Lacey.
I’ve heard him talk about her before, but this is the first time I’ve had the chance to put a face to the name.
She’s cute.
Pretty enough.
He can still handle that bullshit on his own time. He has a perfectly nice house to fuck her all over. He actually tried to guilt us into watching her friend.
That isn’t happening.
Okay, it is.
But not out of guilt.
Apparently, Lacey was attacked last night, and her friend could be a target as well. While that is not my problem, I do like the idea of Wilder owing us one. Maybe he’ll actually get his head out of his ass and push the Chapmans to honor the contract or pay us what we’re owed if they want to back out.
If Vanessa actually gave a shit about wanting to bond Malachy, watching over a random omega and her kid could be problematic.
Omegas are known to be possessive and downright catty to others of their designation.
Malachy has spent the last five years celibate in preparation of honoring the contract. Hell, I cut back on even casual hookups because it seemed in poor taste.
My younger brother, Cormac, has never shown interest in anyone, so he didn’t have to make any drastic changes to his life. But he’s acting shadier than usual as we exit the warehouse, following our conversation with Wilder.
I’m still not sure how I feel about Wilder’s stepsister listening in on our family business, but considering Wilder was locked inside her, there was no prying the two of them apart.
We get into the car, and I pull out of the parking spot to exit the fenced-in area.
Cormac frowns out his window. “You can drop me off downtown. I need to do some shopping.”
“What?” I scoff. “We need to head home, update Malachy, and get in place to watch that woman.”
“Fine,” he mutters. “Take me home. That way, I can leave from there and have my vehicle.”
I quirk an eyebrow at him but don’t push.
He’s been off lately.
More so than his normal self, but I have other things I have to focus on at the moment.
Malachy is in his own little world, twisting the bottom of his beard as I try to explain the circumstances. It tries my patience,but he’s not who he was three years ago. Hell, he’s not even the same guy I remember from last year, and that scares the shit out of me.
It would do nothing to yell at him.
All that does is trigger the never-ending rage, so I calmly repeat myself for the third time. “Wilder wants us to keep an eye on her. She has a young son and no pack to offer her protection.”
“It’s not like you can’t assign someone to keep watch over her,” he finally says, his hazel eyes meeting mine.
God, he really does look like a mountain man these days. The straight brown hair on the top of his head is so long that it falls over his forehead and into his eyes. His beard is curly and probably four or five inches long at his chin. He hasn’t been to the barber in so long that his eyebrows are curling.
No wonder Vanessa runs at the sight of him.
“Wilder askedusto keep an eye on her as a personal favor,” I say, trying to stay calm. I’ve already mentioned that several times, but I’ve never gone rabid, so I have no idea the mental effects he’s facing. “It won’t hurt to have him owe us one.”
Malachy shrugs. “It’s not like she’s going to go through with the union. You know it. I know it. Hell, the other families know it.”
“She’s pretty, but she’s also a goddamn pain in the ass. It would be a blessing if they come up with the funds to back out,” I tell him truthfully. “She smells nice, but there are more potent scent matches out there just waiting for us to find them.”
