Page 19 of Laurels and Liquor

I’m dressed in a thin white tank top that barely covers my stomach and a pair of jeans three sizes too big that I have to hold up to keep from tripping. They threw out my blood-soaked clothes at the hospital, and I’d given my phone to Ted for safe-keeping, but my wallet, watch, and a few other odds and ends I’d had on me at the time are in a comically large clear plastic bag, bouncing against my good leg. The deputy at my side sighs pointedly, stopping to let me catch up and then taking exaggeratedly slow steps to match me. I can’t help but smirk. My limping isn’t entirely fake, but after the bullshit of the last several days, I deserve this petty revenge. He can be the one to hurry up and wait this time.

Thankfully, my ride is waiting for me, as he promised he would be. As the deputy and I are buzzed through the last security door between the cell block and the waiting room, I spot Jason Anderson sitting in one of the plastic folding chairs, scrolling through his phone. When he hears my approaching shuffle, he looks up and grins before getting to his feet. Seeing his face makes my heart squeeze painfully in my chest. I’d noticed how similar their eyes were before, but seeing that shade of emerald green, the same as my omega’s, cuts deep. I need to get my phone back as soon as possible.

Jason’s smile is wide as he closes the last few yards in a two strides, slapping my hand with his and pulling me in for the universal one-armed “bro” hug. The non-hostile contact makes my eyes burn. Touch starved doesn’t begin to describe me right now, but I don’t want to make it weird for my omega’s brother.

“Sign here, if ya could. Just an acknowledgment that you’re taking custody of the inmate and transporting him directly to the prearranged housing location,” the deputy says in a bored monotone, holding out the clipboard he’d been carrying.

“Can’t even take him through a Popeyes drive thru?” Jason chuckles, taking the clipboard and scanning the documents.

“No, sir. Any deviation from the shortest route will be a violation of the inmate’s release agreement,” the deputy says, either not getting the joke or intentionally ignoring it.

“You can call me Rhett Cooper, Deputy,” I snark, holding out one of my hands for a shake.

The officer looks at it, narrowing his eyes before looking at my face. I roll my eyes and shake my head before dropping my hand. The pen scratches on the paper for a moment before Jason hands the paperwork back and takes the plastic bag from me. The deputy doesn’t even look back as he turns on his heel and high-tails it back through the secure door, probably heading for the air-conditioned officer lounge. I stop myself from flipping him off, because even if he can’t see, the dozens of cameras watching this area definitely can, and I don’t want to get sent back before I’ve even fully left.

Jason doesn’t comment on my condition, just keeps pace with me as we make our way out of the building. The first steps outside of the Orleans Parish Prison are the most wonderful I’ve ever taken, despite the pain still shooting up from my thigh. The sun has dropped behind the skyscrapers, but it’s still bright and hot enough to make me wince as I limp out from the shadow of the entrance and out into the parking lot. His Jeep is parked relatively close, but I’m still sore by the time we reach it.

“You’ve got a care package waiting for you at home,” Jason says, heading to the driver’s side.

I hum curiously, moving to the passenger door. It takes all the strength I have not to scream as I climb up into the cab, and I nearly face-plant as my ankle monitor catches on the running board. The grim reminder of the conditions of my release makes my jaw clench. Despite Ted’s best efforts, I’m not out of the woods yet. But I’ll take Lex’s luxury apartment to the hellhole in Jason’s rearview mirror any day of the week. We leave without speaking, and I only really relax once the complex is well and truly out of sight. I don’t regret what I did for a single heartbeat, but if I had to go back and change anything, it would be not getting out before I was caught.

“I spoke to Lex on my way here,” Jason starts.

“How is she? How is…” I trail off, throat closing up as I try to say her name, but fail. Clearing my throat, I look away, watching the traffic around us on the highway.

“She’s good. They all are. It was a bit touch and go there, not that any of your pack mates would say as much. Had to find out from Gabby how much of a mess things were in the beginning, but they’ve gotten their shit together,” Jason says, words twisting with a little touch of annoyance for a moment.

I nod and swallow hard, trying to pull myself together. The longer we drive, the more it’s hitting me that I’m going to be able to talk to my pack again. I haven’t gone this long without speaking to them since I met them. Even in the worst of mine and Mateo’s love-hate freshman year fighting, we’d still talk, if you counted shouting obscenities at each other as talking. And since meeting Lydia, I don’t know if I’ve gone a day without at least texting her. God, I miss her so much it hurts.

“How are you holding up?” I ask, directing my thoughts away from my pack for the moment.

Jason blows out a sharp exhale and shakes his head. “Just peachy, my guy. Everything is sunshine and rainbows in my world,” he replies, knuckles going white as he grips the steering wheel.

“That bad, then. What’s been going on?” I press, straightening a little in my seat.

“Sam and Ally moved back into the pack house a few days ago, which has sent the whole place into chaos. I guess they had a house lined up to move into, but the deal mysteriously fell through at the eleventh hour, and they lost the down payment, and yeah. It’s just a mess from top to bottom. So, now they’re living with us until they can figure out what happened and get their money back and find a new place. And Mom has been in one hell of a mood,” Jason explains, words turning bitter and biting as he speaks about his mother.

The mere mention of Diane Anderson sets my teeth to grinding. If there’s an ounce of justice left in this unforgiving world, the trash heap who gave birth to one of the loves of my life will suffer and die alone after years of torment and misery. I’d had plenty of time to contemplate all manner of endings for that miserable, festering, pus-filled waste of oxygen. Not that I would act out any of them. At least not without just cause.

“Did something else crawl up her ass and die?” I snark cruelly.

Jason snorts. “Well, she found out Lydi’s trust account was emptied the other day. She can throw a tantrum with the best of them, but we’re still patching the walls she busted, throwing shit all over the place. Now she’s pushing to have my dad officially challenge y’all’s claim on Lydia.”

I swear under my breath, clenching my fists in my lap. If they find out it was all a bluff, I have no doubt in my mind Diane will stop at nothing to get her daughter, and the several-million-dollar inheritance she claimed, back. And if that happens…

No. I won’t even think those sorts of thoughts. It’ll bring bad luck, and we’ve had enough of that for a lifetime. Though, I resolve to make sure I tell Lex about this development, if she hasn’t already been informed.

A short time later, Jason pulls up to the curb outside of the high-rise apartment building where I’ll be trapped until this mess can get resolved. Jason doesn’t stay, even when I offer, so I enter the spacious apartment alone, flicking on the lights. As promised, several legal-sized boxes are piled on the dining room table, along with my laptop bag, a suitcase presumably full of clothes, and another smaller bag of toiletries. And as I approach, I sag in relief. My phone is sitting on the table, fully charged.

Not even hesitating for a moment, I pick it up and navigate to my contacts, dialing her number with shaking hands. My heart kicks like a rodeo horse in my chest, faster and faster with each ring.Please pick up. I need you to pick up. Please. Just let me hear your—

“Rhett?! Oh, my God!”

I manage to catch myself on one of the dining room chairs as the strength gives out from my legs at last. It’s only been two weeks, but even thinking about her every day and running through all the memories we’ve made, hearing the sound of her sweet, girlish voice again is more than I can take.

“Lydia—” I gasp, words cutting out as emotion constricts my throat, making it hard to breathe.

“Lex said you’d be released soon, but I didn’t know it was going to be today,” she goes on shakily.

---