She gulped, the battle clear on her face, between what she needed to be true and what actually was true.
Still, she showed that backbone when she nodded and pulled from his lap. “Yeah, I’m sure. It’s temporary. As soon as the case is over—”
“You’ll what? Walk away?”
“Yeah, I will.”
The certainty in her voice hit him. She might hate it, she might not want to, but she had no doubts that she’d still leave.
And right then, the hollow ache in Kyle’s chest that he hadn’t been able to identify, the one that wouldn’t go away—he finally figured it out.
It was the countdown until she walked out of his life forever.
Chapter Seventeen
“Surprises are never a good thing,” Alison muttered as she sat in the back seat of the car beside Trent.
“They can be,” he said.
She shook her head then pulled the seatbelt so it didn’t rub against her neck. “Not in my experience. Why don’t you justtellme where we’re going? I thought we couldn’t leave the house.”
“Call this a much-needed mental health field trip. And don’t worry, we made sure we weren’t tracked.”
Which explained their first stop at the large, private hospital, where they’d taken the elevator up, then the stairs down to a lower parking garage that had a different car waiting, Daniel already having the keys.
Not that any of that told her where exactly they were going.
All she knew for sure was that she’d woken up exhausted, as she had the last few mornings, and the alphas had been ready to go. They’d packed her a bag and told her to get into the car.
The auction was only a week away, now. It meant their final visit had to happen any day. As much as she enjoyed their routine, a sense of unease had plagued her, especially after Kyle’s little slip-up.
She chalked her not feeling well up to that. How could she be expected to sleep or function when she had so many things running at full speed through her head?
When they arrived at the destination, she narrowed her eyes at Trent.
He only shrugged. “Figured you could use a break.”
“This is Tiffany’s house.”
She’d never been there, at least not officially. However, after Tiffany had settled in with her mates in the home belonging to the doctor, Marshall, Alison had made damned sure to drive by, to know where it was.
She’d figured it was only a matter of time before it went to hell, before she would need to swoop in and save the young girl, and she’d much rather be prepared for that inevitability.
The fact that it hadn’t happened yet amazed her.
Stranger still, Tiffany looked happier each time she saw her, as though the things Alison feared not only hadn’t happened, but she somehow enjoyed her life more and more.
Then again, how have you felt these last few weeks?
She shook her head as though she could shake away the unwanted thought.Thiswas a ploy, nothing else. She’d taken them up on the rest not only because it would make their cover more believable, but also because she’d never have a chance like this one again.Nottaking advantage of it would have been foolish.
She let the half-truth sit, because examining it might make her admit to things she wasn’t ready to.
Tiffany rushed from the house, her blonde hair bright in the morning sun. She’d always been effortlessly beautiful. Alison knew she was pretty, but Tiffany seemed to embrace her looks in a way Alison never really managed.
On the young omega’s heels were her mates, Kieran and Kane looking as unhappy and dangerous as ever and Marshall smiling as if he liked…well, everything.
Alison left the car when it became clear there was no good way out of the get-together, even more because Tiffany had now seen her. While she’d never encouraged a relationship with the girl, upsetting her had always felt like kicking a puppy. One just didn’t do it.
