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“Let me think...” He looks up at the ceiling. “There’s the time I had to block Tinder from the server because some male nurse was posting dick pics from his work laptop.”
“Just... why?”
“Maybe he got a wider view from the laptop camera?”
“Wow, he must have had ahuge—”
“No comment,” Parker says quickly, reaching for his drink. “But yes.”
A laugh bubbles out of me. “Tell me something else.”
“Hmm. Oh!” He snaps his fingers. “This isn’t really juicy, but it is kind of sad, almost. There’s this cardiologist in No—” He catches my wince. “Well, there’s this cardiologist who must be super jealous of a certain... other cardiologist.”
My mouth turns down. “What do you mean?”
“I had to update his computer recently, and his search history was nothing but alpha shit. I mean, this guy has been researching them formonths. I’m assuming it’s a wishful thinking sort of scenario.”
Even through the haze of my three drinks, there’s a weight on my mind, something about what Parker’s saying poking at a memory that feels important. I lift up, my head feeling too heavy and instantly making me regret it, staring at the wall behind the bar intently as I try to think.
“He isn’t...” I shake my head. “Is his name Dennis Martin?”
“Hey, I don’t know if I should be giving you theirnames—”
“Parker.” I close my eyes and swallow, trying to collect my thoughts even as they continue to slip away from me. “Parker, did you say that he’d been researching alphas for months?”
“At least,” Parker snorts. “His entire search history was full of it.”
“What...” I keep my eyes closed, thinking. “What exactly was he searching?”
“Um, I don’t know... Alpha traits, alpha horror stories, alpha regulations in the workforce...”
I have to really focus, something that doesn’t come easily to me right now, but I take a deep breath to try anyway—some memory floating at the edge of my mind just begging to be remembered. It’s... it’s only been a little more than a month. Since someone turned Noah in. If Dennis truly was jealous of Noah... why would he have been searching about alphas formonths? I think back even harder, desperately reaching for whatever it is that my brain wants me to remember, feeling like my fingertips arejust there, brushing along the edge of it.
And then it hits me.
That day. The day I had gone into heat. The conversation that Parker and I had been having, the one that I had convinced myself Dennis couldn’t have overheard. How could I have forgotten about it?
I snort under my breath. I know the answer to that. Three days of sex like Noah and I had is enough to make you forget a lot of things. I think back to the way Parker and I had practically been yelling, how Dennis had popped up just after, only seconds between what we’d said and his presence, andcouldhe have overheard?
If Dennis... if Dennis is the one who turned Noah in... If he wanted Noah’s jobthatbadly—what would he do if he found out that Noah’s and my relationship was fake?
I blink, and then I gasp, warring with the possibility of hope and the fear of learning it’s all for naught. I stare blankly at the wall as I consider what to do, if I should do anything atall, because what if I’m wrong? What if the thing between Noah and me had really just run its course, and he doesn’t feel anything for me?
What if Noah actually had just wanted out?
I think that deep down, there’s really only one choice for me, no matter what the outcome.
“Parker,” I say, coming to a decision.
He pauses with his drink halfway to his mouth. “Hm?”
“How hard would it be to remote-access someone’s computer?”
He frowns, not catching on. “Not hard? Why would you—”
I’m already slipping off my stool, slapping my cheeks to help collect myself before grabbing for my coat. “Come on,” I tell him. “We’re leaving.”
Parker looks dumbfounded, watching me shove my arms through my coat sleeves and start toward the door. “Where are we going?”
