Page 11 of Forget

There was someone out there… looking for me.

I feel lightheaded as I shove my knife back into the holster strapped to my thigh. I need air, despite being outside. Leaning down, I ignore Hayes’s curious gaze as it finds the sex toys strewn across the pavement.

Yep, that's really fucking embarrassing. Grabbing what I can without having to get on my knees to pick up, I’m running before I can think.

“Woah, wait, Aisling!” Hayes roars as I race toward Finnegan’s Bar. I don’t know if it’s open, I just know I need a place to think. I’m more likely to make it to the bar thanBrewed Awakeningright now.

The stomping of feet follows behind me, and I shake my head.No, no, no.There was someone out there for me, yet I was still alone, sleeping in parks, working my ass off to find safety.

It doesn’t seem fair. Tears mar my vision as I struggle to see in front of me, and I run into a solid chest at full speed.

“Woah, little omega. What’s got you running?” Caleb asks, holding me away from him. He doesn’t even budge despite my full on collision, and I pant as I start to sob.

“I can’t do this,” I wail, gasping for air.

Caleb’s gaze moves to take in the alpha behind me holding a bag as he slides to a stop. There’s an active call still on the cell in Hayes’s other hand, and I suspect my father is waiting to see if his alpha can chase me down.

“Mind telling me why you’ve got my employee all kinds of panicked?” Caleb growls. “She doesn’t freak out easily.”

“It’s none of your business,” Hayes snarls, not even breathing hard. I’m already looking for an escape route from where I’m stuck between them. If they get into a fight, it won’t be pretty.

“Hayes, mind your manners,” Mr. Sullivan barks. I can feel the command even through the phone, it’s so clear and strong. Shuddering, my eyes grow wide as I gaze at Hayes.

I won’t call the man on my phone my father, even in the face of so much evidence. It just doesn’t feel right.

“I’m afraid I’m the problem,”Mr. Sullivan admits.“I recently found out that I have a daughter, and asked my men to be on the lookout for her. I knew she was in Minneapolis, just not where.”

“You do realize she’s been through hell the last two years, right?” Caleb asks. “She slept in fucking parks for weeks… in March! We got snow that month, fucker.”

Hayes stiffens, struggling not to punch Caleb, but my boss isn’t lying. Sniffling, I dash the tears away from my cheeks, reaching out to snatch my bag of sex toys. Hayes snickers, relaxing, while Caleb glares, unsure what is so funny.

“Aisling, is that true?”Mr. Sullivan asks.

“Where else was I supposed to sleep?” I ask in return. “I found my designation the same damn day, and it was after two in the morning. There wasn’t a single shelter that would have taken me, even if they were open. Mom died in her sleep. I stayed in the apartment with her dead body for three fucking days before the landlord broke in while I was working.”

“Where are you working so late?“ Mr. Sullivan asks, and I press my lips together. Caleb went out on a limb for me. I’ve already said too much.

“You’re alright, kid,” Caleb mutters. “I don’t think these are the kinds of people who will care if I hired an underaged kid to sling drinks in my bar.”

“She’s a bartender,” Mr. Sullivan says almost as if it’s a prayer.

“Would you not want me if I was a stripper?” I ask with a hysterical laugh. “Mom spent years working as one to make sure everything was always paid on time.”

“I don’t think it’s the occupation, but your age that’s the issue,” Caleb says gently. “Why are you looking for her?”

“My wife hid the letter Bea wrote to me while she was sick,”Mr. Sullivan explains. “Bea told me she was living on borrowed time, and where to find you two and a half years ago. It would have been enough time if Nancy hadn’t hidden the letter from me. Needless to say, things are rocky.”

“Two and a half years,” I echo, eyes wide.

“I live twenty minutes from the city, Aisling. Can we just meet, please? I can’t imagine who you’ve been living with in the time that you’ve been alone,”Mr. Sullivan says.

Blowing out a breath, I shrug. “I have an apartment now, I work two jobs, and I dropped out of school,” I explain. At Sullivan’s growl, I roll my eyes. “I got my GED. I’m smart, I work hard, and I keep my head down.”

I watch as blood trickles down Hayes’s neck proudly, smirking as he ignores it.

“She also held a knife to my throat when I grabbed her arm,” Hayes grumbles. “She’s absolutely yours, boss.”

“Your call, kid,” Caleb mutters.

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