Page 65 of Sweet Heat

Holding the steering wheel in a white-knuckled grip, I heave it to the left, not caring if there’s anyone in the way. All the hair on my body stands on edge, nerves firing with unmatched adrenaline. I haven’t been this out of control, this frightened, since the accident, and every muscle in my body is tight enough to snap.

Fuck parking spots. Slamming my foot on the gas, I pull right up to the admission booth and jam the brakes so hard that they squeal. Suddenly, the phone rings, breaking through the screaming in my ears that’s been ever present since I left the studio. Seeing Posie’s name, I answer it, barely able to speak through the chokehold fear has on my throat.

“Puff, where are you?” I croak, but all I can hear on the other end is gasping breaths and a hint of tears. A gleam of metal catches my eye next to me.My practice bat.“Posie, talk to me.”

A bark rolls out of me, but it’s useless over the phone. I slide the phone under my ear, grab the baseball bat from the passenger seat and rush out of the car, hauling ass past the ticket booth. The second I get by it the scents of the carnival assault my hypersensitive nose.

There are too many.

It interferes with my ability to catch her sweet cotton candy, but something inside me steps up to the plate. A bright golden thread wraps its way around my heart and points me toward the animal tents.

“Posie, I’m here… Where are you, love?” I try to keep my voice calm, soothing. A little sob comes over the line, and my eyes search frantically for any sign of Posie or her friends. The Ferris Wheel spins cheerfully, and music warbles happily around the festival, completely at odds with what’s going on.

“M-Miller. It’s Mari,” a voice says softly. “They have Posie and Emma.”

Her words send an ice pick through my soul, and my mind immediately conjures the worst-case scenarios.

“Where are you?” I ask, trying to keep my voice calm. The quiver in Mari’s tone tells me she’s already stressed and terrified, so losing my shit won’t help the situation. My body thrums with pent-up tension, but that little golden thread pulls me onward. Alpha instincts keep my feet moving, and I take in huge lungfuls of air, searching for the scent that I love best.

“Behind the livestock tents. Near the bunnies,” she whimpers. “I’m hiding. Oh shit. Posie just slammed her knee into Alex’s nuts.”

The sign for baby animals looms before me, and I move from a slow, mindful jog into a full sprint. Burned sugar hits me like a freight train, adding wings to my feet. My legs churn faster than they ever have, pushed on by the beast within me.

Spotting Mari crouched behind a porta-potty, I follow her gaze to the dark, shadowed area. Slowing long enough to quiet my footsteps, I sidle up next to Mari, making her gulp.

“He slapped her in the face after she kneed him. I-I wanted to stop him…” The tiny beta is shaking like a leaf. I wish I had time to console her, but my top priority is killing the man who thought he could put his hands on what’s mine.

The baseball bat is heavy in my grip, menacing and ready for mayhem.

“You did good,” I tell Mari, pocketing my phone and getting a feel for the weight of the slugger. “Go see if you can find security.”

Hefting the bat, I slap it across my palm ominously, then venture into the dimly-lit passageway.

Thwack. Thwack.

The lust for violence burns the surface of my palm with every crack of the metal, bringing my dominance and aggression to the forefront.

And when I see her in his arms, it comes roaring to a head.

Posie’s struggling against a mid-sized Alpha. His black hair looks familiar, and as I get closer I realize why.Driving school. Hand on her back. Break him.

They’re arguing, but the ominous sound of my bat hitting flesh echoes around the space. The Alpha eyes me warily, his nostrils flaring. His eyes land on the weapon in my hands and he yanks my Puff forcefully into his body, wrapping one arm around her to cup her throat.

She whimpers and it spears through me.

Goodbye Alex- the world won’t miss you.

I’m out-manned but bigger than the two goons, and I let an animalistic growl rumble from my chest.

“I suggest you let them go. Unless dying sounds better,” I snarl.

The blond Alpha holding Emma gulps audibly and immediately releases the little spitfire to hold his hands up in surrender.

“Hey. I don’t want trouble. We were just messing around.” The words are barely out of his mouth when Emma slams intohim with a full body check, kicking him hard enough on the shin that he yowls in pain.

Certain that Emma can more than take care of that garbage, I turn toward the real threat. The asshat who seems to think he has a claim on my girl.

Glowering at him, I swing the bat menacingly, smiling as it whooshes through the air. He’s holding Posie like a shield—fucking pathetic cunt—and I need to get him to focus on me instead

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