“Then we have to get out of here.”
Brody lifted his head from his hands.
“Yes.”
They looked at each other. Ren saw in Brody’s gray eyes something that resembled exhaustion but wasn’t quite it. It was calculation. The gears of a mind assessing risks, routes, and possibilities.
“But it can’t be here. Or anywhere nearby. Malachi’s contacts reach the entire metropolitan area and well beyond. We need someone who has absolutely no connection to the business.”
“How far away?”
“Far. Another city. Maybe three or four hours by road if we’re lucky. Maybe more.”
Ren took that in. Three or four hours in a car. Outside the mansion’s security bubble. Exposed. With Reznov hunting him and his own family having placed a bounty on his head.
He brought his hand to his stomach without thinking. The gesture was already becoming a habit.
“How long will it take you to set this up?”
Brody leaned back in his chair. He looked at him with that intensity Ren already knew, but that still made him feel as if every thought were being read.
“I need a few days. I have to find the right doctor, someone reliable, who won’t ask questions and who’s willing to see patients outside of office hours if necessary. I need a cleanroute, a vehicle they can’t track, and at least two trusted people covering exit points in case something goes wrong.”
“So I have to be patient.”
It wasn’t a complaint. It was a statement of fact. Brody nodded.
“A little. Yes.”
Ren took a deep breath. The air tasted of book dust and the old wood of the bookshelves. A little patience. He could handle that. He’d survived years at Julian Valois’s house; he’d survived an auction, a barefoot escape through empty streets, the impact of a bond he hadn’t asked for. He could wait a few days.
“All right.”
Brody rose from the armchair. He crossed the distance between them and leaned over Ren. He placed a hand under his chin, lifted his face, and kissed him. Brief. Firm. A promise compressed into the touch of their lips.
“I’ll make it quick.”
Ren held his gaze as he pulled away.
“I know.”
Brody straightened up and headed for the door. He paused in the doorway. He turned halfway around.
“Eat something. Marta made soup.”
“Brody.”
The alpha stopped.
“Be careful looking for him. If Malachi finds out you’re looking for a doctor for a pregnant omega…”
He didn’t finish the sentence. He didn’t need to. Brody looked at him a second longer than necessary and then nodded once.
Ren found himself alone in the library. The book closed on the armrest. His hand on his belly. The silence of the mansion around him like an embrace he didn’t know whether it protected him or trapped him.
A few days. Just a few days.
He got up and went to get the soup.
