Amy gave a wolfish smile. “Fortunately, others agree, and that can be arranged.”
Given what a blight the Platt Mine had been for over a century, Scott couldn’t find it in his heart to quibble about the legality of Amy’s plan.
“That’s all well and good, but it hinges on stopping Santoro,” Justin pointed out. “I really don’t like the idea of using Scott as bait.”
“Understandable,” Amy said, but his reluctance didn’t seem to bother her. “We have something in mind.”
“Lay it out,” Scott replied, not looking at Justin, although he kept hold of his hand beneath the table.
“We need a controlled environment,” Amy said. “Too many variables outdoors, and buildings with windows are vulnerable to a sniper rifle and a good scope. But a friend of mine has a warehouse that’s mostly empty right now, and he’s willing to help me out. Controlled access, no windows. I’ll layer protective spells on the inside of the building, in addition to the ones directly on Scott.”
“No other magic will work inside, except mine,” she went on. “And the magic will disable any type of firearm. Santoro can’t walk in and take a shot, and neither can his witch.”
“Ideally, he confronts Scott and realizes that he can’t kill him,” Becca picked up the thread. “I’ll be there, along with Becca and the sheriff, who will have seen and heard the whole thing. We’ll have Santoro dead to rights. Scott will be safe, and the threat will be over for good.”
Scott looked to Justin. “Do you have a feeling about the outcome?”
Justin closed his eyes and paused for a moment. “Not completely. But I have a sense that there’s a high likelihood it will turn out okay.”
The look on Scott’s face made it clear that answer wasn’t what he wanted to hear, but they both knew that hoping for a guarantee was futile.
Scott met his gaze. “I want to do this,” he said with quiet earnestness. “Please support me. We can stop Santoro from killing more people and close the mine down forever.”
“I don’t want to lose you,” Justin spoke his truth.
Scott nodded. “I don’t want to lose you, either. And I want to live a nice,longlife with you. We’ll take all the precautions.But since Santoro is fixated on me, I’m the only one who can take him down. If we don’t, he’ll just go on to hurt other people somewhere else.”
Scott guessed that Justin had a million arguments why it was a bad idea. But he felt responsible for cleaning up the mess and wanted his own vengeance for the deaths of Mike and Bill in the plane crash. Amy’s plan seemed solid, although it required Justin to trust in magic and woo-woo far more than he was usually comfortable.
“On one condition,” Justin said. “I’m with you in the warehouse. Just in case.”
Scott opened his mouth as if to protest and shut it again. “That’s fair,” he said.
“We can make that work,” Amy said.
“How long to pull this together?” Scott asked. “Because honestly, my nerves won’t last forever.”
Amy chuckled. “If you think you’re nervous, I’d lay bets Santoro is even more skittish. He’s got to know that the top honchos aren’t happy, the mine project is collapsing, and the sheriff has two of his hitmen in custody. He needs to turn this around to save his skin, so he’s going to want to make a move soon. We’ll juststeerthings in the right direction. Give me a day. I’ll keep you in the loop.”
Scott and Justin put on the protective amulets. Scott felt a buzz of energy, which he hoped meant the magic was working. Amy brought them to a warded circle and spoke words of power over them, placing more spells to keep them safe.
Scott could sense Justin’s tension and knew his boyfriend could pick up on his own uneasiness. He also read Justin’s determination to see the effort through to the end, his protectiveness of Scott and the town, and his love, especially knowing how much Scott disliked the idea of looking for danger.He tried to send love and reassurance. The warmth that flowed back to him confirmed the message was received.
“I’ll assign the ghost bodyguards right before the showdown,” Becca said. “Believe me, we have a very willing host of spirits. You’ll be well-protected.”
“What now?” Scott asked.
“Go home, plan to take a couple of days off, and lie low until we pull the details together,” Amy said. “I’ll take care of the rest. Then we can all breathe easier.”
Scott and Justin thanked the three women as well as Brent and Travis. The drive home was quiet, and Scott figured they were both deep in thought over the plans.
“Talk to me,” Scott said when they were home and safe behind locked doors.
Justin started to pace. “I wish there were another option. I don’t like putting you in danger. But I agree, I don’t see another way. We can’t leave Santoro and his witch out there. He’ll just try again, and sooner or later he’s likely to succeed. We have to stop him. But I fucking wish it was different.”
Scott waited him out, watching as he paced without trying to intervene. “I’m with you. I really am. I’m not trying to be a hero or a martyr. I just want the problem to go away. Santoro has slipped the net before. If we don’t stop him, he’ll hurt other people. This looks like our best chance to get rid of a dangerous criminal and protect ourselves at the same time.” Scott could sense how torn Justin was and wondered how strong their connection would be once they completed their mating.
Yes. We should claim him now.His coyote had strong opinions.
