Page 71 of Bonded

Darius places his hand on hers, reassuring her.“He sounds like a complete asshole. But you didn’t think to kill him?”

“No. Hey, I can’t kill every asshole I meet, right?” She smiles; he laughs. “I did go a little crazy-ass-bitch on him though. Cut up his clothes and a few other things. He got me put on psych watch and kicked off my course. I had to toe the line for a while, say what they needed to hear for the reports. Figured, if I sniveled and groveled enough, made it sound like he’d abused his position of power… It worked. They didn’t want the attention on the unit, so reinstated me.”

“What happened to him?”

“Nothing. I had to endure his bullshit for so long after. I applied for so many positions to get out of there. Only one other commander believed in me. He didn’t buy into his bullshit. He was a shifter and one of the nicest I’ve ever met. Last I heard of Sharpe, he’d been promoted to base commander somewhere. Doesn’t matter now. But Darius, that’s why I need this pack. What I mean is, I need to be part of it—I need you. You make me feel safe here. Even if you are an asshole sometimes,” she laughs.

“We’ll keep you safe… I promise. I’ll always keep you safe. That’s my job. I do what’s best for the team, to keep them all safe.”

“Hmm…” she wipes a tired tear from her cheek. “Sorry. Well… now we know all about each other. Nothing to hide, right? So… I’m going to use the ladies’ room and then maybe we should make a move otherwise, Digby will be worried.”

“Yeah, he will.”

Darius sits back and sighs loudly as Marco comes to the table, sitting in Kat’s empty seat. “So, you told her?”

“About Izabella? Yeah.”

“And…”

“And what? You asking if I told her about the baby? About Izabella being pregnant when she died and the fact I lost my child? Then no. No, I didn’t tell her that. I think she’s had enough shocks for one day.”

“Hm… so, I guess you didn’t tell her everything then?”

“No. Like I said… Just leave it. Marco, I’ll sort this out, I swear. I’ll take your advice—you’re right. I’ll let her and Digby be.”

“I hope so.” He leaves a brown paper bag on the table. “Pie! And I see you enjoyed yours as always.”

“Yeah, it’s good pie, Marco.” He laughs. “Still shit ‘cawfee’ though.”

Kat comes back and Marco kisses her on both cheeks as they prepare to leave.

“You come back and see me again sometime soon and don’t stand for any of their bullshit, they’re all pussys under that bravado,” he laughs.

“Yeah, I know that. I have them under control, don’t worry.”

“Yeah, I think you do. Just stay safe out there. And you…” he turns looking at Darius. “You lighten up. And don’t leave it so long next time.”

“I won’t brother. You know, you can’t get rid of me just yet.”

“Yeah, damn it, I gotta get someone to work on that. Hey…” He grips Darius’s arm and holds him back as Kat goes to the door. “Darius…” he lowers his voice, “seriously be careful—and I don’t say that lightly to you. You’ve had enough hurt, and fallin’ for her, well it’s not gonna fix it. She’s beautiful, so I can see why you can’t resist, but those big green eyes, they’re gonna bring you an entire world of pain if you’re not careful. She’s not Izabella. Not to mention what it’ll do to Digby. He’s not cut out to deal with that sort of pain. You owe him and it’s on you to protect him. Darius, he’s your pack—not that he always sees it like that, but he is.” He sighs and hugs him tight. “I hope I told you what you wanted to hear.”

“Yeah, yeah Marco, you did. Cheers, brother. Hey, we’ll be back for more pie I think she really liked it.”

“Well… I can’t believe you didn’t tell her you don’t eat pie.” He laughs, watching as they leave.

“Hey, Marco! Can I get another coffee over here?” The guy on his phone at the back of the restaurant calls out.

“Yeah, sure, I’m comin’ now.”

“You seen the news? There’s been another one of those murders, the ‘serial slasher’ in the park.”

“Whoa! It’s gettin’ a little rough out there.” Marco frowns as they both turn to watch the news on the TV. “You heard anythin’ on the street about who might be involved?”

“No. Though some big dealers have stepped up security, so somethin’s wrong. They friends of yours, that couple? I’ve not seen them around here before. He’s a seriously big guy.”

“Oh um… yeah, I served with him, in the military. So yeah, kinda.”

“She’s pretty hot, that woman he’s with. Who is she?” the beady-eyed guy smiles.

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