Page 155 of Roulette Rodeo
The response is immediate.
Rafe: Good…don’t trust the prick.
Red: Wasn't planning on it.
There's a pause, then:
Rafe: Storm should pass in an hour. I'll come as soon as the roads clear.
Red: I'm fine. Have my book and coffee. Take your time.
Rafe: Lock the doors. Stay away from windows.
Red: Already did. I'm not stupid, Rafe.
There’s a pause, the typing button showing on and off.
Rafe: I know you're not.
It's the closest to a compliment he's given me twice in one night. Progress, even if it's happening during a crisis.
I settle deeper into my corner, book open but my attention split between the story and the sounds outside. The rain hammers against the roof like it's trying to break through. Wind howls through the streets, sending things clattering and crashing. But underneath it all, there's something else.
The feeling of being watched.
It's the same sensation I'd get at the casino when a high roller had decided I was going to be his entertainment for the night. That prickle at the back of my neck, the way the air feels heavier, charged with intent.
Luca hadn't left I bet…
Or maybe he dropped the girl’s down the road and came back to see if I was still here. If he’s obsessed with the ida of grinding Rafe’s gears, maybe the idea of him having a new Omega bothers him? She wouldn’t be surprised, especially if he’s trying to test my loyalty.
Or just enjoying the thought of me trapped here, alone, or better yet, afraid.
I have to try not to laugh at the idea of it all. I'm not afraid. I've been alone in worse places with worse men. At least here,I have locks between us and the knowledge that my pack will come for me.
Eventually.
I think about those three omegas, probably already home by now, Luca having played the perfect gentleman savior. They'll tell everyone how wonderful he was, how he rescued them from the storm. They'll never think about why he was out driving in this weather, why he just happened to show up at the exact moment when we were most vulnerable.
Predators always know when to strike.
They have an instinct for weakness, for isolation, for the perfect moment when their prey has no other options.
But I'm not prey.
Haven't been for a long time, even when I had to pretend otherwise.
My phone buzzes again, this time the pack group chat.
Shiloh: You okay, little cherry?
Red: Reading in the coffee shop. Waiting for the storm to pass.
Talon: Heard Luca tried to play hero
Red: More like tried to play predator. I didn't bite.
Corwin: Good girl. We're leaving the medical center now. Roads are bad but we'll figure something out.
