Alex headed to his bedroom and gathered enough clothes for five days. He then grabbed his bathroom supplies from the bathroom. He packed everything in his black duffle bag and grabbed his car keys.
"I'm going now," Alex said as he passed his father in the hallway. "Teddy, you mind your mother and your grandfather," he said.
"I will, I promise," the child said. They hugged and said their final goodbyes. Alex put his duffle bag in the backseat, got in the driver's seat, and buckled up. He started the engine and headed back to Ginger's apartment. He wanted to get back soon in case Ginger woke up and was in pain.
When he arrived, Alex parked the car and headed inside the apartment complex. A blonde woman stood in front of Ginger's door when Alex reached the apartment.
"What are you doing here?" he asked sternly.
"I'm not here to cause trouble," Kara said. "I want to apologize for Thomas' rude behavior lately," she said.
"Does he know you're here?" Alex asked.
"No," Kara said, shaking her head. "He's at work right now," she said.
"You seem to be a sensible woman," Alex said. "Please keep your husband away from my friend," he requested.
"I will," she said.
Alex went inside the apartment after the conversation ended. The bedroom door opened, and Ginger walked in. His cheeks had no color to them, and he was still wobbly.
"What took so long?" Ginger asked as he sat down on the couch.
"After I picked up your medicine, I packed up some clothes and stuff," Alex said.
"Why?" Ginger asked, glancing at Alex, confused.
"I'll stay until you're better," Alex explained.
"You don't need to do that," Ginger said.
"I want to," Alex said. "I wouldn't be a friend if I left you alone in your situation," he stated.
Ginger glanced down at the floor, then at Alex. "I only have one bedroom," he said. "Where would you sleep?" he asked.
"On the couch," Alex said. "It's only until your heat cycle is over," he said. "Don't you trust me?" Alex asked. Ginger remained silent for a couple moments.
"I'm not sure how to answer your question because I don't know you very well," Ginger admitted.
"Honesty, I like that," Alex said, smiling. "Here's a deal," he said. "I'll stay for two days; if you're uncomfortable after that, I'll leave," Alex offered.
Ginger's hazel eyes shone with a hint of shock. "You're not lying to me, are you?" the redhead asked.
"An honest man would keep his promise," Alex said. "I'm an Alpha and a Mafia boss; I always keep my word," he said.
"The couch pulls out into a bed," Ginger said after a few seconds of pondering. "Bedding is in the hallway closet," he said.
"Does your body still feel hot or hurt?" Alex asked.
"A little," Ginger said. "The temporary mark helps the pain," he said.
"I can cook if you're unable to stand," Alex offered.
"I should be fine as long as I'm not upright for a long time," Ginger said.
"Would you like some lunch or do you want to wait until dinner?" Alex asked.
"Go ahead and fix yourself something if you're hungry," Ginger said. "I'll eat later," he said, getting up and going to his bedroom.
Ginger was sitting cross-legged on his bed, sketching, when his phone rang. He glanced at it, and it said "Unknown Number".
"Maybe a wrong number," he thought to himself. At 1 p.m., his phone rang again with the same information. "Teenagers are playing pranks," he said. His phone rang again an hour later with the same message.
"Whoever you are, stop playing pranks on me," he said, angrily answering the phone. Ginger hung up and slammed the phone down on the nightstand.
Ginger turned his head when there was a loud rapping on the door. He got up and walked across the floor. He opened his bedroom door and found a very concerned Alex standing in front of him.
"Are you alright?" Alex asked. "I heard a bang coming from your room," he said.
"Just an annoying caller," Ginger stated.
"What did the caller ID say?" Alex asked, glancing over at the nightstand.
"Unknown," Ginger said. The phone rang once more.
"Let me deal with this," Alex said. "Whoever you are, this number has a tracking code, so if you persist in playing games, we can find you," he said. The phone went dead on the other end.
Alex fiddled with Ginger's phone for a few moments, then sighed. "There, now whoever tries to call you under a blocked or unknown number will be traced," he said, handing it back to Ginger. Ginger sat down on the bed and glanced at his phone. "Do you think it was him?" he asked.
"We don't have any proof yet," Alex said. "Let's wait a few days to see what the tracer comes up with," he said. Alex noticed uneasiness in the room when Ginger rolled onto his side and pulled the cover up over his head.
***on the other side of town***
"Thomas, turn off that phone and stop calling him," Kara requested.
"And why should I?" Thomas asked.
"What you're doing is harassment," she stated.
"You need to mind your own business," Thomas growled.
"I am your wife, so what you do is my business," she stated. "If you had forgotten, you dumped him to be with me," she said.
Thomas raised a hand to slap Kara. "If you lay one hand on me to hit me, I'll divorce you and make sure that you don't get a cent of my family's money," she warned. Thomas cursed under his breath and lowered his fist. Kara took Thomas' phone, put it in a silver box, and locked it. "Now, leave him alone, or we're through," she demanded. Thomas headed straight to the guest bedroom and slammed the door. Kara stayed in the master bedroom. Thomas opened the closet, reached up, and pulled down a small cardboard box from the top shelf. He went over to the bed and set the box down on it. He sat down in front of it and lifted the lid. Inside was a small pile of cellphones.