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We decide to grab a late lunch at a nearby diner, which ends up being the most substantial meal either of us has had in days. While savoring the food, I pull out my phone and start scouring the internet for apartments to rent in the vicinity.
“Here’s one, one bedroom. It has two windows–” I hold my phone out for him to inspect.
“It looks like a walk-in closet. Look the bedroom is up a freaking ladder,” he replies dryly. He snags one of my fries as he hands the phone back. “How much do they want?”
“Just over three thousand and a half of that for the security deposit, but no checks,” I say as I mentally count the money in my pocket. Two months and maybe some food and furniture, so we wouldn’t be sleeping on the floor.
“Aud, three…thousand…” he drew the words out, and I swallow. “For a room the size of a small closet that looks like you’d have to move the sofa away from the wall to access the storage closet.”
“It isn’t that bad, and I can make that in a day if I get lucky.” I lean back, cradling my phone in my palm as I study the picture of the small apartment. It does look like they changed a walk-in closet into a living space.
"It says the bathroom is communal," he deadpans.
He rolls his lips in, his teeth mercilessly attacking his plush lower lip. The scent of stress hormones wafts from him, and I wish, as I have many times before, that I could provide the soothing comfort he needs, just like Mom used to do.
A beta in the booth behind him twists around in his seat. “You twos looking for a place to stay?” He wags his finger between us, his Brooklyn accent strong.
Sin leans to the side, his gaze fixated on the man who interrupted our conversation. He eyes him with caution, a wariness clear in his expression.
I nod. “Yeah actually.”
“I knows a place, just opened up, boss said we needs to fill it quick,” he says. “I just happen to have a picture, comes furnished. No checks. Easy-peasy.”
It sounds too good to be true. I lick my lips hesitantly, feeling a mixture of hope and skepticism. "How much?" I ask, my voice cautious.
“Boss says for the right people, two grand,” he replies, slinging his arm over the back of the booth. He holds out his phone, showing me a picture of the place.
I study the image that resembles an advertisement for the apartment. It showcases a rooftop pool, a gym, and a doorman, and it's located in a pleasant neighborhood. My heart thumps with contained excitement in my chest. My brother, looking less enthused than I am, runs his gaze over the photo.
“Looks slightly larger than the one you were looking at and cheaper,” Sin says, casting a doubtful look at me.
“We could check it out at least. It could be good for us, Sin,” I say, softening my tone and dipping my head to catch his mismatched gaze. “Look, it even says there is a doorman.”
“We will be living in someone’s closet,” he quips. It obviously takes more than a pretty picture to win him over.
“Can we just go see it?”
Sin gives a nod, and the beta says, “I’ll give my boss a ring.”
I hold my breath as he punches in the contact labeled "Big Boss Man" and puts the phone to his ear.
“Boss, that apartment still for rent?” He remains silent as the man's rumbling response comes through the phone. “Yeah, I gots a girl and guy that are looking.”
Is it my imagination, or did he say "girl" with emphasis? A sense of unease washes over me, settling in my stomach. Anxiety takes hold, and a low whine escapes my throat. Sin’s warm hand covers mine, a small comfort, and I inhale. The urge to bolt still intensifies, but the prospect of having a place to call home keeps me rooted to my seat. I grip the worn table in front of me, forcing a smile as the man glances in our direction.
“What’s yous names?” He holds his hand over his phone, pausing the conversation momentarily.
“Audrey and Sinclair Taylor,” I reply automatically. Taylor wasn’t our actual last name, just the one we had picked up when we went on the run. Indistinct. Unrecognizable. Easy to hide with. No one is going to look at that last name and wonder if they knew them because they probably do know someone with that last name.
I pick at my cuticles as he speaks into the phone again, giving the man on the other end the names I gave him. The steady thump of my heart and the pit in my stomach have my knee jumping under the table as I hold in another pathetic whine.
He watches me, his brow furrowed as he ends the call. “He said you can tour it at two. Mr. Zade will meet you in the lobby.” He turns back around and scribbles an address down on a napkin and hands it to Sin. “Don’t worry, for an alpha he isn’t that bad.”
I release my breath in a trickle when I can’t hold it anymore without passing out. “Thank you. Uh, Mr.-” I say.
“Vinny, you can call me Vinny.” He gives a small nod but doesn't reach out to touch either of us. My heart continues to pound in my chest, but my anxiety spikes as he rises from his seat and places a twenty-dollar bill on the table. He calls out a goodbye to the waitress, using her name, and mentions that he'll see her later. She responds with his name, indicating that he's a regular customer. Not only that, but he leaves a generous tip for just a cup of coffee. It reassures me he has no intentions of kidnapping or torturing me. It's all in my imagination.
“You good?” Sin asks.
