Page 13 of Ready or Not

It also wasn’t locked when I left, which is really fucking dangerous.

I shake my head, closing the door.

The last thing I want to do is walk away, but I don’t know what to think.

I lean against the doorframe, confused as fuck.

It takes a few minutes, but I finally decide that she’ll call me when she wakes up. Then we can clear up this mess, once and for all.

My pride doesn’t like the idea that she’s been playing me for months, but if I don’t get my ass to work, Ranger promised me a month-long timeout in his basement.

No fucking thank you.

I haul ass and spend the next three days obsessively checking my phone.

She doesn’t call.

And my pride tells me not to go back to that fucking club.

So, I don’t.

I take the first out-of-state assignment Ranger will hand me, and even when I come back to DC, I stay away from her side of town.

I wanted to introduce her to my mom.

To bring her home to the guys I consider my pack.

My gut churns every time I think about it.

Oh yeah, and her roommate took me for six hundred dollars in cash.

I’d have to be as dumb as everyone always accuses me of being not to take the hint.

Chapter Five

Bishop

Vale stays glued to my chest after Patrick leaves. I hope he says a heartfelt goodbye to his little brother. The younger Garza has an expiration date hanging over his head.

My sweet little omega smells stressed to the max, but I let her soak up my pheromones as I plot my revenge.

“You’re feeling very murdery in the bond,” she says, pushing up a little to look at my face.

I grab the back of her head and pull her back to my chest. “Yeah, I’m doing my best to block all that, but…”

“I honestly panicked. It felt like you somehow knew who I was. I thought you sent him to purposely funnel me to you.” She runs her fingers over my pec. “And I’m sorry my mind instantly went to the ugliest place imaginable.”

I scoff. “Don’t apologize. If I were you, my head would’ve gone to the same place.”

I’m fully aware of how awful it looks.

If I didn’t know better, I would’ve thought the same thing.

I’ve honestly contemplated whether Garza somehow found out who Vale was and approached her purposely, trying to show me she wasn’t trustworthy.

If he convinced Merrick to find her…

I will kill them both.

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