Winter’s Wolf (18 page)

Seth laughed. “It’s very nice, and cars have nothing to do with it.”

God, what would it be like to be able to say that? “I guess he doesn’t want to see me?” Why the hell did that hurt?

“Why are you two fighting?”

“We’re not exactly. I’ve just been really hot and cold and I’ve given him mixed signals. I expect he’s fed up.”

“I’d call it confused. But he does want to see you.”

“Really?”
Jesus, not cool, Partridge.
“I mean, I guess you’d better call him to come in.”

Seth reached for his phone while Matt’s heart beat a tattoo.

For five minutes, Matt tried to look busy while Seth checked his messages. Matt stared at the computer screen like the secret to eternal youth was hidden there. Jesus, his hands shook and his pits felt damp under his white shirt.
Dumb, dumb, dumb.

Stupid to think he could feel Winter coming, but he did—like a tingling in his spine and a buzz in his head. Maybe it was just the approaching full moon. Two more days.

A rap.

“Come in.”

Heat filled the room like someone had turned on a space heater, and Matt looked up to find Winter in the now open doorway. “Uh, hello, Thane. Please come in and close the door.”

Winter did, then walked over and sat beside Seth. Seth stood maybe six two, but Winter towered over him. His eerie, shining beauty struck Matt like a hammer.
So soon I forgot.

Matt typed a couple of words on his keyboard officially.
See how important and busy I am.
Then he looked at Winter. Maybe feasted on would be a better description. Those cheekbones, the lips, that fair skin with a blush of rose. “So, been dealing some drugs, have we?”

Seth snorted, and Winter opened his mouth, then closed it. He tried again. “I agreed to do a delivery job for some friends who offered me a hundred bucks.”

“That’s too much money for a legal delivery.”

“Not entirely. They said there was a guy who didn’t like to pay his bills, and they wanted somebody big to deal with him.”

“Did that prove to be true?”

“Yes, but the package definitely contained drugs.”

“You looked?”

“No, it was sealed. But I could smell them.”

“Your famous sense of smell?”

“Yeah.”

“So are you going to show me where you delivered them?”

“Yeah, but that’s not the point. I handled the recalcitrant customer pretty thoroughly, and I imagine that could get me an audience with someone higher up.”

“Why would you want to do that?”

Winter frowned. “You want the fucking drug lords, don’t you?”

“Yes, but what you’re offering to do could prove dangerous.”

“Yeah.”

“Why bother?”

Winter stood, and his huge, beautiful presence overpowered the room. “Are you or aren’t you interested in catching the higher-ups? Make up your mind about
something
you want, Partridge.”

Nobody ever stated the problem more succinctly. “Yes.”

“Yes what?”

“Yes, I want to catch the higher-ups. Yes, I want your help.” His heartbeat throbbed in his throat.

“It’s about fucking time.” Winter sat again. “I know how to get to the next highest guy. I may have to do a couple more jobs for him to prove I’m worthy of seeing whoever’s on top. I’ll try to let you know who the pushers are to keep the drugs off the streets, but don’t make too big a deal out of it or they’ll figure out I’m the one leaking it.”

“We’ll wire you.”

Winter frowned. “Dangerous. Some of these guys are really good at nosing things out. I better not take the chance.” He looked down at his hands. “This could be a lead on your FBI guy who got killed.”

Matt stiffened. “What makes you think that?”

He shrugged. “Makes sense.”

Matt stared at Winter. A million secrets lay behind those beautiful lips. “If you won’t wear a wire, how will I, uh, we protect you?”

“I don’t need any. At least not at the beginning. We’ll see if I get anywhere.”

“You’ll report to me.”

“Yeah, but I better not come here again. Too risky.”

“So how will you get word to me?”

Winter gazed at him steadily. “We could choose a meeting place.” His facial muscles twitched. “You know, like behind that shed in back of the Way Station.”

Laugh or cry?
“All right. Let’s work out details. Who’s the guy next up the chain that you plan to contact?”

Winter glanced at Seth, then shook his head. “I won’t say until I’ve confirmed it. I don’t want to get somebody in trouble with the FBI for nothing.”

“We’re capable of changing our minds, Mr. Thane.”

“Still.”

“You could be in danger.”

“No more than I’m already in. This guy’s going to contact me—or he’s not. You being in the mix doesn’t change that.”

“Okay. So you’ll report in to me when?”

“Day after tomorrow.”

Shit, right on the full moon.
“Okay.”

“At the appointed place.” Winter full-on grinned this time.

Matt nodded.

Seth leaned forward in his chair. “Anything the police can do to help?”

Matt shook his head. “Not yet, but thanks for the offer.”

Seth stood. “You have Winter’s number?”

“No.”

Winter frowned and pulled a basic cell from his pocket. “All I’ve got is this. It actually belongs to the marshal’s office. I’m not sure it’s a good idea to use it, but here’s the number.”

Interesting suspicion.
“Good thinking. I won’t use it unless absolutely necessary.” Matt pulled out his phone and called up the digits on the screen. He handed it to Winter. “Here’s my number. Need a pen?”

Winter glanced at it. “No. I’ve got it.” He gave the phone back.

“Call me if you need me.”

Winter’s pale blue eyes glanced up and connected with Matt’s like someone had completed an electrical circuit. A flash of heat dove straight to Matt’s balls, and his chest warmed. Winter bared his teeth—a smile or a threat? “I will.”

Matt watched the two men walk out of his office. Seth shorter, a little more muscular, while Winter’s tall, lean body still carried some of the ranginess of his youth. The guy was maybe six or seven years younger than Matt, with a completely different worldview. Winter had few ties and no obligations as far as Matt could tell, unlike Matt’s own life, crowded with connections, responsibilities, and care. To say nothing of the fact that Winter boasted a brain like a sparkling jewel, full of facets and depth, while Matt might very well be losing his own mind. They had zero in common.

Winter wanting Matt made no sense, but if he was trying to mislead Matt, he sure had a weird way of doing it. He could be risking his own life. Matt just got handed an excuse to see Winter again—when the only thing that made sense was to stay away from him. Which would win? Shit, wanting to touch Winter hurt like an untreated wound. The answer looked pretty clear.

W
INTER
STARED
at the accounting records on his screen—the same ones he’d been staring at for ten minutes. He had choices. He could just disappear, and no one would be able to find him. That would protect Matt from the pack, but he’d never see him again. Why did that hurt so bad? Pretty soon he’d be like Damon, sitting outside the FBI office, yearning for a look at Partridge.
Simpering idiot.
But worse, if Winter left, Matt might try to take on the bad guys by himself, which would get him embroiled in a mass of werewolf messes, and he’d likely end up dead anyway.

Maybe Winter didn’t have choices.

He heard a scuffling of feet, and over the side of his cubicle—or rather the cubicle in the marshal’s office—he saw the face he’d been waiting for. “Hey, Ollie.”

Ollie smiled that enthusiastic grin he had. “Hey, Winter, wondered if you wanted to grab lunch.”

“Where you going?” Might as well play hard to get.

“I was thinking Snookie’s. They’ve got good beef dip sandwiches.”

“Sure. As long as it’s rare. You ready now?”

“Yeah.”

Winter got up from the desk, grabbed his windbreaker against the drizzle outside, and followed Ollie. They walked a couple of blocks, most of it under the cover of awnings, until they got to the popular coffee shop. Inside, the line for tables snaked around the small waiting room, but law enforcement seemed to have its privileges, and Ollie got led to a table near the back right away.

As they sat, Winter pulled off his jacket and tucked it over the back of his chair. “You got some clout here, my man.”

Ollie shrugged. “I come here a lot.”

A cute human female hurried over to take their order. Ollie asked for the beef dip with a flirtatious grin, and she giggled. Winter ordered the same, extra rare. She said she’d try and left with a smile for Ollie. Winter grinned. “You made a conquest there.”

Ollie shrugged. “She’s okay. But, you know.” He shrugged.

Winter lowered his voice. “Human?”

“Yeah.” He looked around and leaned in. “It’s just they’re so damned irresistible, you know? Cute and vulnerable. Our own females are, you know, aggressive.”

“You don’t like that?”

“No. I want to be the male.”

“With us, the two sexes aren’t so different in terms of strength.”

“Exactly.” He smiled. “I like the differences.”

“How do you get around the”—he whispered—“cardinal rule?”

“Oh, I’d never reveal anything.”

“What about, you know, in bed. Isn’t it hard?”

“I usually try to get it hard.” He laughed much too loudly at his joke, then sobered. “I just have to be sure I don’t, you know, get serious or anything.”

“Bet that’s hard—I mean difficult.”

“Yeah, it is.”

The waitress delivered their warm sandwiches with a lot of simpering and eyelash-batting at Ollie. When she left, Winter pulled the meat out of the bread, dipped some in the au jus, and forked it into his mouth. This close to the full moon, he got really hungry.

Ollie picked his up, complete with the French roll, and munched. He shoved a little escaped beef back between his lips. “So, I’ve been hearing good things about your skills.”

“Oh? Who from?”

“The marshal and, you know, Junior and Mario.”

Winter picked up another bite. “Not sure I’d trust those two’s opinions.”

“Don’t like ’em?”

“Not sure they always make the best decisions.”

“In what way?”

“Well, they pulled me into that delivery.” He looked directly at Ollie. “They didn’t know what I’d do. Shit, I could have freaked and gone straight to Marketo.”

Ollie paled a bit beneath his freckled complexion. “I didn’t think of that.”

“They don’t know me from Romulus.”

Ollie missed the joke. “But they know the marshal trusts you. That probably colored their thinking.”

“Trusting me to do accounting is way different from those kind of, uh, deliveries.”

“Still, you could be trusted, so they made a good decision, right?”

Okay, lighten up the mood.
“Yeah. I guess you’re right. I’d just hate to see them make a mistake about someone is all.”

“Commendable.” He took another bite, then said slowly, “So, you interested in any more of that kind of work?”

“Sure. But I’ll be honest. When they offered me the hundred, I thought it was good pay for a delivery. Turns out to have been pretty chintzy for what I had to do.”

“I can see that. I imagine there could be quite a bit more in it for someone with your skills.”

“I wouldn’t want to have to work with those two, either.”

Ollie narrowed his eyes. “You want to work alone?”

Red flag.
“As I said, I don’t trust their decisions. You got somebody more impressive, I’ll consider it.” He shrugged. “But I’ve always been a lone wolf type.”

“So, you got some time today?”

“Sure. I’m nearly finished with Marshal Freedman’s work.”

“You know not to mention this to anyone, right? Including the marshal.”

Interesting.
“You’re a marshal.”

“That’s different.”

“Okay, sure. So marshaling must not pay too good, right?”

“The salary’s not too great. Good pensions.”

“Great seats in restaurants.” Winter smiled.

“Yes, and the opportunities for additional income are numerous.” Ollie laughed so hard he spit bread onto the table.

Twenty minutes later, Winter loaded a cooler-shaped box into his trunk, accepted a list of addresses from Ollie, and started driving toward his first delivery.

“M
ATTHEW
, I’
M
your father. You must obey me. Let me out. I must go. I have to go!”

Matt tried to wipe a cloth across his father’s forehead, but the man thrashed and whipped his head so violently he couldn’t get close. His own hands trembled, and he swallowed continuously, trying to contain the moans and whimpers that wanted to fly out and join his father’s cries. He looked over his shoulder. “Got it?”

Rita nodded and flicked the hypodermic. She rounded him, he grasped his father’s arm, held still by the restraints, and she inserted the needle, pushed the plunger, and extracted it. His dad didn’t even know it had happened.