“Well, you’re not a prisoner. You can leave at any time, but you also don’t need to rush out the door.” I give her shoulder a pat, stepping back to offer her some space. It was probably out of line for me to get that close to her to begin with. “You’re welcome to stay as long as you’d like, and all of us will feel better if you stay until we’re sure the threat is handled.”
Her forehead wrinkles, and she takes a step back.
It’s almost like I can see the wheels turning as she contemplates bolting.
It’s what omegas do.
Anytime they’re overwhelmed or faced with stress, they either run or hide. Or I suppose the third option is that they run and then hide.
“If you have any information on the men who might be after your friend, it would help us greatly.” I try to offer her an encouraging smile, but based on her expression, I don’t think it helps. “Look, Charlotte, can I level with you?”
Her head gives a quick shake no, but she corrects herself, bobbing her head up and down.
“Anything you can tell us will be helpful. You might not think it’s relevant, but it’s better to chase a dead end than it is to miss something we didn’t think was important.” I turn and grab my coffee cup.
“I’m really sorry,” she whispers as I take a swig of the much-needed caffeine. “I never saw the guys. I have no idea why they would have attacked Lacey.”
I nod, refocusing on her.
All of that is easy enough to believe.
It’s on the tip of my tongue to ask about Lucky’s dad and why she was running last night if she didn’t yet know Lacey was accosted. Only, her body language, combined with the way she won’t meet my eyes, says it all.
She’s scared out of her mind.
Not ready to open up.
Not yet, anyway.
I’m a stranger.
“Okay,” I say, nodding. “I just wanted to be thorough. If you think of anything, let me know. Are you hungry? I’m not sure if Lucky has eaten breakfast yet, but there’s plenty for both of you if he hasn’t.”
“I’m not hungry, but I’ll ask him.” She gives a plastic smile and strides toward the sounds of her son playing.
Well, I tried.
I’ll have to level with Wilder and let him know she’s not talking.
Chapter Thirteen
Charlotte
Waking up to find Lukas missing was one of the more terrifying moments of my life. He knows better than to run off while I’m asleep. If we were at home, he could have played with his toys in his room for a few minutes before coming to wake me up, but even then, he’s loud, and our apartment is small. If he doesn’t come in and snuggle with me, I always wake up to him shouting and playing.
Most mornings, my alarm clock is him giving me kisses and chattering my ear off about how hungry he is. Then I try to sweet-talk him into cuddling me so I can get five more minutes of sleep, which never actually happens, but somehow my exhausted brain tries to convince me it’s possible.
I briefly thought about waking him up last night to warn him not to leave the room, but I was scared he wouldn’t fall back to sleep.
When he was tiny, I’d wake up the second he stretched in his sleep. A small fuss had me sitting straight up when I was dead asleep moments before…
How did I miss him not only climbing out of bed, but also opening and closing the door?
Man, kids are great at making you feel like you’re failing at everything, even when you’re doing the best you can.
He comes into view, playing on the floor of the ostentatious living room, and I finally feel like I can breathe. Except, the face of the man sitting next to him becomes clear, and I stumble over my own feet.
“C-Cormac?”
