Chapter Twelve
Viktor never got scared. But watching Ant sway on his knees as he recounted the things he saw in some kind of vision, Viktor was… concerned. He was concerned for his mate. But unfortunately that wasn’t his only issue, something he was fairly sure Ant was going to realize the moment they touched.
“I think that’s it.” Ant was half slumped against his dog. “We’ll have to get that file to…to…probably Mike is the best bet at the police station. He can farm out the information to whoever is investigating the case.”
“Are you sure there will be a case lodged with the police?” Viktor made sure the file was saved and then slid his phone into his jacket. “At the moment all you’ve got is a discarded coat and seeing two young men drugged with darts before they were dragged away. Someone would have to miss them for a case to be reported.”
Ant yawned and nodded. “One of the boys, Ray, apparently has loving parents although I didn’t hear anything about the other boy’s, Toby’s, life. But Ray’s parents would’ve raised the alarm when he didn’t go home that night.” He looked down at the coat. “Unfortunately, I’ve got no idea of how long it’s been since they’ve been missing. This coat’s not rotted, but the dirt and debris covering it…gods, who am I kidding. I have no idea. The boys could’ve been missing for months.”
“I’m going to pick you up,” Viktor warned, as he moved closer. “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t read me or whatever it is you do until you’ve had a chance to get food and some rest. Yes, we have things to discuss, but right now, I need to move you out of the way, and I assume call the police?” Then he double checked himself. Who am I to be calling the police? “Perhaps you should make that call first.”
“You need to step out of the shadow of your gang boss. Tony’s not doing you any favors.” Ant was almost slurring his words, and Viktor wasn’t sure his mate even knew what he’d said, but the reference to Tony was enough to keep Viktor alert during the half hour it took for the police to arrive, the audio file to be transferred from Viktor’s phone to Mike’s, and for them to screen off the scene including the coat.
Eventually, Viktor got so annoyed as Mike and two other officers asked numerous questions of his mate who was wilting more with every passing second, he swept in, picked Ant up and said, “You’ve got his number. Give him a call sometime tomorrow. After lunch. Able, come.” He strode off, surprised when the German shepherd trotted along beside him. Although he was astute enough to realize that was probably because he was carrying the dog’s food source. Clearly he did the right thing, because by the time he got Ant to his car, the psychic was fast asleep.
That caused an issue for all of two minutes. Viktor needed to retrieve his keys, first off, and then he had to decide where Ant would be the safest in the vehicle so he could sleep and yet still stretch out. Eventually he laid his mate out on the back seat, after moving the armrests one handed, and then pointed at the dog who was watching him expectantly. “You can sit in the passenger seat in the front, but keep your fur to yourself. I do not want it all over the upholstery.”
Yes, Viktor was certain that wide open mouth with his tongue hanging out was Able laughing at him. It could also be because he needs water, but as Viktor was not about to go rummaging through Ant’s satchel, he simply opened the passenger door, making sure Able’s tail was properly inside before closing the doors on the dog and the psychic.
Going around to the driver’s side of the car, he climbed in, pointing at the dog. “I’ll get you some water when we get back to mine,” he muttered at the dog who looked perfectly happy peering out the windscreen. “Do you need a window open?”
Able sniffed at him and then leaned over and licked up the side of his face. “That’s an improvement on biting me, I suppose.” Viktor wrinkled his nose, and swiped up his face with his hand. “Keep your tongue to yourself and we’ll get along fine.”
In the twenty minutes it took for Viktor to drive from the Mage Academy to his own place – he wasn’t about to break and enter into Ant’s house even if he did know where it was – Viktor pondered his bad luck at being seen with Ant at the academy.
Although was that bad luck or has Tony been having me followed?
Viktor quickly discounted the idea of Tony sending anyone to follow him. One of Tony’s ultimate flaws was that he believed totally in the loyalty of the people around them, even though he encouraged an environment of unrest and uncertainty among the family members - to keep them on their toes, so he said.
It was more likely that someone else close to Tony decided to try and take him out – someone else who objected to him being so close to their boss. Viktor almost regretted not taking the time to question the idiots who couldn’t even track him without being obvious about it, but he didn’t like the idea of leaving Ant alone for too long.
Tony will likely talk to me about it soon enough.
He glanced in the rearview mirror, checking to make sure Ant was still sleeping. He was. Then Viktor glanced over at the dog who was watching him intently. “I know,” he muttered quietly. “I’m going to have to make some changes – step out of the shadows as your master tells me.” Although the pit in Viktor’s stomach let him know that might not be as easy as he hoped it would be.
/~/~/~/~/
Entering his house, Ant back in his arms, Viktor was struck by the thought that he’d never had a visitor in his home before. He liked his privacy… which is clearly going to have to change to a point… he reasoned, glancing down at the psychic who had barely moved since he’d fallen asleep.
“Bed or couch?” Viktor glanced at the dog who’d followed them, seemingly unfazed at being somewhere new. “I’m guessing the couch would be the best option. It’s big enough and I don’t want your master getting the wrong idea about me from day one.”
More than he already has. Going through to his living area, Viktor placed Ant on the couch and then stepped back. That doesn’t look right. He took a cushion from his own chair and carefully lifted Ant’s head, getting the cushion situated and then resting the psychic’s head on it.
It still doesn’t look right. He still looks too…vulnerable was the only word Viktor could come up with. He glanced around, but Viktor wasn’t someone who invested in those soft furnishings people used to decorate their couches or keep their knees warm when the nights were chilly. Finally, he shrugged off his coat and draped that over Ant’s shoulders. It covered the man all the way to his feet, so Viktor was going to assume that was good enough.
This caring for people takes a bit of work. He felt a nudge on his leg. “No, I haven’t forgotten you.” Viktor shook his head at the dog’s nudge for attention. Making his way to the kitchen, Viktor hunted for a wide mouthed bowl. He could cook, so it wasn’t as though the cupboards were bare of essentials, but Viktor hadn’t looked after a pet before.
Filling the bowl almost to the top with water, he put that down on the floor and pointed at it. “There you go. I suppose you want food, too.” Going over to his refrigerator, Viktor glanced at the offerings there. He had eggs, bacon, and some vegetables in the crisper, but he didn’t think any of that would suit a dog.
He pulled open the freezer door, checking the contents. Steak. Steak. Steak. Sausages. Some kind of roast. Viktor pulled out the chunk of meat, poked it with his finger and tossed it back where he got it, pulling out a slab of steak instead. Throwing it in the microwave, Viktor hit the defrost button and closed the door on the meat, letting the microwave do his thing.
“I don’t even know if you can have raw meat,” he said to the dog who was watching him closely. “But I figure you’re probably intelligent enough to refuse it, if it’s not good for you. I’m sure I wouldn’t know.”
Then he had another thought. “I suppose you need to be able to go outside, too.” Fortunately, because Viktor valued his privacy his entire back garden was surrounded by a six foot fence. Going through the kitchen to the utility room, Viktor opened the door to the back garden and pointed out of it. “If you need to do…you know, your shits and stuff, you do it out there, all right?”
Able seemed happy enough to go out and investigate. Viktor pushed a door stop against the door to stop it closing while the dog was outside. He assumed, although he really didn’t know, that Able would want access to Ant as Ant and Able were both in a strange place… I’m winging this, I really am.
Going back through to the kitchen, Viktor heard the beeping of the microwave. He found another plate that he rarely used, and checking that the steak was fully defrosted, he got rid of the packaging and put the plate with the steak on it on the floor next to the water bowl.
“There we go. Now, I’m a doggy daddy.” Viktor sighed at his own foolishness. He could do with a nap himself. Ant wasn’t the only one who hadn’t slept the night before. Gods, just the thought of spending the night at the clubs with Tony – it felt like a lifetime ago.
Coffee. I have to have coffee. Because there was something, a sixth sense, or maybe it was just because he had his mate in his home, but Viktor just didn’t think it would be a good idea to go to sleep just yet. He checked the time seeing it was mid-afternoon.
There’s a good chance Tony won’t even be awake yet, he thought, turning on his coffee machine. He needed to talk to Ant before he had anything to do with Tony going forward. It wasn’t only Viktor’s safety that could be compromised if Tony got in a mood – it was Ant’s as well.