Chapter Four #2
Braden wasn’t a cop, but right now, he wanted nothing more than to go out there, find Lou, and do something about him.
The man needed to be stopped. Unfortunately, he wasn’t sure that going to the police would be a good idea for Peter.
He might have to reveal what he was, and that was something they were trying to avoid.
Most humans were okay with shifters, but some weren’t, and even more so, Peter was a rare shifter.
There were always people fascinated by them, including collectors and people who wanted to use them for their abilities.
Braden knew what had happened to Toby, Camden’s mate.
He never wanted something like that to happen to Peter.
They were going to have to do something about Lou, though.
If he didn’t stop, they’d need to stop him.
Braden wasn’t sure how comfortable he was with that.
He was a protector, and while he understood that Lou was the bad guy, he didn’t feel it was his place to stop him permanently.
He should probably talk to Camden about it.
Considering the number of people who lived here and the stories Braden had heard, he was sure that Camden would find someone to do the job.
“Are you sure you’ll be fine?” he asked. He didn’t want to have this conversation with Remi in front of Peter, but he also didn’t want to leave Peter alone.
“I’m okay,” Peter promised. He picked up his fork and forced himself to smile. “I’ll just finish eating breakfast while you’re on the phone. Hell, if it takes you long enough, I might even clean the kitchen.”
“Or you could put everything in the sink, and I’ll take care of it later.”
“You cooked. I’m pretty sure I can wash dishes.”
Braden wanted to tell Peter that he didn’t need to, but he suspected that Peter needed a distraction. He nodded and got to his feet, Peter’s phone still in his hand. “I’ll read the text again. I’ll delete it as soon as I can.”
Peter nodded. “You can keep the phone. The only person who calls me is Vincent, and he knows where to find me.”
“All right. I’ll be back as soon as possible.”
Peter nodded. Braden leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the top of Peter’s head, then walked out of the kitchen, his mind already on the phone call he was about to make.
His steps faltered when he realized what he’d done. He and Peter didn’t have that kind of relationship. They weren’t intimate enough for Braden to go around kissing Peter. What the hell had he been thinking?
He hadn’t been thinking. That was the problem. For some reason, Braden seemed to lose his mind when Peter was involved. He didn’t know why, and it bothered him. The last thing he wanted was to spook Peter.
Should he go back to apologize? He was pretty sure that would make the situation worse because it would force Peter to think about it.
Maybe they could just both ignore the kiss and go on with their lives.
Braden needed to focus on stopping Lou. And Peter, well, he’d have a life to rebuild once he was safe.
He didn’t need Braden to mess it up. He also didn’t need Braden to make the situation more uncomfortable.
They were sharing a house, and even though it was big, they still spent a lot of time together.
Braden didn’t want Peter to feel like he needed to stay in his bedroom and avoid him.
He didn’t want to make Peter uncomfortable.
He groaned as he walked into his office. He needed to stop thinking with his heart and start thinking with his brain.
He dropped into his chair and put down Peter’s phone.
It was still unlocked, so he quickly went into the settings to keep it that way for now.
He wasn’t sure what Remi would need from it, but he had no doubt that his friend would want to put the hackers working for their agency to work.
Braden had no idea how that worked, but it wasn’t his area of the business.
He took out his phone, too, and called Remi. It took him a few rings to answer, which wasn’t a surprise these days. He was often distracted by Pembroke. Braden didn’t blame him. He was incredibly distracted by Peter, and they weren’t even together, let alone mates.
He hummed. That had to be nice, though. What would it be like to have Peter as his mate? Braden would be able to always protect him and make sure he was happy. That was a nice thought.
“Braden?” Remi answered. His tone was urgent, which made Braden wonder.
“Has something happened?” Braden asked.
“It has, but since you don’t seem to know, it means you have another reason to call me. What happened?”
“Lou texted Peter. Nothing bad, just a reminder that he knows where Peter is, which we were already aware of.”
“He was trying to scare him.”
“Definitely. Now, what happened on your side?” Braden really hoped it was something they could take care of without scaring Peter. Considering Lou was involved, though, he wouldn’t be too sure about that.
“Lou tried to get into pack territory.”
Braden closed his eyes. Of course the man had. “How?”
“He tried to be casual about it and follow a truck that crossed the gates. I don’t know if he didn’t expect the guards to stop him or if he hoped they’d think that he and the people in the truck were together, but he failed. As soon as the guards moved toward him, he reversed the car fast enough.”
“He’s not going to stop trying,” Braden said.
“I don’t expect him to. He attempted to do it the easy way, but he’s going to get sneakier.” Remi sighed. “I really hate that guy.”
“That makes two of us.”
“Only two?”
“Actually, I’m pretty sure that Peter, Vincent, and a bunch of other people also hate him.
” Braden definitely did, though. He hated Lou for having hurt Peter and for scaring him even now that Peter had left him.
The man was a coward. He hadn’t deserved for Peter to even look at him a second time, let alone date him.
But Peter wasn’t dating him anymore. He wasn’t dating anyone. He was in this house, safe, and Braden would make sure things remained that way.
It wasn’t going to be easy. Lou wasn’t going to give up.
Braden would be surprised if he wasn’t still in the area, trying to find a way into pack territory.
Now, he knew for sure he wouldn’t be getting in through the front gate.
It might take him a little while, considering how wide pack territory was, but Braden was sure he’d find another way in, and he wouldn’t fail a second time.
Lou had set his eyes on Peter, and he wasn’t letting him go easily.
Part of Braden was glad because it meant he’d have a chance to confront the man, but another part wanted Peter to live in peace, and that wouldn’t happen for as long as Lou was still around.
* * * *
WHEN brADEN DIDN’T come back right away from his phone call, Peter got curious. He’d been staring at his food without eating, and he needed a distraction. He’d told Braden he would wash the dishes, but he was more curious about what Remi had to say about things.
Even though Braden and Remi had built the agency together, it was clear to Peter that a lot of the time, Braden let Remi take the lead. Peter wasn’t sure why. It might be because Remi had more experience, or for an entirely different reason, but he wanted to know what Remi thought of Peter’s text.
He left the kitchen. He knew he would find Braden in his office, so he headed that way. He was surprised to see the door was open, but not surprised to hear Braden’s voice.
“How long do you think he’s going to wait to try again?” Braden asked.
Peter couldn’t hear Remi’s answer, but it was an odd sentence. Why would Lou wait to text Peter again? He had to know how terrified Peter was, so why wouldn’t he want to take advantage of that?
“Has Camden organized more patrols?” Braden asked. “Because I don’t want him to find a way in with no warning.”
Peter frowned and stepped into the office. Braden’s eyes widened when he saw him, and he put down his phone.
“Has something more than the text happened?” Peter asked.
He could hear Remi’s tiny voice on the phone, but he didn’t care about what the man had to say anymore. He only cared about Braden answering him.
“Wait one second,” Braden said before raising his phone again. “Hey, Remi, I have to go talk to Peter. Keep me updated.”
He hung up without giving Remi the time to answer. The phone started ringing almost instantly after, but Braden ignored it. “I’m really sorry,” he said as he got up from his chair. “Lou tried to drive into pack territory.”
Peter sucked in a breath. It wasn’t a surprise, far from it. “He failed, though, right?”
“This time. Do you think he’s going to stop, though?”
“Definitely not.” Peter’s heart raced. “If I know him, he’s just circling around, trying to find another way in. He’s lost his patience. He’s coming for me, whether I’m ready or not.”
And Peter definitely wasn’t ready. His chest felt tight, and he might be about to throw up. Either that or he would faint. He wasn’t quite sure which way his body was going to go.
He tried to breathe, but he couldn’t. Maybe he was having a heart attack? It certainly felt like it considering how quickly his heart was beating.
He turned around and barged out of the office.
He wasn’t sure where he was going, but he found himself opening the front door and stepping onto the porch.
The air was cool, and the sensation helped.
He managed to suck in a breath, then a second one, and by the time Braden joined him, he felt a little bit calmer.
Braden hesitated, keeping his distance, but Peter didn’t want him to.
He’d been startled when Braden had kissed the top of his head earlier, but he wanted more of it.
He wasn’t sure he could ask for it without explaining that Braden was his mate, though, and that didn’t feel like a good idea right now.
Braden needed to be focused, but he wouldn’t be once he found out what they were to each other.