Grinning to myself, I swung a leg over my bike to sit and watch her go. Waving, she pulled her phone out of her pocket and pressed it to her ear as he walked. Within seconds, I could see her body language change as she spoke to Lesley. I kept a close eye on the surroundings, studying every passing vehicle for threats—there weren’t many in this quiet neighborhood. The sun was sitting low on the horizon, and the day had the faint glow that came moments before nightfall.
My thoughts drifted back to the issues I’d been contemplating all day. Pack hierarchy, society dynamics… all the shit that made it hard for lone wolves to succeed and ferals to heal. My gaze landed on a guy ahead of Cameron. He moved in a way that screamed stealth as he ducked into the store. From this distance, it looked like he was watching Cameron.
“What the fuck?” I muttered.
It was probably nothing, but better to be safe than sorry. My finger hovered over the ignition button when something else caught my attention.
A scent. Behind me.
I twisted around to confront whoever had snuck up on me, but I was too slow to evade the club swinging at my face. It slammed against my forehead with a brain-rattlingthunk, and I fell off my bike onto the pavement. As I hit the ground, the back of my head smacked into the asphalt. As if someone had slapped the light switch, everything went dark.
38
Cameron
“Did you call me for more chemistry shit?” Lesley huffed as she answered my call.
“Not this time,” I said. “I’m walking to the store and wanted some girl talk as company.”
“What’s on the menu?” Lesley asked. “Liquor? Cake? Condoms? What kind of a night are we looking at?”
“Get your head out of the gutter, Lesley.”
Lesley laughed, but it quickly died out. “Has Rick bothered you again? Made contact or anything?”
How the hell did I answer that?Well, he actually shot at me and almost killed a cop in the process. After that, he chased me into the woods, and only coating myself in a thick layer of mud allowed me to escape him. Then I ran sixteen kilometers to get somewhere safe.
“He’s texted me a few times,” I lied, deciding to keep things as basic as possible.
“Ugh. Knowing men, he probably went one of three directions. One, he apologized and begged you to come back.Two, he twisted his words, so it sounds like you’re the one at fault or imagining everything, and he wants you to come back so you guys can work it out.” She paused for a moment. “Or three, he threatened you. Told you that you better come back or else?”
“Uh, I guess it was maybe a bit of a combination of all of those,” I said.
I was halfway to the store when some alarm at the back of my mind went off. Something wasn’t right. I glanced around. The street to my left was empty, and a quick look over my shoulder showed Nate still sitting on his bike, watching me.
Why did I suddenly feel exposed and unsafe? Maybe this had been a bad idea.
That was a ridiculous thought. Nate was right there watching me. One shout, and he’d come running. He was close. Nothing was happening. Nothingwouldhappen. I’d gotten paranoid after Rick’s attack, that was all.
“Cam, are you listening?” Lesley asked.
She must have been talking this whole time, but I’d tuned her out.
“Sorry, what?”
“I was asking about your hot biker dude. Has he been hanging around? Anything fun happen between you two?”
The question triggered something in my mind, switching on a mental movie projector. Nate, bending me over a table and fucking my brains out. Heat crept into my cheeks.
“We’ve, uh, hung out a few times.”
There was a long pause, with Lesley’s breath the only sound. “You fucked him, didn’t you?”
I rolled my eyes even though she couldn’t see me. “Maybe.”
“You lucky bitch,” Lesley said, but I heard the smile in her voice. “He’s gorgeous. Spill, how was it?”
When I stepped into the store, my heart rate picked up, and my palms became clammy. Frowning, I glanced around. Twomen stood at the back of the store, perusing the display in the fridges, and an older lady was checking out at the register. Nothing seemed out of place or wrong. Why was I being so weird?
