Page 1 of Laurels and Liquor

Prologue

Lydia

MylimbstrembleasI listen to Rhett Cooper’s limping footsteps, his drying blood still covering my hands. Each thump down the stairs grows fainter until he’s gone, leaving only shouting voices. Too many conflicting commands, words garbled with the echoes bouncing off the roof and walls.

Freeze. On your knees. Hands in the air. Don’t move.

I barely manage to catch the charges as someone reads Rhett his rights. Assault. Attempted murder. Fleeing the scene. I want to scream, to tell the police they’re wrong, but I can’t move. My knees ache from when they hit the floor of the private jet, all strength gone from my legs. I look down again, the red-brown stains on my hands stark against the deep, inky purple of my skirt. Sounds fade as I stare at the blood. Rhett’s blood.

This is my fault. He’s gone, and it’s all my fault.

“They’re leaving. Prepare for takeoff.”

My head snaps up at the sound of Caleb Novak’s softly Eastern European accented order. My bodyguard isn’t looking at me, but at the flight crew, who’ve been huddled in the galley since the police arrived. The pilot nods and disappears, and the flight attendants look relieved to have some sort of direction, something safe and routine to do. They start the pre-flight checks, speaking quietly to each other.

I envy them.

My world is shattered, my life completely upended in a few short minutes, and I have no one to blame but myself. Everyone tried to tell me not to do this, not to attend my eldest brother’s wedding. They told me this trip could only end badly, and they were right. Silence settles over us as the police cars file out of the hangar, and my ears ring. I try to settle my stomach with deep breaths, but the smell of whiskey and leather and chocolate invades my nose, and my throat closes up in response.

Rhett lost so much blood. Would the police keep their word and take him to a hospital? Or would he bleed out in the back of a squad car? Or in a holding cell? What if they tear the hasty stitches Caleb put in?

“Lydia.”

I jump at the whisper and gentle touch on my bare shoulder. Looking up, I meet the steel-blue gaze of Lucas Klausen. My beta. Rhett’s beta. Our lover. I don’t fight him as he helps me to my feet, but I lean heavily against his chest as we stumble back through the sitting area and into the bedroom.

We made love here,my thoughts unhelpfully remind me.

The sheets aren’t rumpled anymore, but I can still smell Rhett in the room. Still see how Lucas, Rhett, and I tangled together not two days ago, when we still believed we had a plan that would work. How naive of us. How stupid of me to drag the people I love into my problems.

“Just sit here, and I’ll get some towels. That’s it, sweetheart,” Lucas says, voice soft and calm like he’s speaking to a frightened animal.

He guides me to sit on the edge of the mattress, and the vibrations of the engines come to life beneath us, even if their sound is almost entirely muffled. I’m only able to blink, dazed, my attention locked onto my blood-stained fingers. Lucas is back, a warm washcloth massaging my hands with tenderness. Pink drops fall onto my dress, soaking through the tulle and silk until they’re seeping onto the skin of my thighs. I want to tell Lucas to stop, that it’s no use.

“We’re going to be okay, Lydi-bug. It’s going to be okay,” Lucas keeps whispering, a chant repeated over and over until the words lose meaning.

What’s “okay” even mean?

“I don’t know, but we’ll figure it out once we get back home. Lex’ll know what to do,” Lucas replies.

I didn’t realize I’d spoken the question out loud.

The plane begins moving, and I blink again. Now my hands are free of blood, and Lucas has me on my feet. Judging by the tilt of the floor and the pressure in my ears, we’re off the ground. Lucas’s hands are hot against my skin, helping me out of my ruined dress and into a simple t-shirt and yoga pants. I nearly sob as Rhett’s scent surrounds me fully. It’s one of his.

I grip the neck of the cotton shirt tight, wanting to rip it off and clutch it close in equal measure. Rhett should be here, holding me, holding us both. But thanks to my arrogance, he’s gone, and each second takes us farther away.

“We’re going to be okay. He’s going to be okay,” Lucas whispers, stepping close and wrapping his arms around me after I’m dressed.

I don’t know how long I stand there, letting him prop up my limp body, but each moment breaks something in my heart. His shoulders shake, and I finally find the strength to move my hands. I wrap them tight around his ribs, burying my face in his chest as hot tears splash against my skin.

“I’m… I’m sorry,” I rasp, voice trembling as much as my hands.

Lucas doesn’t answer right away, and the silence is like a blow to the gut. This is all my fault, and he knows that just as much as I do.

I hope one day he’ll forgive me for taking his alpha away. Lord knows I’m never going to forgive myself.

Chapter one

Alexandra

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