Page 41 of Laurels and Liquor

“Don’t get me wrong. Even though she was trying to gouge my eyes out, I didn’t hit her or nothing. I only shoved her back, just to get her off me. But being the drama queen she is, she hit every chair, table, lamp, and picture frame in the goddamn room on her way to the floor, and then she started wailing like I’d cut off her fucking leg. Well, that’s when Adam decided to jump in and…” Jason finishes, motioning to his face and chest.

I can’t help the sigh of relief that escapes me. Now that Lydia is part of my pack, Jason is family, so I’ll support him, no matter what. But I can’t say it’s not easier to do knowing he kicked the ass of someone who deserved it.

“He got one good swing, hence the shiner, but I definitely knocked out a tooth, or four, and broke his nose. The only reason he’s not bunk buddies with Darren right now is because Dad barked at us to stop fighting. Adam kept running his mouth, the kiss ass. ‘I’m gonna press charges’ this, and ‘you’re a fucking coward’ that. But Sammy and Ally were there, and between her telling him exactly what she thought of him, and Sammy backing her up, Adam finally left with Mom to go to the ER. And that’s when I told Dad that if this is how I was going to be treated, then I’m out.”

There’s a warm swelling of pride in my chest, and I reach over and gently clap a hand on his shoulder. Jason’s smile is shy again, and he shakes his head, almost in disbelief.

“You’re doing the right thing, Jace. And like I’ve told you before, you have a place with my pack, if you want it,” I say soothingly.

Jason shakes his head. “I’m done with packs, at least for now. I’d rather be an alpha outcast than deal with the politics again.”

I sigh. Tonight isn’t the night to explain how packs in the real world actually function. “Whatever you want. But it’s the least we can do to give you a place to stay while you get on your feet.”

Jason nods and looks down at his plate. I sit back and give him space. He’s been through a lot tonight, and it’s going to take time for him to adjust to life outside of his family. When I met Lydia, she’d had four years of space to deconstruct and find herself again. I’ll do whatever I can to help Jason work through his past.

“If it’s not too much trouble, I might stay here for a while. I’ve got all my stuff and those boxes I was talking about in my car, and I’d thought I was going to drive out that way tonight. But Lydia’ll have kittens if I show up on y’all’s front door looking like this,” Jason says with a chuckle.

I nod and laugh along. Knowing he got the boxes out safely is a relief, but we can deal with them another day. For now, I get up and head over to the fridge, pulling out two cold beers and bringing them back to the table. After I pop the caps and slide one his way, I hold mine up for a toast.

“To freedom,” I say, words lifting in question.

Jason picks up his bottle and clinks it with mine. “To freedom. And revenge.”

We both drink deep to that. Now that Jason’s safe, there’s nothing stopping us from dealing with Diane Anderson, once and for all. And I can’t wait to get started.

Chapter twenty

Alexandra

Hunter,Gideon,andDelanofinally leave after we’ve confirmed that Mateo and I aren’t going to have any adverse reactions to our injections. I can’t say I’m sorry to see the back of them. After Delano started making eyes at Mateo, I started counting the minutes until these three were gone for good.

Mateo and I made a simple supper, and after the dishes were done, there was nothing to do except wait. I’ve changed out of my professional clothes and into comfortable sweats before curling up on the couch. Mateo is in his armchair, flipping through the channels on the television, but not able to settle on anything. It only takes a couple of minutes of this for me to lose patience.

“If you can’t pick something, then just turn it off,” I snarl, looking out the window to admire the view of over the ocean.

“Not my fucking fault there isn’t anything good on,” Mateo volleys back.

I scoff and roll my eyes, not in the mood for this. I want to sleep, but my body’s buzzing. Only there’s no outlet for my nervous energy. We’d been told to avoid contact with anyone, just to be safe. We’ve already established our alibi, and while the drugs are doing their job, things would be a bit touch and go.

Thankfully, a distraction comes in the form of my phone pinging. I quickly swipe it open and read Lucas’s text.

Luc: Guess who just showed up at Alice’s.

Me: You know I detest guessing games.

Luc: You’re no fun.

Luc: It was Lee Nyueng from the EPD.

I blink at the messages, willing my heart to calm. We’d left him out of the loop for this exact reason, I remind myself. He has nothing to worry about, and doesn’t need to lie to the police.

Me: What about?

Luc: He wanted my Christmas goose recipe.

Luc: Why do you think it was here?

Luc: Seth’s accident

---