Page 10 of Priceless

“She’s still here,” I said. “We need to tell her.”

Cameron looked as devastated as I felt. “Because that would go over well. Hey, we know we just saved you from a colossal dick, but we’re actually three Alphas who want exactly the same thing and are using scent matching to excuse it.”

I snarled and checked myself. That’s not what he was saying, but how it would be perceived. “Fuck.” I ran a hand through my hair. “At least tell me you’re losing your mind too, because I feel like I’m having a heart attack.”

“It hit me in the middle of trying to get that guy off her,” Cam said quietly. “And it took everything in me not to pull her into a closet and mark her. So, yeah.”

I watched her disappear from the room, that silky blue dress and shining dark hair I wanted to run my fingers through. She’d been stunning from afar when we stood on the balcony. Up close, there was no comparison. I wanted to touch every part of her body until I had it memorized. Make her scream until she knew she was mine. And that was before her scent changed the very fabric of who I was.

It was a good thing we were in the corner where it wasn’t glaringly obvious I had an erection harder than a fucking diamond.

“She’s leaving.” My voice was strained. “We don’t even know her last name.”

Micah put his hand on my shoulder again. “Ocean’s not a common name. We’ll find her.”

“And then figure out how to explain that we’re not stalking her,” Cameron muttered.

Right. She wasn’t feeling this in the same way we were. It was clear there was interest. I saw the way she took us in, scenting us. She was attracted to us, but because Omegas couldn’t scent match outside of their heat cycle, this torture was ours alone.

Fuck.

It didn’t make sense.

One second the world had structure and order and the next second I was ready to tear everything apart at the seams simply to take another breath of that scent.

“Oh good, there you are. I’d hoped the three of you had made your way back to the party.”

Frank McCabe was the last person on the face of the earth I wanted to see right now. In comparison to the scent I craved, he was sickly. Like a fruit that was a few days past ripeness. I’d never noticed it before, but now I knew every scent would be compared to hers.

“Of course,” Micah said, ever the diplomat. “We might not stay much longer, but thank you for having us.”

“I’m glad you came. About that meeting. Can I have my secretary call yours and put it on the books for sometime next week?”

My eyes narrowed, brain snapping out of its Ocean-induced fog for a moment. That was the second time he’d asked, which meant he wanted something. Badly. The first rule of a business negotiation was never to show your hand too early. If you did, you lost all your power. Frank was on the verge of giving everything away.

“Sure,” Cameron said, clapping the man on the shoulder. “I’m sure we can find some time.”

I reached inside my tuxedo and retrieved my phone to see if the text I sent had yielded any results. The work we asked Aiden to do was just on this side of legal. Well, most of the time. We tried to use his out-of-bounds skills as a last resort. But the Firefly deal leaking to Frank was a situation that warranted the caution. Plus, he worked fast.

Sure enough, there was a text with a link. I clicked on it, the documents opening up to show me what he’d found. I managed to keep the shock off my face.

McCabe Fabrics was in trouble. They were almost bankrupt, and in the red in almost every sector. Why? They had enough clients for a thriving business. What would have made them tank so quickly? I could have sworn the last time we made a cursory check, they were fine.

No word on how the deal was leaked though. Aiden was curt.

Aiden

Nothing on how it got out. This level of cleanliness usually means it was in person and verbal.

“Frank, would you excuse us for just a moment?” I asked him with a smile. “Work never stops.”

“Sure.” His own smile wavered, and he took a step back, looking around the room. For being the host, he didn’t seem to be mingling. Instead, he looked like he stood apart. Odd.

I handed my phone to Micah, and Cameron looked over his shoulder as they looked at the text and the financials. They looked up at me and I nodded.

“Well, that explains why he wants a meeting,” Micah whispered.

Cameron nodded. “Yeah. And gives us an idea of how Firefly leaked. Maybe someone thought they were doing him a favor and wanted to help him?”

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