MESSAGE: Yes.
All right, he thought, pushing all doubts way down, past where they could get any traction. Let’s do this.
Bryce was in his small bedroom, dumping his clothes from a dresser drawer into a canvas tote when Auger came in.
“Don’t do anything until I tell you,” he repeated. Bryce nodded but appeared unconvinced.
“I mean it,” he said firmly. “Have I ever let you down before?”
Bryce took a few seconds, seeming almost to shrug. But then he shook his head. He knew the truth: Auger hadn’t ever let him down before, not really. It was just too much shame to admit.
Callie was dressed and waiting by the front door when Auger came out. Her green eyes glittered faintly with moisture, but he couldn’t tell if she was upset or frightened or what. The hard line of her lips pressed together strengthened him: he knew she was waiting for him to act.
She believes in me, still. After all this.
Auger waited until they were on the sidewalk before he called. Three rings and Winsor’s voice was on the other end of the line.
“I’m busy tonight,” he said haughtily as soon as the call connected. “I will have the car pick you up tomorrow at seven.”
“No,” Auger shot back.
“Excuse me?”
“We’re busy tomorrow,” he lied. Callie squinted suspiciously at him under her raised hand and crossed her other arm protectively over her waist.
Winsor sighed irritably. “Then what is this about?”
Auger took a deep breath, clenching his jaw and commanding his mouth to say the words.
If I manage to make it through this without punching this douchebag in the mouth, it’s going to be a fucking miracle.
“I need to see you today,” Auger growled. Then, to make his point: “We need to.”
“It’s ten thirty a.m.,” Winsor drawled, but Auger could hear the amusement in his voice.
That’s right, you rich jackass. Laugh it up. I want you to think you’re winning.
The line was silent for a few seconds. “Odin, I really don’t think now is a good time—”
“So what? You’re a vampire? No daylight for you?”
Winsor chuckled. Auger imagined him in some kind of white marble palace, just giggling to himself over this. For a brief, dangerous second, his pride coiled and threatened to reappear. He desperately wanted to hang up.
No! he commanded himself. Just a few more seconds. I got this.
“I don’t usually do this, you know,” Winsor finally said. He sighed for a long time as though he was still in bed. “My game. My rules.”
Your game? Your rules? Oh my God, what an insufferable—
“OK, you win, Odin. How can I refuse a Norse god? Get a cab. I’ll meet you downstairs.”
Winsor rattled off an address in Lincoln Park and Auger waved down a yellow taxi. Callie followed him suspiciously, obviously not wanting to act happy with him, as usual, but he could tell she was relieved. Just good old Auger, coming in to save the day. Again.
As the filthy cab wove in and out of traffic, Auger tried to figure out why his heart was racing. He swallowed the bile that kept surging up in his gut and scowled out the window.
It’s not like she’s going to really forgive you, he told himself. Not forever. It may buy you another couple weeks and that’s it. Be realistic.
The cab swerved toward the curb and stopped. As Auger slipped a crisp hundred dollar bill from his wallet, Callie’s car door suddenly opened. She automatically got out and he hustled along behind her.
“Oh, that?” Winsor said suavely as Auger stepped out of the cab, staring at the hundred in his hand like it was a quaint artifact. “No need. I’m nothing if not a gentleman.”
Auger winced and stared at the bill, realizing it was probably chump change in this guy’s eyes. Winsor dropped a couple folded bills in the plexiglass bowl that separated the back from the front seat and quirked an arrogant eyebrow in Auger’s direction, then turned to face Callie, effectively cutting him off.
Auger bit back an automatic, possessive snarl. This is going to be harder than I thought, he admitted to himself. If I make it out of here without knocking him out, it will be a fucking miracle.
“You look beautiful this morning,” Winsor murmured to Callie. Auger stiffened and shook his head, convinced he heard her giggle softly.
“This is weird,” he heard himself say as they all stood in the late morning sunlight. Well dressed couples and joggers strode by on both sides, only glancing at them in passing.
“What’s weird?” Winsor said playfully. He twisted his mouth in a smirk and waited for an answer.
Auger shrugged. He didn’t want to be outmatched for wits before he got in the door.