Page 11 of Mayhem
“What are you doing?”
Cruz looked up from his laptop at Paetyn’s question. They’d taken off twenty minutes ago, and since the pilot had given the okay, Cruz had been typing away on his laptop.
“I’m setting up Erin’s security profile, putting all the add-ons within it, and activating it. That way, we only need her print when she moves in.”
“Makes sense,”Paetyn responded, flipping the page in the book he was reading.
Cruz went back to setting up Erin’s profile and giving her every security add-on she needed. He wanted to ensure her safety.
When Paetyn spoke with Erin the day before, she told them she had plans to leave over the weekend. Cruz didn’t have any meetings or work that he couldn’t do from his laptop, and Paetyn had executive chefs who could handle things while he was gone. So, they’d decided to fly in and see if they couldn’t get her moved by Friday. That way, she could have the weekend to relax.
Once Cruz finished setting up Erin’s profile, he billed himself. Though he’d just be paying himself, he liked to have a record of everything.
After that, he decided to look over some work. His company was about to sign a large contract, and he wanted to ensure that the plan they’d put in place for installation would meet the timeframe.
Glancing up from his laptop about an hour later, he found Paetyn was now scrolling through his phone. Cruz checked the time to see how long they would be in the air. They still had about an hour and a half.
“Paet,”Cruz called, gaining the other man’s attention.
“Yeah?”Paetyn responded, glancing up from his phone momentarily.
“You found a company to transport Erin’s car, right?”
“I did. They’ll pick it up tomorrow; that way, it’ll be there when she arrives, as long as she’s okay with that. If she needs to go somewhere, she can use the rental car we get when we land, or we can rent one for her.”
“And we should be able to get all her things moved and put into the apartment by Friday evening.”
“Yes, all of Chayse’s things were moved to Nik’s or storage under Taila’s supervision before she left a couple of days ago. So, we’ll have no problem helping her get all the large furniture and other common things together.”
Cruz nodded and focused his attention back on his work. He knew everything had been planned out, but he always double-checked and sometimes triple-checked to confirm things were in place.
Cruz worked for the rest of the flight. When they landed, he went inside to rent two cars—one for himself and Paetyn and the other for his pilots. There were no flights scheduled for the next few days, so they wouldn’t have to fly back. Cruz figured they could spend the next couple of days relaxing in Florida.
When they had the vehicles and his and Paetyn’s luggage was in the trunk, Cruz slid into the passenger seat. Paetyn had gotten Erin’s address the previous day. Cruz looked out the window as they made their way there. He’d been to different parts of Florida several times, but this was his first time in Gainesville.
“When we get there, be sure to keep your hands to yourself,” Paetyn said, and Cruz raised an eyebrow at him.
“Make sure you take your own advice,”Cruz retorted.
“I’m not the one that decided to play with her at the wedding.”
He shrugged. “No, but you could have.”
He watched Paetyn glance over at him. “Just behave.”
“Fine, I will, at least until she’s been in the city a few weeks. So, whatever you’re going to do…”Cruz trailed off, leaving it open.
He knew that allowing Paetyn to dictate the speed at which they pursued someone had never failed them. However, Cruz found himself being overly impatient for the first time. He attributed it to the fact that it had been over eight months. Typically, at six months, they were at a place where the woman they were pursuing had agreed to be in a relationship with them.
Cruz knew he couldn’t be too impatient, considering that Paetyn had waited almost a year and a half. Part of that time consisted of the other man waiting for Cruz to see what he had. Admittedly, it took him a minute, but it felt like they couldn’t move fast enough once he had.
When they pulled up to the apartment complex, Cruz followed Paetyn to Erin’s door. Paetyn knocked, waiting a moment before knocking again, and several seconds later, the door opened.
Erin stood on the other side of the door in high-waisted black shorts and a white T-shirt that showed off her midriff. The outfit wasn’t provocative, but Cruz found it overly attractive.
“Paetyn, Cruz, hey. What are you two doing here?”Erin questioned.
“I told you we’d come out early to help,”Cruz stated because she sounded surprised to see them.
