Page 18 of Breaking the Surface
“I’m going to call Remi to tell him what’s going on, all right?”As much as Braden wanted to stay with Peter and continue reassuring him, this was important, too.They’d been waiting for Lou to do something.First, he’d driven by pack territory, and now, this.Whatever he was trying to do, it included scaring Peter, and he’d succeeded.
Braden wasn’t a cop, but right now, he wanted nothing more than to go out there, find Lou, and do something about him.The man needed to be stopped.Unfortunately, he wasn’t sure that going to the police would be a good idea for Peter.He might have to reveal what he was, and that was something they were trying to avoid.Most humans were okay with shifters, but some weren’t, and even more so, Peter was a rare shifter.There were always people fascinated by them, including collectors and people who wanted to use them for their abilities.Braden knew what had happened to Toby, Camden’s mate.He never wanted something like that to happen to Peter.
They were going to have to do something about Lou, though.If he didn’t stop, they’d need to stop him.Braden wasn’t sure how comfortable he was with that.He was a protector, and while he understood that Lou was the bad guy, he didn’t feel it was his place to stop him permanently.He should probably talk to Camden about it.Considering the number of people who lived here and the stories Braden had heard, he was sure that Camden would find someone to do the job.
“Are you sure you’ll be fine?”he asked.He didn’t want to have this conversation with Remi in front of Peter, but he also didn’t want to leave Peter alone.
“I’m okay,” Peter promised.He picked up his fork and forced himself to smile.“I’ll just finish eating breakfast while you’re on the phone.Hell, if it takes you long enough, I might even clean the kitchen.”
“Or you could put everything in the sink, and I’ll take care of it later.”
“You cooked.I’m pretty sure I can wash dishes.”
Braden wanted to tell Peter that he didn’t need to, but he suspected that Peter needed a distraction.He nodded and got to his feet, Peter’s phone still in his hand.“I’ll read the text again.I’ll delete it as soon as I can.”
Peter nodded.“You can keep the phone.The only person who calls me is Vincent, and he knows where to find me.”
“All right.I’ll be back as soon as possible.”
Peter nodded.Braden leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the top of Peter’s head, then walked out of the kitchen, his mind already on the phone call he was about to make.
His steps faltered when he realized what he’d done.He and Peter didn’t have that kind of relationship.They weren’t intimate enough for Braden to go around kissing Peter.What the hell had he been thinking?
Hehadn’tbeen thinking.That was the problem.For some reason, Braden seemed to lose his mind when Peter was involved.He didn’t know why, and it bothered him.The last thing he wanted was to spook Peter.
Should he go back to apologize?He was pretty sure that would make the situation worse because it would force Peter to think about it.Maybe they could just both ignore the kiss and go on with their lives.Braden needed to focus on stopping Lou.And Peter, well, he’d have a life to rebuild once he was safe.He didn’t need Braden to mess it up.He also didn’t need Braden to make the situation more uncomfortable.They were sharing a house, and even though it was big, they still spent a lot of time together.Braden didn’t want Peter to feel like he needed to stay in his bedroom and avoid him.He didn’t want to make Peter uncomfortable.
He groaned as he walked into his office.He needed to stop thinking with his heart and start thinking with his brain.
He dropped into his chair and put down Peter’s phone.It was still unlocked, so he quickly went into the settings to keep it that way for now.He wasn’t sure what Remi would need from it, but he had no doubt that his friend would want to put the hackers working for their agency to work.Braden had no idea how that worked, but it wasn’t his area of the business.
He took out his phone, too, and called Remi.It took him a few rings to answer, which wasn’t a surprise these days.He was often distracted by Pembroke.Braden didn’t blame him.He was incredibly distracted by Peter, and they weren’t even together, let alone mates.
He hummed.That had to be nice, though.What would it be like to have Peter as his mate?Braden would be able to always protect him and make sure he was happy.That was a nice thought.
“Braden?”Remi answered.His tone was urgent, which made Braden wonder.
“Has something happened?”Braden asked.
“It has, but since you don’t seem to know, it means you have another reason to call me.What happened?”
“Lou texted Peter.Nothing bad, just a reminder that he knows where Peter is, which we were already aware of.”
“He was trying to scare him.”
“Definitely.Now, what happened on your side?”Braden really hoped it was something they could take care of without scaring Peter.Considering Lou was involved, though, he wouldn’t be too sure about that.
“Lou tried to get into pack territory.”
Braden closed his eyes.Of course the man had.“How?”
“He tried to be casual about it and follow a truck that crossed the gates.I don’t know if he didn’t expect the guards to stop him or if he hoped they’d think that he and the people in the truck were together, but he failed.As soon as the guards moved toward him, he reversed the car fast enough.”
“He’s not going to stop trying,” Braden said.
“I don’t expect him to.He attempted to do it the easy way, but he’s going to get sneakier.”Remi sighed.“I really hate that guy.”
“That makes two of us.”
