Page 11 of Healer’s Betrayal

My heart squeezes for the second time today. “Thanks, Jessie.”

She stares me down. “I’m not just saying that, Kayla.”

I swallow. “I know. Thank you.” Then before I can delay the inevitable any longer, I pick up the tray and head back out. I’m on my way to their table when the front door opens.

“Kayla.”

I turn back to see Cole, the mechanic working on my car. I relax a little. “Hey, Cole.”

“Hey.” He runs a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry we haven’t gotten your car done yet. We’ve been slammed this week, but I’m going to work on it first thing tomorrow. I promise.”

I frown. “Cole, aren’t you guys closed on Saturdays?” He doesn’t say anything. “Please don’t use your day off to fix my car; it’s not worth it.”

“It shouldn’t take this long.”

“It’s fine,” I tell him again. “You have no control over how many cars come in; I get it. We’ve been slammed this week as well.”

“I’m going to get it fixed for you.”

“Thank you, Cole.” I smile up at him. “You’re the best. Find a table, and I’ll come get your order.”

He smiles down at me. “Thanks, Kayla.”

I turn back towards the table with the two men and pause, taking in the redhead that seems stuck between standing and sitting. He's in the middle of both. I raise a brow and head that way. He finally sits, but he doesn’t look happy. “Two coffees and two waters.” I set them down on the table.

“Is that your boyfriend?”The words are literally nearly a growl.

“I’m pretty sure that’s none of your business. Now what can I get you both to eat? Oh, and if you don’t both tell me why you’re here, you won’t be getting anything to eat while you’re here. And no, no one else will serve you either.” I give them a wide smile. “I’ll give you both a moment to think through your order.” I overenunciate my words and give them both one more tight look before turning around and heading back towards the kitchen. I drop off the tray and make my way to Cole’s table. “So, what can I get you?”

“Kayla,” he touches my elbow and frowns up at me. “Are those guys giving you trouble?”

“Nothing I can’t handle,” I reassure him.

Chapter 6

Jackson

I watch my mate walk away and barely manage to stay in my seat. “Well, that was a disaster.” I ignore Ransom and continue to watch her. Her scent is still in my lungs, and I can’t catch a full breath. My wolf growls low in my chest when she’s no longer in our line of sight. My gaze shifts over to the one who dared touch her. “Jackson, stop. You’re going to draw more attention. Well, more than we already have.”

I finally look across the table. There are so many things wrong in this moment that I can’t even articulate all of them; but I try anyway. I mentally clock each item I need to deal with. “The bruising.” Ransom nods. “The uncle. The guy who touched her.” My words are barely audible thanks to the very aggressive presence of my wolf. I’m having a hard time controlling him at the moment. He's always been strong and aggressive, which is how I found myself outside my pack in the first place.

“We’ll deal with all of it, but right now, you need to convince her you’re not a psychopath.” I scowl at him. “You chose to bring me with, remember? This is why, so I could help you not scare your mate away.”

My scowl deepens. “I didn’t choose to bring you; you came with despite me trying to leave you behind.”

He smirks. “Eh, same difference.” He glances over at the door my mate disappeared behind. “Seriously, though, Jackson, you need to find a way to pull it back somehow. You’re scaring her and—” My wolf growls at that, and he gives me a look of exasperation. “That’s what I’m talking about.” I want to argue with him, but I know he’s right. I could smell my mate’s fear. He glances over and then back to me and then leans forward. “And you don’t want that guy stepping in, thinking he’s protecting her.”

“My mate doesn’t need protecting from me.” My words are gutteral, and Ransom shakes his head.

“This was a mistake. We need to get out of here before you cause a scene.”

“I’m not leaving her behind. Somebody hurt her, there’s a guy here touching her, the boss threatened her position, she’s got an uncle that—”

“She’s coming,” Ransom says under his breath.

I close my eyes for just a moment. I want nothing more than to grab her, throw her over my shoulder, and get her out of here, where I can make sure she’s protected. I turn my gaze to her and allow myself to take her in for just a moment. She’s gorgeous and honestly the most beautiful female I’ve ever seen. She’s not super tall but not short either and has long light brown hair. Her eyes meet mine, and I get a good look at her eyes. At first, they look chocolate brown but then I notice that there’s a lightness to them. I’d qualify them more as a warm amber. Where that came from I have no idea, but I can’t unsee it now. She’s perfect, absolutely—a growl builds in my chest. The one who touched her follows her to our table. “Be calm,” Ransom says quietly. “Let me handle him.”

I stand to my feet. Ransom groans, but I ignore him. My mate pins those amber eyes on me and holds my gaze. Pride that she’s not backing down fills me. I’m taller than her by a good eight inches or so and have at least a good hundred pounds on her, and she’s not backing down. “Is there a problem here?” The guy who touched her asks.