Chapter 53
Ugh, these two are just sickeningly sweet together. Spence stares down at my omega with an expression akin to wonder, almost like he can’t believe she’s actually talking to him. Maybe he can’t. There does seem to be a shortage of omegas around here. Not that you see them out in the wild that often, not without a pack or family around, but I hope this isn’t just a novelty for the big guy. She seems to really like him, and he really can’t be any worse than that absolute dick waiting back home. Speaking of which.
“Sarah, honey. I don’t want to burst anybody’s bubble. But, if you plan on starting anything with any alphas, I think they have a right to know that you already have a scent match.” My girl’s eyes flick between me and Spence a few times as his face falls into a look of dejection. I don’t want to fuck this up for her, but he has a right to know what he’s getting into.
Her voice is still happy though, not quite getting what I’m laying down for her, or not realizing how upset he is now. “Oh, right. But they’ve all met you. I guess that hasn’t come up. Big Moose, this is Greg, he’s my scent-matched beta, so anywhere I end up, so will he. So don’t go getting any funny ideas about not having him in your pack.” While that is very sweet, and I appreciate her making me feel included, I don’t like her leaving out the rest.
“I meant the douche-canoe back in L.A. You know, the one who couldn’t be bothered to let you spend your vacation with him and his pack?” Sarah swallows convulsively, and I belatedly realize that she completely forgot about him until now. I hate that I had to say anything, but if she wants to move forward, it needs to be with cards on the table. “John? Yeah. I don’t particularly like him, but he has been half-assed courting you, so it’s not fair to Spence to not know.”
I’m enjoying the fact that she didn’t remember he exists; he doesn’t deserve her time or attention, but I hate how her voice sounds when she talks about him. “Yeah…I. I have a scent match back home. I met him and his pack right after Thanksgiving, and he said he wanted to court me.” She’s looking up at Spencer, basically just repeating what I already said, and he bites his lower lip to stop it from shaking. “But he doesn’t want to. Not really. I’ve only seen him a couple of times since then. Right before Christmas break and then a few weeks after we got back when he told me I couldn’t spend spring break with them. It’s been almost two months now so I don’t know if he still plans to court me, but I don’t like how he makes me feel—like I’m not worth his time. I know he’s supposed to be mine, but…it doesn’t feel like that’s whathewants.” Her head drops, so she’s staring at the floor as she mumbles this last bit.
Spence hunkers down so he’s squatting in front of her, his big hand coming up and hooking his knuckle under her chin soshe has to look at him. “Ok, but what doyouwant? Sarah”—her whole body shudders when he says her name—“I like you, a lot. But I don’t want to step on anybody’s toes.” Spence looks resigned, but he’s trying to offer her a smile. “If you want this other alpha, and he’s willing to give it a shot for you, then by all means, he’s yours. I’ve talked to Teddy about how strong a scent match is, so I can only guess that even being separated from him must hurt really bad. I’m glad you have Greg as a match too; he seems like a cool guy to have around, even if you weren’t banging him.” My girl lets out a startled watery laugh. “I’m not saying this to get in your pants, but like I said, I like you, and I don’t like my people getting hurt. If he doesn’t treat you right, you don’t have to put up with it. I don’t care if he is your scent match. Nobody should be able to make you ever feel like you’re not enough. You are more than enough. And I’m pretty sure your beta here would agree with me.”
Tears are running down Sarah’s face as she searches his eyes for the truth. I don’t have a clear view from my position, but she must find what she’s looking for because a moment later, her arms are around his neck and he makes a strangled noise as she drags him out of his crouch, causing him to land hard on his knees. I wonder if she’s thinking about more than just the asshole alpha. She won’t say anything about her family, but if I’m being honest, I wanted to slap the shit out of a few of them for the gaslighting bullshit they were doing. I’d like to think it wasn’t intentional, ’cause who would do that shit on purpose to their own kid, but it’s hard to imagine that much tomfuckery being an accident.
Spence finally gets his feet back under him and stands up, his arms looping under her as she buries her face in his neck. Her back is shaking with the force of her sobs, and he rubs his hand up and down her spine, making soothing shushing noises. A loud snarl makes me spin around and see Teddy marchingpurposefully across the floor from the front desk. But my girl needs this emotional release. She keeps everything locked up so tight under a sassy mask, never letting anybody see how much she hurts.
I meet Teddy halfway, and while he’s not happy about it, he does stop long enough to ask, “What the fuck did he do? Why is she crying? I didn’t see anybody else talking to her, so it was him, right? Fuck! What happened, Greg? I’m tryin’ hard not to jump to conclusions here, but come on.” He huffs and puffs like a freight train as he stares at them. Spence is just standing there holding her, his legs shifting, swaying his huge body back and forth while he rubs her back. You can tell the exact moment his purr starts up because the man sounds like an airplane engine. Plus, his face turns bright red.
Teddy finally stops glaring to focus on me so I can explain. “He told her she was enough, and anybody who didn’t agree wasn’t worth her time.” The big omega looks surprised for a minute, then hurt and indecisive, like he wants to go over and say something, so I continue. “Youhadto wonder why she brought her beta along on this little excursion instead of the alpha she matched to. He hasn’t exactly been a font of affection or understanding. Plus, you lived across the hall for years—were you ever subjected to her family? Even short term.” His entire body shudders, and that in itself is answer enough.
Teddy’s voice is quiet as he leans closer to me, trying to keep her from hearing him. “I knew they were assholes. Fuck, one of her sisters was still at the center when I arrived. They didn’t hang out together or anything, thank goodness. I don’t think I could have stomached being around her. She was a fucking harpy then, and it’s probably gotten worse. I didn’t even think of that shit. I mean, it’s not like I could have stayed there after finding Sam and Kelly, but I should have checked in more. I knew those people were horrible.”
“I don’t want to say that Sarah’s not your responsibility, but we both know she wouldn’t tell you if something was wrong. That’s kind of how we ended up…here. Her alpha that she matched to isn’t interested…or he is, but it’s complicated.” I make air quotes around the last word. “From what I can tell, his pack didn’t match to her, and I’m not sure if that’s causing him hesitation, or if he really is just a stuck-up piece of shit who refuses to commit to her for some reason. Honestly, he has a stick shoved so far up his ass, it’s a wonder it’s not poking out the top of his head. God knows that might mess up his perfect fucking hair. The guy gives me bad fucking vibes, and it feels like he’s hiding something. Though I can’t say that to her because he’s her alpha.”
Teddy nods along, looking like he wants to add to my tirade a few times but waiting until I finish. Instead of asking about my rant, he nods to Spencer, who’s still rocking back and forth with my omega. She might have fallen asleep on him again, it’s hard to tell from this angle, but at least she isn’t shaking anymore. “So, what do you want me to do about that?” His voice is quiet, as if he doesn’t want to wake her up. “He’s on the clock, and while I’m good with him helping her out, I know he’s going to want to stay longer to make up the time. He hates feeling like he’s taking advantage of us. He doesn’t realize that a big part of the reason we have so many clients is because of him. Everybody likes the guy and he’s always talking us up. I can’t even count how many people come in here starting memberships because he talks about this place to everybody. Kelly was worried when we hired him that we wouldn’t be able to afford to keep him on if business didn’t pick up, but he’s the reason we’re doing so well.”
I chuckle lightly because, somehow, that doesn’t surprise me in the least. I don’t know what it is about him. At first, I thought he was kind of an idiot, but even then a likeable idiot. He’s not though, he’s just gormless...but even that isn’t quite accurate. Hedoesn’t seem to have a mean bone in his body, and it’s refreshing as hell.
Spence finally shifts his attention away from Sarah, seeing Teddy standing with me. He looks panicked for a moment before Sarah’s head moves, burrowing against his throat, and his attention drops back to her. Teddy taps me on the arm. His voice is quiet. “Come on. We have coffee and snacks in the break room. I’ll fill you in on a bit more about the big guy over low-carb muffins.” He makes a gagging face. “Vee keeps making them as a healthy option for work, but I’m the only one who loves him enough to suffer through the taste. You can choke one down while I let you pick my brain about Sarah or Spence.” Well, I’m not gonna get another offer that good, probably…what the fuck is a low-carb muffin?
Chapter 54
It’s great that my record’s been cleared and all charges were dropped last week, but being back at work is exhausting after all the time off. I’m glad I’m back to a full paycheck, though. That should take some pressure off the guys trying to cover everything. Cedric brought donuts this morning to celebrate my return. But I think that was more for him than me. The boss has been on his ass about being healthier since he gained twenty pounds last year when he did his physical. I’ve been talking to him about getting a membership at the gym, but I might talk to Teddy and see if they can do a group rate or reduced company rates to see if we can try to get it covered by work. After all, you need cops who stay in shape.
I’m already a member as part of Spence’s pack for free, but if the department wants to cover one for me, I won’t say no. It would take pressure off the big guy that he doesn’t have to workas much if he doesn’t want to. We were doing fine on finances when he was in college and only Alistair and I were working. It helps that he’s making an income now too, but it’s not the end of the world if he doesn’t.
Cedric leans against my desk, sipping a steaming cup of coffee from the machine in the break room. It’s not bad, but thick as mud. The chief is slightly obsessed with caffeine, so he insisted on a decent coffee maker. Unfortunately, the daily brew depends on who gets to it first in the morning, and when it’s my partner…well…it’s closer to an espresso—complete with burnt taste—than a regular cup of drip. He says it puts hair on your chest, though from what I’ve seen, somebody lied to the poor bastard about that.
I like the kid well enough, despite his enthusiasm. He was a dick last year to Kelly when their pack first met him, but he more than made up for it after all that shit went down with Xan, and thankfully didn’t get his own ass brought up for an internal investigation in the process. To this day, I’m not sure how much of them closing the investigation was a result of their futile research and how much was just not wanting to deal with this asshole anymore. He was overly obvious in his attempts at diversion, and he has all the subtlety of a hand grenade. Still, I appreciate his support and effort. Loyalty is important to have in a partner.
“So, what’s on the agenda for today, P? Action? Adventure? Daring rescues? Car chase?” He sounds hopeful, but he should know better. Almost nothing happens in Oak Flats, and the few things that do need us to step in usually result in somebody being hurt. Though I do enjoy the various fundraisers and public events. Those are always nice.
“Speeding tickets.” My voice is deadpan, and it’s met with his irritated groan.
“Come on, at least tell me we’re out by the interstate this time. Nobody speeds through town. Well, nobody but Mrs. Grady, and she’s fucking ninety-five. It would be like ticketing my grandma. She’d probably yell at me the same way she did with Josh last time. You know, when he didn’t recognize her car?” My laugh bubbles free at the memory of my baby brother, bright red from blushing after being told off by the woman who recently retired as a fourth-grade teacher. I never would have imagined she knew some of those words. She was such a quiet and soft-spoken lady back then. I think my poor little bro still has nightmares about that day.
“Sorry, nope, we’re out on the highway headed towards Springfield. Out by the old glass factory. Word around town is it was recently sold, so I expect some kind of traffic soon for the new owners.” That perks him right up, possibly in hopes of some nefarious doings, though nothing will compare to the guy who shut it down. He was in the process of closing it before he was arrested for kidnapping and then died in a home invasion shortly thereafter. To be fair, he was the one doing the invading, and from all reports, he met with the ugly end of an iguana. I’ve met the critter in question, and I honestly can’t imagine how that happened.
I mean, it’s half the size of a normal one at best, scrawny little thing. Like the size of a cat, maybe. Those little suckers can be vicious. I mean, I’d love to have one like Storm—that was my mom’s cat growing up, but even she could be a mean and spiteful bitch if you pissed her off. I have the scars on my foot to prove it. The little asshole used to lie in wait and sink her fangs into the top of it when I would walk by if she was mad at Josh or me.
My partner is bouncing on the balls of his feet now. “Alright! Let’s go! Investigation! I’m ready…wait, I gotta hit the bathroom if we’re gonna be in the car for the next six hours. Then let’s go! Can you grab me another coffee before we head out?” While thatdefeats the purpose of his bathroom trip, I agree and get him a refill and snag a couple of bottles of water from the break room fridge on my way. Spence keeps reminding me that hydration is an important part of being healthy, and I guess some of the shit sticks.
Maybe we’ll luck out and something interesting will happen. Otherwise, I know that Cedric will spend the entire time streaming movies on his phone, and there are only so many times you can watch Blazing Saddles before you want to strangle someone. Don’t get me wrong, I like Mel Brooks, and it’s a classic. But come on, at least mix it up! Gimme some Sherlock Holmes, some Murder on the Orient Express—shit, I’d be happy with a little Maltese Falcon at this point. I’m partial to a mystery, but I’ll take anything but western comedy right now.
My mind wanders back to this weekend and the little omega and her beta. I wonder what kind of movies she likes? We’re pretty eclectic at home. I go for mystery or horror. Spence is a romantic comedy guy all the way, and Alistair mostly watches history documentaries. Though his guilty pleasure is probably British comedy. I swear, I’ve seen every episode of Are You Being Served and Red Dwarf ever made. He doesn’t think that Spence and I know about it, but the big guy figured it out the first time that our packmate left his Meaning of Life DVD in the player.
He doesn’t bring it up because he figures if Alistair wants him to know, he’ll tell us himself. But the good professor ought to know by now, since we watched every episode of Doctor Who he could find in a mad attempt at relating to the guy. Of course, then I had to pretend to be surprised by his book choices, since he never mentioned it before this weekend.
