Ant quickly shook his head. “That doesn’t sound right. Bridget broke off with him that same night I met him. She was disgusted to hear how much he’d lied to her.”
“He might have backed off then, but you weren’t forgotten. When you had Tony Manzano arrested, you suddenly became a person of interest to him again. He just needed another way to hook you in.”
Ant’s breath started to quicken as random pieces all fell into place. “I don’t know how to go after Carmine. I was taughtfrom when I was a kid that a person is presumed innocent until they’re proven guilty. To my knowledge, Carmine has done nothing criminally wrong. I can’t...it feels wrong to go after him without proof. Can you see that? I can’t do something like that.”
“There’s a good chance Carmine knows that, too.” Viktor didn’t seem surprised by his outburst. “Would that make you feel any better if we could get proof?”
“I’m not sure.” Ant had to think about it. Finding proof of Carmine’s criminal activity was still a hypothesis that assumed Carmine had done something wrong. “I think so. Yes.” A sharp nod – Ant was still breathing far too fast. “If I knew for certain that he was responsible for something, something criminal…”
“You know he was responsible for Carol’s death,” Viktor interrupted.
But Ant shook his head. “No, V, I don’tknowthat. We’ve been told he was responsible by that Duncan that we went to see. Suggestions and rumors, supposition and conjecture - none of that is proof. I did the scene reading myself. Carmine was not there. I know that for a fact. So, I can’t blame him for Carol’s death, even if every other piece of circumstantial evidence points to him being responsible.
“I need proof of him doing something wrong – something criminal. Remember when you told me about Tony?” Ant looked up at his mate, who was watching him closely. “You told me there was no proof. You told me that you couldn’t ring the authorities and turn Tony in, even though he bragged to you when he murdered Mr. Fallows. He told you, but you couldn’t bring him in because you had no proof. Why is it any different if I am saying the same thing now?”
“True. True. That’s a valid point. And as soon as I knew there had been a witness to the murder, even if it was your sexyself, I went and did something about it.” Viktor nodded and seemed to have come to some conclusion about something, but Ant couldn’t pick up what it was through their bond because suddenly Viktor was thinking about something else. An intimate something that had Ant’s cheeks heating.
“Hey, babe, you fancy going to bed?” The change of tone and the heat in Viktor’s eyes matched the thoughts Viktor was projecting.
“I know you always make me feel good, and I love that about you. But with everything going on in my head, I’m not sure if I’ll be able to get in the mood,” Ant admitted, even as he reached for his mate, suddenly needing that physical connection, even if he wasn’t horny.
“Just focus on me for now. Touch me, let me send you soothing thoughts so you can relax. Whether it’s sleep you need, a release, or just a soothing massage, you know I can calm your erratic thoughts for a while.” Ant knew how good Viktor was at keeping his promises. “It’ll help you sleep better,” he added.
Ant wasn’t sure about that. It was too early in the day, wasn’t it? They hadn’t even had dinner yet. But the opportunity to just stop thinking for five minutes…or more…was a temptation Ant couldn’t resist. He tilted his face up for a kiss – Viktor met him halfway.
Chapter Twenty
“Stay, Able.” Viktor let a very happy German shepherd into the bedroom. “Stay and keep your master safe,” he added quietly, indicating that Able lay by the bed on the same side as where Ant was currently sleeping. “I won’t be long, but keep him safe.”
Viktor tiptoed out of the bedroom, carefully closing the door, before zapping through the rest of the house and out to the street, pausing just long enough to consider if he was even doing the right thing.
He didn’t want to go. His guts were churning at the thought of leaving his mate unprotected in the house. But unprotected was a relative term. They were at Ant’s house, having still not decided which one they would live in fulltime. Ant’s house was fully warded. Viktor had already seen examples of how well those wards could work.
You manipulated him.Yep, there was the guilty feeling he’d expected. As far as Viktor was concerned, he did what he did for Ant’s benefit. Ant was already exhausted before Viktor took him to bed. He had been through an emotional day, and his confusion and inability to process had made those feelings worse.At least he should sleep,Viktor thought as he started sprinting down the street. With luck, Viktor wouldn’t have to explain himself before breakfast.
He could’ve taken the car, but Viktor didn’t have the patience to cope with traffic or idiots trying to find one of the limited parking spaces. His only focus was finding Carmine, talking to him, and getting back to the house.
It wasn’t the best idea Viktor had ever had. Moving out of town would have been better, in his opinion. Although that would mean uprooting Bridget from her life, too, as Viktor doubted Antwould move without her. There was a good chance Ant wouldn’t move anyway – he had his community at the Mage Academy, his business…
It all came back to Carmine. Ant wanted proof of Carmine’s criminal activities. Viktor wasn’t sure Carmine would tell him anything, even after he found him. But he had to try. The thought of seeing Ant trapped by a selfish asshole who would use his mate the same way he used and discarded everyone else around him was more than Viktor could tolerate.
I could just kill Carmine. I’d be doing the town a favor.Unfortunately, Viktor already knew Ant wouldn’t approve. From a “saving my mate” perspective, it was the fastest solution, and one that appealed to his vampire side. But no, instead Viktor was sneaking out of the bed he’d left his mate sleeping in, tracking the man who wanted something from them and who was taking his sweet-assed time explaining what that was.
Ant didn’t understand the depths of depravity Carmine would go to – for someone so intelligent, his mate was an innocent. Viktor wasn’t. As much as it burned his guts to admit it, Viktor understood Carmine more than Ant ever would - they were a lot alike.
Proof. What proof, though?There was no way Viktor could get Carmine to admit to ordering Carol’s death. It’s not like Carmine was going to just follow Viktor to a secluded alley somewhere, so Viktor could put him in a trance and have him spill his secrets.
Another tempting thought,but Viktor didn’t have that sort of time. If Carmine was forced to tell the truth of every wrong thing he’d ever done in his life…I’d settle for him admitting he had Bains’s and Hammond’s offices bugged.
The main thing – the thing that kept Viktor from sleeping – was that he didn’t know why Carmine wanted Ant in the firstplace. Yes, Ant was powerful. He commanded respect through his work ethic and honesty, not fear. But Ant’s skills were magic-based, and Carmine didn’t believe in that. He’d said so himself. Although Viktor remembered the magical traps left for them at Carol’s murder scene…He doesn’t believe in it, but it doesn’t stop him from using it, either.
From the moment Viktor had first seen Ant, he had been struck by how calm, focused, and how very intelligent his mate was. That was well before he knew the succulent taste of Ant’s blood or enjoyed Ant’s body, bringing them both more pleasure than he’d believed possible.
Viktor knew their bond was so much deeper than blood and sex. Ant had a captivating mind. He saw things in such a unique way. And for Viktor, it was like finding a kindred spirit. He didn’t have a lot of time for people, and neither did Ant, but the way they bounced ideas off each other…
Ant understands me when so many others haven’t. I should’ve probably talked to him about this stupid plan before I left the house.
It was too late to second-guess himself now. Viktor slowed his sprint as he reached the nightlife side of town. Finding Carmine wasn’t going to be a problem. Getting straight answers from a dedicated liar was a different case entirely. One of the keys to dealing with Carmine was making sure that the man didn’t know he was being sought out. Any meeting would have to be coincidental.
