Page 32 of Pack Deception: Part Two

“Even if I move at a snail’s pace, you’d still have to wait for your date until your shift is over.”

“Ugh. Ruin my fun. Let’s get you home.”

I look at him when we get into the elevator. Didn’t I mention to the pack that I work tonight? I try to rack my brain. Maybe I didn’t… But they know I work weekends at Ava’s bar. I wonder if Brooklyn just forgot to mention it to Wells, Damien, and Houston when she hired them.

“No, we’re going to The Hog’s Head. I work there tonight.”

He looks at me and frowns. “What’s that? I didn’t know you had another job.” I nod.

“Yeah. I usually work Friday and Saturday there. It’s my friend’s bar.” His frown deepens.

“You’re working at a bar on a Friday night? Why did nobody tell us this?” The happy-go-lucky Wells is gone, and the hired security Wells is back. Tension limns his eyes, and his shoulders tighten a little as he whips out his phone and calls someone. “Damien? I need you to meet me at a bar. I’ll send you the address.” There’s a pause while Damien says something back, and the elevator doors ping, opening to the parking garage. Wells walks out first, and I follow. “No, Summer works there. She’s got a shift tonight.” A glance at me. “I know. I’ll see you there.” Then he pockets the phone and walks to the SUV, where he opens the passenger door for me.

“I don’t know why this is such a big deal. I’ve been working there since I came to Chicago. Nothing bad has ever happened.” Wells pulls the SUV onto the road, following instructions pulled up on his phone to Ava’s bar.

“Well, you also haven’t had contact with your old pack until recently. They know where you are now, and anything can happen at a bar. There are too many distractions. A brawl could start, pulling my attention for asecond,and that’s enough time for something to happen to you. We should have been told. We can’t protect you if we don’t have information.”

We stew in silence the rest of the way while I mull over his words. When he pulls up to the curb in front of the bar, I whisper, “I’m sorry.”

He sighs. “It’s not your fault, Summer. It’s not anyone in particular's fault. Just bad communication. It’s okay. Let’s go.”

The bar looks the same as it does every Friday afternoon. An evening crowd here for happy hour drinks but not overly crowded just yet. The music is still low, and the conversation is just loud enough to drown most of it out. I’m halfway to the bar when I spot a girl I haven’t seen before sitting on a stool near the end of the bar where employees usually wait to clock in.

By the scent coming off her, I can tell she’s not entirely relaxed… and a beta, it seems. I’m about to ask her if she needs something when Ava pops her head out from the back hallway. “Oh, hey, Summer! You’re early. Come talk to me for a minute.”

My brows furrow, but I nod at Wells and hold up a finger to indicate that I’ll be back in a second. He follows me anyway. The brute.

I shut the door behind me, leaving Wells in the hallway when I get to Ava’s office. His growl comes through the thick wood, and it makes me almost want to laugh, but I’m still too confused. And more than a little nervous for some reason. But Ava just smiles at me and points to the chair in front of her desk. Holy Goddess. I’m about to get fired.

Scenarios start pouring through my mind as I try to imagine what I did that was a fireable offense. Did I miss a shift? Have I been accidentally stealing money from her by undercharging people? Oh, Goddess. What if she doesn’t want my drama here anymore?

“Summer,relax,”Ava laughs. “My goodness, I’m choking on your nerves over here.” She pinches her nose dramatically like my scent is turning her off.

I try to loosen my tight limbs and settle back into the chair. “I can’t help it. You’re making me nervous.”

She stops with the teasing, but the kind smile doesn’t leave her lips. “Do you remember when you came to me and needed a job?”

I nod, remembering it perfectly. Nearing the last of my savings and feeling absolutely desperate for a job, having already been denied at dozens of places, I was more than willing to beg at that point.

“One look at you, and I knew I had to help you. You needed it. So much that you’ve been working two jobs for the past five months, killing yourself to stay above water.”

I don’t even need to nod or agree with her. She knows she’s right.

A sigh leaves her lips, and she leans back in her chair, shrugs, and raises her palms at me in a gesture of supplication. “You don’t need to anymore. You’ve got a pack now. People you should be spending your weekends with. Not with me. Not busting your ass working sixty hours a week to make rent and have food to eat for the week.”

“But I like working here, seeing you,” I argue, although I know what she’s saying is true. I also know I was right, and I’m about to be fired.

“I know, babe. But we’ll still see each other. You’re always welcome here, and we can hang out outside of this fucking bar. But you don’tneedme anymore. And I need to offer that help to other people now. People who do need it.”

“That girl at the bar?” I frown.

“Yeah. She’s in a similar situation you were in all those months back. She just needs a chance…and I’m in a position to help. But I can’t keep you both on the payroll.” Ava does look a little apologetic, but for the most part, her face is firm. Unyielding.

And I know she’s right.

“So I’m fired.” Tears try to build in my eyes, but through sheer will, I manage to choke them down—not sure why I’m even sad. It will be so nice not having to work my weekends away. Not having to bust my butt and spend precious time away from my mates. I guess this bar has started to feel a little like home. Or Ava has.

“Think of it as your good deed for the year. You’re helping her as much as I am. And I need you to train her tonight. Show her the ropes. So you’ll still get one last shift in.”

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