Page 77 of Bonding with the Beta

The man with grey hair on his chin and glasses sitting on his face leans against the ledge of the car, his eyes slowly flicking between the pair of us.

He stares at Kayleigh for a beat too long, and I tense.

“I’m gonna need you to step out of the vehicle.” He taps the car, and I hear the slight slur in his voice.

“Alright.” I nod and turn back to Kayleigh, whose frightened eyes are pleading with me not to leave her. “Stay here, okay?”

He slams on the door again, and she jumps. “And the girl.”

I turn to look at him and grit my teeth. “That’s not necessary, sir. She wasn’t driving.”

“It wasn’t a question,” he snaps. “Get. Out. Of. The. Car.”

Kayleigh unbuckles her seatbelt and nods at me. “It’s okay.”

I watch her climb out of the car, and I do the same until she meets me by my side, and I reach for her, wanting to keep her close. But the second my fingers graze her hip, he waves a hand at us.

“Step apart,” he growls.

A breath escapes my throat. “What is this about, officer? We’re just trying to get home.”

“Shut your mouth, boy,” he snarls at me, and I blink at the harshness of his voice. “You really think I don’t know what you were up to?”

I bite the inside of my cheek to stop myself from making this worse. “We weren’t doing anything.”

“We pulled over because I wasn’t feeling well,” Kayleigh blurts, and all I want is for her to be quiet so she doesn’t draw attention to herself.

He sways towards her, and I clench my fists. His fingers move to grasp the fabric of her dress. “Pretty,” he comments with a feral grin before I push him off, and he stumbles back against his police car.

Fire bursts through my veins.

“You dare touch her, and I’ll fucking kill you,” I hiss through my teeth.

The man recovers, and his eyes burn red with rage. “Is that a threat to a police officer?” he rasps. “You can’t put your hands on me.”

“You’re drunk,” I spit.

“Drunk? You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Kayleigh,” I say softly. “Get in the car.”

“You don’t want to do that.” He reaches into the back of his waistband and removes a gun, making us both step back. I instinctively try to move in front of Kayleigh as I hear her gasp, but he aims it at me with shaky hands. “Don’t move.”

I curse myself for not moving faster because she’s not fully tucked behind me.

Breathe, Kayleigh. Breathe. You’re going to be okay.

My heart squeezes at the panic in her voice. Whatever happens, I’m getting us out of this unharmed. I’ll do whatever it takes.

I’m not losing her before I’ve even had the chance to be with her.

“What do you want?” I grumble under my breath.

He flashes me a smile that turns my stomach sour. “Whatever you’re willing to give me.”

“Nothing,” I bark at him. “You will get nothing from us.”

“I don’t want anything from you.” His grin is sickening. “I want something from her.”

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