Barking interrupts whatever Raynard is about to say, and Balthazar explodes into motion.
“Hey, baby,” I croon, gasping as he jumps up to see me better. “Did you try to protect me?”
Gareth chuckles as he comes to a stop, trying to get Balthazar to calm down.
“She’s coming home with us, buddy,” he says. “We have some things to take care of first. If you’re good, you can come with us.”
Balthazar gives another very loud bark before he settles down, his baleful eyes still watching me.
“How do you feel about burgers?” Raynard continues, glancing carefully at the dog. “Does Minneapolis have anything decent around here?”
Aled nods as we begin to move toward the stairwell next and I stiffen in fear.
“What is it?” Gareth asks.
“I hate tiny stairwells,” I sigh. “It’s fine, I’ll suck it up.”
“I’ve been down this one, and it’s not small,” he promises.
There’s sympathy in Raynard’s gaze as he opens the door and peers out.
“It’s good,” Raynard adds. “We’ll hurry down. We don’t want to get caught in the elevator by the cops.”
Nodding, I take a breath and squeeze my eyes shut as Gareth bursts into motion. Holding me tightly, he jogs down the stairs, and Aled joins the conversation to distract me.
“There’s a place down the road that has a drive-thru. They have burgers and milkshakes,” he says.
I can hear the click of Balthy’s nails as he moves down the stairs beside me, and I focus on that.
“I love milkshakes,” I mumble, forcing myself to breathe in Gareth’s scent to keep me centered. Ugh, I really fucking hate the way stairwells smell too.
It doesn’t matter how new, they smell musty. It brings too many memories of sleeping in them with Cerenity when she was little. No wonder she needs order in her life. Fuck.
“Do you have a favorite kind?” Maddox asks, making me open my eyes.
My lips press together to hide my smile as I realize they’re all trying to distract me now.
“I love an Oreo milkshake, but sometimes a peanut butter paradise will hit the spot too,” I murmur. My arms wrap tighter around Gareth’s neck as I’m jostled by his steps, and the stairwell echoes with the sounds of so many people moving. “My daughter and I have a lot of great memories surrounding milkshakes.”
“You boys really fucked the pooch here, didn’t you?” Reynard whistles softly. “Not for nothing, but you have people who miss you, right, Olivia?”
“I do,” I say, sighing as we escape the stairwell into a back alley.
“Our car is this way,” Gareth says.
“Send me the address,” Reynard says. “And feed your omega!”
Reynard mutters to himself as his men follow behind him, and Dylan is beginning to show signs of waking up.
“I saw,” Maddox murmurs. “They’ll take care of Dad. Reynard is worried about the family now that you’re safe. It’s just his way.”
“Cian won’t start a war in my name unless he has a reason,” I say. “I may need to go see my family soon. A call isn’t going to cut it.”
The alphas around me growl in complaint, while Gareth rolls his eyes as we reach the car. Unlocking the trunk with the key fob, he whistles for Balthy to jump in. Shaking his head, the dog refuses as he whines, watching me.
“Do you need snuggles too?” I chuckle. Balthy barks, making Gareth groan as he climbs into the trunk with me. The dog effortlessly jumps in with us, laying his head on my stomach.
“Looks like you’re sharing custody of your dog,” Aled smirks, shutting the door.
