“Yes. Damon is very cautious. I won’t be able to sneak into his mansion as easily. And if I get in, I doubt I’ll be getting out again. At least in one piece.”
“So, you going to Damon’s place to gather info is definitely off the table,” Fox said in a hard voice.
A small smile toyed with Winter’s lips at his implacable tone. It was a nice feeling to have Fox worrying over his safety. He’d gotten plenty from his brothers, but this was different. Protective rather than overprotective.
“Definitely not my first choice.”
“So, what’s your other option?”
“Damon doesn’t trust many people. He’s got two upper-level minions: Christopher and Paavo. Both are former Ministry members with their own clans. I pulled some interesting info from Christopher’s goon, and Damon likely knows that now. I’m going to have to hit someone from Paavo’s clan, which is tricky because Paavo’s smarter. He’s going to keep information to himself. There’s no point in just grabbing anyone from the clan since they aren’t likely to know.” Winter didn’t kill just to kill. There was always a purpose, a bigger goal he was trying to achieve.
“Last night, Edgar mentioned someone belonging to Paavo in town. Luke something?”
Winter pinched the bridge of his nose and rubbed his eyes. There was a low-level ache starting in his head just behind his eyes. It always happened when he thought of Damon and his fucking enforcers. He was so tired of the politics, but keeping track of it all was something he was good at. “Yes. His number one. If Paavo was going to talk to anyone, it would be him. Paavo is based in Boston, but he often allows Luke to keep his own small clan subgroup of about ten vampires here in Connecticut. I’ve allowed them to stay here unmolested, because I can use them to keep getting information on Paavo.”
Fox leaned forward, placing his forearms on Winter’s desk, a wide grin spreading across his lips. “And I’ve got an excellent idea of how I can help gather information on Damon’s plans.”
Icy dread crept along Winter’s flesh and wrapped around his heart, squeezing it tight. Something in him felt like this was going to be a horrible idea.
“I’m just going to go ahead and say no.”
Fox shook his head, his smile never wavering. “You have to at least listen. And I mean really listen to it. I think it’s brilliant.”
Anything that potentially took Fox out of the safety of Winter’s loft was a bad idea. But he would at least listen to Fox’s suggestion.
And then he would say no.
Chapter 19
Fox sat in the passenger seat of Winter’s SUV and rubbed his tired eyes. They’d just suffered through the longest twenty-four hours in existence. Winter wasn’t only opposed to his idea, he violently hated it. When the vampire finished shouting about how he was never letting Fox out of the loft, he stormed off, slamming doors behind him.
Then he came back, and they argued for several hours only to have Winter storm off again.
When the sun started to edge toward the horizon and the metal shutters fell over the windows, Fox crawled into the guest bed feeling frustrated, sad, and lonely. The loneliness didn’t make any sense because he was far more accustomed to going to bed alone than having company.
Sleep had been slow in coming and restless. But at one point, he woke to find Winter wrapped around his body, his warm lips pressed to Fox’s bare shoulder as he slept. When he woke near sunset, Winter was gone again.
Over cereal, Winter was finally ready to make plans.
“I’m sorry,” Winter said softly. Those two words jerked Fox’s head up, and he looked over at the vampire seated with both hands on the steering wheel despite the fact that they were parked in a shadowy parking lot. “Do you understand that this isn’t about trust? Or me not believing you can do this?”
Actually, he didn’t know that. It had been the one thought plaguing him all through the previous night. He wanted to believe that Winter trusted him, but he had his own doubts as to whether he could pull this off. But he wanted to try for the Variks. He wanted to prove that he could help. He wanted to prove to Rafe that he could keep the smile on Winter’s lips.
Winter sighed. “I’m not used to doing things where someone else could get hurt. It’s usually just me out there. It’s…it’s easier that way.”
Fox reached across and placed his hand over Winter’s right wrist. “I understand, but this gives us a shot at getting some solid intel.”
“What if they take you back to Damon before I can get you free? What if they kill you before you can even tell them who you are?” Winter’s soft words sped up accompanied by an edge of panic. “I’ll try to be right beside you, but I can’t get in a car with you. If they lose me—”