Page 16 of Notorious

And yet, here I am feeling something.

Clearing my throat, I snap my hand away from him, my eyes dropping from his gaze as I let out the breath I didn’t know I was holding.

“No name? Okay, I will stick to calling you sweetheart.” Alpha chuckles.

Side-eyeing him, my defenses are down. It’s not like I’m going to see him again. It can’t hurt to tell him my real name.Can it?“Haven… my name’s Haven.”

The corner of his lips turns into a soft smile, and he nods. “Suits you.”

“Shut up,” I reply, and he chuckles.

“All right, Haven, who can hold her own. I’m fucking hungry, and I need something to soak up this tequila. You wanna go halves in a burger with me?”

Snorting out a laugh, I shove him in the shoulder. “Fuck no.After the evening I’ve just had, I’m having a fucking double beef patty all to myself, with some curly fries and onion rings. You eat your own damn burger.”

Alpha lets out a bemused laugh, signaling to the bartender. “I’ll have a number three, and Haven here will have a number six, with a side of onion rings. I’ll grab a Coke…” He looks to me. “Haven?”

“Coke Zero, thanks. Trying to watch my figure,” I joke. The bartender doesn’t even smirk, just writes it down, then walks off, but Alpha spins to face me, his eyes now brighter than when I first sat down.

“So… you come here often?” he asks, and I roll my eyes.

“Breaking out the cheesy pickup lines? Seriously?” I scowl, though I have to admit, it’s kind of nice to talk to someone who seems on my wavelength.

He scoffs. “Hardly, just trying to figure out if you’re a threat or just someone passing through.”

“A threat? Well, I’m impressed. Youactuallythink I could take you on there, tough guy?”

He chuckles under his breath. “Ahh, doubtful. But I can tell you can handle yourself. What Ican’tfigure out is why I haven’t seen you in here before tonight.”

I need to twist this back on him to get the questions off me. “So what you’re saying is that you’re in here that often you’re classed as an alcoholic?” I tease.

He shrugs. “Well, notthatoften. But often enough to know who the regulars are. And you, Haven, arenota regular.”

Shrugging, I give him a smile. “Maybe I might just become one.”

His eyes shift to the blood on my shirt again. I know he’s dying to ask about it, but he doesn’t push. I know it’s more because he doesn’t want to be dragged into any unnecessary shit, which suits me just fine.

He raises his tequila in the air. “Well, I’ll drink to that.”

Smiling, I clink my glass to his, then we both throw our glasses back.

When I came in here, I never intended to talk to anybody. I was going to get something to eat, have a few quiet drinks, and maybe go back to my motel room for the night. I never intended to hit it off with some hot-as-sin biker.

The thing about being an elite assassin for The Nest is that we’re programmed for one thing—killing. We’re not supposed to have a life outside of The Nest. So, me sitting here, having a good time with Alpha, if the team back at headquarters knew, they would definitely have something to say about it.

But I have been a Bird in The Nest since I was young. I hardly remember a life before.

This is all I know.

All I have ever been.

All I will ever be.

But sometimes, when the opportunity strikes to take a night off, I am going to grab it.

Especially when I know there is no one watching.

After stuffing our faces, Alpha and I spend the next few hours chatting and drinking. We move to the pool table, where I am currently kicking his ass for the third time in a row. With pool cue in hand, I lean over the table, lining up the shot, but with the fuzz of the tequila setting in, my head is beginning to spin. My eyes blink a few times, trying to pot my final shot.

---