Page 63 of The Omega Verse

He gives me a soft smile as he studies my face. “You don’t need to worry about me, soldier. I’ve been down this road a bunch of times before.”

I don’t need to ask him what he means. His life has been well-documented since he was born into the Grace music dynasty, and I know his granddaddy was shot outside a bar, his uncle drove his truck off a cliff, and his wife died from cancer. I’m not sure how he can bear having his pain splashed across the tabloids, but it’s the bullshit I’ve read about him being born under a cursed star that pisses me off the most.

But I shake off the dark thoughts and smile. If Kobi can live with that shit and still be awesome, then so can I. “You gonna play us a song?” I ask, pointing my beer at his guitar.

He grins, clearly happy to be asked. Or maybe he just doesn’t want to dwell on sad things either, especially when the night smells of sex and barbecue. “You have a request, soldier?”

I tip my head towards Cass, who’s looking at him the way a seagull watches the last chip on the beach. “I’m pretty sure Cass has something in mind.”

He sets down his beer and turns to her, like he wasn’t just watching her every move. “You have a favourite tune, darlin’?”

She pauses with her serving fork frozen in the air. “‘Highway Blues’, maybe.”

Kobi makes a clicking sound with his tongue. “I know that ain’t your favourite favourite,” he smirks, working his twang.

“Oh, God. Then it’s ‘My Boots Under Your Bed’,” she says, reaching over to smack a chortling Silva with her greasy tongs. “Shut up. I hear you humming it all the time, too.”

“It’s a great song,” Silva laughs, rolling out of the hammock and going over to hug her. “But I want you sitting on my lap while you listen to it.”

“Perve,” she mutters, but she’s smiling as he tugs her down onto one of the beanbags.

Silva wraps himself around her until he’s captured her feet between his shins and has his mouth latched onto her neck. “Good to go, brother,” he tells Kobi, who smirks, but starts strumming. “I’m ready to enjoy the full fangirl experience.”

But Kobi has only sung the first line when there’s a strange voice from the side of the house. “And why not? It’s a great song.”

I’m on my feet in a heartbeat, the bottle flipped in my hand. Out of the corner of my eye I catch Kobi hefting his guitar in two hands and Silva rolling to his knees, covering Cass with his body. He’s snatched the knife off the grill, and I make a mental note to check how handy he is with it. But right now, I turn to watch a guy in a hoodie climb onto my deck. “Relax, Bush,” he says, extending a hand. “Just a friendly visit.”

I swallow the air that wants to punch out of my chest, then set my beer down carefully to grasp his hand. “I should hope so, sir.”

“Finn,” he corrects me like he always does, but I just nod. The guy in front of me was a civilian security contractor on a couple of my tours, but there are some men who you treat respectfully, simply because it’s a matter of survival. Not that Finn Visser ever threatened me in any way. In fact, his handshake has the warmth of a close friend. But even in a hoodie and jeans, he carries a tightly controlled menace that makes my hackles rise. It’s all instinct, because Finn is the most powerful alpha I’ve ever met, and that includes a couple of generals, a leader of an insurgent army, and my brother, Scott, who plays for the national rugby team.

And Kobi can clearly sense it, too, because he is growling under his breath like a pissed-off grizzly.

Finn pulls his other hand from his pocket and holds them up, palms out. “My friendship extends to you, Kobi. I’m a huge fan, but the way.”

“Fans that come sneakin’ out of the dark aren’t the kind I care for,” Kobi replies in a threatening rumble.

“Fair enough.” Finn folds his arms, gesturing to the grill with his chin. “But I should point out that your sausages are about to go up in smoke.”

Cass curses, leaping to her feet to rescue our dinner, but Kobi snaps off the burner while Silva hauls her back behind him. “Why are you here?” Silva demands, the knife tapping his thigh. “And where the fuck is Mike?”

“Mike Tanner?” Finn jerks his head at the bushes behind him. “Your security is out there patrolling. Just not as well as they should be.”

“You’re not exactly the usual threat level, Finn,” I reply and gesture for him to take one of the plastic chairs on the deck. “Silva, could you grab my buddy a beer? Cass, come sit with me, please. I want to introduce you to my friend.”

Silva narrows his eyes but heads inside while Cass pads over to me. She’s looking at Finn with unabashed curiosity, and I wonder if the newly awakened omega in her can sense his alpha. But as soon as she reaches me, she melts onto my lap, tipping her head back for me to nuzzle. “You smell stressed,” she whispers in my ear. “Do we need to deal with him?”

Fuck, but if that question doesn’t make my heart swell with pride. “Finn’s a friend from my army days. He runs a security company.” The biggest in the country, but I don’t add that part. “This is Cass, my mate.”

Now that I’ve introduced them, I feel like kicking myself, because it gives Finn the opportunity to focus all his attention her way. “Nice to meet you, Cass. And congratulations on snagging this beast. He’s one of the best guys I know.”

“Us too,” Silva says with a scowl as he comes back and thrusts a beer at Finn. “So, you can understand why we might feel a little protective of him.”

“I promise I’m a fan, not a foe,” Finn smiles, and I know he doesn’t need to be told that the second bite mark on Cass’ neck belongs to the guy glaring down at him. “Your drums on ‘Cold Day Dying’ are some of the best I’ve ever heard, Silva. Maybe only your work at the tribute concert was better.”

“You were there?” Cass asks, drawing his attention back her way. And yes, I can see the way his pupils expand a fraction as he looks at her. My arm tightens around her and he blinks, but I know it was there. Whatever has brought him to my deck, Cass is either a part of it, or a side bonus.

“I was. But then, I’ve never missed a Sundowners’ tour.” He tips his beer at Jett and River, who have walked up from the beach and are studying him with wary eyes.

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