Chapter 15 #2
Major closed the door and strode on silent feet down the tile hallway, past the sunken den, and into the kitchen.
He didn’t hear Craig talking, so Major opened one of the cabinets for a tall glass.
He filled it with water from the freezer door, checked the contents of the refrigerator, then walked to the back of the house, looking out over the still, early morning.
The back of the property was surrounded by thick trees, but there were cameras and motion detectors all around the perimeter.
After downing the water, he put the glass in the dishwasher and made his way to the office.
He placed his hand on the biometric scanner, and when the lock clicked, Major let himself in, taking a seat at the large desk.
The security system was monitored remotely by H3, as were all systems in all the safehouses.
Major had no idea how the Trio kept up with everything.
It helped that Nikita’s mate was also a hacker, but it was a lot of work for four beings on top of the jobs they contracted out.
After typing in the code to sync the system to his phone, Major sent a long text to Mateo with a request and an apology for the early hour.
Once he received a thumbs up, Major left the office and returned to the bedroom he commandeered for the duration of their stay.
As tempted as he was to go snuggle Tabitha, Major removed his clothes down to his briefs and climbed into bed.
As with any job, his mind rewound to the events of the day, and what a long fucking day it had been.
He prayed to Zeus that the Trio found Cabretti soon.
When the sun filtered through the blinds, Major pushed back the covers, rolled to his feet, then grabbed clean clothes from his bag and took them to the bathroom.
He hadn’t slept, but being a Gryphon, he didn’t require as much rest as a human.
After a quick shower, Major took his dirty clothes to the hamper in the bedroom closet.
The scent of coffee wafted down the hallway, meaning Tabitha was up because Craig wasn’t going to be assed to make it.
His mate was sitting at the island with a mug in front of her, along with her laptop.
Her smile was glorious when he entered the room.
Major made a beeline to her, and when Tabby twisted on the stool, Major stood between her thighs, grabbed her braid, tilting her head back, and gave her a proper good-morning kiss. She tasted like toothpaste and java.
“Mmm. You taste good,” he said against her lips. Before they got too carried away, Major moved around the bar and poured his own cup. “I texted Mateo earlier, and he’s going to bring what he needs to do a DNA test on Craig. He’s also bringing breakfast and a few groceries.”
“What about his clinic?” Tabby asked. Mateo had taken over the medical clinic in Troy when Rev and Bethany relocated.
“Aria can handle it until he gets back.” Aria was Mateo’s mate and a nurse. “Any word from the Trio?”
“Not yet, but—” Tabitha’s phone rang. “Why’s Perry calling me?” She swiped the screen to answer. “Hello?”
“Tabitha, I hope I’m not calling too early.”
“Nope. What’s up?”
“Where are you?”
Tabitha frowned at the device. “Excuse me?”
“Sorry, that was rude. I only asked because I was hoping you would change your mind about guarding Trista on her new movie.”
“I thought you were supposed to arrange security for her.”
“Yes, I am. I did, but the company recommended by Roman Bane’s manager said they would send someone to meet with her yesterday afternoon.
They didn’t give me any contact information for the woman.
They didn’t seem as organized as your company, and well, I thought if you weren’t busy, you could take over. I know how much Trista trusts you.”
“I appreciate that, but I already have a client. I’m sure the company Roman Bane uses is good.”
“Right, right. Thanks anyway.”
Major’s Gryphon perked up, but before he could voice the male, Craig entered the kitchen looking rough. His hair was sticking up, his clothes were wrinkled, and he had bags under his eyes.
“No problem.” Tabitha disconnected, scowling. “That was weird, right?”
“What was weird?” Craig stumbled over to the coffee pot and stared at it.
Tabitha ignored the question. “Mugs are in the cabinet to your right.”
Major’s phone buzzed with a text. “Mateo’s here.” Taking no chances, he opened the app that showed the camera footage. Seeing his cousin was alone, Major buzzed opened the gate. “My cousin, who’s a doctor, is here to do a DNA swab.”
Craig poured his coffee, mumbling, “Okay.”
Tabitha’s eyes widened at the man’s back, and Major shrugged. Maybe the day had caught up with Craig, and he didn’t get any sleep. Instead of worrying about it, Major went to the front door, opened it, and strode down to meet his cousin. “I owe you one, Buddy.”
Mateo climbed out of his sedan, grinning.
“You owe me about a million,” he joked in his Spanish accent.
As kids, Mateo and Marshall had gone along with whatever crazy schemes Major came up with.
The three had been thick as thieves, and Major considered Mateo his brother, not merely his adopted cousin.
Major pulled him into a bro hug before helping to gather the groceries from the car while Mateo carried his black leather doctor’s bag.
“Aria sends her love. She wanted to come with me, but she had a couple of patients this morning.”
“Sorry for taking you away from the clinic, but this is important.” Major explained the situation as they approached the manor.
“Damn, Hermano. That’s some serious drama, but at least Tabitha’s here with you. I can’t wait to rub it in to Marshall that I got to meet her first.”
Major chuckled. For as laid back as Marshall and Mateo were, they loved to give each other shit.
Not as much shit as they both gave Major, but still.
Major pressed his palm to the scanner, and when the door unlocked, he opened it, allowing Mateo to enter the manor first. Mateo didn’t have time to take in the gorgeous setting since Tabitha was waiting for them.
“Good morning, Mateo. I’ve heard so much about you.”
Mateo’s brown cheeks blushed. “Buenos días, Tabitha. It is a pleasure to meet Major’s mate.”
Major lifted the food bags. “Let’s eat.”
Tabitha led the way to the kitchen, where Craig was still leaning against the counter. “Craig, this is my cousin, Dr. Mateo Lazlo. Mateo, Craig Kilbrook.”
Mateo bade him good morning, but Craig merely lifted his coffee cup in greeting. Major ignored the actor and placed the reusable bags on the island, removing the containers, while Tabitha collected four plates, silverware, and napkins. When Major opened the first container, he frowned. “Uh, Mateo?”
Mateo laughed. “Food would have been cold by the time I got here. It won’t take long to cook.
You can put away the groceries while I do that.
” He bumped Major aside with his hip, then took the ingredients to the counter by the stove.
After finding the necessary pans, he washed his hands.
“I didn’t want to use the few things you requested, so I brought what I needed. ”
“Can we do the DNA swab first?” Craig asked.
Mateo set down the bottle of oil he had just picked up. “Sure.” He opened his medical bag and pulled out the sealed kit. It took less than a minute for him to swab Craig’s cheek and insert it into a plastic vial.
Craig narrowed his eyes. “Is that it?”
“That’s it.” Mateo placed everything in his bag, and Craig shuffled off to his room, closing the door behind him.
“Is he okay?” Mateo asked.
“He probably hasn’t slept much since we’ve only been here a few hours, plus he’s hiding from mercenaries,” Tabitha explained. “Do you need help with breakfast?”
“I’ve got it. You two relax.”
Tabitha took her seat at the island. “Then I’m going to text Trista and ask about her new security detail.”
Major put away the few perishables before standing behind her shoulder.
Not because he was nosy, but he wanted to be close to his mate.
After hitting send, Tabitha leaned back against his chest and picked up her mug.
As Mateo cooked, he regaled Tabitha with tales of them when they were kids.
Major enjoyed hearing her laugh at his antics.
Hell, he laughed at his younger self too.
Tabitha wiped a stray tear. “I need to see you both do the butt wiggle.”
Mateo plated their food and placed it on the counter in front of Tabitha. He then walked over to Major. They both turned their backs and wiggled their asses, causing Tabitha to crack up again. The morning would only have been better if Marshall had been with them.