Page 7 of Breathe
“No,” Azrael said slowly, turning back to Winter.
He was nowhere near Santa Barbara, but Winter seemed overly curious about his whereabouts. That made the hair on his arms stand up.
Azrael didn’t know where this line of questioning was going, but he needed to get into Dave’s house, and if he had to chat up Winter, then so be it.
The later the evening grew, the more likely he could stay in his old room at Dave’s place. Of course, he could have walked through Dave’s front door at any time, because he still had a room there, but this time, he wanted to have an excuse.
Once he was at Dave’s, he could gain access to the Genesis system. After he obtained the list of names, Azrael would get gone and stay gone.
Winter was nice, though…and the former SEAL was the type he typically went for. It was nice having someone look at him like they actually liked him. Azrael could see the look of appreciation in the other man’s eyes.
Winter pushed the plate of pizza slices toward him, and Azrael took a piece. The thin green slice of bell pepper caught his attention, and he mindlessly picked it out. It was a job Real had done numerous times.
When he’d first come to live at Dave’s house, Real had been the only person who could get him to sit still long enough to eat. When he had picked off the mushrooms and bell pepper from his plate and hidden them in his napkin, Real had caught him.
Rather than admonish him, Real took it upon himself to make sure that every mushroom and bell pepper never made it to his plate, and that included Dave’s pizza nights.
His eyes stung at the memories, and he swept a quick glance at Winter.
Maybe he should give Winter a chance?
In the next second, Azrael pushed that idea away.
He was on a mission, he reminded himself. The goal was to figure his life out, and the last thing he needed or wanted was to get involved.
With anyone.
“I won’t stay where I’m at for long,” he said around a bite of pizza, picking up the thread of conversation like he hadn’t just zoned out.
His words were half-truth, but Winter didn’t need to know that he planned on staying in the house for a while now that YA had started up.
“Well, I’m honored you made the trip here to hang out,” Winter said.
Azrael smirked and shook his head. “You’re not the reason I’m here.”
“Oh?”
“Mhmm.” Azrael tipped his head slightly, searching Winter’s face. He wondered how much he should or could share with the guy before the information got back to Dave.
He figured zero—that was the amount he could share right now.
Only time would tell if Winter was an ally or foe.
Azrael felt like he was coming home when he stepped past the security guards and into the front marble-tiled foyer of Dave’s estate.
A few of the guards scowled at him, and he refrained from giving them the finger. They didn’t like the way he came and went on the property—he never used the front gate.
“Hey, bro.”
Azrael jerked at the sound of his brother’s voice coming from the other end of the foyer.
Apollo, wearing a big grin, walked over and grabbed him in a tight hug. Surprise kept Azrael mute, but he returned the hug. He clung and didn’t give a shit. Being with his brother made the world settle just a bit more. Like things had calmed the fuck down for a minute.
“It’s uncanny how identical they are,” Cash said.
When Apollo released him, Azrael turned in Cash’s direction and waggled fingers at the guy. His brother’s boyfriend was tall, sturdy, and muscular. In Azrael’s book, the guy was a great catch for his brother—he hoped the best for them.
“How’s college going?” Azrael asked when Cash pulled him into a quick hug.
