Warrior (Relentless #4)(82)
Tristan had that look again, the one that said I wasn’t going to be happy with his answer.
“I think the best trainer to start her with is Callum.”
“No.”
He held up a hand. “Listen to me before you get worked up. Callum is the best trainer we have at Westhorne, and all the trainees like him. You can’t object to someone you barely know.”
Remembering the handsome Scotsman smiling at Sara, I crossed my arms. “I can.”
A smile tugged at his lips, and I scowled. How was any of this amusing?
“Nikolas, I think there is something you should know about Callum that will make you less opposed to him.”
“Is he mated?” Because I couldn’t think of anything else that would make me agree to him as Sara’s trainer.
“No. I believe he was in a relationship that ended right before he moved here last year.”
“Then he is single.”
“He is also gay.”
My eyebrows shot up.
“Callum’s a good man, Nikolas, and a fine trainer. In this situation, I think he is the perfect one to pair with Sara until you get back.”
I dragged my hand through my hair, knowing I had no arguments left. “Okay.”
“Good.” Tristan looked relieved to have it settled. “When will you leave?”
“Tomorrow.”
Erik had located one of Eli’s places in Portland, where they found some Vegas addresses. I’d planned to ask Geoffrey to check them out, but hunting in Vegas had never sounded more appealing. I had a feeling I’d need to work off a lot of aggression in the next four weeks.
*
“Goddamnit, Nikolas, do you know what time it is?”
I almost smiled at the grumbling coming out of my phone. Chris was an easygoing guy – unless you woke him up in the predawn after a night of drinking with Seamus and Niall.
My own mood wasn’t much better after a sleepless night with an agitated Mori. Last night, when I had agreed to go away for a month, I’d planned to tell Sara over breakfast that I was leaving. But if she saw me like this, she’d know something was wrong. And I might not be able to make myself leave.
“Change of plans. Meet me in half an hour.”
More groaning and swearing came out of the phone.
“You can follow me later if you need a few hours.”
He muttered something about bonds and impatient males before he hung up.
Thirty minutes later, I left my apartment and made my way to the third floor of the north wing. The building was quiet, and I made no sound as I walked down the hallway and stopped at the last door on the left. I could feel Sara inside, and I pictured her sleeping in her bed, dark hair spilling over her pillow. In a few hours, she would awaken to start her first day at Westhorne, and I was sorry I would miss it.
My phone vibrated, and I knew it was Chris, letting me know he was ready to go.
I laid my hand against the door. Sleep well, moy malen'kiy voin.
Chris met me in the garage where the motorcycles were stored. Our bikes were being shipped from Maine, but we kept backups here. We stored our gear and weapons, and within minutes, we were driving through the gates. I didn’t look back because it was hard enough leaving her.
Solmi, my Mori wailed angrily as we left Westhorne and our mate behind us.
We rode for three hours before we stopped for breakfast at a roadside diner.
After I ate, I went outside and called Dax about an idea I’d had during the ride here. I hoped it would make Sara happy and maybe ease her anger at me for leaving the way I had.
Dax laughed. “You’ve lost your mind.”
“Maybe.”
“Okay. I’ll get back to you in a few hours.”
It was late afternoon when Chris and I pulled into the driveway of one of our two Vegas safe houses. Geoffrey, who oversaw all of our operations here, came up from the basement to greet us when we entered the house and dropped our bags in the foyer.
“Nikolas, Chris, it’s been a while,” the black warrior said as we walked into the living room. “What brings you to Nevada?”
Chris sat on the couch and stretched out his legs under the coffee table. “We heard you guys are having all the fun out here.”
Geoffrey went into the kitchen and returned with three cold beers. Handing one to each of us, he sat on the other end of the couch.
“Well, there’s lots of fun to go around; I promise you that. Feels like half the vampires on the west coast suddenly decided to vacation in Sin City.”
I stood by the window. “How long has it been like that?”
“About a month.” He rubbed his bald head. “I know they’ve got to be nesting here, but I’ll be damned if I can find them. There are a ton of places to hide in Vegas.”
“Then you’re in luck because we might know a few places to start looking.” I took a long swig from my beer, my black mood lightening a fraction. I couldn’t think of a better way to ease some of the tension coiled inside me than to kill vampires.
Geoffrey’s eyes gleamed. “Half my guys are out on a recon job. You want to wait until they get back?”
I almost said no, but common sense prevailed. Going off half-cocked in my current frame of mind would be foolhardy and dangerous, and I had no intention of dying anytime soon.