Page 8 of Donner

"Why didn't you call him an ambulance?" Wes asked.

"By the time I got him out of the building, he was able to walk on his own."

"And then you walked him home?" the daytime manager asked. "Where does he live?"

"He's got a room at the Winter Orange Resort." I pointed behind me, to the south. "I thought I could slip over there, make sure he didn't have a concussion, and get back before the all-clear. I was wrong."

"You took thirty-five minutes for a fifteen-minute break," Davey said. So that's what this was about. He wanted to move up from the dance floor to the door, but Wes had told him he didn't have enough managerial courage. Now, he was throwing me under the bus for taking twenty extra minutes for my break. If that was managerial courage, I never wanted to be a manager.

"I did what was best for the club." I knew it was a stretch to say so, but Jax could have sued the hotel and the club for what happened last night. "You would rather hear about a customer getting trampled in the club and dying the next day?"

"You knew he was a shifter," Wes said. "You could have walked him across the street to the gas station restroom and told him to shift without missing a beat."

"Here's what I think happened," the daytime manager said. "You didn't want to get caught getting a little something extra on the side again, so you went back to the guy's hotel for some alone time."

I shook my head. "It wasn't like that. I got him a glass of water and some ibuprofen, and then I left." If they thought I could get it on with a total stranger in thirty-five minutes when it took me ten to walk down the crowded stairs from the club to the lobby and another twenty just walking to and from Jax's hotel, they were mistaken. I had spent maybe five minutes alone with the guy.

Wes frowned. "I don't believe you."

"It's the truth," I said, though the longer I met Wes's gaze, the further my gut sank. My stomach was probably somewhere in the ninth level of hell by now. I'd liked having Wes as my boss, and now he was choosing Davey over me.

Fuck it. I might as well get it all out there. "Another truth? This wouldn't have happened if you cut the music and turned up the lights when the alarms sounded."

"We can't stop people from pulling the fire alarms," Wes said, ignoring my solution completely. "We also can't trust you to work your full shift. Starting tomorrow night, you're demoted from security to server."

I laughed at that. Servers barely made minimum wage, even with their tips. "Fuck that."

"Beau." Wes placed his hand on my arm. Wes became something furry and prey-like when he shifted. Maybe rabbit, pika, or guinea pig from the smell of him. It took every bit of my sheer willpower to not shred his fingers to ribbons with half-shifted talons. I could do it in a heartbeat, but it wasn't worth it. He'd heal it just as quickly by shifting, and then we would have an all-out fight.

I took a deep breath instead. "I hope that young man sues you for negligence."

I pushed my chair back from the table so I could stand out of Wes's reach. I was around Davey to the far end of the table before they both tried to grab me.

"Do you want a letter of resignation from me, or is it all right to tell you now? I quit."

"No letter necessary," The day manager called. I was already one step into the hallway, where the other staff were still whispering in groups of twos and threes. As an eagle, I was known for my keen sight, but I heard their smug tone as loud and clear as last night's fire alarm.

Chapter 5

Jax

"I won't be at the club tonight. I'm sorry."

Every time Beau's name flashed across my screen, a tingle of recognition started at the base of my spine and worked its way into my belly, making me feel warm in a way I'd never experienced before. My reindeer rubbed its fur against that heat, adding to the strange sensation.

Alarm came second. Beau wouldn't be there? He was the only reason I wanted to go back.

Before I could text him back with questions, he texted again."If you want, I can take you to another club."

The thought of going to a club further away made my stomach feel queasy all over again."I'd rather not,"I replied."Want to hang out in my private pool? There's a jacuzzi."

I could almost hear his deep chuckle before he replied,"Well, I wouldn't, but you said jacuzzi."

Way to make a guy feel wanted for himself. Still, he'd seemed kind when he'd offered to walk me home, and he hadn't done anything untoward when I was feeling shitty. So far, the pros outweighed the cons with this guy, but if things went downhill, I'd shift and kick him the fuck out.

I met him in the lobby since I had the only key to the room. He was still every bit as beautiful as he'd been the night before. His hair was pulled back in a ponytail at his nape, and he carried a gym bag at his side by the short handles. The way he snapped to attention when he saw me, I almost expected him to salute.

His alpha scent overwhelmed me in the elevator. We were the only ones in the mirrored box. It took everything I had to stand to the side opposite and grip the handrail, so I wasn't rubbing myself all over him.

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