“You have no fucking clue what I’ve sacrificed for you, Warren.” Jimmy takes a step forward.
Warren doesn’t move back an inch. “If you take one more fucking step,” his voice drops into something dangerously calm, “you are going to regret it.”
Jimmy lets out a sharp, humorless laugh. “See? This. This right here is what I’m talking about.” He jabs a finger toward Warren, his face flushing darker by the second. “I just want to understandwhy.” His throat works as he swallows hard. “Why did you fire me? What did I do wrong?”
“It’s time for you to leave,” Warren says, his tone final.
My bond flares again, painfully bright. Warren’s restraint is fraying. I can feel it—the deliberate counting breaths, the effort it’s taking for him to stay where he is.
“Did you text Cass?” I whisper to Beck.
He quickly nods. “They had already gotten on the highway, but they’re headed back.” He holds out his phone so I can see, but I keep my eyes on Jimmy.
The young alpha’s hands curl into fists, then flex open again as if he’s trying to get control of them. “After everything I’ve done for you,” he grits his teeth, “how could you just wash your hands of me so easily?”
Warren’s mouth falls open, eyes wide with disbelief. “What the fuck are you talking about, man?” His anger rises, making the base of my skull pulse. “You were a fucking employee, we paid you well, and now it’s time for you to move on.” He squares his shoulders, straining to keep his voice even. “I won’t say it again, Jimmy. Leave before you upset my omega.”
Jimmy scoffs, the sound brittle. “Your omega?” He shakes his head, breath coming faster now. “I can’t fucking believe you got an omega with Cass. That fucking asshole doesn’t deserve to build a pack with you.”
Something in Warren finally snaps.
He moves so fast I barely process it.
One second, he’s by the back door, rigid and controlled, the next he’s surging forward, grabbing a fistful of Jimmy’s shirt and yanking him in close. The porch creaks under the force of it.
“Listen to me, motherfucker,” Warren snarls, voice low and lethal. “You donotget to talk about my family like that. You don’t disrespect Cass, and you sure as shit don’t even mention my omega.” He shakes Jimmy. “Do you fucking understand?”
Jimmy’s eyes go wide with shock, but then rage flares right back up to meet Warren’s, burning hot and wild. “Get your hands off me!” he spits, shoving uselessly against Warren’s grip.
“Or what?” Warren growls. “What exactly do you think you’re going to do?”
Jimmy’s breathing turns ragged. His gaze darts over Warren's face, down and back up again.
My stomach drops.
“Fine,” Jimmy says, voice tight, trembling with something I can’t quite name. His hand moves, disappearing under his shirt, to his waistband.
He pulls something out, metal glinting in the morning sun.
Then he presses the barrel right to Warren’s throat.
Terror
Tansy
The second I see the gun, my hand flies to my mouth. Beck’s fingers clamp around my wrist, then he yanks me down behind the kitchen island. My heart is slamming against my ribs as fear and chaos explode inside me.
Beck presses a single finger to his lips, telling me to stay quiet, then he taps wildly on his phone, sending another message to Cass.
“It’s okay, Jimmy.”
I hear Warren’s voice, and I instantly move.
I crawl to the edge of the island, my hands and knees shaking horribly. Then I peek around the corner.
The gun is still pressed firmly against Warren’s throat, both alpha’s faces inches from one another.
“Everything is good,” Warren says too softly for how loud my pulse is in my ears. “Let’s take a breath.”
