Page 22 of Winter's End

I stuffed the ball of paper still in my fist into my pocket and sent off a group text, hurrying to grab my things out of my locker and get on the road. I had questions, and it was time to get some answers.

We arrived at the abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of Carlisle at 9:45.

Cam and I had driven together since we had both been leaving our shifts for the day; Shane, Drew, and Winter drove up in Shane’s truck. I spied the outline of Logan’s Audi on the other side of the lot, parked discreetly beneath a broken street lamp.

No one said a word as we entered the dank relics of the processing plant. A somber feeling sat on my chest, like someone had died.

Or was about to.

The building was empty, the evidence of past uses long gone. Two fluorescent bulbs dimly hung from suspended wiringacross shadows of steel beams, and the rest of the room was barren.

No one was here. No one but us and the critters skittering along the perimeter of the stained concrete.

The air held the familiar damp chill of spring, and the building felt even colder than outdoors. I shivered in the darkness and wrapped my arms around Winter from behind to keep us both warm. She let go of Drew’s hand and pulled my wrists tighter around her. I breathed in the familiar lavender and vanilla scent that was my girl, and buried my nose in her hair, savoring the heat of her body against mine before this entire night turned to shit.

I hadn’t had the chance to hold her since the wedding. Too many responsibilities and worries had weighed us both down since that night, and I’d been craving the chance to connect with her. Especially since she had finally uttered the magic words I’d been longing to hear.

“I love you,” I whispered into her dark tresses. She turned her head to give me a brief peck on the lips and squeezed my forearms before we clumsily walked further into the cavernous room.

Each additional step tangled my stomach into deeper knots. My guts had churned the entire drive. Did Kellan know about me? Did he know where Dad was? Would he be able to protect Winter and my boys from Georgio’s wrath if this all went to shit?

Georgio had financially saved me more times than I could count, and now I knew it was because I was family. In his indirect and very obscure way of showing it, Georgio had protected me and Devon, even if it had been through extortion and blackmail.

Maybe I’d be spared if we were discovered—that was a pretty huge maybe—but I actually had a card to play, though I’d never want to admit it, let alone use it.

But what about my other family?

Harsh blinding floodlights lit up the center space, nearly making me jump out of my skin. I released Winter and shielded my eyes from the glare when a booming voice echoed around us.

“Sorry for the cloak and dagger.”

As my sight became accustomed to the vibrant space, I assessed the looming presence of the man making his way towards us.

When Winter had referred to him as ‘The Viking’, I thought she’d been exaggerating, but the title fit. Tall, broad, blond, and looking a little like Thor with shorter hair, Kellan Carlos could have stepped out of aVikingsNetflix commercial if he hadn’t been dressed in a three-piece suit.

“Thank you all for coming on short notice.”

Kellan stood directly beneath the lights. We slowly gathered around him, standing in an awkward semi-circle, with Logan standing off to one side, hands shoved into his pockets like a scolded child.

“It’s hard for me to get away sometimes,” the big man continued, folding his arms across his barrel chest. “But my colleague and I needed the chance to address you in person.”

He gestured towards another man walking up behind him—he was tall and thin, with brown hair and beady eyes. Logan’s stance stiffened, and his neutral expression shifted into disgust.

Ahhh. That must be his ‘handler.’ I wasn’t used to having any feelings towards Logan whatsoever, but in the last few weeks, my minor discontent had turned to pity, and now, a sense of understanding.

“The tender announcement is coming tomorrow, and WAQ will be awarded the project.”

Shane shifted on his feet, and Winter and Drew both reached for his hands, interlacing their fingers while not breaking their gazes from Kellan.

Interesting. Was something going on in our group I wasn’t aware of?

I cocked an eyebrow at Winter, but she just shook her head, eyes locked on Kellan as he continued to speak.

“You are not agents. You are not law enforcement, and you are definitely not spies, but you have proven useful, and you are all closest to the source of these crimes.

“I will not extort you. None of you are under arrest or under threat of being arrested. Right now.” He emphasized the ‘right now,’ as if we all had a future of crime ahead of us.

Logan snorted derisively, but said nothing.

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