The man might think he was tough when it came to a fifteen-year-old-girl, but facing off against a fully grown alpha like Trent was an entirely different matter.
Trent had spent his life being the alpha people watched carefully. Standing at a touch over six and a half feet and with the sort of physique he’d built up through a hell of a lot of work, he was used to making people nervous. Add to it his shaved head and sharp features—well, Trent was good at intimidating people. Some thin pup barely out of his teenage years wasn’t much of a challenge, and it seemed they both knew it.
“Whatever,” the man muttered, taking a step backward. “The bitch isn’t pretty enough to be worth the effort anyway.”
Trent huffed a soft laugh at the lie. Why did men always try to use that? They sure as fuck thought the girl was pretty enough if they had a chance. They thought she was worth chasing after, but the moment they got turned down, she became ugly.
Kat went willingly, and the hand-off to her uncle didn’t have any issues. It seemed she’d had her taste of trouble and had realized maybe it wasn’t worth it. She gave Trent a hug and a muffled thank-you spoken against his chest. He hugged her back, awkward as ever, and told her how proud he was of her for using what he’d taught her.
As they drove away, he grinned.She’ll be just fine.
There was nothing better than watching a girl go from a scared thing and grow into a person who knew what they were capable of. He’d watched it—helped it happen—with so many women over the years.
He shook free the thought.
He needed to head back in, to settle things with the owner, smooth over any bad feelings. The last thing he wanted was cops showing up at Kat’s place because the asshole in the club tried to press charges just to ruin her life. He seemed the type to do it, too.
Trent made his way through the crowded club, toward the back where the staff door sat. Just before making it there, though, he caught sight of the last thing he ever expected to see.
In the back booth, just beside the door, two alphas sat. He didn’t tell that by the way they sat, by their demeanor. Instead, it was because he knew them—or had known them.
The two alphas who had been more than brothers to him for so long, the ones he hadn’t seen in eight years.
Knew I should have stayed home.
Daniel didn’t bother to hide his surprise at seeing none other than Trent standing there, by their booth, looking similar to how he had before. Same ungodly large physique, same shaven head, same sharp features that seemed permanently carved into a scowl. Sure, he looked a bit more haggard, but that wasn’t really a shocker.
Trent had never taken care of himself well and living alone hadn’t done him any favors. Guilt gnawed at him, but Daniel refused to let it take hold. Anger made that easier.
Maybe it would be a good meeting, though. Maybe they’d see each other and laugh and let go of the past.
“What the fuck are you doing here?”
Or maybe not…
Kyle snorted softly, not seeming to take Trent’s downright antagonistic tone to heart. “Last time I checked, you didn’t own this town.”
Trent’s hands drew into fists. “You sure moved away quick enough. Thought that was you conceding this town to me.”
Daniel spoke up, because they didn’t have time for the back and forth. “We’re not here to step on your toes. We’ll be out of your way just as soon as we can.”
Trent narrowed his eyes, the way he always did when figuring something out. He might look stupid—a side effect of his hard-ass attitude and his physique—but he was far from it. “You working?”
Daniel nodded once, sharp. Trent might not be with the FBI anymore, but he sure as hell knew whatworkingmeant to people who were.
Trent twisted, and he seemed able to follow their line of sight perfectly. Across the way, Felicity still sat alone by the bar. “She looks like a cop. Since when did they throw newbies out into field work?”
“Since we needed an omega,” Kyle answered.
Trent made a disgruntled noise in return, and it wasn’t as if Daniel could argue the point. The longer they watched Felicity, the more obvious it became she wasn’t ready for the assignment.
Which left them with few options, none of them good.
Without meaning to, Daniel’s gaze went back to the omega they’d seen before, the one in the tight leather pants. She was gathering her things to leave.
Good. She needs to get her ass home and safe.
“Fuck,” Trent muttered and nodded toward the other side of the club.
