Beth didn’t comment. She didn’t really think Rickart was needed, but there was no reason to make him wait in the car like some chauffeur either.
There was something about having two six-foot-plus men on either side of you that made an elevator slightly claustrophobic, Beth decided as she watched the floor numbers light up on the panel over the door. This time there was no bratty kid pushing all the buttons, or even anyone else on the elevator needing to get off to slow them down. They reached her floor relatively quickly and Beth led them to her door. But when she went to put her key in, Magnus covered her hand.
“Allow me,” he said and took over opening the door.
Beth rolled her eyes with irritation at being treated like a damsel in distress, but stepped back and left him to it.
The apartment didn’t blow up when the door opened, but Magnus made her wait in the hall with Rickart while he checked the interior. Presumably for intruders or traps. She didn’t ask. Beth was too busy resenting the fact that she was being treated like some mortal civilian. She could’ve checked for traps and intruders too, or at least helped him do it. She was a Rogue Hunter too.
“All clear,” Magnus announced when he finally returned to the door.
“Thank you,” Beth said dryly, and entered her temporary home.
“Nice place,” Rickart commented as he followed.
“It’s a sublet,” she told him, heading into the kitchen to grab a bag of blood. She should have had one when she’d woken up but had been too eager to get out of the bedroom before Scotty woke to bother. “I took it until the start of fall. Hopefully by then Dree and the others will be back, and I’ll have a better idea where I’ll be stationed.”
“You do not think you will continue to work here?” Magnus asked with curiosity.
“I don’t know,” Beth admitted. “Dree and Harper have a place here in Toronto, but they spend a lot of time in some little town further south, Port something or other.” She shrugged. “We’ll see.”
Taking the bag with her, she moved out of the kitchen and started across the living room toward the bedroom, saying, “There’s juice and blood in the fridge. The TV remote’s on the table. Make yourselves at home. I shouldn’t be long.”
Once in the bedroom, Beth popped the blood to her fangs and then walked to the closet to survey her choices. That was when she realized she might take a little longer than she’d expected. She really had no idea what to pack. How long was she going to be stuck at the Enforcer house? What was she likely to need while there? Was there a possibility she’d go out for dinner or something—say, on a date? And what would look most attractive to Scotty?
Yeah, that last question told her just how deep she’d got into things. Beth had never worried about what a date would want to see her in before. She’d always dressed for herself. She was definitely starting to care a little too much for Laird Cullen “Scotty” MacDonald. And likely to get her heart broken unless she could figure out what his issue was with his mother and how that might stop him from claiming her.
Beth had originally thought his issue must have something to do with her profession as a mortal. A lot of people would have trouble with taking on a life mate who used to be a prostitute. But she couldn’t imagine that Lady MacDonald had been a prostitute.
Sighing, Beth pulled the empty bag from her fangs and tossed it on the dresser for now. She then dragged out her overnight bags, only to turn around and put them back and retrieve a suitcase instead. Who knew how long it was going to take to sort out this business of someone trying to kill her? She might need clothes for a good long stay. Aside from that, she planned to pack for any eventuality.
“What?” Scotty stared at Mortimer blankly.
“I said Magnus took her to her apartment to collect some clothes,” Mortimer repeated patiently.
Scotty shook his head, hardly able to believe what he was hearing. He’d woken up just moments ago, rolled over to reach for Beth, found the bed empty for the first time in two days and had a small panic attack. Honestly, Scotty had freaked out and pretty much dressed on the way downstairs to search for her, pulling his jeans on as he hopped to the bedroom door, and then donning his shirt as he hurried to the stairs. He’d managed to get it only half-buttoned by the time he’d hit the main floor, and had finished the job as he’d walked through the house, looking in each room. Not only had he not found Beth, but he hadn’t seen anyone in the house at all until he found Mortimer and Donny in Mortimer’s office.
“But she’s no’ supposed to leave the house,” Scotty said finally.
“Beth was suffering a bit of cabin fever, and she wanted her clothes. She has Magnus with her,” Mortimer said reassuringly.
“And Rickart,” Donny added, and when Mortimer glanced at him in question, the younger man explained, “I saw them getting into Rickart’s car with him as I pulled into the garage.”
“There, you see?” Mortimer said, turning back to Scotty. “She will be fine.”
“How long ago did they leave?” he asked at once.
“I am not sure,” the head of the Enforcers admitted, glancing at his watch and then looking at Donny in question as he guessed, “An hour ago?”
“Closer to two,” the younger immortal corrected him.
“Hmm, time flies when you are chasing after a bunch of cowboy Enforcers hunting rogues,” he said dryly. Mortimer then glanced to Scotty and said, “They have probably already been to whatever fast food restaurant they chose in the end, so it’s probably too late to put in an order, but I can call them and see, if you like?”
“Call them,” Scotty said grimly. He was less concerned about placing an order for takeout than assuring himself that Beth was safe and on her way back to him. He couldn’t wait to have her in his arms again, but not just in his arms. He wanted, needed, her in his life. Being with Beth was like nothing he’d ever experienced. The sex was mind-blowing, of course, but it wasn’t just that. They’d also talked and laughed and just enjoyed each other’s company these last few days, and he’d found they had a lot in common. They had many of the same likes, the same opinions on various subjects and even the same morals, which had been shocking to Scotty. He’d been painting her a scarlet woman all these years because of one part of her life, but Beth was so much more than the one-dimensional woman he’d been viewing her as. These last few days had added many colors to his vision of her. Hell, the time he’d spent with her since arriving in Canada had done that. Beth was a rainbow, a beautiful kaleidoscope of colors and shapes, and endlessly fascinating. Scotty felt a lightness of spirit when with her that he hadn’t experienced since being turned. He’d felt as if a heavy weight had been lifted from his chest. He’d felt like he was no longer alone. Beth completed him.
Her past be damned, he thought grimly. There was no way to alter that. It was already written. He was the one who had to change if he wanted to hold on to the happiness he experienced with her. And he wanted that more than anything in this world. Scotty had come to that realization as he’d watched her sleep this morning, and before drifting off himself, he’d determined to tell her so when they woke up. He’d planned to tell her he was sorry for being such an ass, that she was a goddess among women and that without her he was nothing. He’d planned to beg her to forgive his stupidity, and to promise that if she’d only agree to be his life mate, he’d spend a lifetime making it up to her. Many lifetimes. Eternity, if they were allowed that.
But Scotty had never got the chance to tell Beth all of that and beg her forgiveness. He’d woken up to find the bed next to him empty, and had immediately had a terrible feeling he’d lost his chance, that something was wrong and he would never be able to claim the woman who possessed his heart.
The sound of ringing filled the room, and Scotty’s attention shifted to Mortimer. The man had put the call on speakerphone, he realized as the sound stopped mid-ring and a deep voice announced, “This is Magnus. Is there a problem, Mortimer?”
“No, no,” the head of the Enforcers said quickly, and then added, “Scotty’s up.”