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“Fuck!” Rhen growls, getting up, but Raidon stops him.
“No, stay. I’ll take Leon with me,” Raidon says, causing Leon to lift his head to watch the TV, his lips smeared with my blood.
A fire has broken out at their office, and a good chunk of the building is ablaze. Leon kisses my cheek, before gently shoving me off his lap.
“Yeah, we’re on our way,” Raidon says, hanging up.
“What happened?” I ask.
“They aren’t sure. They’re trying to extinguish it first,” Raidon says, nodding to Leon. Leon hastily gets up and climbs out of the Den. Raidon’s phone starts ringing again. He sighs. “That’s Thane,” he tells me, leaning down and brushing his lips against mine.
“Keep in touch,” Rhen tells him. Raidon nods before leaving with Leon.
“Thank god for insurance,” Rhen says, looking down at Scarlett sleeping, as I chew my lip.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Harlow
An hour passes. Raidon calls to tell us the fire started in the rear loading dock. They’re still waiting to get clearance to enter the building, so they can check the security cameras to see what started it. All the fire department can tell us is that an accelerant was used.
We don’t hear from them after that. I end up dozing off, only to be awoken by a loud knock at the front door. I see Rhen go to answer it, and my eyes flutter closed, until I hear a familiar voice. Bree. I instantly sit up, hearing her coming down the stairs.
“Bree, you can’t just walk down there,” Rhen scolds, and she stops on the stairs.
“Shit! Sorry, I forgot.”
“She’s fine,” I call out. Although, I’m grateful I’m already awake because I nearly attacked Thane earlier when he crept up on me while I was sleeping.
“I’ll wait here. Sorry, Harlow, I am not good with the whole Omega nesting thing,” she calls out, sounding rather embarrassed.
Checking Scarlett, I quickly climb out of the Den and grab one of my mate’s shirts, tugging it over my head. Looking up the stairs, I see Bree has stopped hesitantly at the top, and goosebumps rise on my arms when I catch a whiff of her scent.
I make my way up the stairs, her scent nagging at me as it filters into the Den. It makes me itchy. I need to get her away from the Den. Rationally, I know who she is, but this is my space. It makes me edgy, knowing her scent is mingling with my baby’s and mates’ scents.
By the time I climb the stairs, she is in the kitchen, leaning against the counter. She is wearing jeans, a white top and a black leather jacket. It’s the most clothes I’ve seen on the girl since I met her. I can tell she’s been crying. Her face is blotchy, and her hair is tied back in a messy bun.
“Sorry. I tried to go home, but I can’t without Tal,” she says, suddenly bursting into tears.
Rhen stares awkwardly, clearly not knowing what to do. He nods to her, wanting me to deal with the tears. I feel terrible for her, but I’m also angry at Tal for the mess he caused us.
“I’ll make coffee,” Rhen announces, grabbing some mugs. I take Bree to the living room. Rhen brings the coffee out just as Scarlett starts crying downstairs. “She’s fine, I’ll get her.”
Rhen leaves, and Bree starts telling me about Thane and Leo’s visit, her relationship with Corbin, and also about Curtis being her father. Then I tell her about the fire. Everything is a mess. I desperately want to go back to my Den with Scarlett, but I know I can’t just kick her out. Eventually we both fall asleep on the couch, watching TV.
A couple hours later, I hear Scarlett crying. My breasts ache, and I yawn, jerking awake when I notice Bree is no longer on the couch with me. Getting up, I find her in the kitchen with Rhen, who is holding Scarlett and trying to heat up some breast milk. I wander over to him, take Scarlett and flop a boob out for her. I don’t care that Bree is right here, my breasts are throbbing.
“I just made some,” Rhen says, holding up her bottle. I wave him off, and he sighs, dumping the wasted breast milk down the sink. “Coffee?” he asks Bree, and she nods.
“Tea,” I tell him before I ask if he’s heard from Raidon and Leon.
He nods, and Bree nudges him out of the way to make the tea and coffee. Rhen leans on the counter, watching me as I sit on the stool next to the kitchen island.
“Yeah, they found the servers on the top floor intact and are combing through the footage now. They hope to be home soon,” he tells me. I nod as Bree sets our cups down.
“Are you staying the rest of the night? If not, I can have Raidon give you a ride home when he gets back. Save you from calling another cab,” Rhen tells her.
“Yeah, if he doesn’t mind. I don’t know if a cab will come out here this late,” she says, and he nods, sipping his coffee. “I’m thinking of messaging Tammy to stay with me. She’ll be off work in an hour,” Bree tells me, glancing at her phone screen. I nod. As much as I like Bree, I want my house back.
