“He left his rifle behind, but nothing else.” Vinnie’s gaze slid to Bree. “A picture was removed from one of Mateo’s frames. A photo of the two of you at a party. Paxton tore off the half that featured Mateo and pressed the other half up against the window near his ‘sniper nest. The photo of you was facing this building. Like he wanted you to watch the bullets fly.”
“I wouldn’t bother trying to make sense of that,” James advised. “Paxton’s actions only ever really make sense to him.”
Vinnie’s cell began to ring. He pulled it out of his pocket and answered, “Yeah?” His jaw hardened. “I see … Will do.” He hung up and then looked at Alex. “That was Tate. I gave him my master key and asked him to go check your apartment while I came here to speak with you. Seems like someone tried to bust your lock. Either Paxton couldn’t get inside or fled because he heard someone coming.”
His beast froze. The bottom fell out of Alex’s stomach. He looked at Bree. “He came back for you.” Son of a bitch. Alex hadn’t thought the other male truly would do it.
She swallowed. “He’ll have hoped that, if nothing else, the shooting would make me feel unsafe here. He told me on the phone to go home.”
“Because he can keep an eye on you there,” Alex pointed out. “You’re not leaving.”
“No, I’m not,” she agreed easily.
After Vinnie and Luke left, Alex crossed to her and said, “We’ll stay here in my old bedroom tonight while the window’s replaced. Tomorrow …”
“Tomorrow, we’ll go back to your apartment,” she finished. “I’m good with that, Alex. He’s not going to make me feel unsafe with you. Maybe it would have worked if you had left me earlier, but you didn’t. I know Vinnie ordered you to stay inside, but that wouldn’t have been enough to keep you there. You stayed for me, and that meant a lot.”
Alex wasn’t so sure it would be so easy for her to go back to his apartment. She might feel differently after the shock had worn off. But he wouldn’t force her to stay there. They could use his old bedroom here until all this had blown over, if need be.
That night, she fell asleep pretty quickly—probably due to the adrenaline bleeding from her system. He kept her burrowed into his side. He needed to have her so close. Needed to have that reminder that she was there with him, not with Paxton.
Just the thought of her in that bastard’s hands threatened to make Alex break out into a cold sweat. His beast pressed up against her, protective and alert. No one would take their mate from them. No one. And God help anyone who even had the gall to try.