Before we make our clandestine getaway, I put a call through to the Fallen bar. Molly answers and hands it right over to Hawk, one of the more senior members of Dad’s inner circle. Without preamble, I tell him I’ve cancelled today’s meeting at the lawyers and then I go on to tell him in no uncertain terms that I don’t want to see anyone until I’ve calmed down. Of course, he starts defending Joker’s decision to let my exes grace my door. I hang up before he takes a second breath. Then I climb into the trunk of Rhodes’ car, and he drives us slowly away from the latest deception.
Two deceptions don’t make a right, but with my heat bubbling away in the background, I’m not prepared to sit around and get caught up playing games. Nor will I be dragged back into the scenario where my uncles believe they should make decisions for me, especially when I’m more than capable of making them myself. I know they love me, I love them too, but they get blinded by their perceived view of what’s best.
It feels like in no time at all that the car slows before it dips as we start descending down a ramp. Rhodes parks the car before popping the trunk open for me to climb out. You kind of get used to doing weird things being in Koz’s world, so swapping cars isn’t a big deal. And lucky for me Koz is loaded, so I slide my butt straight into another luxury vehicle.
Rhodes sits in the back with me, while a new guy, our driver named Frank and second security/bodyguard, Andrea, sits up front. The privacy screen stays down so Rhodes can run through a quick update while also talking about the next meeting openly. And I’m not at all surprised that Rhodes knows the history of the boys and I. He keeps it factual, and it’s actually interesting to hear it, instead of feeling the emotions associated with the past.
Pulling into the carpark of the hotel across the road from the lawyer’s office one of Giuseppe’s partners, Dominic waits. Since Giuseppe sent a headshot and all the man’s details, including his car make and model, he’s not hard to spot. Dominic looks like a typical lawyer in his navy pinstriped suit. He’s also an alpha, which is good, because I’m about to go face to face with a few other alphas.
Dominic smells faintly of paper and ink, it’s a strange combination, I don’t find it offensive, nor do I find it appealing. Much like being in his presence doesn’t set off any internal alarm bells. The greatest satisfaction comes from knowing if he works for Giuseppe’s firm, he’ll be strong enough to go toe to toe with the Anders family.
“I’ll do the talking once we enter the negotiation.”
I smile over at him. “There is no negotiation.”
He chuckles under his breath, but when I double check, he’s standing straight as an arrow, looking as expensive and pompous as good lawyers do.
Pulling my hair into a high ponytail, I use the window of our car to check my lip gloss. The neck of my faded Fallen white-t-shirt is stretched past the point of acceptable, so it hangs nice and low off my shoulder to show off my tattoos, plus it looks wicked nasty with my favourite black leather pants. Sharlene will hate everything about what I’m wearing. Me, spiteful? You fucking bet I am.
ChapterNineteen
RANEY
Opening the door, I literally freeze on the spot. Because despite the notion of every man and his dog being in the room, the only person inside the room is Reid.
Rhodes must feel like we’re being set up, because before letting any of us enter, he does a full sweep of the room. Including checking the cupboards behind where Reid is sitting.
“I’m alone,” Reid says dismissively. And I can feel the crawl of his attention over every part of me.
Without checking I know his eyes haven’t left me yet, and it’s not a nice feeling. Mine haven’t returned to anywhere near him, after I saw him for the first time. And it’s not only because he intimidates me, but also because I’m dealing with some huge fucking life changing shocks.
Growing up, Reid was the embodiment of everything you’d want in a friend, a lover, a past and a future. He made himself the centre of all our universes by making decisions for us and going the extra mile at keeping us together. He planned our days whenever I was visiting, and then scheduled all these catch ups when I was back home with King.
Reid was always stunning. Without a lie, his eyes used to make me think I was looking at stars. He was tall, perfectly shaped like a movie star… honestly, it blew me away how handsome he was. Being with him always made me lesser in a sense. Because I couldn’t believe he’d pick me to be who he wanted to pack with over all the other girls.
Today it’s not his looks, or the fact that he’s by himself that sends me reeling, it’s the fact that even though I’m in the same room as him I can’t remember his smell. And that hits me like a tonne of bricks.
So much faith is placed on our visceral, primal senses where first impressions are super important; scent and size have to work for you. I know it. I’ve seen it in action.
Koz is the perfect example of that. No matter how long we’ve been apart, no matter where and when, I can taste him on my tongue, and he always leaves me thinking I can conquer the world. Puck’s the same, he makes my head spin and our time apart has done nothing to change how good he smells or how he makes me feel. When it comes to scent matches, it’s impossible to not acknowledge the others too. Hayes, holy shit his cinnamon donut smell makes my jaw hurt, and Talon, even though I want to ring his neck, I can’t ignore the way his scent of leather and campfire is clear as day, and oddly soothing, peaceful even. But Reid, right this second there’s no way I could recall his scent for the life of me. The only thing I get from him now, even over the distance, is how disgusting he is.
“Take a seat,” Reid demands as he waves his hand offensively around when I refuse to enter. Part of that is because I’m so fucking angry at him, but the other part is my body’s reactions to being in the same room as him.
“No thanks,” I say, walking over to the side of the room where the refreshments are, I’m hoping the coffee cleanses my nose. It actually does help. I guess I did learn a few things at Unity; like how to deal with off-smelling alphas. Now for the next lesson, how an omega talks politely to people—I completely failed at that course by the way, and I’ll be making a point of being as fucking atrocious and rude as I can possibly be to him. All these years of bullshit, for what?
He hums a conceited and overly exaggerated prickish noise before he starts talking. “Overkill, much?”
I swing around to look at him, and Reid’s arrogance is as offensive as his weird ass scent.
He points to a chair, and tries to make me obey. “Sit.”
Dominic pulls the chair out, and then sits his beefy ass in, taking control of the situation. Slowing the proceedings and letting his alpha rise in challenge. “That is not how you speak to anyone in this meeting, let alone my client. Change your tone, or we’re leaving.”
“And who the fuck are you?” Reid spits back. And surprisingly, instead of being all loud and condescending, he gets cold and bitter. It suits him.
I guess the boy I once fell in love with is long gone. The man staring back at me is someone I don’t want to get to know.
Instead of addressing Reid, I turn around to whisper in Rhodes’ ear, giving him clear instructions of calling Puck and letting him know his parents are not in the meeting. I’m getting a bad feeling about this.
