Jess has had quite a fewaccidents.
Meanwhile, I’ve progressed from pouring beers to operating the till, and I’m practically preening. Jess snarls at me as she stands from scooping up the glass.
“I hate you right now,” she grumbles. “Why the hell is this so difficult?”
I don’t point out that she’s only dropping glasses when Emmett is standing next to her,helpingher.
I don’t want to ruin the small amount of fun I’m actually having watching them interact. It’s like a wildcat and a bear, creeping round and sniffing each other.
I’m so entertained that I fail to notice the door opening, and I jump a mile when a voice booms out behind me. “Who the hell are you?”
Yelping, I watch in dismay as the shelf I just smacked into wobbles. A glass teeters ominously, falling as I jump to catch it.
Shit. I was doing so well, too.
Emmett groans, covering his eyes as he steps around Jessalyn. His huge hands cover my shoulders as he steers me away from the danger zone and onto a bar stool. “I’ll clean this up.”
I push my hair back to get a look at the newcomer.
Or… newcomers.
Three males are standing on the other side of the bar, mouths slightly open as they take in Jess and I and the chaos we’re causing. One of them, an older male with bushy white hair and a bristly, trimmed mustache, lifts a hand to his chin and scratches carelessly. “Got yourself one of them packs, Emmett?” he asks, a hint of mischief in his pale green eyes.
Emmett stands abruptly, nearly hitting Jess and sending them both scrabbling away from each other. “Mind your business, Jack,” Emmett says grumpily. “They’re guests.Temporaryguests.”
Jess’s shoulders stiffen, but she throws them back and offers the men a bright smile as she not-so-gently muscles Emmett out of the way. “Hey there! I’m Jessalyn. This is Sienna. We’re just… traveling through.”
The male next to Jack, a little younger though still well into his fifties, offers Jessalyn a smile. “Well, hello there, Jessalyn. I’m Rick.” He jabs a thumb at the bulky male next to him. “And this is Otto.”
Otto nods, but doesn’t say anything. His brown eyes linger on me, taking in the sharp angles of my face, the bruising poking out of my sleeve. His mouth thins, and he looks away from me.
“Leave ‘em alone,” he says gruffly. “Three beers please.”
“Coming right up!” Jess says eagerly. I catch Emmett’s eyes flicking up and what looks like some sort of prayer as Jess grabs another glass.
12
GRAYSON
Ishake hands with the burly beta, and he holds out a set of keys.
“Thanks.” Turning back, I head over to Logan, Jax and Tristan and jangle the set. “At least now we can move faster.”
Two fucking days. Two days of finding our way out of that gods-forsaken forest and into a small community. We’ve made discreet enquiries, and there’s no sign of Sienna passing through here.
“Good,” Logan straightens, hoisting his backpack across his shoulders. “I think we should head to the other place.”
Jax is rubbing his chest, his eyes scanning the empty road ahead of us. “You feel it?”
If he means the solid weight of regret dragging down my chest, it’s not something I can ignore. Looking at Tristan, I see him staring down at the floor, his lips pursed. He’s been close to silent since we left Navarre, the dark circles under his eyes evidence of the hours he spends sitting upright, keeping watch during the night while the rest of us have been restlessly stirring.
He's going to break, but I’m not sure the rest of our pack cares anymore.
Crossing over, I jangle the keys in front of his face, and he nods, reaching out for them.
“Not a chance,” I snap. “You want to kill us? You need to sleep, Tris. At this rate we’ll be carting your ass around, and that’s the last thing we need right now.Fix it.”
He gives me a short nod. “You’re right.”
