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Micah laughed in spite of the situation. It was good to see her bonding with his team. Even Jax. Who woulda thought it?
Nick took the food to the lab, and then they were on their way in two of the Pack SUVs. The better to get more of their things. Dammit, he couldn’t wait until the killer was caught and they could concentrate on their relationship. To talk to Nick about building on that patch of land and look at house plans.
He wanted so much to believe he had a future with his mate.
First, he had to lay the past to rest.
Eleven
Jacee had never been so tired. Strung out. Stressed to the max.
A long day at work, followed by being terrorized in her own home. Then a heart-pounding drive, glancing in her rearview mirror with paranoia dogging every mile, topped off by packing her things and moving the most important of them to Micah’s apartment at the compound.
Not on her list of Top Ten Most Fun Days Ever.
She was a wreck. Which was why, in hindsight, she lost her head when she found the bottle of myst hidden in Micah’s things.
Exhausted, she, Micah, and their friends trooped into the dining room for a much-needed hot meal and to rest their tired bodies.
She liked these people. They were warm and welcoming, and they knew when to give a person space.
The meal went down fast, without her pausing to really savor it. But it filled the hungry spot, and she was satisfied. Her nerves were no less frazzled, though, and her mate took notice.
“Why don’t we turn in, sweetheart? You look ready to fall over.”
She shot Micah a grateful smile. “That would be nice. Thanks. This is one day that definitely needs to end ASAP.”
He took her hand, and she let him pull her up. They said their good-byes and headed to his quarters—now theirs for a few weeks or months, at least. Once they were back inside, he pulled her to him, held her close. They stayed that way for several long moments while she just breathed his wonderful scent. Listened to his heartbeat.
Never had she felt so safe. Not for years, anyway.
“Get ready for bed, baby. Before you fall over.” Kissing the top of her head, he moved away.
She felt the loss of his warmth immediately, but planned to get in some serious snuggling as soon as possible. “Okay.”
Micah disappeared down the hallway into the master bedroom, and she heard the bathroom door shut. Following him, she went into the bedroom and, her hands on her hips, stood surveying the boxes full of their belongings everyone had hastily thrown together. Which one contained her toothbrush and face wash was anybody’s guess, so she dug in.
A quick look in the first box revealed jeans and T-shirts, plus a few other tops. The second, pajamas, panties, and bras. The third—success. Her makeup case was there, and inside would be the items she needed to get ready for bed. As she lifted her makeup case out, however, something caught her eye.
In the bottom of the box was a small black case. It appeared to be a man’s bag, something Micah might carry his toiletries in, but she’d never seen this one before. Placing her bag on the floor, she reached down, then paused, glancing guiltily toward the bathroom door. Inside, the toilet flushed, and water in the sink started running. She wasn’t a snoopy person and didn’t want to be that kind of mate.
Of course, she was being stupid. Everything in these boxes was their stuff, so why shouldn’t she look? There was no harm in satisfying her curiosity.
Snatching the bag, she unzipped the top and pried it open, peering inside. Normal items, as she’d thought. A couple of disposable razors and a mini tube of shaving cream. A toothbrush, travel toothpaste. Dental floss. A tiny bottle of cologne. Not much different from the contents of her own bag.
Except for the small brown prescription bottle almost buried at the bottom.
Hand trembling slightly, she held it up. Read the label. Even then, she couldn’t wrap her brain around what she was seeing. “Myst?”
That couldn’t be right. Her mate had suffered through a hellish detox, and he was clean. He knew to stay far away from this shit, had let her believe he was doing fine. And yet here was proof right in her hand that he wasn’t fine. At all.
“Hey, if you find the body wash, I want to . . .” Shirtless, jeans unsnapped, Micah stopped just outside the bathroom door. The cheerful expression on his face crumbled to dust, and he froze, eyes wide.
“What the fuck is this?” Even as Jacee spoke those five words, she knew she’d started the conversation on the wrong track. But this was the final straw in an already craptastic day, and she was done.
“Jacee, it’s not what it looks like,” he said hoarsely, taking a couple of steps forward.
“It’s not? You mean you didn’t hide these pills? You didn’t swear you were going to stay away from them and then do the exact opposite? You didn’t lie to me? To Mac and your team?”
