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Mack’s hands slid to Roe’s ass and he pulled him tight against him, rubbing his hard dick against Roe’s erection.
The heat built as they moved, drowning in a sea of sensation. It didn’t take long, for them to find release.
“Oh dear,” Roe said, panting. “I came in my pants.”
Mack huffed a laugh against Roe’s neck. “You’re not the only one.”
Chapter 9
“He disappeared?” Mack asked again, looking around the kitchen one more time to make sure no one else was there.
Wally nodded. “Ned Bollinger skipped bail. The tail my company had on him lost him in Virginia, so we know he’s heading north.”
“Why didn’t police pick him up as soon as he left Georgia?”
“Local police didn’t report it. My company called it in to the state police. By the time they caught up, Bollinger was gone.”
“Of course.” Mack ran his hands through his hair. They were driving Tris to school today, and Roe was a bundle of nerves. He really didn’t want to be the one to bring Bollinger up.
“We should be safe on the road, but can you have someone watch your house while we’re gone?” Wally asked. “If he’s heading north, then there’s a chance he knows where Roe has been.”
“Parker is petsitting. I’ll let him know.” Daphne and Benji were both staying with friends instead of making the five-hour drive, so they would be safe. “Do you think Roe would stay here? From what I understand, it’s common knowledge that Tris is going to Harvard. All it would take is James or Gabriel going to the website to see when classes start. They would know Roe would be there with Tris.”
“You can ask him,” Wally said doubtfully.
Mack sighed and went in search of his omega. He had worried for Roe before they decided to try a relationship. Now, he was sure he’d have an ulcer by the time things were settled.
Roe was sitting with Tris in the studio. He held a small, eight by eight, framed painting. Mack looked over his shoulder and admired the portrait. It was of Roe and the kids, a traditional oil and canvas painting. Around the family, bits and pieces of memories were worked into the painting. A blue and white bow made from a baby blanket, a movie stub from years ago, a silver button, a birthday candle, pieces of a calendar, two lovely vintage lockets.
“The silver locket was your grandmother’s,” Roe said, wrapping his arm around Tris’s shoulder. “I put a picture of Dad and her in there. The gold one at the bottom has a picture of Grandpa Roland and Grandpa Ben. I don’t want you to forget us while you’re figuring yourself out. We’ll always be with you.”
Tris hugged Roe tightly. “Thank you, Dad.”
Mack stepped back and let them have their moment, knowing without a doubt, Roe would be in the car with Tris on the way to Cambridge.
Two hours later, that was exactly where he was. Mack drove while Tris and Roe sat in the back, talking about class schedules and dorm rooms. The back of the SUV was full of clothes, books, and all the other odds and ends that came with dorm life. There was also a pet carrier in between the two omegas. Roe couldn’t be parted from his darling Arthur.
Wally was glued to his phone, texting his boss for updates as they searched for Bollinger. Mack hoped with everything in him that Bollinger wasn’t searching for Roe, but he knew it was the likeliest scenario.
They stopped for lunch in Portsmouth for lunch, then made the rest of the drive quickly, avoiding the evening traffic. The campus was nice, but Mack felt distinctly out of place. The buildings were old, and the arriving students were fresh-faced babies. It could have been Harvard’s reputation getting to him, but the place feltelitein a wealthy kind of way.
Tris was lucky enough to get a single room in a suite, though the communal bathroom was down the hall. He would share the suite with four other people, two of whom he knew. Mack wishedheknew the other kids. He was starting to feel Roe’s nerves. It was going to be hard to leave Tris.
They helped him set up his minifridge and unpack before taking him to dinner. Cambridge was a nice city, but it was so much bigger than Mack was used to. It had been a while since he’d left Hobson Hills, and he had forgotten how insulated his home was.
“I’ll come home for all the breaks, Dad,” Tris said, grinning. “I promise. Eat your steak and be happy.”
Roe sighed. “It is a good steak.”
Mack grunted and took another bite. The steakhouse they were at had required a reservation and didn’t include prices on the menu. He didn’t think he had ever been somewhere this fancy before. The pub back home was better and cheaper. Maybe it wasn’t a fair comparison to the fancy place though. They didn’t have Ernie’s husband cooking for them.
After dinner, Roe grabbed the bill before Mack could and they left the restaurant. It was nice outside, the heat of the day cooling as the sun set. The street was still busy and it took them a moment to find the SUV.
Mack wasn’t sure what made him move – the angry looking man standing behind the car next to them, the glare of a streetlight on a muzzle, the crack of a bullet firing. Instinct drove him to shove Roe behind him. The next instant, something punched into his shoulder, spinning him around to face Roe.
Roe cried out and caught Mack before he tumbled to the ground.
“I’m calling, nine-one-one,” Tris said, trembling. He scooted up to Mack’s other side and helped support him.
