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A huff of surprised laughter escaped me. “Are you all always going to be like this?”
“Yes,” he said with a wink before getting out and coming around to open my door for me. Then he was all professional, work focused, and it was obvious why as soon as I saw the shop.
From the moment I got behind the counter, it was chaos. Customer after customer was in and out to the point I was about to lose my mind. Our register was so full Sutton had to empty it out twice before noon. It was complete and utter madness. I had never wanted a break so much in my life.
Things slowed down around two so we could finally breathe. Slumped over the counter, Cade looked ready to pass out. Thankfully, Sutton was the kind of boss that didn’t let days like this go unnoticed. The moment he could, he rushed us off for quick breaks and promised to get us food when we returned. Cade and I collapsed on the break room couch and sat in silence for fifteen minutes until he finally stood with a groan.
“Time’s up.” He helped me off the couch, and we zombie walked back to the front.
“I’ll grab us all lunch now,” Sutton offered, taking down our order. He rushed out just as another group from the festival came in.
When we got that wave taken care of, I rounded up the trash and grabbed the full bag. Apparently, festival day also meant opening the merchandise and tossing the packaging before you even left the store. Our small trash cans were overflowing onto the ground.
“Be right back!” I called out before I ducked out the back door, my arms full of trash bags. The alley was silent as I tossed the trash inside our dumpster, but a scream tore out of me when I realized someone was blocking the back door. “Who the hell are you?!” Okay, not my most calm response, but fuck this guy.
The alpha smirked. “Not a very polite mouth for someone raised in the Humble Creed.” His smile only spread at the shock on my face. “Your pack paid a pretty penny for me to find you, and I’ve been tracking you down for a while. I might have missed you if I wasn’t observant. You’ve changed a bit, Sarah.” He pointedly sniffed then chuckled. “They’re going to have fun breaking you in since it seems you’ve been fucking around with another pack.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. That’s not my name,” I said, trying to play it off. Inside, I was fucking terrified. I’d been so fucking careful. How did he find me? And who the hell was he?
“Don’t play dumb, omega. It’s not cute,” he growled just as the door slammed open.
“Hazel, get back in here—” Cade’s teasing voice cut off. Suddenly, he was standing between me and my would-be stalker. “Get out of here. This isn’t a place you want to mess around. Sutton will kill you, and this omega is a claimed.”
“Cade? Hazel? Where are you guys?” Sutton called out before the door closed completely.
“Help!” I screamed at the sound of my alpha’s voice. He was outside in less than a second, and the moment the guy saw him, he started running, but my alpha gave chase.
I didn’t think I took a full breath until the creepy guy was slammed to the ground, with Sutton holding a gun to his back.
“Call Maximo. Now.” I immediately followed his order. The deep voice that answered was teasing until I sobbed into the phone.
“Maximo, we need you at the Happy Herb. Back alley,” I pleaded.
I heard keys before he said another word. “I’m on my way, Hazel. What the fuck is going on?” he growled. An engine roared to life, then tires squealed. Knowing my pack was here to defend me had the adrenaline dissipating, but I was still shaking.
“I’m going to watch the front,” Cade said with wide eyes, ducking inside. I made a mental note to have Sutton check in on the poor guy soon.
Fuck. What had I brought to their doorstep? How the hell did they find me?!
* * *
Sutton
SeeingHazel pale and completely panicked had my blood boiling. The man under my hand was whimpering as I crushed his skull into the concrete and dug the gun into him harder. He was lucky I didn’t make it worse.
She stood there and shook while we waited for Maximo, who made the drive across the city in less than ten minutes. His tires came to a screeching halt at the end of the alleyway, then he was out of the car, pointing his gun at the man before I could blink. Zaven pulled up just as the alpha reached us, and Alessandro and Emiliano arrived right after the other beta. Maximo had called in the cavalry. Never in my life had I been so grateful to see these men.
“Who is he?” Maximo demanded. His voice was harsh, but his eyes softened with a glance at Hazel. Her mouth silently opened and closed as the twins sandwiched her between them, offering what comfort they could.
“Hazel,” I said, “we need to know who this is.”
“Her name’s not Hazel,” the man taunted stupidly. Maximo growled and slammed the hilt of his gun into the idiot’s head so it was lights out.
“Get him to the car. We’ll find out what he knows and why he’s here,” Maximo said, gesturing for the twins and Zaven to take care of business.
“Hazel,” I tried again as I approached. I’d never seen this fiery, lively omega so lost and broken. We knew she hadn’t told us everything about her… but a fake name? Why would she need a new name?
“I’m sorry. I don’t know how he found me,” she whispered before a sob overtook her. Soon, she was crying so hard she was gasping for breath, a panic attack swiftly coming on. Maximo was there with me, coaxing her to crouch down and put her head between her legs. We’d dealt with enough of Zaven’s to know just what to do. After a few minutes, she was calm enough to function, but still no words were coming.
