Page 25 of Wild Card

I should have kept my fucking mouth shut. Bear tells me all the time that I’m too chatty. It comes in handy here and at Dry Dock when I’m bartending, but there is such a thing as oversharing.

“Things between me and Lennox are complicated right now, but you’ve got it all wrong if you think you need to protect her from me.”

“She made it clear you’ve already hurt her once.” My jaw slides side to side as my teeth grind together.

I don’t have any real authority to tell him to fuck off. She and I just met, but he’s right. Lennox has already triggered every protective instinct that I’ve got. It’s an insane feeling, but those particular impulses have never been activated before.

“I recognize trouble when I see it.” I smirk. “She deserves to be treated right, and you missed your chance.”

“You really want to take it there?” he growls, rolling his shoulders back and gesturing to his chest. “I get it. I look like a criminal. That was by design. I spent eight years doing deep cover with the DEA. Two of which were spent with a family that specialized in trafficking omegas.”

My head tilts.

I’m not sure what I was expecting, but that wasn’t it.

“They’re no longer a threat to anyone, but it got dicey for a while.” He sighs heavily. “I cut ties to keep her safe, but I’m no longer at the government’s beck and call. I’m here to fix everything I fucked up the first time around.”

“Luckily for you…” I shrug. “You don’t need to convince me of anything.”

Bear always accuses me of being too trusting, but something about this guy rubs me the wrong way.

“I saw the way you looked at her.” He stares straight into my eyes as he speaks. “And I’ve always known that she would need a pack one day. She’s going to have a heat in a couple of weeks, based on her lab work. I’m planning to be bonded to her before she ever steps foot inside The Exchange.”

My eyes narrow.

Bear and I may be twins, but we took different paths in life. He went into the military, while I took a scholarship to play hockey that eventually led to being signed professionally. While he may be more dangerous than I am, I’m no stranger to skirmishes, on and off the ice.

I don’t know who this guy thinks he is, but if he doesn’t readjust his attitude, I’m likely to readjust his face.

“I’m heading out to buy Christmas and courting gifts.” Thorne winks. “If you could keep an eye on her until I get back, I’d appreciate it.”

He really must want to be introduced to my fist on an intimate level.

I stare like an idiot as he pivots on his boots and swaggers out.

Maybe Bear has finally started to rub off on me, because I suddenly understand why he hates people.

Jesus Christ.

What a fucking dick.

Lennox doesn’t pop up for breakfast or lunch. We’re working on a skeleton crew because I got a little generous with time off around the holidays, but luckily, the staff we can’t live without is here. Probably because they reside on site, but I’ve learned my lesson for next year.

I place an order for lunch, hoping I pick something Lennox will like, and stand around, waiting for the minute Max, the cook, hands off the tray.

“Thanks,” I say, nodding at the two other members of the kitchen staff as I pass. The employee elevator is just across from the kitchen.

I hop in, pushing the button for Lennox’s floor.

Janet and Chrissy can handle the restaurant, bar, and check-in desk. I mean, there were only five people in the entire restaurant when I placed the order.

They’ll be fine.

I probably shouldn’t be checking on a guest, rather than working, when we’re short-staffed, but that doesn’t stop me from stomping down the hallway as soon as the elevator doors open.

Keeping the tray balanced on one hand, I knock on Lennox’s door with the other. It feels like an eternity passes before I knock again.

The door finally opens, but not very far.

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