Seth's Chance [Brac Pack 27] (3 page)

Tired, sore, and ready to go to bed, Seth carried Oscar into the apartment building. They had been at the rec center all afternoon, his nephew trying his best to run and play. He didn’t do too badly. Oscar kept up most of the day, but tired out toward the end. Thomas, the counselor who ran the rec center, had given Seth and Oscar a ride home in his small Honda.

With his sleeping nephew cradled in his arms, Seth reached into his pocket for his keys. He should have taken them out in the car. That would have been the wiser thing to do. Now he stood at his apartment door, bundle in his arms, and trying desperately to dig his keys out.

“Do you need help?” Tyler asked as he walked out of his apartment and closed the door behind him, smiling at Seth. “I could hold your son for you.”

Seth blinked a few times as he looked at his neighbor and then shook his head. He didn’t even know Tyler that well. Why would he entrust Oscar to a stranger, even if it was to open the door. He shoved his right hand down deep into his pocket harder, trying desperately to keep a hand on his nephew as he fished for his keys.

His fingers curled around them, pulling the set of keys free as he turned to face the door. “I have it, but thank you anyway.” Seth slid the key into the tumbler, glancing over his shoulder to see a strange look pass over Tyler’s face, and then it was gone, that quickly. He didn’t think Tyler wanted him to see that look, but Seth had. He just wasn’t sure what it was.

Tyler grinned. “Have a good night.”
“You do the same.” Seth pushed the apartment door open, closing it quickly behind him and resting his back against the wood. He let out a deep breath. What was it about Tyler that sent all of his warning bells into frenzy? Seth jumped when someone knocked on his door.

He backed away, hurrying to Oscar’s room and tucking his nephew in. He closed the bedroom door, keeping the door between Oscar and whoever was knocking. It was late evening, and Seth didn’t get a whole lot of company. Who could it be?

The knock came again, making Seth jump once more. Damn, he was nervous. It was just a knock. It wasn’t like there was going to be a psycho killer on the other side. This wasn’t the city. Brac Village was a place to raise a family, with nice, friendly townsfolk who would help their neighbors out in a pinch. It was a place where people could walk down the streets safely and not worry about being mugged or worse. So why in the hell was he so worked up?

Crossing the room, Seth took a deep breath and then looked through the peephole. He prayed to god it wasn’t Tyler. The man hadn’t honestly done anything wrong for Seth to feel that way, but Seth felt his skin crawl every time the man was around.

Leaning forward, Seth peered through the hole. He sighed when he saw Mr. Nimble standing there in the hallway. The man lived upstairs, directly above Seth. The guy was always polite, always smiling. Seth liked the man. He opened the door, receiving one of Mr. Nimble’s ever-ready smiles. “Hello, Seth.”

“Hi, Mr. Nimble,” he said as he stood in the doorway. “How can I help you?”
Mr. Nimble brushed back his shoulder-length brown hair, revealing a very handsome face. His blue-grey eyes dazzled as he smiled at Seth. It had to be a trick of the lights. No one’s eyes
dazzled
. Not that Seth had ever seen before.
“I’m sorry to disturb you, but my bathroom sink overflowed. I was wondering if I could check your bathroom to make sure there isn’t any water damage.”
As a rule, Seth didn’t let any strangers into his home. Call him paranoid, but it kept him from being robbed. He was about to tell Mr. Nimble that he would check and let him know when he saw the door across the hall from him swing open, Tyler stepping out into the hallway.
“Sure, come in.” Seth wanted his door closed quickly. He just didn’t trust Tyler. It was either tell Mr. Nimble he would check and get back with him, slamming the door in the man’s face—which would be rude—or hurry his upstairs neighbor inside and slam his door in Tyler’s face. He chose the latter.
“Is something wrong?” Mr. Nimble asked.
Seth glanced up at the man’s pretty blue-grey eyes. Voicing his willies to his neighbor wasn’t something Seth cared to do. He gave a polite smile and turned toward the bathroom.
“No, it’s just been a long day.” That was the truth, but not all of it. He led his neighbor into the small confines of the bathroom, glancing up at the ceiling as Mr. Nimble walked in, making the tiny bathroom seem like a sardine can.
Seth concentrated on the ceiling, ignoring the fluttering feeling in his stomach to have someone he really didn’t know standing this close.
“I don’t see any damage,” Seth replied as he felt the man behind him move an inch closer. Mr. Nimble wasn’t doing anything wrong. He was just staring up at the ceiling, but Seth could feel the man’s body heat on his back like the sun was right there in the bathroom, blazing down on him. He cleared his throat, feeling a bit edgy as he glanced over his shoulder. Mr. Nimble gave him a smile that was tight, but friendly.
“I—” Seth began, but another knock sounded on his apartment door. What the hell was with all the visitors this evening? “Excuse me,” Seth said as he pushed past his neighbor. Mr. Nimble stepped aside, giving Seth room to leave the bathroom. It wasn’t much room, but his neighbor couldn’t move aside to give Seth room to leave without their arms brushing. The bathroom was that small.
He glanced back at the bathroom as he hurried to the front door. Without looking through the peephole, Seth opened his door.
Chance was standing there, smiling at him, his long and large arm braced against the doorframe. “Mind some company?”
Seth lost major IQ points as he stared up into Chance’s grey eyes. He felt his heart give an extra thud as he shook his head. “Not at all.” He stepped aside to let Chance in, closing the door behind him. “What brings you here tonight?”
“Everything looks good, Seth,” Mr. Nimble said as he stepped out into the living room.
“Am I interrupting something?”
Seth could hear the low vibrations of a growl in Chance’s voice. The man looked pissed. He and Chance were just friends. Why was he looking as though he was going to tear Mr. Nimble’s head from his shoulders? He felt the heat in the room rise a few hundred balmy degrees as Chance glanced from Seth to Mr. Nimble.
“Not at all,” Seth said quickly. “My neighbor’s sink flooded upstairs, and he wanted to check my bathroom to make sure there was no damage.” Why was he explaining himself to Chance? He had done nothing wrong, and if he had, it wasn’t any of Chance’s business. They weren’t dating.
“And?” Chance drew the question out, the grey in his eyes shifting to a darker grey, a violent storm grey. Seth took a step back, feeling his pulse quicken.
“And there is no damage,” Mr. Nimble said. “That’s a good thing.”
“Good thing,” Chance repeated.
Seth could feel the tension mount, the room humming with unspoken threats as Chance’s eyes swung from Seth to Mr. Nimble. “Is there anything
else
you need to check in Seth’s apartment?”
Seth was five seconds away from kicking Chance out. In the two months that he’d known Chance, the man had never acted like this. Well, he did act a little nutty when they first met, but Chance was nothing but kind and sweet since then. This was a new side to the man that Seth wasn’t sure he was comfortable with.
“No,” Mr. Nimble answered as he headed toward the door. “Again, Seth, I’m sorry about the inconvenient timing.”
Seth watched his neighbor let himself out. He stood there vibrating with anger. “Get out.”
“What did you say?” Chance asked.
Seth spun around, his fists at his side as he glared at Chance. “I said, get out.”
Chance’s eyes widened, as if he never thought that Seth would kick him out. “Why?”
Seth could see in Chance’s eyes that the man didn’t think he had done anything wrong. “We are just friends, Chance. Who are you to come in here acting like the jealous husband because there is another man in my apartment? That was totally embarrassing.”
Chance’s eyes narrowed, his mouth moving as if he wanted to say something, but then his jaw clenched, blocking any unspoken words behind his lips. Seth waited, but Chance neither moved nor said one word.
Seth walked to the door, grabbing the handle and pulling the door open. “Call me tomorrow.”
Chance just stood there. He looked as though he wanted to hit something. Seth could not fathom why Chance was reacting this way. He and Chance were attracted to each other, yes, but to have such a strong reaction like this was baffling. Chance began to walk slowly to the door, his eyes never leaving Seth’s. The storm brewed harder in Chance’s eyes as he passed Seth.
“Be very careful who you keep company with, Seth,” Chance said in the most deadly voice Seth had ever heard. It was spoken low, even, and growly. Seth swallowed as he watched Chance walk into the hallway, never glancing back. Seth quickly closed the door, locking it, and placing the chain in the small track.
He leaned his forehead against the door, wondering what in the hell was wrong with everyone tonight.

Chance sat out in his truck, watching the apartment building. He was stunned and hurt that Seth had just kicked him out. Never would he have thought that his mate would do something like that.

The Santiago brothers had taken off to the city, telling Chance that they would have an easier time finding D if Chance stayed behind. He wanted to argue with the men, but honestly, he wanted to see his mate. Now he was wishing he had put up a protest and gone with them.

Chance wanted to tell Seth about being mates, about his werebear form, about everything. But Chance didn’t want to scare Seth. If his mate couldn’t handle the news, if it was too shocking for him to absorb, then not only would Chance lose Seth, he’d lose Oscar as well.

Taking that unknown chance was terrifying to Chance. He sat there with mixed emotions, wondering what he should do. Getting to know his mate seemed like the way to go about things, but after seeing another man in Seth’s apartment, Chance was ready to go back in there and tear Seth’s neighbor to shreds.

That wouldn’t be the wise thing to do, but damn if his fingers didn’t itch to let his claws free.
“Stalking your mate?”
Chance glanced out of his truck window to see Detective Lewis Keating strolling toward him. The detective lived at Maverick’s, was mated to Evan, and was a damn good detective. But Chance didn’t feel like company right now. He needed to figure out how to get back into Seth’s good graces. “Not really. What are you doing here?” Chance slid up into a better sitting position as he looked at Lewis.
“The police station is right next door. I saw your truck over here in the parking lot.”
Chance glanced behind Lewis to see Detective Jones, Lewis’s partner, heading their way. If Seth looked out of his window right now, he’d see the cops standing around him and know that Chance hadn’t truly left. “Just heading out,” Chance said as he started the motor. “Talk to you later.”
Lewis smiled and nodded as Chance drove away, leaving his heart behind in ruins. He headed toward the city. If he couldn’t be with Seth tonight, he might as well see what mess D had gotten himself into.
Pulling his cell phone from the clip on his side, Chance called Law Santiago and found out where the brothers were. Hearing that they were at The Manacle wasn’t reassuring. It was a vampire-owned nightclub, unbeknownst to humans. Humans went in to party, donated blood to the vampires, got their minds scrubbed that vampires even existed, and then left. Pretty damn good setup if you asked Chance. The humans weren’t harmed, and the vampires were fed. No harm, no foul.
It took Chance a while to get there, but he managed to find a parking spot once he arrived. The place was packed, the parking lot damn near full. Why on earth would D be here? Maybe he was asking some vampires for help. Maybe Magnum wouldn’t know his son was in town. The self-righteous, homophobic prick had disowned D after all. So maybe he wouldn’t bother his son if he found out D was in the city.
Chance ignored the long line that seemed to stretch from the doorway of the club down to the end of the building and beyond. He had never seen so many humans ready to party and become a snack. Of course, they weren’t aware that they were about to become a snack.
As he walked down the line, Chance heard his name being called. He turned to see Abe grinning from ear to ear as he stepped out of line. Chance was so shocked that he had to stand there for a moment to let the sight of Abe register in his mind. He glanced down to see tight-as-skin leather pants on the man, knee-high leather boots, and a top that was so sheer, Chance could see the man’s brown nipples as clear as day.
What the fuck?
“What are you doing here, Abe?” He hadn’t meant for his question to come out so harshly, but Chance was standing there stunned and confused. Abe was about to go into a feeding club. His night was getting more bizarre and confusing by the minute.
Abe’s grin never wavered as he pointed toward the line. “Bryce brought me.”
Chance saw his brother leaning against the brick building, a shitty ass grin on his face as he saluted Chance. Okay, he was officially confused. “What’s going on?” Chance asked his brother as he walked closer.
“Abe wanted to get out and have a little fun,” Bryce answered casually.
“You are aware that you brought him
here
.” Chance made it a statement, not a question.
Bryce chuckled. “Christian promised that Abe would have a good time, no…entertainment, and he would be safe. Can’t ask for more than that.” Bryce looked at the humans standing next to him in line and smiled. Abe knew about vampires. No codes were needed, but there were plenty of humans standing around who hadn’t a clue. He was pretty sure Abe didn’t know what he was walking into though.
Chance was five seconds away from belting his brother, but he had another mess he needed to fix. He’d deal with Bryce and Abe later. He was already pissed about the scene back at Seth’s. He didn’t need another headache.
“Then why are you standing in line?” Chance asked Bryce.
Bryce tipped his head toward Abe. “He wants the full experience. Abe thinks standing in line adds to the anticipation of getting into the club.”
Chance shook his head as Abe beamed up at him. “Go get back in line.” He waved at the people standing there. “But you better stay safe.”
“I’m with Bryce,” Abe pointed out. “What could go wrong?”
That was one hell of a loaded question. Chance growled to himself as he turned and headed toward the door. He didn’t have time for this. Abe was Bryce’s headache. If something happened to the skinny fey, that was on Bryce’s head. Pa would beat Bryce’s ass every way from Sunday.
Chance nodded at the bouncer as he walked into the club. He immediately spotted the Santiago brothers over by the bar, Christian standing by them. The brothers were hard to miss. They wore bandanas on their head, had a look that said they’d eat you rather than reason with you, and the oldest, Tryck…some scary shit.
“Have you found him?” Chance asked as he walked up on the four men. Christian turned and gave a slight nod, a quick upturn of the lips in what passed as a smile.
Must be everyone’s night to be in a bad mood.
“No,” Dagon, the youngest of the brothers, said as he shook his head. “That’s why we’re here.”
Shit, D was here in the city on his own. Not good. Chance wanted to throttle the little vamp. He was already having a bad night. Finding out that D was nowhere around was only making it worse.
“Does he have any friends here?” Tryck Santiago asked.
Chance didn’t remember D ever talking about friends, only his brothers. “None that he’s talked about. Has anyone tried the police station?” Chance asked.
Law nodded. “He hasn’t shown up there.”
“Can’t you do your thing and find him?” Chance asked the prince of vampires.
Christian gave a small chuckle, as if Chance was ignorant of vampires and their abilities. He was, but he didn’t appreciate the laugh.
“D is not one of my coven members, nor has he ever been. So, no, Chance, I cannot do my
thing
.”
“Maybe it took him a while to get to the police station,” Chance said as he ignored the prince. Christian was tall, slender, with flowing black hair to his shoulders. He fit the whole “prince of vampires” profile. The man had the blackest eyes Chance had ever seen. It was like looking into twin inkwells. He’d met the prince on a couple of occasions, and every time Chance looked the man in his eyes, he felt as though he were falling forward. He hated that feeling.
“Why don’t you go check the police station while we hang out here?” Dagon asked Chance as he walked away from the bar.
Chance gave one more look to the prince and then headed out. He loved D like a brother, and the vamps at Maverick’s were cool, but Chance wasn’t too comfortable in a club full of them. He wasn’t prejudiced against vampires. That was the farthest thing from the truth. But a guy did have survival instincts. No matter how friendly the natives, he always watched his back.
He’d been here a time or two with Chauncey, back before his brother even knew who his mate was. But they had tag-teamed humans, never vampires. Chance wasn’t into getting sucked on, at least not his neck. Even when he and his twin had come here for a bit of excitement, Chance had always been leery. They were vampires after all. It was in their nature to feed.
Stepping out into the night, Chance saw that Bryce and Abe were almost to the door. Abe looked as though he had jelly beans in his damn pockets. The elf was bouncing around so excitedly that Chance was surprised he didn’t pass out from the sheer thrill of standing in line. He gave Bryce a hard look before walking to his truck. He may not be comfortable in a club full of vamps, but Bryce didn’t seem to have a problem with it. Just as long as Bryce and Abe made it home safely, Chance wouldn’t have a problem with it either.
He drove over to the police station, praying D wasn’t in there making a mess of things. When his phone vibrated on his side, Chance grabbed his cell as he shut his truck door. “Yeah?”
“You sound like you’re having a good time. Sorry I missed the fun.”
Chance sighed. He didn’t mean to snap at Chauncey. It wasn’t his twin’s fault that his night was turning to crap fast. “What do you want, Chauncey?”
“In on the fun. Why didn’t you tell me D was missing? Methinks my twin is holding out on me.”
Chance grinned. Chauncey always could cheer him up. “I’m at the police station. You coming?”
“With bells on, bro.”
Chance grinned. “I sure as shit hope you aren’t wearing any bells.” The image of Chauncey wearing bells made Chance chuckle.
“Be there in an hour.”