Page 20 of Why Cruise

“Subtlety is required here,” Catherine’s comment was directed at Tommy. Her fingers playing with the long skinny pendant on her silver necklace.

I leaned back, keeping my face carefully neutral. “Look, my skills are in stealing big, expensive things. Maybe winning at poker. I’m not cut out for… whatever this is supposed to be.”

“You’re an alpha.” Gaston’s voice was flat. “Use your biology.”

“That’s not how it works.” I rubbed my face, wondering if seasickness was a good enough excuse to end this conversation. “You have a fundamental lack of understanding of what drives omegas or else you’d have one in your pack,” Catherine bristled visibly as I continued. “It doesn’t matter how charming I am,” I gestured to my half-naked torso. “No bonded omega is going to step out on their pack for a vacation fling. Especially while they were on the same boat together.”

“So get them off the boat,” Gaston said with a raised eyebrow.

“Perhaps you need better motivation.” Catherine’s fingers tightened on her necklace like the threat it was.

“There’s a power vacuum in Port Haven. We,” he tossed a finger between him and Catherine, “plan on exploiting that.”

I scoffed. “If you think your debts to Beg Knightbridge disappeared along with him, you don’t know Nico Front. And you think Star Knightbridge is any less ruthless than his brother? Star publicly beat down his brother, old-school style, to take over his pack, setting himself up as the kingpin of the Mired District.”

Gaston squirmed in his seat at the reminder of hard truths.

“Pack lead fights are always unpredictable, aren’t they?” Catherine cooed in a halfway decent sultry purr that did absolutely nothing to extinguish the flames of guilt that burned my guts.

Drumming his fingers on the dining table, Gaston shifted gears, pretending to ignore what I said. “This power vacuum means quick cash is out of your reach, regardless. No fight pits, no gambling.”

“He’s too pretty to risk his face,” Tommy tossed in like his opinion mattered at all.

But he wasn’t wrong. The last thing I wanted to do was get into a ring with another alpha, desperate and close to rut. More than my face would get fucked up. I could probably make moremoney selling myself as a heat helper to the wealthy and bored. At least that would be honest work. Well, more honest than this clusterfuck.

“If you’re so smart,” Gaston spread his hands, “come up with a better way to pay us back.”

I ground my teeth. I was the furthest thing from smart. I had needed twenty-five large to make the tilt. Gaston had needed to get into a garage. Fair trade. And now I somehow found myself on the hook for much, much more, while Catherine casually dangled my freedom from that chain around her neck.

“Give me time,” I said, standing. “I’ll figure something out.”

“Might I suggest you stick to the plan?” Gaston tapped the newspaper again. “Time is not on your side.”

I stood and clenched my jaw. Bile rose in my throat from seasickness and not the impending doom this little cruise would lead to. Yup.

“Then back the fuck off. I can’t have your goons breaking up every conversation I have with the pretty young things.” I stepped away from the table and retreated deeper into the ship. The casino was a better place for me than the sparkling promise of the pool deck.

Mackenzie

I wrapped a towel around my shoulders and watched Theo make his way to the bar. His butt was so cute with his shorts sticking to him like that. The sun had shifted, casting long shadows across the deck, but the air was still thick with the mingled scents of sunscreen and chlorine. I wrinkled my nose. Sunscreen was the only product that was always scented. And it never paired well with omega scents. Even on Theo, with his coconut scent, it smelled fake and overpowering.

“Well, hello beautiful.”

The words slurred together, and I turned to find an alpha swaying slightly as he approached. He was young, probably around my age or a little older, wearing a watch that was as big as my fist, and little else. But no thigh tattoo.

“Well, hello beautiful.” He repeated, leaning in when I didn’t answer right away.

My heart started racing. I turned to look for… my alpha. Daryl had always handled alphas like this, bullying away any unwanted attention. Well, any attention, wanted or not. He’dwrap an arm around me, flash his teeth, maybe flex his aura a bit. I’d never had to deal with this on my own.

“Hi,” I said quietly, keeping my voice pleasant but distant. “I’m actually waiting for someone.”

“Don’t be like that.” He moved closer, his alcohol-soaked scent making my nose burn. “Come sit by me.”

I took another step back, bumping into a deck chair. “That’s very kind, but no thank you.”

“Come on, sweetheart.” His hand shot out, grabbing my wrist. “Just one drink. You’re too pretty to play hard to get.”

His aura pressed against mine, heavy and demanding. My knees went weak. I’d forgotten how overwhelming an alpha’s aura could be when you were alone.

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