Page 46 of His Captor

My face heated so much that I wanted to sink into the floor. Det. Shirley looked at me like she knew everything that had gone on between me and Hayden last year.

But then she sobered me in a hurry by asking, “Does Mr. Gregory know that you and Mr. Kipling here are involved now?”

It felt like someone had pulled the plug on my stomach and drained its entire contents with sudden swoop. “I honestly don’t know,” I said, glancing to Hayden anxiously. “Despite the way it looks, this is all new.”

Det. Shirley nodded. “It’s really too early to make any assumptions, but if I were you, I’d beef up the security wherever it is you live, Mr. Kipling.”

“I live in this same building,” Hayden said, perking up a little.

“That’s convenient,” Det. Shirley said, actually smiling. “While this investigation is ongoing, I’m going to assign a few officers to man the building.”

“I can increase the security presence we have as well,” Mr. Granger said. “As long as it’s not too expensive. We have a pretty tight budget all around for Alton Towers, but clearly this is important.”

I stopped myself from flowing into a sales pitch for Canton Enterprises, but I was tempted. Even though my focus was a higher level of security, I had plenty of things in development that would work for domestic security.

None of that mattered at the moment, however. I moved to stand by Hayden’s chair. Every cell in my body shouted at me that Hayden was more important than anything, Hayden’s security, Hayden’s happiness.

“I’ll feel better knowing that you and the baby are protected in some small way,” I said quietly as Det. Shirley and Mr. Granger discussed security measures for the building while the cops and detectives took pictures of everything and consulted with each other. “But I won’t feel at ease until the people who did this are caught and locked up.”

“Ooh, that sounds very alpha-protective,” Hayden said, grinning up at me as he sat. “Junior likes having a big, strong, protective daddy.”

My face heated like the sun. The way Hayden looked up at me as he said that could have been about the baby, or it could have been him calling me “Daddy”. Either way, it had parts of me thrumming with excitement and possessiveness.

There was more business to take care of, but it was impossible for the entire investigation to take place and be completed that night. It was already past working hours, and it was a weekend. No one wanted to stay up poking around a wrecked apartment until the early hours of Sunday morning.

“Do you have a secure place to stay for the night and a number where I can get in touch with you?” Det. Shirley askedas we started to wind things up. It was past ten o’clock, and everyone was looking a little bleary.

“I suppose I could stay in a hotel,” I said, rubbing the back of my neck to fight off the tension headache the whole evening had given me.

“You could always stay with me,” Hayden piped up, standing, before I could go on to ask for Det. Shirley’s recommendations.

For some reason, his words, so earnestly stated, froze me. A wave of something both sweet and carnal flashed through my body, leaving me numb in some place and as hot as a live wire in others.

“You want me to stay with you?” I asked, even though I’d heard him clearly.

“Yeah,” Hayden said with an almost bashful shrug. “I mean, I live just downstairs. You wouldn’t have to go very far. You could zip back up here to grab clothes and things, or whatever you need. You’d be on hand in case Det. Shirley has any other questions while she and her team are doing their investigation.”

The way he rubbed his stomach and the expectant sparkle in his eyes said way more than his words did. He wanted me to stay with him.

I drew in a breath. Maybe I should stay with him. Maybe Hayden was scared, though fear wasn’t the emotion in his eyes as he asked his question. I could protect him, though. My alpha rumbled with the need to protect him. There was no telling what else Colin might attempt. If he got wind that I was with Hayden, he was just the sort to drag Hayden into our battle.

It was possible that by staying with Hayden, I might be the one to tip my hand and put Hayden in harm’s way. But even if that happened, chances were that Colin would find out about the omega carrying my child eventually. I wanted to be as close to Hayden as I could be when the shit hit the fan.

“Okay,” I said at last, blowing out a breath and scrubbing a hand through my hair. “I guess that’s the best option tonight.”

Hayden beamed with satisfaction once the decision was made. He followed me back to my bedroom, which was also trashed, and helped me pack a small overnight bag when Det. Shirley’s investigators gave us the okay to start moving and touching things.

It was almost a let-down how everyone simply packed up and left. The investigation would be ongoing, but since my apartment had been photographed within an inch of its life, there was nothing left to do there but to leave and lock the door behind me. Hopefully, I’d be able to start the clean-up tomorrow.

The elevator was packed with cops, Det. Shirley’s people, Mr. Granger, me, and Hayden, but at least that meant Det. Shirley could see which floor Hayden lived on when we eventually stepped off. It was a small thing, but it made me feel more secure.

“I’m glad there will be more cops around the building until this all gets sorted out,” Hayden said, reflecting my thoughts as he searched his pockets for his key card. “I don’t think anyone would want to break into my apartment, since this was definitely a targeted job, but you never know.”

I raised one eyebrow as I followed Hayden down the hall to his door. I wasn’t sure if he realized how much danger he might be in by association with me. I hoped he wouldn’t be a target, but the fact was that I had no idea what Colin would do.

A second later, Hayden unlocked his door and pushed it open, and my heart flopped down to my stomach.

“What the hell happened here?” I asked as we stepped into the small, messy apartment.

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