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I had a few that I always carried, but in situations like this, we needed to be armed to the teeth.
I washed the blood off my hands in the hotel bathroom. My knuckles would be bruised for sure. I couldn't help but wonder what Connor was doing right at that moment. Probably not washing blood off himself. I snorted out a laugh at the image.
It wasn't often that I had to do the roughing up, but when I did, it was beneficial for people to see just what the family was capable of, lest they get any ideas about us getting too soft now that Andro had taken over.
I dried my hands and left the room. A few bloody towels wouldn’t raise too many eyebrows from the hotel staff. They knew who we were.
Davy was sitting on the chair in my room. His mouth curved in a smile, and he laughed to himself at something that was on his phone.
I raised an eyebrow. "What's funny?"
He looked up suddenly, like I surprised him. "My omega sent me my honey-do list for when I get back. He somehow managed to drill a hole through the floor while he was putting together a bookshelf. I guess it's up to me to fix it."
"An omega, huh? How did I not know you were mated?" I usually kept closer tabs on the men I had around me. Not to be nosy but because I wanted to know the men who were in charge of watching my back.
Davy tucked his phone away. "Not sure. He and I are going on six years, I think, or seven. I suppose I should know for sure, but I don’t keep track of that shit. He lets me know when our anniversary is getting close so I don’t miss it."
I was quiet for a moment, imagining what that must be like. "How does he feel about the work you do and how often it takes you away from home?"
He shrugged. "My mate loves all of me. My job is a part of that. As for the traveling, honestly, I think he enjoys that I'm away from the house sometimes more often than I'm there. He's come with me on trips before.”
Where the hell had I been during all this? “Six years together, and I've never met him?"
Davy shrugged. "You can meet him now. Well, not now. He's at home. But I guess because I've never been in your personal guard before now, sir."
"Right." I nodded, feeling slightly better at that reminder. He used to work more closely with the lake house staff.
He was quiet for a moment, and I suspected he had a question for me on the tip of his tongue, but he didn't ask it. Still, it made me think that perhaps having an omega of my own at home was not beyond the realm of possibility. Andro had one. Davy did too. Why was I so different?
"You should bring him by the house sometime," I said. "Have dinner with us when things settle down. I'm sure Andro and Joey would like to meet him."
Davy was an up-and-comer in the family business. It would do us well to learn more about him. "Thanks. We'd like that."
8
CONNOR
Having access to a nearly unlimited credit card was a huge relief. But I still didn’t feel comfortable using Joey’s money unless I really needed to. I went to the bank in town and pulled out all my cash in small bills. I stashed what I could on my body, and then the rest of it was packed in my bag.
It was a risk, but using a debit card tied to my name was riskier.
Once I was done with closing my accounts, I went to the bus station and bought a ticket to a tiny little town called Apricot Grove.
The small town sounded like it would be safe and easy to hide out in. It was far enough away that I didn’t think the Ferrinis would bother looking for me, and small enough that I could start fresh and not have to explain too much about my past. People in small towns were nosy, but usually only after they got to know a person.
By the time I had nosy neighbors, I hoped to have a whole new story to tell them. At least, that was what I imagined a small town would be like. I’d never lived in one, so it would be an adventure. Hopefully, a good one for me and my baby.
I did some quick research before boarding the bus. The town had a grocery store, a few shops, and various restaurants. Based on social media, at least a few of them were hiring, so getting a job shouldn’t be too hard. There was a boarding house that had vacancies, so that was an option for a place to live.
I couldn’t risk my phone being tracked, if I took it with me. So after I got as much information as I could, I went into the bathroom, smashed it up into a ton of little pieces, and tossed it in the trash.
No smartphone to keep me company meant the bus ride was gonna be long and boring. But my thoughts would have to keep me occupied.
The bus ride was slow. I expected it to just take a few hours, but it stopped every fifty miles for thirty minutes. At the beginning of the trip, I started out in a seat by myself near the back of the bus. But at the second stop, a man got on and sat across from me.
The alpha didn’t disguise his interest in me, practically staring at me for the first fifteen minutes of the stop. Uncomfortable under his gaze, I grabbed my stuff and scrambled off the bus to stretch my legs and get something to eat.
My appetite had been hit or miss, and I was afraid to eat anything that might make a reappearance if we traveled over any windy roads. But the hot dog stand at the rest stop called to me, so I grabbed two dogs. I inhaled the first one and then wrapped up the second one and stuck it in my bag for later. Once I got to town, I had no idea what to expect, and it was very possible that nothing would be open.
