The visit to his office had taken courage, but he’d done it alone while Arlo and Soren slept. There was no way to shut off his thoughts when they ran wild, so he’d slipped out of the bed and dressed quietly before exiting the bedroom, closing the door on the two sleeping mates.
He’d taken a couple of deep breaths before stepping into where he spent most of his time in his home. It was his sacred space. His haven. He scanned the room, his heart thumpinghard against his ribs as he took in the destruction. Whoever had attempted to tidy up his office had done a reasonable job, except all his things were in the wrong place. Of his computers, some were beyond repair, and he accepted that.
What he didn’t like was how his nose twitched at the lingering scent of ‘the thing’. Smokey, with an underlying scent of death. Taggart eyed the flooring and started moving furniture, he worked slowly, mindful of keeping his thoughts to himself while working to rip up the flooring to rid the room of the smell. Now and then, he listened out as he dismantled anything else tainted with the smell.
He had the flooring outside, along with a mound of computer bits he had drilled to stop anyone getting information off them, placed in the pile of rubbish which had once been furniture inside his home. He didn’t think about the loss of his things, because yesterday had proved his mates were what was most important in his life.
Taggart hesitated at heading off alone to go to his storage unit to get replacements. He went back inside and left a note for Arlo and Soren, so they wouldn’t worry if they woke up and didn’t find him. After everything, he needed to get back to work, and waking his mates, especially Arlo, who had a fitful night's sleep, wasn’t on the cards. Taggart also needed to prove that he could leave the house. Prove to himself these fuckers hadn’t stolen his freedom, despite how his belly quivered at the very idea of leaving.
The drive to his unit took no time with the streets nearly deserted with how early it was. The unit he rented was on the opposite side of town, and Taggart got twitchy as he approached the large warehouse where he had his unit when all the lights were out. He couldn’t remember if he’d ever been there when it was totally dark, but then he’d usually gone in the middle of theday when it was daylight. The dawn was just breaking, so not quite light enough to see clearly in the shadows.
“You’re safe. You can call Daddy and everything will be fine.” Saying it aloud as he stopped the car at the metal door didn’t help as much as Taggart would have liked. He had a purpose,and the nasty folks weren’t going to win.
They weren’t!
He released a shuddery breath and got out of the car, his keys jingled in the quiet. He glanced about, seeing no one, and hearing nothing but his own harsh pants. Taggart darted to the door and unlocked it with trembling fingers. “It’s gonna be fine,” he muttered to himself, pushing open the door.
Inside, he flicked on the light switch and shut the door fast as lightning behind him, locking it. He knew where everything was, so it took no time to create a pile of the things he needed.
Fifteen minutes later, having taken two trips to the car, he grabbed the last of what he needed, stepping outside carrying the second new computer screen, he came to a halt at the huge mammoth standing blocking his path.
Daddyyyyyyyyy,he shrieked in fright while Taggart worked to keep the fear coursing through him under wraps from the guy watching him. Thick, muscle-bound arms and legs encased in black came with a chest any linebacker would be envious of.
His eyes were colorless as they held Taggart’s, revealing none of what he was thinking. “What are you doing sneaking around here?” he asked, the rumble of his voice sending chills down Taggart’s spine.
Taggart… where the fuck are you?
It took effort to keep himself from reacting to Arlo’s voice in his head. There was a wealth of frustration coming from his mate, along with fear. Taggart knew he was in trouble; he just wasn’t sure with who. The mammoth or Daddy.
I’m at my unit. There’s a huge guy here, and he’s blocking me from getting to my car. The address is on the note I left Daddy. I’m sorry,he added, feeling it was important to say it.
Colorless eyes narrowed, pinning Taggart in place with their fierceness. “I asked you a question.”
“This unit, I rent it.” He was proud that his voice wasn’t squeaky.
On my way.
“Is that so?”
Taggart lifted the monitor up while explaining, “Yes, it is, I needed supplies.”
The guy took a measured step closer. “You already have a monitor in your car. Looks to me like you’re stealing.”
Was he just the security guard? Taggart knew they had one because it was why he paid extra for the unit.
“Are you security?” The large blond head nodded. “My code is XY49SP2. You can check. I have keys, too,” he rushed to explain, relief nearly making his legs weak. “I’ve had the unit for years. I…” he stopped, about to explain what had happened, and managed to reign himself in just in time. “Some of my equipment got damaged, so I came for my spare stuff.” He was waffling, he just couldn’t help it when those colorless eyes were watching him like a hawk watches its prey.
Daddy, he’s the security guard. I’m alright.He hoped. The fear he was feeling was mostly Arlo’s. He was sorry for it after the day before. He really hadn’t thought through his actions, that was for sure.
There was a deliberate pause, Taggart was sure of it with how long the silence lasted before the dude said, “Let’s go to the office and check out your story.”
He didn’t want to go. He wanted to wait for Arlo, who hadn’t answered him. Was he in trouble? He already knew the answer. He dragged his feet when the dude beckoned him to follow.
I should have waited for Daddy.
Yes, you should have, and we’ll talk about this once I check the guy out.
Oh crap!
