Page 87 of All In

“Female omegas menstruate the week after the heat if conception fails to occur,” Ranger says helpfully.

“That was a major bonus of taking suppressants.” Laken groans, burying her face in my chest. “I almost never had more than a few days of breakthrough bleeding when starting a new pack.”

Ranger holds the basket out between them. “I picked several brands and varieties, but if you have preferences, feel free to grab them now.”

Laken digs around in the basket, and Ranger quirks an eyebrow at me.

I’m not sure why it feels like he’s blasting me for some perceived shortcoming.

I’m doing the best I can here, but I’ve had an omega of my own for less than a full day. The urge to stab him while Laken is preoccupied comes out of nowhere. They don’t have a bond yet. It wouldn’t hurt her a bit.

Dammit.

I don’t like the thought that he knows how to take care of her needs better than I do. I’m going to do some research when we get back home.

On the way into town, we were a small convoy of two vehicles. On the way home, it’s just us, since Maverick and Gunner headed back with the food while we were still checking out in the pharmacy.

Ranger sits in the front passenger seat as I drive. He bitches continually until I threaten to pull over so he can take the wheel.

“You two are adorable,” Laken says from the back seat. “You bicker worse than an old married couple.”

“Yes, well, I’d like to actually arrive at our destination,” Ranger says blandly.

I raise a hand, flipping him off. Laken only laughs harder, and it feels like a win.

Ranger spins around in his seat. “I did try to get an appointment scheduled for you today, but one doctor is out of town until the end of next week. You’ll be seen Friday.”

Something vibrates in the bond.

It’s difficult to decipher, but I think it’s sadness or maybe nostalgia.

“You may use this to check your voicemail.” Ranger passes back a cell phone. “Please make it quick. I have the Assurance tech specialist working from his end to…” He frowns as she takes the phone. “Scramble something. I don’t know all the details, but he did give a small window for you to safely check to see if your test results came in.”

“Thank you,” she says, meeting my eyes in the rearview mirror.

The bond fills with her sadness.

Yeah, that feeling is definitely her misery. I can’t remember his name, but she’s thinking about the guy from Chicago that she called while we were in Boston.

It’s not a great feeling, but I get it. She had a life before she was kidnapped.

She’ll have one after it too.

I sigh, turning onto the dirt road that leads to Ranger’s house.

Laken’s face turns to a frown as I glance at her in the mirror. “They didn’t call in my prescription, and they said I need to call to get my test results. That’s kind of weird. Then again, that doctor wouldn’t hear a word I said when I asked for stronger suppressants.”

“If you intend to call, make it quick,” Ranger says. “If they can’t give you the results quickly, we’ll need to schedule another time to try again.”

“Got it.” Laken pulls the phone down and dials before bringing it back to her ear. It’s silent for a while before someone answers the call. She gives them her basic information and informs them that she’s calling back for test results.

We make it to the curve before Ranger’s house, and as we come around it, something is off. The black SUV that Maverick and Gunner were driving is blocking the small dirt road. There’s a car pulled off on the grass near the woods, and it’s jacked up, with the back tire lying on the ground.

“Yes, that’s me. Laken Spencer…” She goes on to verify her birth date and some other information, but my head swivels to Ranger.

“Drive past,” he growls, yanking open the glove box.

The right side of the road has a higher embankment than the left, which is where the car is pulled off. I’m even more confused that I don’t see Maverick or Gunner or the owner of the vehicle.

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