Chapter One #3
That didn’t mean he wouldn’t hurt Peter.
Hell, he already had, and Peter could feel it every time he moved.
It really was time for him to leave. He didn’t think he would survive the next beating.
Lou had even stopped apologizing like he did earlier in their relationship when he hurt him.
He’d always mentioned that he hadn’t meant to do it and that, really, it was Peter’s fault for making him angry.
Peter had known it was bullshit, but he’d been too afraid to stand up to Lou because he’d known he would get hurt even worse if he did.
But Lou was nowhere to be seen when Peter left the building.
Peter made his way to his car, looking around and expecting Lou to jump out from behind a car, but he didn’t.
Peter was able to unlock his car and slide into it, then lock the doors again.
He felt a little safer once he was inside, and he allowed himself to breathe.
He couldn’t waste time, though, and he didn’t want to breathe too deeply because it hurt, so he turned on his car after putting on his seatbelt and slowly drove away from his apartment building.
He wasn’t sure he’d see it again. He was leaving most of his stuff there, and he wanted it back, but Lou had a key.
There was no doubt that he’d come around tomorrow morning, and he’d be pissed when he didn’t find Peter waiting for him.
He might destroy everything Peter owned, and Peter’s heart squeezed at the thought, but what choice did he have?
He couldn’t stay, and he didn’t have enough time to pack up his life.
He also didn’t have the strength to do it, not when every movement hurt.
He wanted to cry at the unfairness of it all, and even though he told himself not to do it, he could feel his eyes were warm and prickly.
The first tears fell as he left the city, and they continued falling as he drove toward Rosewood.
By the time he got there and stopped the car to talk to the guards at the edge of pack territory, he felt drained.
He didn’t have any more tears in him. The only thing he had was pain, and he was pretty sure that he alarmed the guard when she leaned closer to the window as he opened it to peek inside the car.
“Peter, right?” she asked.
Peter nodded, then winced because even that hurt. “Yeah, that’s me. Vincent isn’t expecting me, but I don’t think it’s going to be a problem.”
“Of course not. You’re his best friend. I’m sure he’ll welcome you with open arms even if he’s not expecting you.”
She didn’t say that anyone would probably do that, considering the state Peter was in, but she didn’t have to. There was a crease in her forehead, and she was visibly worried. Peter could only imagine what he looked like now. He’d cried for almost the entire drive, and his face hurt.
“You go ahead,” the guard said as she took a step back. “I’ll let the alpha know that you’re here.”
Peter hadn’t thought about that. “Will he want to talk to me?”
“Eventually, sure, but not tonight. You just worry about getting to Vincent’s house and getting some rest, okay?” She hesitated. “Although maybe you’ll want to see the alpha mate. He could help with the pain.”
Because Toby was a unicorn shifter. It was tempting, but Peter didn’t want to bother him. It was bad enough that he would bother Vincent and Ronan. “Thanks for the tip,” he said, not smiling because he was pretty sure that would hurt, too. “I’ll talk to him tomorrow.”
Something told him that the guard wasn’t going to wait until tomorrow to warn Camden that Peter was here, but Peter couldn’t find it in himself to care right now.
As soon as she waved him forward, he drove into pack territory, straight to Vincent’s new house.
He was relieved to see that the light was on in the living room when he parked in front of it, but when he turned off his car, he didn’t get out.
He felt like he was going to start crying again.
He really hoped that would stop now that he wasn’t with Lou anymore, but he suspected it would take some time.
He might not be with his boyfriend—ex-boyfriend at this point—but that didn’t mean he wasn’t afraid.
It didn’t mean that Lou wasn’t going to find a way to start trouble.
The front door opened. Peter blinked at the man silhouetted there.
He could tell it wasn’t Ronan, which meant it could only be Vincent.
Suddenly, Peter didn’t want to be alone.
He didn’t want to be in his car anymore.
He wanted his best friend, and he sobbed as he slid out of the car and almost fell on his face.
Vincent made an alarmed sound and rushed forward, and then he was there, wrapping his arms around Peter and holding him close as Peter cried.
Peter had thought he didn’t have any more tears left in him, but he’d been wrong. He still had plenty of them left, and he cried all of them on Vincent’s shoulder.
* * * *
THE PHONE RINGING CAUSED Braden to jerk up in his bed. He blinked, trying to understand what time it was and who was calling him. The room was still dark, and he didn’t feel like he’d slept for long.
He reached for the phone on his nightstand and groaned when he saw that he’d only been asleep for an hour, if even that. “This had better be important,” he said with a growl when he answered. He didn’t even look at who it was. Right now, he didn’t care.
“Braden?” Remi said. “We have a situation here.”
That was enough for all sleepiness to leave Braden. “What kind of situation?” he asked, kicking the blankets away so he could get out of bed. The air was cool, and he shivered, but that didn’t stop him.
“I’m fine,” Remi quickly reassured him. “So is Pembroke.”
“But someone isn’t fine. You wouldn’t be calling otherwise.” Especially after complaining that Braden wasn’t sleeping enough.
“It’s for a pack member. Well, he’s not a pack member, but he’s close to some of them, and I’m sure he’s going to become one soon enough. Camden certainly feels about him as if he was already one.”
“What happened to him?” Braden didn’t care whether the man was or wasn’t a pack member. He just cared that someone was in trouble and that if Remi was calling him, he thought that Braden could help.
“I don’t have any details yet. I just got off a phone call with Camden, who was told by his guards that Peter entered pack territory earlier. From what the guard said, he’s been beaten up pretty badly. He headed to Vincent’s, who’s his best friend.”
“I remember Peter. I met him earlier today, during the move.” Or had it been yesterday? Braden still wasn’t sure how late it was, but he’d gone to bed at almost midnight.
Braden had helped Vincent move. He’d been asked to, and he hadn’t seen a reason not to do it, even though he didn’t know Vincent and Ronan.
He knew something about Ronan’s history, though, and he’d been glad to see that the pack had welcomed him and his mate.
It had been bittersweet for him, especially when it came to Peter.
Braden had tried to talk to him, but the man had kept him at arm’s length.
Braden had thought he just didn’t want to talk to him, but maybe there had been another reason.
What had happened to Peter after he’d left pack territory?
Who had hurt him? Braden wished he’d stayed behind, especially since he was planning on going back today, anyway, but he’d needed some documents he’d left at home, which was why he’d made the drive back.
He regretted it. If he’d stayed like he should have, he’d be closer and would be able to help already.
“What do you need from me?”
“You’re coming today anyway. Would you mind coming right away? I know you haven’t gotten much sleep, but I would feel better if both of us were here to keep an eye on Peter.”
“I can do that for sure, but doesn’t the pack have enough guards to protect the pack?”
“They do. They’re not used to dealing with this kind of mess, though. I don’t know what happened to Peter, but from a few things I’ve heard, I suspect that he’s running from his partner.”
Braden’s blood turned cold. It wasn’t the same as what had happened to him and his sister, but it was similar enough.
Just like back then, Braden felt the need to step in and protect, and if Remi was calling to ask him to do just that, it meant that he trusted Braden and that he thought that Peter’s abusive partner was going to find him.
Hell, it wouldn’t be hard if he knew about Vincent, and since Peter was Vincent’s best friend, he had to.
Braden liked this less and less the more he heard about it. “I’ll come,” he said. He turned toward his closet, ready to pack a bag. “I’ll bring enough stuff to be able to stay for a while.”
“What about work?”
“You know as well as I do that I don’t have to be here for things to run smoothly. Besides, I was thinking about staying for a little while, anyway.”
“I thought you’d stay for a few days, maybe a week if I managed to convince you. This might be longer.”
“And if it is, we’ll find a way to deal with it.
This is why we created the agency, Remi.
It was to protect people like Peter. I’m not taking a step back just because it’s going to make my life a little more complicated.
” God knew that Peter’s life was more complicated.
Next to it, Braden’s was like a stroll in the park.
He wanted Peter to have that. He wanted him to be able to go to sleep at night without being afraid his partner was going to find him.
He wanted Peter to feel protected, and the only way to make that happen was to be there with him.
“I’m guessing that Peter’s with Vincent right now?” he asked as he started shoving stuff in his bag.
“He is. I think Camden plans on talking to him in the morning just to confirm what happened to him and to tell him that he’s welcome to stay for as long as he wants. We don’t know anything for sure, so we might be wrong. Maybe what happened has nothing to do with his partner.”
“But you think it does.”
“I’ve heard a few things from Vincent. He didn’t go into details, obviously, but it’s enough to worry me.”
“Do we know anything about the partner?”
“Not yet, but we’ll find out what we need to know.” There was a threat in Remi’s voice, and Braden was glad for that. He doubted that Peter was going to pay them for protection, but he didn’t need to. Remi and Braden would protect him, no matter what.
But Remi had Pembroke to think about now. He couldn’t focus on Peter, especially not when Pembroke was around. No, that was why he’d called Braden, and Braden was more than happy to help.
“I’ll be there as soon as possible,” he promised.
“I know,” Remi said, sounding relieved. “I’ll let Camden know so he can warn the guards. They won’t give you any trouble.”
“And Peter’s safe right now?”
“He’s with Vincent and Ronan. I wouldn’t worry too much about him.”
“You wouldn’t have called me if you weren’t worrying about him.”
“I don’t think his partner is going to come after him tonight. That doesn’t mean he’s not going to come after him at all, and that’s when we’re going to need you.”
“I’ll be there.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow, then. Be careful on the road, and stop if you’re too tired. The last thing we need is for you to get into a car accident.”
“I’ll be fine.” Braden couldn’t deny that he was getting older and that some things that had been easy when he was in his twenties now felt impossible, but he wasn’t that old yet, and his body was used to him mistreating it.
He could drive a few hours to pack territory without crashing his car.
He was going to need a nap once he got there, but that was okay.
He’d be there, ready to protect anyone who needed it.
Braden wasn’t sure Peter would be able to sleep tonight, but hopefully, being in pack territory would help him relax. He was safe, at least for now.
Braden and Remi hung up. It didn’t take Braden long to finish packing his bag and change into comfortable clothes.
He was feeling wired, so he knew he wouldn’t fall asleep, but he still got a few energy drinks from his fridge before leaving the house.
He cracked one open as soon as he was in his car, then turned the engine on and backed out of his parking spot.
The next few hours were going to be long, and the rest of the day even longer, but Braden felt settled. Just like he’d helped his sister when they were younger, he was going to help Peter, and by the end of it, Peter was going to be as happy as Penelope was now.