7. Easton

Chapter seven

Easton

" S o the cardinal rule of being picked up is NOT to leave the area until you've actually been picked up," Samuel says as he slides into the passenger side of my car.

It's not like I'm difficult for him to find. My phone has a GPS tracker on it. My brothers are part of the precious few who have access to that information.

"I couldn't stay there. I had to follow her."

He sighs. "You HAD to follow her? You could just pick up the phone and get her information?"

"She's my fucking mate, goddammit."

He sputters. I don't look his way. I know what he's thinking. I get out of the car before he can say anything else and head over to her building. She lives in one of those complexes where every building looks the same. Fortunately, there's only eight units in a building. It doesn't take me long to hone in on her scent.

Samuel catches up to me and hisses, "Easton, look, I know things are hard with losing dad and all the business crap, but this is the worst fucking time to be chasing a girl. You're the Alpha now."

"I know that, Samuel. I'm not chasing a girl. I'm pursuing my mate," I tell him, looking around. I don't see anyone. Everyone's probably inside, getting ready for dinner. The sun is setting and it'll be really chilly soon. In all my years living on the wrong side of the law, I've learned a lot about getting into places I shouldn't be. One thing I know for sure–two well-dressed men can wander where they want. I move around the back and find her patio. A small waist-high fence closes it in. Beyond it, a sliding glass door is locked and even barred, blinds tightly closed to the outside world.

Thank the Gods my mate has some sense of self-preservation. I test the door–just to make sure, but it doesn't budge.

"Why would she leave it unlocked?" Sammuel hisses in annoyance.

"People forget all the time. You'd be surprised how many times I've gotten into a place because someone forgot to lock it up." I check the window to the right of the door. It's locked tight.

"You're not seriously going to break in?" I meet his eyes and he groans. "Breaking and entering isn't a great first impression."

"She's not going to know." At least I hope she won't. I have no choice in the matter. The feeling of urgency, of desperation to get to her is too strong now that I'm so close. I have to lay eyes on her.

"How is she not going to know that a grown man is in her tiny apartment?"

I breathe in deeply, pause, and then exhale before turning to the large window to the left of the door. "Because…she's asleep."

"You can smell that she's asleep?" he asks, incredulously.

"No. This window is open and I can hear snoring."

Samuel watches with arms crossed as I remove the screen and slowly lift the window the rest of the way. "Are you coming or staying out here?"

He sighs and follows me in, ducking through the window. The room we enter is small. A bed pushed up against the corner. A crib sits next to it.

"She has a fucking kid? Absolutely not. I'm not…"

I grab his arm. "She doesn't have a kid yet. She's pregnant."

"And what about the dad?"

"What about him?"

"You're going to take some man's wife?"

I shake my head. "Does it look like a man lives here? Does it smell like it?"

There's the slightest hint of it in the air, but wherever the male is, he is long gone. Slowly, I open the door and head into the hall. Lights and the TV are all on. Somehow, my mate manages to snore above it all. Samuel reluctantly follows me into the main room, where she's asleep on an ancient recliner. A cat sleeps alongside her. It stands and stretches as we come in, then silently drops to the floor. It immediately goes for Samuel, rubbing its body against his leg until he picks it up.

"So, this is your mate? She's not a wolf." Samuel says, sounding unimpressed. "You always gotta pick the tough ones, huh?"

"I don't pick."

"Fine, your cock always picks the tough ones."

I give him a look and turn back to the woman in the chair.

"Do you know her name at least?" he whispers.

"Emily."

"So, what are you going to do now? Wait till she wakes up and calls the cops on us? She'll surely fall into your bed after that."

Emily suddenly makes a loud noise, then sighs. "Cheesecake…I need one slice of cheesecake," she mutters aloud. Samuel and I stand stock-still. The cat lets out a low MEOWRRR. Samuel runs a hand over its head, scratching behind its ears as I hold my breath, waiting for her to return to sleep. She rolls over onto her side as far as she can in the recliner and soon a softer snore is filling the room once again.

"We need to leave."

"I don't think I–"

Samuel sets the cat down and crosses his arms. "I don't care, Alpha. You're not going to have any kind of mate if she puts a restraining order on you. Unless you like the women you have to hide in the basement?"

I can't help but roll my eyes. "You're being overdramatic."

Emily makes a noise again and begins to order crab rangoon in her sleep.

"It's time to go," Samuel repeats.

I adjust the blankets to cover her entirely, then turn off the lights and TV before following Samuel back the way we came.

"I don't like that her window is so easily accessible," I tell him.

"I've already got someone on it. They'll have 24/7 surveillance on her."

"I thought you said this was a bad idea," I say as he opens his car door.

"It is, but we're not getting played again by some chick hoping to get in without a prenup. You're the Alpha now, not just a future one. We have to protect what is ours."

Like I have to be reminded of my past fuck ups with "mates." I'm tempted to tell him this is different. But what the fuck do I know? This could easily be like the last time–another scheme devised by a woman who needs something from me that only money can buy and is willing to do anything to get it. I turn back to look at the apartment as Samuel drives off.

I don't know if this is a repeat of the last time. Maybe this is just a trick. But real or not, I'm not in control. I wait in the parking lot until one of my men shows up, then call my tech guy to get him started on installing cameras in and around her home. I may not be able to stand outside her apartment all hours of the day, but I sure as hell can keep an eye on her 24/7.