Page 17 of With the Stars

No one appeared, so he moved inside and paused, listening for sounds of movement. His eyes scoped the room, noticing it looked abandoned. Trash littered the floor, the windows dirty,what little furniture there was in the room was overturned, dirty. A single closed door led from the room. A rat scurried past and Minho ignored it, eyes focused on the door.

When he heard and saw nothing, he walked inside and went to the closed door. Listening, he heard nothing and carefully cracked the door open, taking a quick peek, then shut it again. Again, nothing stood out, so Minho entered and paused.

The air had a stale putrid stench, the room empty except for what had to be the rotten corpse of some animal, and if Minho hadn’t seen Rex enter, he would have assumed no one had been inside for months. Walking slowly, he assessed the room, searching it and finding nothing. Maybe it hadn’t been Rex, but someone who looked like him. He couldn’t pick up on his scent, but he wasn’t surprised.

How’s work?

Good. Busy. Just the way I like it.

Is Rex home tonight?

No, he’s staying at Shep’s. They have an assignment due. He messaged me earlier. Why are you asking?

Minho smiled.I could order us something to eat and we could spend the night in bed.

I like the sound of that. What time will you be home?

Minho closed his eyes. Home. With his mate. At one point he’d believed it would never happen, but now he was here living it.I have six hours to go. I need to bring coffee and pastries to Key if you have any left.

I might just have a couple.

I have to go. I’ll see you when you finish.

Minho moved to his next location and stood on the roof, watching the humans below. Time seemed to have slowed to a trickle when he wanted it to rush by like a river. Kelvin appeared and stood next to him, hands in the pockets of his coat. Theystood in silence for several minutes, watching the humans and traffic move below them.

“Congratulations.”

Minho nodded his head. “Thank you.”

“I’m glad you finally have him. I understand why you waited.”

“You didn’t know the specifics, but thank you for being there for me.”

Kelvin chuckled softly. “Not sure if I did much. You hold your cards close to your chest, but I now know why.” Kelvin hummed. “A family. Are you ready for that?”

Minho paused, choosing his words carefully. “I’ve watched them grow up. I feel like an uncle in a way. A member of the family, but they don’t know me. Rex is a good kid. Sammy is smart and has his head screwed on straight. They are both a credit to their parents.”

“Uncle is a good way of describing you. I know how you rescued them, saved them when they should have died. I would have done the same in your place if it had been Key.”

“I broke the rules. We shouldn’t interfere.” Minho glanced at Kelvin, who shrugged.

“I broke the rules mating Key.” He smiled slightly, his eyes watching the people below. “Some rules are meant to be broken, and how would you live with yourself knowing you had let your mate and his son die?”

The thought didn’t bear thinking about. “I wouldn’t.”

“Exactly. You saved yourself the day you saved them.” Kelvin inhaled then sighed. “I need to go over to St. Nick’s. There have been some disturbances around there.”

“Need a hand?”

“No, but thanks.” Kelvin disappeared, leaving Minho alone. His phone beeped, and he pulled it out, snorting when he saw Key’s message.Coffee and treats!!

Putting it away, he stepped onto the edge of the building then off, landing on his feet and walking down the sidewalk, mingling with the crowd. He had a couple of hours to scope the area out before heading to Peter’s cafe to grab what Key wanted and then deliver them before Key started calling him. Which he would.

The hours became years and by the time Minho walked into Peter’s cafe he was ready for a drink himself. Thankfully, the darker nights meant he could begin his job at an earlier time, meaning he finished at an earlier time as well. Only a couple of hours to go.

Peter smiled at him, but didn’t speak. He was standing at a table with some older ladies, chuckling at what they were saying.

“Well, Elin’s hubby here had some of that Viagra, but the poor bastard didn’t swallow it quick enough and got a stiff neck!” The women all burst out laughing and Minho smiled.

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