Page 64 of Step Alpha

“And we’re talking about cocaine?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“You can call me Amber. What amount was found?”

“I don’t know. More than ten grams, I guess. That’s what makes it a trafficking charge.”

“They found it on your person or in the room?”

“The room.”

“Did they give you a drug test?”

“Yes. I was clean.”

“Okay. Sounds circumstantial to me. It might be possible to get the charges dropped. Depends on what other evidence they collected at the time. I can call your public defender and ask to be admitted as your counselpro hac vice.”

I look at her blankly.

“I’m not licensed to practice in South Carolina, but I can be admitted as part of your team. Chances are good your defender can handle this, though. He or she will know the judges and the arresting officers.”

I bow my head. “Thank you. I, um, don’t have any money to pay you right now, but–”

Amber waves a hand. “It’s all right. I’m happy to help.”

I glance at Garrett. “You could put me in to fight at the next shifter fight club?”

Garrett let Bo fight a couple years ago for cash when he and his girlfriend Sloane were in trouble.

“No. That’s not necessary. Let’s get you back to school.”

Right.

Back to school.

That sick feeling that was in the pit of my stomach the entire year and a quarter I was at Duke returns full force.

“Yeah. I, uh…I’m not in a rush to go back.”

I feel Rayne’s big blue gaze on me, and it makes me itchy. “But he’ll be kicked out of the pack if he doesn’t get the charges dropped.”

I’m warmed by her interest in the case. I didn’t know she’d even paid attention to my situation.

Garrett’s eyes narrow. “So you’re banished if you don’t get it resolved, but you don’t actually care about going back.”

I don’t answer. This is the same thing his father picked up about me that pissed him off.

“Well, what do you want, Wilde? Because I’m not going to have Amber waste her time on you if you’re going to sabotage the results.”

For a moment, I can’t breathe.

“You felt out of place there,” Rayne guesses.

Garrett waits for me to speak.

I don’t really know what to say.

Rayne’s right, of course. I fuckinghatedliving with humans. Pretending to be one. I was homesick every day of my life there. I couldn’t run as a wolf. I never shifted. Hell, I was afraid I’d forget how.

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