Page 8 of Twisted Lies
Five
Jason parked his truck outside of a small diner. “This is the place Gerri Wilder said I needed to be.” He looked around at the remote town. A few cars passed, slowing down ever so slightly to look at the new-comer.
“Ugh. I hate small towns,” Carter said as he opened the truck door and hopped onto the ground. “Everyone knows everyone, and they are all in your business.”
Jason hopped out and made his way to the diner. “Maybe this place won’t be as bad. Who knows? But you’re free to head home anytime you like.” What he really wanted to say was,if you’re going to bitch the whole time we’re here, please go the fuck away. Go directly home, do not pass go, do not collect two hundred dollars.By the grace of God, he had managed to keep his damn mouth shut.
“Like I’d miss this?”
Carter was his best friend. He’d always been there for Jason no matter what. He was the one person who had always had his back, but right now, he wished his friend would go home.
Finding and getting to know his mate was something Jason wanted to do on his own.
There were so many things that could go wrong. What if his mate wasn’t really there? What if Gerri Wilder was full of shit? What if he found his mate and she hated him? There were so many what-ifs. He felt like he’d set himself up for failure and if that were the case, he’d rather not have an audience when he crashed and burned.
The look on Carter’s face told him all he needed to know. Carter was there for the long haul.
“Fuck,”Jason said to his wolf.
“Let’s get this over with,” Jason said as he pushed the door to the diner open.
A surge of power washed over him the second his foot crossed the threshold. The tiny hairs on his arm stood on end, his wolf whined in his mind.
“Do you feel that?” Carter whispered.
“Yeah. I do.” And he didn’t like it. Neither did his wolf. They were used to being around powerful shifters, but this…this power was unlike anything he’d ever felt.
“Gentleman, why don’t you join me for lunch.”
Jason looked the stranger up and down, trying to get a feel for who he was and why he’d ask them to join him.
“He’s the Alpha,”his wolf warned him.
The raw power that seeped from the man’s skin was a force to be reckoned with, a force Jason had no desire to tangle with.
“Sure. I’m Jason Black and this is my friend Carter Smith.”
“Calder Lorenson. I’m the Alpha of Twisted Tail. I like to make it a point of meeting new wolves when they enter my territory.”Calder motioned for Jason and Carter to be seated.
After a pretty waitress delivered a tray of drinks and food, Calder got right down to business. “So, what brings you to our little town?”
Jason looked up from his burger and fries. “Gerri Wilder told me—”
“Of course, she did. Why is that woman always sending me strays to deal with?”
“Calder Lorenson, you better watch your mouth. Do you want me to tell Daisy you called her a stray?”
Calder’s head snapped to the side. He eyed up the woman who had thought to tattle to his mate. The woman’s smile lit up the entire room.
“Cam, I swear—”
“Please, you know I’m just fucking with you.” Cam glanced back and forth from Jason to Carter.
“We know Gerri very well around here. So, which one of you did she send our way this time?”
“Me.” Jason raised his hand sheepishly. “I don’t really know Gerri all that well. We live in the same building, but we had never had a conversation until the day she told me I’d find my mate here.”
Cam squealed. “I can’t wait to see who it is this time!”
