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Knowing it was coming, I had already sold my interest. I did it the day before we went to court. Just in case. Jax and Chris had put up most of the cash, and a couple of the other pups, Egypt and Marshall and their handlers, put up the rest. I owed them all. They didn’t have to come up with funds for me to do it. But I was able to stash the proceeds from that at Todd’s to give me a financial base to work with. I’d add my new pay from Jax so I would have more to work with that my father couldn’t touch. It was the smart thing to do. But it left me feeling so sad and alone.
The final piece was Drew and his team working on the back end, filing appeal paperwork. I had to hold on to hope that this time, I’d get somewhere. That Drew could get me out of this because I was currently limited on what I could and couldn’t do.
I couldn’t play with my pup friends. And worse, I couldn’t be seen with Quinn or any of my closest friends. I had hoped Quinn and I would be moving our relationship forward, but I couldn't let that happen with my father in the picture. I mentally crossed my fingers that I wouldn’t lose him before this mess was over.
I set up a work area in my room at Todd’s place, where I currently lived. But this would only last so long. I couldn’t keep hiding here forever.
My phone binged, and it was a text from my father.
I have a new phone for you that you need to pick up. And a deadline for cutting your current phone off. Tonight at 6 pm. Therefore, you had better call me and set up a place to meet.
My father was an asshole. Thankfully, Quinn was out getting me a new phone in Drew’s company name. He’d be back with that soon, and I could transfer important numbers. I texted him to let him know my deadline.
Also, I had to pick up the new car, which was parked at my new address that my father had already texted me. This had to have been all set up prior to the court because he moved way too fast otherwise. The worst part was that he didn’t hook me up with a luxury apartment like I’d been living in. Not that it mattered. Todd’s place wasn’t luxury, either, but it was well located on the edge of Ybor, where I wanted to be. The new place? Not so much. It wasn’t even downtown.
Well, it was in Seminole Heights, so it was still actually in Tampa, but far north of downtown. It was a one-bedroom, one-bath flat in a decent complex. I wasn’t being a snob, it was more than affordable and decent, but it pissed me off that my father was paying for it out of my funds and without my consent, which he no longer needed. It wasn’t somewhere I wanted to live, despite the majority of my belongings already being there because, yes, he had it all moved. That made me feel violated. He swooped in with a crew, packed and loaded everything, and moved it to the place he picked out for me. I cringed at the thought of people touching my things.
The only things not in my new apartment were the items pre-stashed at Todd’s. The plan was to drive the car to wherever was a good place for me to be, according to my father, and then Uber wherever I wanted to go. It was like living a double life.
It felt lonely. And I missed the freedom of being with Quinn whenever I wanted. It wasn’t like we’d had a long-term relationship. We’d only gotten together recently, but all my baggage was weighing us down already. I wouldn’t be surprised if he walked away. But here he was, knocking on the door.
I opened it and stared at Quinn with wonder. He was handsome, taller than me by a good four inches. He was in good shape but had some fluff around his middle and shoulders that made him exceedingly cuddly. Even dressed casually in jeans and a short-sleeved button-up, he looked sophisticated. He should have been the kind of guy I brought home to meet the parents, not hide him from them. “Why do you put up with this? You could go out and have fun instead of squirreling away up here with me.”
He pushed by me, stepping inside. “Royce. I love nothing more than hanging out with you. Let’s order pizza.”
“Fine. You have the new phone? Father expects me to meet with him tonight. I’m not going to, but he will cut mine off.”
“Yes.” He handed me a box, and we got busy setting up the new phone. My old one buzzed again a few minutes before six. Of course, it was Father.
I left your phone in your new apartment. I expect you to go get it. This one will be cut off tonight. Do not disappoint me.
I let out a deep sigh. “Guess I have to go by the new place tomorrow.”
“I know you don’t want to. I’m sorry, baby.”
“Yeah. I’m sad about this whole thing. I don’t feel safe anymore.” That was the only way I could think of to explain it. I wanted to sink into being Boone and leave the rest of the world behind, but being Boone was dangerous. Without even thinking about it, I whined like Boone would.
Quinn wrapped me up in his arms. “It’s okay, pup. It’s only temporary. I know it sucks right now, but Drew and Bruno are working on your case. I promise they’ll figure it out. We need to be patient. That’s all.” He rubbed my back and wrapped me in his strong arms, where I never wanted to leave.
Chapter six
The Mistake
Quinn
I could understand if he felt lonely and a bit shattered. His world had turned upside down, and his biggest emotional support had been stripped from him. I did what I had to do.
Already considering myself his daddy, whether he knew it or liked it aside, I had to take care of my pup. I had my own kinks and desires and ways of walking in the world, so even though the pup stuff was new, I didn’t balk at it. In fact, I got it on a deep level. He fit in with the dynamic I wanted, and I would be pursuing this more, but I had to be understanding of what he was going through. He didn’t need me to ask him for a commitment. He needed his pup brothers.
I called Jax, and along with Chris and Egypt, one of the other pups in his group, we set up a surprise secret mosh. The team set up a play area in one of Ward’s warehouses south of Ybor by the expressway. I didn’t know what he’d been doing with it prior, but it was currently empty and would make a great place to play. I left it to them to set things up. All I had to do was get Royce there. I marched up to the apartment he was staying at with Todd and knocked on the door until he answered. “Come on. We have somewhere to go.”
“Go? Go where?”
“Trust me. This is something you need. It’s worth the risk, but don’t worry. We’ve taken precautions.”
“We?” He looked at me skeptically and tugged at his left ear. “Who is we?”
I hated causing him to worry, but I wanted to surprise him. “You’ll see. Trust me.”
