Page 66 of Thrown into the Mob

“You have options,” Flint said. “You stay in the compound and we convert one of the larger rooms into a proper living space. It's secure, and you’ll be in the midst of the pack.”

“Or we move out.” Madd’s eyes lit up. He’d grown up in a house with a garden and a fence far from here, and he chafed at being confined behind high walls.

“Somewhere within pack territory so you're close.” He paused. “There’s a place not far from Tony’s and my house. I know the owner.”

I narrowed my eyes because Flint had an angle, and I suspected that owner was him. Without asking my mate what he wanted, I knew. But as per our rule, we made the decisions together.

“Are you talking about your guest house?” Madd asked his cousin.

“No. I don’t expect you to live on the grounds of my home. No one should be within hearing distance of their Alpha. This house is half a mile away.”

“What do you want?” Madd was bouncing on his feet, and I knew his answer.

“I’ve never had a home that wasn't part of our business, so shall we look at this place?”

Madd flung his arms around me. “We can grow vegetables and have a swing for our little one, maybe a paddling pool.”

Those weren’t amenities I’d grown up with. Father would have scowled if I’d asked to dunk my bare feet in his pond.

Flint dangled a key in front of us. “I brought these with me just in case you wanted to take a peek. It’s furnished with the basics.”

“We can go now.” Madd snatched the keys. “I assume as you’re the boss that I have time off?”

Flint waved us away as my mate took my hand, and we raced outside. We’d been using a car belonging to the pack, but that would have to change if we moved.

Madd was in the car with the key in the ignition before I’d climbed in. I’d never been to Flint’s place, but I’d been told it was where he and his brothers grew up.

“Ranger lives in a huge apartment close to the original pack headquarters, but the rest of us live in houses.” Madd stopped at a red light. “And Flint's place is about twenty minutes outside town. Close enough to commute and far enough away that we aren’t faced with work and pack members when we open our front door.”

My dragon was excited to be headed into the countryside because he hadn’t done much flying since we left the Solari, and soon my bump would be too big for me to shift.

Madd slowed and pointed out Flint’s house and estate as we passed, and I peered through the huge metal gates. Wow. That was impressive. He turned a corner and slammed on the brakes.

Evander? my dragon asked.

No.

I ran my eyes over the small house that was set back from the road. It had a wooden gate and a front garden with pink climbing roses. Madd said Rudy must tend the garden because he had a thing for those flowers.

We got out. “That’s beautiful, like a fairytale cottage, but it needs a more secure fence and cameras.”

Madd laughed and pulled me close. “You’re assuming we’re going to take it?”

“Sorry, no, we’d have to talk about that.” I put on my stern face.

My mate took my hand, and we trooped up to the front door. Once inside, we stood in the entryway and stared. The main room had a fireplace and large windows that overlooked the back garden. There was a large modern kitchen and three bedrooms, the main one with an ensuite bathroom.

We wandered from room to room, but it was the back garden that caught our attention. I opened the porch door, and there was a swing set that looked brand-new. And a paddling pool.

“How did your cousin arrange that?”

“Best not to ask.” Madd tossed off his shoes and got in the pool. The water came up to his ankles, and he kicked some toward me. “Come in. The water’s fine.”

We splashed one another, and the bottom of our pants were soaked when we climbed out.

“I’ll give you a push.” Madd was beside the swing, urging me to get on.

I flew so high on that swing with my mate pushing me, my dragon asked to take his scales.