Chapter 9
Spencer
It was time to take our surveillance to the next level. Bear had done some good recon during his brief visits to her apartment, but I wanted eyes there permanently—a silent guardian, always watching.
Someone was following Flora. I needed to check on her regularly, otherwise I was going to lose my mind, panicking about all the bad things that could happen to her. It was highly doubtful that whoever was following her had innocent intentions, and I couldn’t stand by and do nothing.
Sneaking into a single omega’s apartment and planting a camera was beyond ethically and morally corrupt, but I simply didn’t care.
Bear was tied up in knots about Flora, and I was very much feeling the same way.
So, whatever was needed to figure out who was following her—and why—I was going to do it.
I parked close to her building, but not so close that anyone would notice me, and grabbed several cases from my trunk. My job meant that surveillance equipment was always available. All I had to do was ask Chase and he handed me boxes of everything I could need.
Flora stuck to a routine, so I knew I had nearly two hours before she came home. In a way, she was a stalker’s dream because she was so locked into her habits. It was useful to me, but I worried it was also useful to anyone with nefarious motives.
Walking up to her floor at an inconspicuous speed—not too fast and not too slow—no one paid attention to me. I was an expert at blending in, even in situations where I probably shouldn’t have. Then again, I’d opted to wear a university sweatshirt and a pair of jeans for this outing.
The sweatshirt made me itch, but it was all for the job.
The job that we weren’t getting paid for.
For years, we had done this job because it made us good money… only this time, there was something else driving us entirely.
Using the cloned key we’d made after Bear’s last visit, I opened the door and wandered in, taking a second to pause and inhale that delicious, floral, sweet honey scent I was becoming addicted to.
I only allowed myself a moment, though. Leaving everything untouched, I did my best to commit every detail of her space to memory. The fruit-shaped items that were dotted around the place, the paperwork stacked in what felt like every corner, along with endless textbooks.
A half-eaten yogurt sat on her desk, making me pause. Was she eating enough? She was pale and tiny. It took only three steps to head over to her little kitchenette area. When I opened the fridge door, I was sorely disappointed by what I saw.
Leftover takeout food. Out-of-date yogurts and two microwave meals.
There wasn’t a single fresh produce item in sight.
How was she surviving? Flora needed a keeper.
If she were mine, she would eat three square meals a day, containing all the food groups.
Fresh fruit and vegetables would be nonnegotiable.
Unfortunately, there was nothing I could do about it right then and there; that would have to be a problem for another day. I had a limited amount of time to get the cameras installed, but that didn’t stop my irritation at the contents of her fridge as I got to work.
After placing the boxes on the floor, I opened them and started rummaging through my supplies. There were several acceptable places to hide cameras and microphones in a small apartment like hers. The vents were always a good choice.
Maybe it was creepy to hide cameras in her apartment—it was a violation, for sure—but we were professionals. We could watch over her and keep her safe. That was it. What she never knew wouldn’t, and couldn’t, hurt her.
I took a few laps around the apartment, assessing where the best placements would be. Because the apartment was tiny, only a few areas could successfully conceal a camera.
After mentally settling on a few choice locations, I walked over to the small vent on the wall that pointed almost directly at her nest. It was minuscule, and all it took was four tiny screws to keep it on the wall. Luckily, I’d brought tools, so within a few seconds I was tugging it off the wall.
When I pulled the vent away, I expected to find dust bunnies.
Vents were one of those places filth gathered and no one cleaned regularly.
I had seen some disgusting vents over the years.
Once, while working in Seattle, I had to climb through a vent that was so dusty I resembled a fluffy bunny upon exiting.
Flora’s vent wasn’t dirty, though.
It was immaculate.
Why became obvious as soon as I pulled the cover away.
A camera was already located in the vent. Similar to the one I was about to place.
There was no doubt about what the device was. I knew a hidden camera when I saw one. I was in the omega’s apartment to install several of them myself.
So why the fuck was one already in there?
Glowering at the camera, I picked up my phone and quickly took a photo, then shot a text to our group chat.
Spencer:
There’s already a hidden camera at her apartment.
No sooner had I pressed send than my phone started blowing up with messages from my pack mates.
Bear:
What the fuck do you mean there’s a hidden camera there?
Spencer:
Exactly what I fucking said.
Chase:
Well, given the photo you sent, whoever has access to the camera has already seen you, so you’d better get rid of it.
I didn’t care that someone had potentially seen me; maybe the sick fuck on the other end of the camera would take my presence as a warning. They needed to know that Flora had people watching out for her.
Armed people.
Bear:
What is that camera pointing at?
I took a deep breath, knowing the words I was about to say would infuriate him. I turned my head, following the camera's trajectory. The lenses, predictably, were directed at the pile of fruit pillows that made up Flora’s nest.
Spencer:
It’s pointed right at her nest.
Chase:
Bring the camera to me. I want to see if I can track who bought it.
If anyone could figure out where the camera came from, it was Chase.
Spencer:
Can you retrieve the footage from it?
Chase:
Potentially. If there’s a memory card, then definitely. If it’s broadcasting, it may be a bit more difficult.
Bear:
I don’t want her to stay there. How many more cameras are there?
Spencer:
I don’t know. This is the first one I found, but I’ll give the place a thorough check before I install our cameras.
Bear:
Chase, you better figure out who set up those cameras, because I’m going to make their death slow and painful.
I stared at the phone screen for a moment. Bear wasn’t usually the type to make death threats, but his behavior around this omega hadn’t exactly been normal for him.
Then again, none of us were acting normally when it came to Flora. She had stumbled into our path, and there was no changing our desire to keep her safe. We would protect her, whether she liked it or not.
We would also get immense pleasure out of hurting whoever was following her, because Flora was ours.
Clearly, Flora needed a keeper, and she had three alphas who were happy to take on that job.