Vann's Victory by Sydney Presley Read Free Book Online Page A

Kip’s hand, hoping to God or whatever deity was out there that he’d get to hold it again after this. He rose, as did the rest of the group—except Kip.
    “I can’t give you orders from here on out.” Vann didn’t look at him. “It won’t work. As I said earlier, you need to drop our agreement at this point, like we did when we escaped.”
    “Yes, Sir.” Kip got up, fiddling with his Taser bag, although he didn’t appear nervous at all.
    “You okay?”
    “Yes, Sir. You?”
    “I’ll get there.”
    Kip straightened his shoulders. It gave Vann confidence. If his little sub could go into this with the heart of a lion, so could Vann. He puffed out his chest, released a ragged sigh, and patted his Taser bag then his pocket to make sure his phone was still there. Everything was in order.
    “The cabs should be waiting,” Dillon said. “Paid for in advance. Good luck, and I’ll see you on the flip side.” He exited the room, leaving the door ajar.
    The Highgate men followed, and Vann grabbed his alone moment with Kip to crush the slight man to him. He stroked his hair, loving the feel of Kip’s cheek pressed to his chest, wishing things could have been so different.
    “But if they were different, Sir, we never would have met.”
    “And people have suffered so that we met. I hate that.”
    “It is what it is, Sir. We can’t change it now.” Kip pulled away. “Nor can we change the plan and the excuses we’re going to give Wickland for why we left Crossways. Dillon will make sure we’re not captured, that we’re safe. Please don’t worry about that anymore.”
    Vann should have known Kip would pick up on his thoughts. Stupid of him to think otherwise when they were so connected. Even shutting his emotions off didn’t keep Kip out sometimes.
    Kip smiled. “We have to go. We can’t let the others down by stalling.”
    “I love you.”
    “I know that, Sir.”
    Vann led the way out of the room and across the foyer. Kip walked by his side instead of slightly behind. It felt good to be equals, to walk as one. They made it to the line of cabs. Dillon stood by the back door of the first one, giving Vann a stern look. Vann blushed with the embarrassment of holding everyone up. Dillon’s features then went blank again, but the admonishment emanating from him said Vann needed to buck up and stick to the plan. No deviating unless absolutely necessary.
    Sometimes he wished there were thought links between all shifters so he could apologize without anyone else hearing. He hoped the expression on his face suitably conveyed how he felt. Dillon nodded, a curt dip of his head, then got into the cab. Vann, Kip and two shifters got into the last car. The others occupied two separate vehicles.
    The journey was spent in silence, as they’d been ordered, so Vann stared through the window and examined his feelings. This return to Crossways was a tremendous leap from the one he’d thought would happen. To have a team on board rather than just him, Kip and, as he’d imagined, Jace, was more than he could have hoped for. He had doubts—who wouldn’t?—but all in all, if they stuck to the plan and Wickland did as Vann anticipated, acting true to form, they’d have the pack free in no time.
    As the cityscape turned from high-rises to empty spaces, Vann’s uneasiness grew. He pushed intrusive thoughts of failure away—he had to remain positive.
    “You’ll make this work, Sir. I know you will.”
    “With you beside me, how can I fail?”
    A glow of security blanketed Vann, and he sent loving thoughts to Kip, keeping back maudlin ones that he couldn’t entertain right now. Like if things went wrong and Vann was killed, he’d wait for Kip in Heaven, counting the days until they could be together again.
    “You didn’t quite hide that thought, Sir.”
    Vann cursed himself.
    “But I feel the same way.” Kip patted Vann’s leg. “I’ll wait for you too.”
    There was no more time to reply. The cabs came to a stop