Page 58 of A Broody Mate for the Human

“I need to track a friend,” I tell him, noticing by his furrowed brows that he has no idea what I’m talking about. “And then we can go and find out who you are.”

He stares at me. “What? Why?”

“Why not?” I blink.

“You aren’t obliged to help me,” he grumbles.

“And you’re not obliged to help me,” I retort. “Yet, here you are.”

“You offered me money and the warmth of a car,” he mutters.

“And you saved my life,” I point out.

He frowns. “Those fuckers,” he hisses.

I look at him, surprised. I was so sure he just passed by coincidentally and didn’t really try to help me, but his words now make me wonder.

“So, do you want my help or don’t you?” I ask him. I’ve had it with guys playing games recently, so either he accepts my help or sucks it up and leaves.

Raffy surprises me once again by looking a bit flustered. “I won’t say no,” he mutters.

“Awesome.” I beam, relieved I have something to do and get my mind off Matthew and my broken bond. Finding Finn and helping Raffy are exactly the tasks I need now. “So, first, we’ll need a new car, then we’ll find us a hotel and clean you up a bit. Tomorrow we’ll meet with a friend who has an… IT company.”

Or more like an illegal hacker group.

Raffy nods skeptically. He is probably not sure I can pull any of my promises off, but I’ll show him how capable I actually am. It’s too late to buy a new car, so once we reach the next city, I make it to one of the hotels I swiftly Googled. Today I want something with some luxury.

The hotel has a garage, so I can leave my car there, just taking Raffy and Sugar with me. The look the hotel manager gives me once we enter would have been worth recording. His gaze goes from welcoming when he sees me to shocked when he eyes Sugar to horrified when he sees Raffy. I don’t allow him to complain though, immediately wearing my biggest smile and putting my black credit card in front of him. “Please give us your best room,” I tell him.

His eyes widen when sees my credit card, and suddenly he shows me the politest smile ever. He peeks at the card. “Mr. Ford, it’s a pleasure to host you here. How long will you want to stay?”

“A few days, a week maximum,” I tell him.

He nods eagerly. “Our presidential and panorama suites are booked for that time span, but I can offer you the honeymoon suite or the penthouse.”

Out of the corner of my eye I can see Raffy’s mouth drop open at the mention of a honeymoon suite. I’m beginning to find this whole trip with him really hilarious. Just for the joke of it… “The honeymoon suite will do.” It’s typical for this type of luxurious hotel to be discreet as long as you pay a lot. “I need to bring my dog though. He is a service animal.”

Sugar chooses this moment to pull up his lips slightly and provide the dumbest expression ever.

The hotel manager looks skeptical, but after I tip him generously, he just smiles and nods. One of the employees takes our keys for us and my bag and leads us to the suite. He shows us around, telling us we can order food whenever we want, and also offers us a special honeymoon menu.

I can barely hide my grin, but I smile politely throughout his whole explanation, tipping him too, before he finally leaves us alone.

“You have to be kidding me,” Raffy mutters when he enters the room.

There is a slightly cheesy heart-shaped four-poster bed right in the middle, the design of the rest of the furniture is flowery, the light can be dimmed for a more romantic atmosphere, and the bathroom includes a whirlpool, surrounded by LED candles.

“Well, this is our place for a few days,” I throw my bag onto the bed. “Just so we are clear, this is mine. You can take the couch!”

Raffy still looks around in shock. “Who pays for this?” he whispers.

“I do.” I shrug.

“You?” his eyes widen.

“Didn’t I tell you?” I blink. “I’m pretty wealthy. I was the main heir to my grandmother; she was a rich woman.”

“You drive a tiny car,” he blurts out.