Page 58 of No Surrender
Vic seemed to guess his thoughts. He reached over and laid a hand on Simon’s arm. “Hey. Look at me,” Vic said quietly. “We know how to handle this. I trust you to have my back.”
“Thanks. I trust you too.”
“Keep me posted,” Travis said. “And I’ll let you know if Teag and I discover anything else,” he added before ending the call.
Simon realized he had a missed text from Gabriella and quickly read it. “Gabriella did some asking around in the Spanish-speaking community. She turned up information on a couple of the missing women on Walt’s list.”
Vic took the phone and set it on the nightstand, then his lips brushed across Simon’s, gentle and reassuring. “Shower, and then come eat. You’ll feel better.”
When Simon walked into the kitchen, Vic looked up from where he stirred a pot on the stove. Simon smelled ham and bean soup and saw a loaf of hot take-and-bake bread on the table, along with glasses of sweet tea.
“Have a seat. This is ready. The bread is still warm, and the butter’s there,” Vic told him.
Vic brought bowls over and settled across from Simon. They ate in silence for several minutes. After the intense session at the Vampire’s Castle, Simon felt depleted and shoveled food into his mouth, even as his stomach rumbled.
“Thank you,” Simon said finally, wiping his mouth. “That hit the spot.”
Vic grinned. “Can I heat canned soup like a boss, or what? Sweated over that frozen bread, too.”
“Doesn’t matter. It was good.”
Simon helped to clear the table and clean up, then they headed into the living room and settled on the couch as Vic flipped channels.
“I was thinking in the shower…”
Vic shot him a sexy smile. “Oh yeah? Anything that involves me, lube, and fingers?”
“Not this time. I was trying to figure out how to lure the boo hag.”
“Not what I generally think about when I’m slippery and naked, but go on.”
Simon playfully thumped Vic on the chest with the back of his hand. “Don’t ruin my concentration. So here’s my plan—we go to a motel.”
Vic gave him a confused look. “I’d rather have sex here.”
Simon narrowed his eyes. “Not for sex. To lure the boo hag. Try to keep up. If we survive, we can have sexafter.”
“Why a motel?”
Simon gestured vaguely around the room. “The bungalow is too well-warded. So’s the shop. The station is too public. But if we get a room at a motel, Miss Eppie and I can hide in the bathroom until the boo hag appears, and then trap it.”
“Better get a room with a big bathroom.” Vic frowned. “Won’t people hear us? There’ll be civilians around.”
Simon shook his head. “Not if we go to anabandonedmotel.”
“Congratulations. You just made our multiple serial killer case even more creepy.”
Simon knew Vic’s banter hid his apprehension. When they had first worked together, Simon took the quips at face value and wondered if Vic took things seriously enough. Now, he realized that Vic tookeverythingseriously—often too much so, and had difficulty letting go of what bothered him. Humor was both a shield and a release.
“When do you want to do it?” Vic asked.
Simon could tell from the tension in Vic’s shoulders that his partner understood the danger—and how much his life would be in Simon’s hands. He reached out to twine their fingers together. “It’s not too late to change your mind.”
Vic shook his head. “No. It’s the best option, for all the reasons we discussed. I’ve put myself out there to trap plenty of psycho guys with guns. This is the first time for being monster chow.”
Simon winced. “We’re going to do everything possible to keep you from being ‘chow.’”
“I know you will. That’s why I’m willing to do it. When’s Miss Eppie available?”
