Page 49 of Legally Mated
Quin gave him a sharp look but nodded reluctantly. “I’ll make you a deal. If you can bring her to heel in the next two weeks, she can stay. But otherwise, Abel and Cas can build another trebuchet and we’ll launch her over the walls for full moon.” His eyes danced and Abelgrinned.
“I’m surprised you remember that,” he said. “I’m sure I could find the plans again.” He looked entirely too thoughtful and the conversation seemed like it was going to veer completely off thetrack.
I crinkled the papers in my hand to remind them of why we were there, and said, “What do we want to do withMutch?”
“Let’s take this to the apartment,” Quin suggested. “You two might as well stay,” he told Bax and Abel. “Unless you’ve gotsomethingon?”
“We’re hiding,” Abel said with a half-smile that made Quin chucklebriefly.
“I’ll get them,” I told Quin and went to open the door as the rest of them headed for theelevator.
I interrupted Eva and Mutch in the middle of a conversation. “Abel and Bax are here. I’m going to put a note on the door for Adelaide to meet us in the Alpha’s apartment. Am I calling Security to drive you back to your car, or are you coming upstairs with us?” It was, perhaps, a little abrupt and unfriendly, but I was a negotiator and putting your opponent off balance was just good practice. In my judgment, remembering how intent Mutch had been the night we met in Washington, whatever was driving his desire to involve himself in the pack was likely stronger than our need for his money. He certainly seemed more bothered by it, but the pack was used to disappointment, which was something I didn’t think he understood. We knew we’d weather the loss, particularly of something we’d never had. We’d done it before. I had a sense that he’d never lost something, not a thing he truly caredabout.
It was a lever we could use to move ourworld.
They exchanged glances, very similar to Quin and I earlier, then Eva began gathering her things. “I think we have more to talkabout.”
“I do too. But we aren’t children, and we aren’t human,” I told them quietly. “You can’t treat uslikethat.”
“What would the pack do if I just made them a gift of that money?” Mutch askedquietly.
I gave him a startled look. “I don’t know. Education, housing. We need a hospital with good equipment, badly. We just need more ofeverything.”
“And can you guarantee that this money would be spent only on thosethings?”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “I wish you would just spit out whatever it is you’re trying to get at. Does Quin really strike you as the kind of Alpha who would go crazy spending on expensive food andluxuries?”
“I have met your Alpha exactly twice, young man. I have no opinion of him asofyet.”
I opened my mouth to tell him to spend time with the pack when it hit me—this was what he was asking for. “We have no truly appropriate place for you to stay if you come tovisit.”
“Housing can be built. And my work can be done from here as well as New Jersey.” He had the grace to look abashed. “Well, a lotofit.”
“You really are just fishing for an invitation to stay withthepack?”
“I want tounderstandyou.”
It made a weird amount of sense, now that Holland and I had read a few more of the Jesse Journals, as we’d started calling them. “You should talk to Quin. Honestly. Without all this legalprevarication.”
“You don’t think I have a right to decide how my money isspent?”
“Your money? Don’t forget, we’ve got all those journals.Yougave themtous.”
He had the grace to flush in embarrassment at that. “I want to be sure you’ll get the biggest bang for your buck. And you can’t tell me that there aren’t packs out there that would be…unwise…in their financialchoices.”
He had me there. “Come talk to Quin and Holland. It’ll be more comfortable up in the apartment and Abel is there withhismate.”
“The formerAlpha?”
“Yes. And his mate in an omegaaswell.”
Mutch stared at me for a moment, then nodded slowly. “Let’s go up, then. And I’ll try to be lesshuman.”
Eva’s lips twitched and I let a hint of a smile peek out. “Followme.”
Chapter41
The smellof coffee met us as we entered the apartment. Bax was just setting plates of cookies, fruit, and cheese on the low table in front of the couch, while Quin and Abel arranged chairs on the opposite side of the table, obviouslyforus.
