Page 19 of Wild Card

Only, things got dicey when Dustin Barrett, Avan’s little brother, wouldn’t stay out of the club Lennox worked at, and our paths crossed one too many times.

Somewhere along the way, I made a promise to myself that all the disgusting shit I had to do to earn Avan Barrett’s trust would be worth it when I watched their entire family being hauled away in handcuffs…

But within weeks of knowing Lennox, I would have blown my cover to keep her safe.

My options were limited, so I did what any shady-as-fuck mob-affiliated dickhead does—I claimed her as mine, so no one else would touch her. It was the best shot I had at keeping her alive under the fucked-up circumstances I was working with.

And it worked for a while.

We had six months of stolen moments, but then my bosses tried to call me in.

Not once or twice, but three fucking times, and I knew I was in deep shit. The assignment was taking too long, and they had other avenues they wanted to pursue.

To add to the clusterfuck, the family the Barretts took New York from was about to make a play to get the city back, so I did the only thing I could think of.

I broke up with Lennox and begged a contact to get her the hell out of New York. It was the only way to keep her from coming back to talk things out while everything was hitting the fan.

It was a dick move.

I knew it then, just like I know it now, but I thought it would be easier for her to move on if she hated me. Because of the parameters of my assignment, I couldn’t even tell her who I really am.

So, she left, hating the guy she thought I was.

None of it is a good excuse, when I put myself in her shoes, but I couldn’t face whatever came next unless Lennox was out of the city and safe, so I made sure to stack the team with a couple of guys who owed me favors from way back. They worked in tandem with my contact, snatched her from the club, and kept her safe in New Jersey.

Within a week after getting her to safety, everything exploded with the Barretts.

The entire core of the family was wiped out during a wedding-turned-massacre.

Once the dust settled, I was called into the field office to give two years’ worth of statements and depositions.

The Barretts are no more, but I saw a lot while I was undercover, and other arrests had to be made.

Not to mention, my bosses were so done with my shit by then, they threatened me with obstruction of justice charges of my own if I disappeared before I was called to testify.

So, I did what I was legally required, put in my fucking notice, and came searching for my woman.

Only, now she hates me.

And it’s not like I can pretend I don’t know why.

I’m just not giving up without a fight.

“For the love of God, woman.” I stride after her, scooping her up as she tries to step over a slushy puddle of melting ice.

She squeals and tries to hold on to my shirt. It makes her heels slap against my shoulder.

“Put me down, right this instant, Thorne,” she snaps, kicking her sock-covered feet. “What are you even doing here?”

“I came to find you,” I tell her truthfully. “And it took a lot of hell to make that happen. Your sister hates my guts. I thought you would be with her, but when I saw the dogs…” I frown, wondering how much I should say.

Lennox’s sister, Brooklyn, is now bonded to a pack with two giant German shepherds.

Lennox has always been terrified of big dogs, so I wasn’t shocked that she chose not to stay with Brooklyn and her pack, but I had no idea where else to check.

The trip to Virginia wasted an extra week, but no one would tell me a goddamn thing over the phone.

“I didn’t even try to stay with Brooklyn.” She glances at the doors to the bed-and-breakfast as they get closer. “She’s finally happy. I wanted her to be able to focus on her family.” She shrugs. “You know how it goes. I’m an omega too. It’ll always be hard for her to have me in her personal space, especially now that she has alphas of her own.”

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