Page 14 of Dream Girl
“4th Street? What about the hospital?” I frowned. 4th Street wasn’t a domestic violence shelter, just a homeless shelter.
“She has no ID, and we can’t find her in the system, so the hospital can’t access her insurance or records. Given the tests can’t confirm she’s an omega, we can’t claim she’s under ourjurisdiction. Which means we have to let her go. If I could keep her here longer, I would.” Claire sighed, then left.
“Fine.” Carly’s scent went sour with unhappiness as she ran off toward the nurse’s station.
“A shelter? What if they find me there? I could put other people in danger.” Peaches stood there, blanket and all. Fear swam in her eyes, and the scent of burnt pie touched my nose.
“Who?” I stood closer to her.
She closed her eyes. “I can’t quite remember who. But I think I remember why. They probably wanted my work. Government? Rival company?” Her shoulders slumped. “The police didn’t find me with anything, not even a purse, so they must have gotten it. Not that I can remember what it was.” She rubbed her head with a hand.
That didn’t sound good. I was also good at reading people, and her fear was real. Why wasn’t anyone taking her seriously?
“Come home with me. We’ll keep you safe.” The words came out of my mouth before my brain caught up.
The protective part of me wanted to bring her home where I’d cuddle her as we watched movies and ate takeout, using the guys as pillows.
“I don’t know you, and for all I know…” She shuddered as I held her tight.
“I know. But we’re good dudes. We can use our connections to find out who you are and who is after you. You’ll be safe,” I assured. That’s what she needed right now.
“But why would you help me?” She frowned, looking up at me.
WhywasI bringing a complete stranger to my house? Other than that she smelled good, and I wanted to? She could be dangerous tousin so many ways.
“I have three sisters, and if one of them couldn’t remember who she was and feared for her life, I’d hope that some good people would keep her safe until I found her,” I replied honestly.“Tell you what, Jett should be here any moment. Meet him and then decide. Anyway, our place would be better than a shelter. You can leave at any time if you find it too weird.”
She thought for a moment. “Okay.”
“I’ll be right back.” I joined Carly at the nurses’ station. Dr. Davidson was arguing against sending her to a shelter.
“At least give me until I can finish running all her tests,” Dr. Davidson muttered. “With that concussion, she should be under observation until morning. Her disorientation worries me.”
“Talk to Claire, this isn’t my call,” Carly replied, expression sour.
“I’ll bring her home with me,” I told them.
“Oh, good.” Dr. Davidson looked relieved. “When Detective Lawson comes looking for her, I don’t want to explain why she’s not here.”
Very few people won against Detective Lawson. The detective might not be an alpha, but you crossed her at your own risk.
“There you are.” Jett stood there holding my iced coffee, his light amber scent carrying a hint of pine. His black hair was pulled back for work, a couple wisps escaping, brushing a golden cheek. He wasn’t as tall as me, or nearly as broad. But the beta was the fittest–and fastest–in the pack.
“I’ll discharge her, and I’ll let the detective know that she’s with you,” Dr. Davidson told me. “Take her to the hospital if things get worse, yes, she’s not in the system, but they can’t legally deny her if it’s urgent. Also, she needs to follow up with her doctor. Not that it looks from her file like she has one. Maybe there’s a clinic that you can recommend her to?”
“We’ll watch her.” I took a sip of iced coffee and hummed. “Thanks, Jett. This has been a day.”
Jett pulled me aside. “Please tell me that you didn’t adopt a stray. Bren will be livid if you bring a stranger into the house.That’s a bad idea on so many levels. Whywouldyou bring a strange omega into the house?”
His look went serious, and the scent of amber flared slightly, as we walked toward Peaches’ room.
Omegas could get a little territorial of their alphas, especially when it came to those who were unbonded. But packs with multiple omegas existed–and I felt nothing but the continued urge to lick her.
“Not an omega. It’s just for the night. I’m hoping you and Wes can use your skills to figure out who she is. She has amnesia, no ID on her, and we can’t get a hit in the system,” I told him, taking another sip.
“How can shenotbe in the system?” His eyebrows rose.
“I don’t want to cause any problems.” Peaches stood there in the hall, still wearing the blanket and some fuzzy slippers. “I just want to go home. Hmm, I can almost see the address in my mind. I’m near the research plaza. Maybe we can go for a drive? I’m sure I’ll know it when I see it. Of course, I don’t have keys, but at least we’d know?”
