for a Hawk boy with blonde hair and brown eyes around five eleven.”

“That’s his description…”

“The boy Jason had with him wasn’t a Hawk but a newly turned Vampire.”

I could feel the blood drain from my face. “What?”

“Jason turned him,” Michael said.

I shook my head. “No. No, no, Aidan wouldn’t do that. They’re wrong. Whoever your informant is…they’re wrong.”

My father dug in the pocket of his pants and pulled out a small envelope, a florist envelope.

“Two dozen white carnations were delivered earlier today,” my father said. “This card was tucked in with them.”