He huffs a breath, like there’s something he wants to say, but he’s not sure how I’ll take it. “I can’t leave you here without some proper security, Kate.”
“I’m fine.” It’s my automatic answer, and I watch his eyes narrow. “I can’t… run from this.” I wave at the cold, empty room. Even his huge presence can’t sap the chill from the air. “This is my life, Bram.”
He tilts his head, studying the hole in the wall where the promised fireplace has yet to appear. “How about you come toour place? Dash would love to see you, and we could have some hot chocolate.”
I feel that tiny flare of excitement kindle inside me before I remember thatI crawled all over Dash’s alpha like a rash.“I don’t want to intrude.”
“Well, I could call them up and tell them to come here for the night.”
There’s a hint of challenge in his eyes, and I try to picture Corbus Janssen bunking down in my bare bones guest room. He must see the panic in my eyes because he gently squeezes my arm. “Come on. Everything feels better with hot chocolate.”
I’m tempted to ask again why he cares so much, but I’m too cold and tired to argue. “That sounds great. Just let me grab a couple of things and we can go.”
CHAPTER SEVEN - BRAM
While Kate goes upstairs to change, I stew in the grip of a cold, sharp rage. The house is a pit. Great bones, like all the brownstones in the area, but half the floors have been pulled up and there’s wire and insulation poking out of the walls. Little to no furniture, which means her fucknut of an ex either took it or she’s had to sell it to pay the bills. I’m cold, even with my blood boiling, and all the empty space isn’t going to do anything to keep out the chill when winter arrives. I’ve heard of alphas leaving their mates before – usually because they bonded early and found a better match later in life – but I’ve never witnessed such cold-hearted abandonment as the broken house I’m standing in.
I can only assume the guy is deranged. Why else would he leave someone like Kate?
I looked Lee Morrison up when Dash asked for Kate’s work address. He’s now part of the LaGrange pack, known around town for their lavish parties and cutthroat deals. Given his money issues, I’m guessing his boss’ wealth is part of the attraction, along with her estates in Long Island, Aspen, and Santa Barbara. Suzanna LaGrange’s investment firm might notbe in the same league as Corbus’ business interests, but having all of his debts disappear in a puff of smoke must have been near miraculous for a loser like Kate’s ex.
Except theydidn’tdisappear.
Kate is still paying for them, while he’s off living the high life with his new pack.
And then there’s the matter of Stanley King. A quick search of a couple of databases at my disposal tells me he’s a lowlife, a two-bit hustler who preys on vulnerable people. If Lee had done his homework, he never would have trusted the guy, unless his judgment really is as bad as I think it is.
As far as enemies go, Stanley King is a nobody. A cockroach that’s so deep in the gutter, I could crush him on a slow afternoon. But he’s somebody toKate, which means by extension, he’s a big target for me.
If Perry doesn’t pick him up for his part in the omega trafficking ring, I’ll happily take care of him myself. Notviolently, since Kate doesn’t need that haunting her, but in a way that plays to my strengths. I’ll drain his accounts, audit his businesses, and drop his name to a couple of volatile loan sharks. For each racket he’s got going, I’ll infiltrate it and come up with a way to use it against him. If he’s got debts of his own, I’ll squeeze them until he’s so deep in the red, he’ll never climb back out. When I’m done with him, he’ll be a cautionary tale career criminals tell their children, warning them against crossing accountants with a protective streak.
“I’m ready,” Kate says as she comes down the stairs. They creak alarmingly under her slight weight, and I have to blink away my murderous thoughts. She’s already looked at me curiously a couple of times, probably wondering why my eyes are glowing like a demon. Unless she’s crossed paths with an uber alpha before, she won’t recognize it for what it is, and the last thing I want to do is scare her any worse.
Especially when she gazes at me with so much trust in her soft gray eyes.
“Let me carry that.” She has a garment bag over one arm, which I take as I give her an approving glance. It’s hard not to, when she carries herself with such style. She’s wearing olive trousers and a light blue sweater, her dark brown hair loose on her shoulders. I don’t know much about fashion, but this outfit seems to suit her better than the sheer, flowery fabrics that most omegas wear. As for the barely-there black lace thing King made her wear to the club… That’s not something I should be thinking about now. “You look great.”
“Oh.” Her lips part, and a soft blush spreads across her face. “Thanks. Do I need to bring anything else?”
“Just whatever you can’t do without for the next couple of days.” Her hesitation is stronger now, and I brace myself for an argument. “You can’t stay here until we do something about your security, Kate.”
I don’t add that King could possibly slip Perry’s net; in which case he could come looking for her, pissed that she didn’t turn up to the club. I’m tempted to get a driver to collect her so I can lie in wait for the asshole, but I remind my tight gut that I have other ways of destroying him than separating his spine from his body.
“I’ll just grab my purse.”
As Kate gets ready to leave, my shoulders loosen a little. I enjoy watching her buzz around her place, adding water to a little potted fern on her windowsill and straightening the cushions on her ugly couch. She has pride, even if her ex did his best to crush it, and I admire that almost as much as I despise him.
On the drive into Manhattan, Kate is quiet, her gaze fixed on the window. I wonder if she’s nervous about spending the nightin a strange house, until she turns to me and says, “You know I’m unbonded, right?”
Her hand is drifting towards the Band-Aid on her neck, and I catch it before I think about it. “It’s not an issue.” Her fingers tremble in my grasp, and I reluctantly let them go. “I mean, it’s not something you have to talk about if you don’t want to.”
“But you deserve an explanation. Especially because it probably relates to what happened earlier.”
It takes me a moment to realize she’s talking about when she climbed into my lap, and I nod. I wasn’t kidding when I said it was the best thing to happen to me today, and I’m curious why she thinks it’s connected to her status.
“I was with Lee for six years, most of that time as a bonded couple. But since that ended, I’ve struggled with some hormonal changes. My doctor ran some tests, and she warned me that if I’m triggered by an alpha’s scent, I might not be able to control myself.Might not…” She gives a sharp laugh and rubs her chest bone. “Guess I’ve cleared that up.”
She avoids my gaze, but her discomfort is written all over her face. I want to put my arm around her and pull her tight, but since that’s where we started before, I hold myself back. “Lose control how?” I ask carefully. “Like go into heat?”
