Don’t get me wrong, we’re all on the same page about not wanting her to work at the club. But Sterling and I might be a little more humble about money than Hayes is. As much as I don’t want her dancing for other Alphas, I know that working at Lavender Moon was the first thing that was hers when she designated.
Having Hayes look after her isn’t the worst thing in the world. I just hope we aren’t called to Lavender Moon to break up a dispute between him and some Alpha who stared a little hard.
Even thinking about it has me shifting in my seat.
Sterling’s large hand squeezes the back of my neck. “We’ll go home and rest and then we’ll see her as soon as possible,” he assures me.
Sterling centers me like no one ever has, and I take a deep breath.
I put thoughts that threaten to send me over the edge about Lavender Moon away. She’s not working today, anyway. Hayes asked her for her weekly schedule so he knew when he needed to be there. I smile when I think about it.
God, I love that fucking psycho.
Our pagers are going off along with the blaring alarm and Sterling and I are on our feet, dressing quickly and getting into the rig as the siren sounds and we head toward the call. It’s a carbon monoxide call with multiple trucks headed that way.
It takes me a minute as I look at the address.
“Isn’t that Hailey’s building?” I ask Sterling, my heart sinking at the realization.
He glances at me with a newfound fear, and I swear he drives faster than I’ve ever seen him. Both of us are unable to speak throughout the drive. I knew that the building wasn’t safe, that it was rundown and out of code. We’re courting her, we’re supposed to make sure she’s taken care of; what if she’s unconscious? What if she’s terrified right now and we’re not there for her? I can’t help but feel like I’m failing her again, that I’m not being the Alpha she needs.
I’m a firefighter for fuck’s sake. How did I not make sure she had good detectors in her home? Granted there was a lot going on in the moment, but I should know better than that.
When we approach the building there’s another unit there, the building is already being evacuated.
As I look around at the entrance of the building, I don’t see her telltale burgundy hair and a surge of fear soars through me. For the first time in my career I break protocol, my personal life completely at the forefront. I’m running through the building with my gear on, Sterling at my back as I make it toward her apartment.
I knock sternly three times, and she doesn’t answer the door. Fuck, what if she’s passed out in there? What if the leak wasovernight? My stomach is churning, my heart rate is elevated, and I just can’t think rationally as I raise my foot and kick near the door handle, breaking the door in.
I’d blame it on pure adrenaline, because I can’t think right now, all I need to know is that my Omega is safe.
The door hangs off its hinges as I look around the space. Her cat is cowering in the corner, probably from me barging in like this, but she’s nowhere to be seen. The radio chatter is giving us updates and we’re being scolded, confirming our safety.
“Thomas and Benson, status report?” I hear over the radio, Sterling checks in for us while I storm into Hailey’s room.
The bathroom door is shut, and I bang on the door twice. There’s a loud scream and I just open the door, finding a very shocked Hailey hiding herself behind a shower curtain.
“What the fuck?” she shouts, and it takes her a minute to recognize me behind the mask. “Nate?” she questions.
Sterling comes behind me, gas detector in hand. He removes his SCBA to speak.
“Nothing detected in here,” he says, and it’s like a huge sense of relief washes over me.
I remove my head gear and SCBA and Hailey just blinks at us. Her cherry scent is nearly injecting itself in my veins with how goddamn strong it is.
I’m standing still for so long that my PASS alarm goes off and I have to do a little wiggle to shut it off.
She turns off the water, still protecting her modesty as she looks between us. I swear her scent gets stronger seeing us in full gear.
“What happened?”
I can see with my own eyes that she’s safe, but this seeping sense of worry won’t go away. The beautiful woman is right in front of me. She was showering, had no idea that there waseven an emergency in the building. The thought of her being so unaware unlocks a new fear and I’m not sure what to do.
No, I know what to do. She can’t stay here. This building is owned by some scum bag who does the bare minimum to keep the place operational, not giving a shit what happens to his tenants. She should be at our house, where we can keep her safe, where we don’t have to worry.
“Get dressed, pack you and your cat’s stuff, you’re getting the fuck out of here,” I say
“What?” Hailey questions, looking at me startled. “Is there a fire? Is it safe?”
