I grabbed the packed bag and slid it onto my back then grabbed Tommy's hand and pulled him into the nanny's room. My windows had bars on them. Tommy's windows had bars on them. I was hoping the nanny's windows did not. She was sleeping with my father after all.
No such luck. Her windows had bars on them, as well.
I wanted to bang my head against the wall in frustration, but we didn't have time. I went to the door leading out of the nanny's room and sniffed at the door crack. My sense of smell was pretty good. I hoped it was good enough to tell me if anyone was around.
I could smell the lingering scents of the nanny and my father as well as Roger and one of the guards, but they were faint. I cracked the door open just enough to see out into the hallway. It seemed empty, but someone could come up the stairs at any moment.
I grabbed Tommy's hand and pulled him out of the nanny's room before carefully shutting the door behind us. Instead of going down the stairs, I headed toward the rooms on the other wing of the house.
My goal was my father's suite of rooms. He had a balcony off his bedroom. It was better than a window. I knew going into my father's room was a gamble. While his sense of smell wasn't as good as mine, he would still be able to smell me and Tommy in his rooms. Hopefully, we would be long gone before he came upstairs.
I hurried Tommy into the suite then over to the balcony doors. This was the tricky part. I opened the door then glanced at Tommy, holding my finger up to my lips once again.
Tommy nodded and held his own finger up to his lips.
I turned and opened the doors then decided to leave them open. Maybe the fresh air would help dissipate any lingering scent from me and Tommy. I hurried over to the railing and crouched down next to it, peeking over the edge for the guards who patrolled the grounds.
I knew their schedule by heart. I'd watched them out my window often enough. Four guards patrolled the grounds at all times. Two in front and two in the back. They rotated around the sides of the houses. I just had to wait until they were all on the sides of the house before moving.
Once the coast was clear, I swung my legs over the railing. I lifted Tommy up into my arms then pressed his face into my neck. "Close your eyes, baby."
I prayed the fall wouldn't kill us.
I closed my eyes, hugging Tommy tight to me for a moment before opening them and pushing off the railing. We landed hard. I dropped to my knees, barely keeping my hold on Tommy.
I didn't have time to stop or to worry about the pain in my ankle. We had mere moments to escape. Hugging Tommy to me again, I jumped up and sprinted across the yard to the tree line beyond. As soon as I passed the first set of trees, I dropped down to the ground.
"Don't move, Tommy," I whispered.
We needed one more pass of the guards before we could take off into the woods. To do so now could alert them to our presence, making this mad dash to freedom end before it even began.
I watched as two of the guards walked back around the edge of the house. I ground my teeth together when they stopped to talk when they met up. Every second we lay there meant another second we didn't have to get away, especially considering I had no idea where my father had gone and when he'd be back. I wanted to be long gone before then.
When the men started patrolling again, I waited until they each went around the sides of the house then jumped up and hurried deeper into the woods. We had a ways to go before we were out of my father's territory.
It was going to be a very long night.
Chapter Three
"You maybe want to explain that statement, Stalker?" Sinclair asked.
I clenched my hands. "Joseph Langston is my mate."
"Does he know this?" Stone asked. "The man is getting married soon."
"We met once, a few years ago. He was married at the time, and his wife was pregnant with their son. We knew we were mates, but he couldn't leave his wife, not when she was carrying his son. I understood that, even respected it, so I agreed to let him go, but…"
"It's not that easy, is it?" Stone asked. The man should know how hard it was. He'd put off claiming his mate for over five years. It wasn't until someone tried to kill Sinclair that he got his head out of his ass and claimed him.
I shook my head. "I agreed to give him up, but I couldn't desert him. No matter what, he's still my mate."
"Let me guess, you've been stalking him?" Sinclair asked.
I felt my face flush with heat as I nodded. "I've never approached him after that initial meeting, and I'm kind of surprised they spotted me, but yeah, I've been watching him."
What else was I supposed to do? The man was my mate.
"He's getting married?" I didn't want to acknowledge how much those words hurt. For some stupid reason, I had assumed my mate would seek me out if he ever found himself single again. I never dreamed he'd find someone else to marry.
