Page 12 of Whatever It Takes

“Dylan? He’s not. Not at all.” I bite my lip.

Well, not unless he goes back to Boston and blabs about seeing me.

My brother would know exactly where to find me to drag me home.

I’m not sure if he would kill me on sight for working with the feds or if he would have something even worse up his sleeve, but I know it wouldn’t be good. Putting a bullet in my brain would probably be more merciful than what he’s capable of.

The waitress comes over, asking if everything is okay with the food.

Keir’s huge hand soothes up and down my back. “It’s great as always, Darcy. Can I trouble you for a couple to-go boxes?”

“Oh yeah, of course. Do you want containers for the soup?” she asks as I try to regulate my breathing.

“That would be great,” he replies.

My stomach rolls.

I’m going to have to leave.

The thought of leaving Jameson doesn’t make me half as sad as the realization that I was just making friends and gaining some independence after a life of being told to shut up and look pretty.

Dammit.

I really was starting to like it here.

The wind is biting and seems to cut straight through every layer I have on. That, or the fear has me physically shaking.

Keir opens the passenger door to his truck, and I climb inside. I barely notice as the door clicks closed.

Will Jameson try to stop me? He’s been so distant lately, he might not even notice until I’m gone.

Keir climbs into the driver’s seat and twists to place the food containers on the back floorboard.

My entire body jolts when the truck turns on.

He bumps up the heat and turns to face me. “You know we can protect you from whatever it is that has you so terrified. You don’t have to run.”

My chest gets tight.

I purposely inserted myself into their lives so that way they wouldwantto protect me if the need arose. Only now, I consider these people friends and bringing them into my drama is dangerous.

“All right,” he says, sounding defeated. “We better get back to the office.”

“Thanks, Keir.”

He nods, his hand coming to rest on the top of my seat as he prepares to back out of the parking space. He opens his mouth but closes it just as quickly. His jaw clenches and his nostrils flare, but hestilldoesn’t say anything. It makes my instincts uncomfortable.

Omegas are meant to soothe alphas, not upset them, but I don’t have the first idea of how to start fixing the mess I’ve found myself in.

Chapter Six

Calder

Keir never texts me. If I text him, he’s the king of one-word responses. Reading through the multiple sentences makes my foot bounce as I swipe my hand through my hair. I’m assuming I understand what he means. The man texts less coherently than my eighty-year-old grandpa.

My eyes have been dry lately, so I’m rocking my massive black-frame glasses. And despite the cluster headache I’m battling, I pull up my system and get to work.

I was surprised when Easton told me not to run any of the standard searches upon hiring Briar. It’s in no way the normal operating procedure for how we hire new employees, but I let it go because he was clearly infatuated with her.

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