Page 13 of Running on Empty

“No, but—”

“Would you have agreed if they did?”

I stopped then, considering that idea, rolling it around and around in my mind before looking up and shaking my head. I watched Ash’s lips purse, and the terrible look of pity and anger on his face made my eyes narrow.

“No. But I said yes to everything else.” I wanted his anger, his disapproval and as soon as I said the words, I got it. He let out a long hiss of breath through clenched teeth. “You can’t call it sexual assault. The cops would just laugh at you if you brought this to them.”

Because I was an omega, sexually rapacious and capable of taking a whole lot more than the average woman. I could almost see the sneers on their faces.

“No one’s going to the police,” Jax said, the voice of reason here.

“Good. I’m going to bed to sleep forever and—”

“We know the person who originally came up with the formulation used for Rush,” Ash said. “She developed it to help betas conceive when mated to an alpha pack.” I blinked, unable to process that people like that existed. “The formulation was leaked from their labs and backyard chemists played with it, coming up with what’s basically the perfect date rape drug. We’ve been working on this for a while for them and—”

“This is just a job…” I wavered on my feet, staring incredulously at one man, then the other.

“No, Stevie—” Jax started to say, but I held my hand up.

“Stop, Jax” His mouth opened as though he was going to continue anyway. “Jax, I’m telling you: shut the fuck up right now.”

I couldn’t believe it. I felt as though I was in some alternate reality, as though I was looking at complete strangers, and the pain in my chest at realising I’d just been part of some ‘sting’ operation was far worse than anything my body had going on. Because, while the Spencers might have drugged me out of my mind for their fun and games, they didn’t give a shit about me. I’d had a use-by date, just like the one I’d pinned on them, so why would they give a damn about my welfare?

But these fuckers…

“You got me out of a bad situation. Thanks, I appreciate that. Send me the bill.”

“Stevie—” Jax got to his feet and took a step closer.

“It might take me a bit to pay it off.” I tried to smile, but as often happened when I felt cornered like this by the Kellys, I ended up baring my teeth. “I’m just a fucking barmaid.”

“There’s no bill to be paid, Stevie,” Ash growled, the heat in his eyes flaring to life, then dying again when I took a step backwards. “We will always look after you. You know that.”

Fuck, why did he have to use those words? My eyes slid closed and then, to my horror, tears pricked at them. Being hauled out of a club dressed only in a blanket hadn’t made me cry, but this did. I blinked hard, knowing all the tricks to stop them from falling and then I stared right back at Ash, my gaze just as flat.

“Of course. Because I’m like your little sister, right?” He flinched at that, like he’d been slapped, then his eyes went wide. And, for once, the great Ash Kelly’s mask slipped. But I was too far gone to try to make sense of his expression. “Well, in the spirit of our family bond, I’m beyond exhausted. I need my nest now. I need to burrow down in my pillows and—”

“C’mon.” Jax strode forward, picking up a plastic bag and producing my house keys from it. “I’ll get you inside and set up.”

“And keep watch,” Ash insisted. “The fuckers that pulled this shit with you? I warned you about them, Stevie. I told you they weren’t good guys. We didn’t have any evidence to prove that they were the guys who were involved in this, but we knew it was happening in their daddys’ club. If theyarethe ones who’ve been behind…” He shook his head, then looked over my head at Jax. “Keep watch and make sure she’s safe. We’ll talk more about the next step later.”

I wanted to say more, to shout questions at fucking Ash, standing there all stoic and calm again. I wanted to demand answers, but that’s not what little sisters do, is it? And as if to confirm my decision, I swayed on my feet, that overwhelming feeling of tiredness returning to squash me down, tearing away any desire to do anything other than sleep.

“But not with me.” I snorted that out, sporting a death’s head smile as I snatched the keys from Jax’s hands and stalked out their front door.

Ollie wagged his tail when he saw me, but stayed where he was, lying prone on the ground. Probably because I had a shadow who growled a warning at his dog. I didn’t care what he did, and I continued stomping over to my place. Once I stepped inside, the welcome sight, and smells of my house enveloped me. I’d worked hard to reclaim this place from all the negative connections with my past, and to make it my haven. Jax tailed me all the way through the house down to my room, and when I turned to see where he was, I was amused to see that he hovered in the doorway.

“Can I come in?” he asked.

“What?”

“This is your nest and—”

And an alpha usually asked permission first, the allowance of an alpha into an omega’s nest a momentous point in their relationship.

“Don’t worry about it,” was my terse response. “It’s not even a proper nest.” But it felt like one as I climbed onto my bed, arranging and rearranging my pillows until they felt just right, before settling into them. “Just like I’m not a proper omega.” My voice was little more than a sigh as my eyes fluttered closed.

“What makes you say that?” Jax asked, coming closer.

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