Page 17 of Ethan
I nodded toward the crowd. “Looks like Jackson’s calling you over.”
Noah glanced toward the bar, where Jackson was waving him over, a slightly sheepish expression on his face. “Ah, crap,” he muttered.
“It’s fine,” I said, waving him off. “We’ve got this covered.”
Noah hesitated but eventually headed toward the bar, leaving Zack and me to pack up.
“What’s going on with those two?” I asked, nodding in their direction.
Zack shrugged, setting his drumsticks back into their case. “Not sure. Noah mentioned something about Jackson planning a surprise party for Beck, but more importantly, what’s with you? You looked distracted earlier.”
I ran a hand through my hair. “It’s been a day.”
Zack raised an eyebrow, waiting for me to fill him in.
I went on to explain what happened earlier in Cooper’s office and how Devon had dragged me through what I could only call a retraining crash course.
I wasn’t sure if I should feel insulted or relieved. Sure, I’d forgotten a few things, and yes, I even had to write some of it down to remember, but I’d never admit that to Devon.
Zack smirked. “And now?”
“And now, I’m stuck taking over all of Devon’s cases for the next few days on top of my own. One of which, by the way, includes a certain shifter from Thornebane pack.”
Zack leaned against the wall, crossing his arms. “You mean Dean?”
“Seriously, it’s like I keep seeing him everywhere,” I said, throwing up my hands. “This morning, he came by with coffee, and when I went to the gym to check on the enforcers’ training, guess who was there too?”
Zack’s grin widened. “I guess you could say he’s been athornin your side.”
The urge to hit him over the head with my $700 bass had never been stronger.
Zack must’ve noticed my fingers tightening on the neck because he quickly added, “But c’mon, didn’t you say Griffin’s training him? Of course, he’d be in the gym. And maybe the coffee was his way of thanking you for helping him.”
I scoffed. “It’s the way he looks at me. It’s like he’s…he’s…”
I trailed off, struggling to find the words. Dean’s image flashed in my mind.
The slight tilt of his head every time he caught sight of me, and that lopsided smile that somehow managed to be both cocky and endearing.
“Like he’s kind of smug about something, but you don’t exactly know what?” Zack offered.
“Exactly! But also, there’s…”
I stopped myself just in time, realizing I was dangerously close to saying too much. Zack was looking somewhere over my shoulder, a knowing grin spreading across his face.
I followed Zack’s gaze and froze. There was Dean, laughing with a few enforcers he’d been training with in the gym earlier.
Seriously, the guy was everywhere.
Before I could think twice, I found myself making my way toward the bar, heart picking up pace.
Zack’s voice rose above the crowd. “I can’t pack everything up on my own, you know!”
I ignored him, weaving through the throng of people. A couple of shifters lingered too long in my way, so I nudged them aside with a firm shove.
When I finally reached the bar, Dean noticed me and gestured toward the empty stool beside him.
I didn’t take the seat. Instead, I crossed my arms, hoping my stance was anything but welcoming. “What are you doing here?”
