“Club Madin.”
Ford worried he was burning a fever.That could happen on a first heat, though it was rare.It would be just his bad luck for that to happen while he was driving.
Lucky brushed hair from his face, where it had come out of his plait.“I was supposed to meet my friends, and Chase, at Club Madin at eight o’clock.”
Ford glanced at the clock on the dashboard and swore.It was almost nine.“Scout gave you something to knock you out before you left campus,” he said, and Lucky frowned, clearly unaware of that.“Scout don’t trust any of those shitheads.He needed to keep you safe, but didn’t want you squirming around and escaping while he was driving.”
Scout had needed the time to call Ford, to get everything set up, and to get a handle on his overexcited crew.They’d just never expected it to end this way.
Ford ignored the cars that honked their horns at his erratic driving when he swerved left.He didn’t give a shit about traffic—he needed to reach the club before Chase left or got too drunk to do what needed to be done.Thankfully, they were currently an hour from campus but only twenty minutes from Club Madin.If Chase had been held up on campus, or at a Student Advisor meeting, they’d never have made it in time.
After an excruciatingly slow journey, Ford stopped outside Club Madin, got out of the truck and opened the back door to check on Lucky.He was sweating and clinging to the leather seats with biting fingers, but his eyes were clear.
“I’ll only be a few minutes.I’ll arrest him, if I need to.”
Lucky snorted, dropping his forehead to the seat.“Just don’t kill him.”
Ford shut the door, using the electronic locking system to make sure nobody could bother Lucky.All the ORT trucks were built with an internal air system to prevent scents from leaking out once the locks were engaged, which meant he could safely leave Lucky without the risk of his heat drawing in any passing, unsuspecting alpha.
He grabbed the chain around his neck and removed the badge from under his T-shirt to flash to the approaching bouncer.“I have a medical emergency.Do not let anyone near my truck.”
The bouncer nodded his compliance and took up a stance by the back door, looking so intimidating that Ford doubted anyone would even sniff in the direction of the truck.
Ford walked into the club, hating the chaotic clash of noise, movement and visual stimulation.He soon found Caroline on the dance floor?the instantly recognisable omega daughter of a famous model?and wove through the crowd.As luck had it, she was dancing with one of Chase Walker’s friends.
Ford raised his badge and tapped the alpha’s shoulder.“Agent Ford King, ORT.I need to find Chase Walker.”
Chapter Seven
Ford
Though Caroline looked worried, she calmed when Grant suggested she go to their booth and tell Chase he was needed.Once she was safely there, Grant faced Ford with suspicion.“Why do you smell like Lucky?”
Ford laughed.If this alpha could scent Lucky and talk to Ford with that tone, he was one of the good ones.“Long fucking story.”
As soon as Chase Walker stood from a booth by the wall, Ford stepped away to meet him halfway, and grabbed his arm, flashing his badge.“You need to come with me.I don’t have time to explain.”He marched Chase through the crowd while Grant raced after them.The moment Chase tugged to get free, Ford spun to get in his face.“Unless you want me to fuck your mate, get your ass outside!”
Chase looked shocked, but followed and shouted to Grant that he’d call him later.
Ford hated the fleeting recognition that Chase looked fucking edible tonight.If Lucky had come to the club as planned, he didn’t doubt the bond would have sparked a flame and they’d have acted on it.Tight black jeans showed off his ass perfectly, while the white shirt with the top three buttons undone gave a hint of casual but flirty.Ford wanted to snog him just to find out if he tasted as delicious as he looked.
Once they were outside, the bouncer took one look at Ford and stepped away from the car.They were barely three steps away when Chase pulled free and grabbed the back door handle.“Lucky?”he shouted, pressing against the window when the door didn’t open.
Ford grabbed his keys and unlocked the doors, watching as Chase yanked the door open and reared back.
“Why the fuck is he in heat?”
“It’s a long story.Get in.”Ford waited for Chase to make up his mind—he could sit in the back with Lucky, or in the front.Proving he was smart, enough to register a bond he’d only sensed this morning, Chase eased Lucky’s head off the seat, slid in, and laid Lucky’s head on his lap.
Ford climbed into the front seat to start the engine.As it purred to life, he set his phone into the dock and pressed Speed Dial One.It rang twice before picking up.“Boss, we have a Class One emergency.Unclaimed, unbonded omega in the back of my car, injected with OX over an hour ago.I had a safe extraction, found his mate and we’re on our way to find a safe place to hole up.I need you to take me off the books while I play bodyguard and chaperone.”He made the situation clear even though Scout had called it in an hour ago, hoping an extraction team was available.No one had been close enough to help in time, leading to this clusterfuck of a shit show.He was sure the boss would have heaps to say about that, when she found out the full story.
“Shit.”
“Mum?”Chase choked on the word, and Ford laughed.
Considering Wynna Walker was the biggest, baddest omega he’d ever met, he wasn’t surprised that she hadn’t told her own son that she ran the entire fucking Omega Rescue Taskforce.
“Not now, Chase,” Wynna said, with all the patience of a mother used to handling her kids.“I’ll have you booked into the Clinic within ten minutes.It will take you twenty to get there.”
