With Abandon: With or Without, Book 4

water and set his phone on the seat beside him. Did he want to check the messages?
    If Aubrey called to apologize, would it matter? And what if he didn’t? The nervous flutter in his stomach was back. Shoving off and getting the swing moving, Matt pulled his feet onto the bench. Resting his arm over the back of the swing, he laid his head on it and stared out at the backyard. Goose bumps broke out on his body and he wasn’t even cold.
    He closed his eyes and listened to the creak of the swing as it moved on its chains. The wind blew
    across his bare chest and feet, making him shiver, but he didn’t want to go in yet. He was at a crossroads.
    He suspected Logan was right about Aubrey and his intentions, or rather lack of intention about marriage.
    Matt was pretty sure Aubrey cared for him. But Howard’s words about not letting Aubrey walk all over
    him kept coming back to Matt. How did he make up with his mate and not give in to him? Should he just
    let Aubrey come to him?
    A twig snapped to his left, jarring Matt out of his repose. “Hello?” He sat up, squinting toward the
    bushes next to the porch, and set his water bottle on the ground below the swing. The wind was blowing the opposite direction, but out of habit he sniffed the air. A faint but familiar scent teased his nose. Was that?
    No, it couldn’t be. Why would he be here? Man, Aubrey had Matt so out of whack his senses weren’t even
    working right. He shook his head to clear it and inhaled again. Nothing was there.
    He settled back into the swing, this time lying down and hanging his feet over the arm.
    Something cold and hard touched his forehead. “Hello, Matt.”
    Oh my God, it was him… Matt snapped his eyes open, but the barrel of a revolver was all he saw.

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    173
    Chapter Eighteen
    Aubrey parked Chay’s truck in front of the big two-story gray brick house and cut the engine. All day
    he’d prepared for this moment. He’d left his brother in charge, booked a private flight, packed a bag and rushed to the airport. On the runway, he’d managed to call Jake Romero, Matt’s Alpha, and John Carter,
    the other local Alpha, out of respect to let them know he’d be in the area. After the taxi dropped Aubrey off in front of his brother’s house, he’d used the keys Chay had handed him, gotten in Chay’s truck and gone straight to the address Keaton had programmed into his phone. Now, he stared up at the house with a sense of anticipation and relief. He was finally here.
    Maybe he should’ve stayed at his brother and brother-in-law’s place tonight and come here in the
    morning. He glanced at the dashboard clock. 1:40 a.m. Matt was probably asleep.
    Had he let his need to see Matt overshadow his good sense? Maybe, but that jittery, uneasy feeling
    he’d developed after discovering Matt’s absence lingered, even though there was no longer a threat from Boskie.
    Damn. In his rush to reclaim his mate, he’d forgotten to question Boskie about those pictures. Oh well, it could wait until he and Matt got home. Aubrey ran his hands down his face and let out a deep
    breath, trying to slow his racing pulse.
    Light illuminated the downstairs window on the far right. That didn’t mean anything though. Lots of
    people left lights on when they went to bed. The knot in Aubrey’s stomach tightened. Should he go knock on the door?
    A shadow moved across the front window.
    That was all the goading he needed. He jumped out of the truck and jogged to the door. After brushing
    a hand through his hair, he knocked. There was no turning back now.
    He breathed a little easier when the locks on the door clicked. The door opened, and a tall, nice-
    looking man with rumpled short black hair and big brown eyes studied Aubrey with a frown on his face. He wore a pair of gray sweats and a wrinkled navy T-shirt. He was a wolf but way too old to be one of Matt’s teenaged brothers. It must be Matt’s dad. Studying Aubrey from head to toe, the man wrinkled his nose a little in confusion. “You’re Keaton’s brother?”
    Nodding, Aubrey held out his hand. “Yes, sir. Aubrey Reynolds.”
    The man yawned, pushed the door open and shook Aubrey’s hand. “Mark Pesata. I take it you’re here
    because of Matthew. Come in.” He closed the door behind Aubrey. “Matthew’s asleep, along with
    With Abandon
    everyone else, but I assume you knew that being as late as it is.” Crossing his arms over his massive chest, he cocked an eyebrow at