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A week later… Trick
ItwasDragonandKisy’s wedding day, and Trick felt like a piece of shit that he wasn’t there to celebrate with them. He could have left Stiletto alone in the cabin and went, but he didn’t like the thought of being that far away from her and having her unprotected, nor did his bear. Sure, his mate was deadly, but she was also human and bad things followed the Ol’ Ladies like fucking shadows.
So, instead of making the drive and attending the wedding and reception, he had sent his congratulations to Kisy in a text and had called Dragon to say it personally. As usual, Dragon was a man of few words, but Trick knew he understood why he wouldn’t be there. Hell, Dragon would have ordered him to stay with his mate if he had the power to do so.
That didn’t make it any less of a shitty situation.
Trick had still been stewing on that when he answered the call from Axle.
“It’s time.”
Hearing the go signal from Axle was bittersweet for Trick on multiple levels. It meant that his private, romantic time with Stiletto would be limited, since he needed to shift into work mode. But it also meant that he could finally do the mission he had been sent there to complete — Finding intel on the academy and take out as many as he could. However, it also meant that he was closer to being able to go home, as long as he and Stiletto worked their shit out. He was flip-flopping between excitement and sadness the longer he thought about it.
“Did you hear me?”
Trick cleared his throat and focused on the call. “Yeah, Prez.”
“Intel is the name of the game, but I’m not going to hold you back if you get a chance to take out some strays. Sulien is connecting with Ordys. He’ll be in contact with you as often as he can. Use what Stiletto shared and start making a plan.”
“Will do. Think I’m going to try some surveillance. Stiletto pointed out a few roads on the map that are private enough I could park the van, but close enough I could sneak through the woods to get a visual.”
“I trust your judgment on that. Just… be safe. Check in.”
Trick nodded, even though Axle couldn’t see him. “You got it, Prez.”
They chatted for a few more minutes before Axle’s mate came in the room and his president lost all focus on the conversation. Trick understood that shit. When Stiletto walked through the cabin in those fucking leggings she loved so much, his focus was on nothing but her ass.
After they ended the call, Trick stepped inside the cabin and stilled. Stiletto was standing in the middle of the space with her arms crossed over her chest, wearing only a towel since she had just gotten out of the shower. The look in her eyes told him she was ready for a fight, and her stance made it pretty damn clear that her target was him.
“What?” Trick slid his phone in the pocket of his cut that was hanging on the hook by the door.
“I heard you mention surveillance,” she said. She lifted her chin slightly. “I’m going with you.”
Trick sighed and shook his head. “No.”
“Yes, I am.”
“You’re not, Stiletto.” He approached the bed and started stripping off the sheets and pillowcases.
She gripped his shoulder and yanked. Trick willingly let her turn him around. Then his sassy, stubborn mate was in his face. “I am!”
He took her by the arms, lifted her, and set her a few feet back. Returning to what he was doing, he replied, “You fucking know why. The answer is no.”
When he straightened with the balled-up sheets in his hands, she yanked them from him and tossed them onto the basket of dirty clothes. “I fucking knew it!” She faced him again and pointed at him as she shouted, “Because no matter how much you profess to trust me, you don’t! You think if I get close, I’m going to run to them for safety! Or I’m going to rat you out! Or whatever-the-fuck! Everything about the last few months has been a lie! Hasn’t it? Admit it, Trick! You don’t fucking trust me! You’ve been playing me this whole time! I’m probably not even your mate! Or are mates another thing you’ve lied to me about? Do they even fucking exist? Probably not!Trust me, you said. Why in the hell would I do that when you don’ttrust me?”
With every word she spoke, his frustration grew into anger, and kept building until he couldn’t hold it back anymore. Bending forward slightly, his eyes began to glow gold light through the space, and he shouted, “I’m afraid of what they’ll do to you if they get close enough! I can’t… live without you! Don’t you fucking get that? It’s the same fucking reason I haven’t left you here alone and gone home to attend Dragon’s wedding, which istoday! If they hurt you… if they take you from me, I will—” He straightened and put his hand to the top of his head, turning away from her and walking away from her. After a deep breath, he faced her again, and his voice was quieter when he said, “I’m trying to keep you safe. I finally have you in my life, I don’t want to risk losing you. And the idea of you being in danger sends me fucking spiraling. That’s why I’m trying to get you to stay here. Because I’m scared. I’m fucking terrified.”
He stared her down as the gold light faded, and her anger visibly did the same. It was confirmed when she uttered, “Oh.”
“Yeah,oh,” he huffed and crossed the room. He took his cut from the hook and slipped it onto his shoulders. After grabbing the full laundry basket, he headed for the door, stopping when he was only a few feet from it. He looked at her over his shoulder. “I haven’t lied to you since we’ve been here. You can’t say the same, and I don’t fucking care about that. But the fact that you’re still questioning my trust in you… that shit blows.”
Then he left, with his heart beaten and bruised, and his bear whining inside of him.
Stella
Through the front window, she watched as the van drove away from the cabin, and the weight of the situation settled right on her shoulders. It felt as if his world, along with her own, had taken up camp there, waiting for her to find the magic cure. How was she to fix it? Was there anything shecoulddo?
She still hadn’t addressed the calls with him, but she was beginning to wonder if she blew that out of proportion the way she’d built up his lies and mistrust. And should she believe the words he had just shouted at her? Her gut was telling her yes, but her gut had been spewing a whole lot of bullshit at her in the recent past.
