The morning comes with ominous light. The estate is covered in a thick layer of fog, as if an omen for what is to come. It didnât matter what I did through the night, I couldnât sleep. I thought the rough session Wynter and I had would have knocked me out, but as she drifted to sleep in my arms, I was wide awake. Even after waking her up twice to try to exert some of the excess energy vibrating through my body, my eyes couldnât close and my body couldnât relax.
There is so much left to do, and each hour drifting by reminds me of that. The wheels are in motion, but to ensure we make it out the other side without unnecessary complications, there are things that need to be done that I would rather not do. Things we canât tell Wynter about, no matter how involved she is.
Itâs early when I slip out of the bed, leaving her sleeping alone. Itâs not lost on me that this isnât the first time Iâve snuck out in the early hours of the morning with the possibility of not returning, but thereâs so much more between us now. When I left last time, there was love, more than I knew how to deal with, but it wasnât like this. It didnât feel like my next breath depended on her being safe and healthy and mine.
The office door is open as I walk in, still pulling my shirt over my head, and Storm and Rayne look just about as good as I feel. Tired. Resigned. A little hopeless.
âSurprised it took you so long,â Rayne mutters, his eyes closed and head dropped back against the lounge.
âI donât like her waking up without me,â I admit. Itâs too fresh, and with everything going on, I wouldnât blame her for assuming the worst, even if thereâs nothing on Godâs green earth that could tear me away from her willingly.
Storm nods, the skin under his eyes stained with dark circles as he reaches for the cup of what I can only assume is coffee. âWe have to go to the farm,â he says the words weâve all been thinking since last night. âAnd you need to call your uncle.â
âYep,â Rayne groans.
âAnd we canât tell Wynter why,â I add.
âDouble yep.â Storm sighs.
âItâs not the first rescue mission weâve been on.â I shrug.
âNo, but itâs the first weâve had to infiltrate something so big,â Rayne points out.
I collapse into the seat beside him and scrub my hands over my face. âRayne should go. He has the best knowledge aside from me of the way the farm is laid out, even if theyâve changed the whole fucking thing since the last time he was there.â
âTommy will come with me. Heâll be better in the field than he would stuck here. Storm will stay here with the girls. We canât have them unprotected,â Rayne says.
âIâm not sitting this one out, bro. I know I hang on the sidelines a lot for a lot of reasons, but this is too important.â Storm stands, crossing the room to where weâre sitting and taking a seat in the chair opposite us.
âDonât argue with me on this one, Storm. You make most of the calls, but you donât make these ones. Itâs safer for the girls if youâre here with them, and it will be comforting for Snow if itâs you. If sheâs really as fragile as Wynter was saying, itâs best we donât push it. This is what Tommy and I are trained for, and Everett has other places he needs to be.â
Storm grumbles something under his breath and then nods. âFine. But I donât like being the only one sitting out.â
âYouâre not the only one. Wynter wonât like not being involved either.â Rayne chuckles.
âThank god sheâs not going. Could you imagine this one if she was in any imminent danger?â Storm gestures to me, his laugh filling the room.
I glare at him. âI canât wait for you to meet your woman and understand what we go through,â I grumble.
âItâll never happen. There ainât no taming me.â He winks. The day that man falls hard and fast for a woman will be the day Storm Saint James falls to his knees, and I canât fucking wait.