Page 16 of Dubious Match
“Yes, please,” I sniffle. “I think my sugar is crashing.”
“Mmhmm,” Lars says, setting out food and paper plates. “Food before sweets, Hollis.”
Rolling my eyes, I swallow back the urge to tease him. He makes really good sandwiches. Taking a bite of my food, my eyes roll back a little as I chew.
“So good,” I mumble.
“Now tell us as you try not to inhale that,” Caleb says, putting glasses on the table before he pours our drinks.
“I was on the phone when they knocked on the door,” I say. “They were aggressive and angry when they came in, and it just continued to spiral. The second I breathed in their scents, my body started to panic.”
“You couldn’t tell by what I saw. That is, if we didn’t know you,” Lars says, shrugging as he also begins to eat. His thick curls look like a mop on his head, but it works for him.
He’s familiar, steady. I can tell Lars and Caleb anything.
“Everything just felt really intense,” I admit. “Felix and Remy just wanted to fight with me, Brice seems intent on my safety, but I don’t really understand what Malcolm was feeling. I thinkhe didn’t want me to smear the company name. I would never, for the record.”
“We know that,” Caleb says. “This is going to fuck with your heats?—”
“We aren’t going to talk about that together,” I say, making a face. “You’re like my brothers.”
“It’s biology,” Caleb reminds me, rolling his eyes. “Alphas hulk out and act like fools, omegas need alphas even though we’re idiots. That’s just how it is.”
“Not for me,” I say. “You know what’s going on with me now, and food is making me feel better. Good choice, Lars.”
“Don’t suck up,” he mutters. “You need to stop self-flagellating, Hollis. Seriously.”
“Maybe, but you saw them,” I groan. “Pack Ledger and I are like oil and water. I’m sure they’re fine for other people, but for me?”
“Bullshit,” Lars grunts, taking a sip of his whiskey. He doesn’t drink much, and makes a face as it goes down. “Hol, you’re one of the best people I know. Willing to help everyone, putting on this goddamn circus of an event, no one should ever make you feel as if you’re less than a damn queen.”
“He’s right. We rarely talk about this, but there’s a reason people talk so easily to you. You straddle the line between the mafia life and a legitimate one, just like we do,” Caleb says. “You’re just not an asshole like we are.”
Lars snorts in amusement. “He’s not wrong,” he says. “I hate talking to people, so I’ll do everything possible to deter them.”
“Okay, enough compliments,” I say. “I’ll figure it out, okay? I’m not spiraling, which is good enough for now. Do you want to talk about Alisa?”
“We should,” Caleb says, nodding as he takes a deep sip of his drink. “Tell us.”
“She’s not in Minneapolis,” I say. “I don’t think she’s in the Midwest either if I’m being honest right now.”
I explain what Cian told me, watching the sadness creep into their gazes. Reaching out, I hold their hands as I walk through what happened with the rescue.
“Now, I’ve been searching the dark web, waiting for something to pop out at me,” I explain. “Every new post about an omega roster for an auction, I ask to have sent to me?—”
“That’s fucking dangerous,” Caleb hisses. “What if someone finds out what you’re doing?”
“They won’t,” I say. “I’ve been hacking and coding since I was sixteen. I’m not going to get caught, and I’m careful. Do you want to know more, or are we just going to drink?”
My sandwich eaten, I reach for a lemon square and take a bite. Fuck, can Lars bake like a damn rockstar. You’d think he’d just have them ordered, but he thinks that’s the lazy way. Everything in the cafe is made by him, and it’s all fucking delicious.
“Spill it,” Lars says. “I knew lemon squares would be a good idea.”
“You know they’re my favorite,” I say. “No one makes them better.”
“You’re still sucking up,” Caleb sighs. “As long as you promise you’re being careful, I’ll accept that. Keep going.”
“No one has looked anything like Alisa,” I continue. “So, I started to look further out. There’s an auction that’s boasting that they’ll be using a floating auction method and that they’ll be opening soon, but that reminds me of Slick Dreams and their business model. Don’t you think?”
