Quinn screeches in her fear, but at least she lets go of the dog and rolls up to sit. She’s more shocked than I anticipated, or the scare of the gun going off has shaken her badly, because each time she looks at either Kade or me, she shakes her head.
And then it must register. Her expression changes, and instead of looking confused, she glares at me before doing the same at Kade.
Putting my gun away, I bury my hands in my pockets, so I don’t rush over and wrap them around her face and whisper my apology against her mouth. I wait until she’s glaring at me and not looking at Kade, “Hey, bebe. Sorry we’re late, the weather was atrocious.”
Quinn just stares at me. And stares. Then stares some more.
She slowly climbs to her feet, and the dogs move to stand around her protectively. She ignores how close they are to her, drilling her pretty eyes at me as she takes a series of long, slow breaths, like she’s trying to stop an avalanche.
A very plastic smile ruins her pretty features, and she doesn’t bother to hide her irritation in her eyes. “What are you doing here?”
My phone rings, and I don’t need to glance at the screen to know who it is. “Quinn, sorry. I need to take this.”
I hold a finger to my mouth, hoping it keeps everyone quiet as I flip the call to hands-free. In fluent Spanish—for her benefit, not his—I answer. “Hola, señor. Ya llegamos. ¿Le gustaría hablar con su hija?”
“Put her on the line,” Victor yaps like a small chihuahua.
I pass her my phone. Quinn looks ready to erupt, but she tucks her anger away and becomes a different version of herself. “Victor.”
“Sergey said you refused to accompany him on his business trip.”
Quinn closes her eyes and grits her teeth so hard, I worry they’ll break. But what’s worse is the way she doesn’t jump in dramatically to defend herself. Her reaction doesn’t at all match the woman who confidently soaked my knot or just tried to murder me with her eyes. “Were you calling to ask me if that’s what happened or tell me, Victor?”
“You need to remember who you’re speaking with,” he lashes back, making her smile.
“I could offer the same. Anyway, now’s probably not the best time.” Her voice drops, becoming saccharine sweet, but her eyes are locked on mine, and there’s nothing sweet about the look she’s giving. “The guards you sent just arrived.”
She ends the call with a flick of her hand. My phone is sailing towards me like a rocket.
I catch it one-handed, triple-checking that Victor’s call has been disconnected. “Bebe, don’t antagonize the bad man.”
It’s like a switch flicks as something changes and her mood lightens. She still ignores me for the most part.
Quinn turns and waves her hand. “Come on, Nalla. I need to go to my room to get some things to save this shithead's life until your owner returns. Tell your boyfriend not to eat him while we’re gone.”
She gives the lighter-colored dog a shove with her hip, moving her into action before walking out of the room.
“Excuse me?!” Kade hisses, but she’s already gone and clearly misses what he says. He looks at me, though, disbelief etched on his face before he does a small shake of his head. “Of course, she’s going to try to save him.”
“She’s a doctor?” I ask like an idiot.
Kade rolls his eyes and sarcasm twists his scent, even before he’s said a word. “You’re the one calling herbaby.”
“Bebe, actually. And that means…”
The judgmental Beta looks me up and down, smug as fuck when he speaks. “I thought you knew her pretty well, with all that love bombing you got going on.”
He hops up and disappears out the door. But since the door is open, I can see him falter once he’s out of the room. He doesn’t charge after her; he waits in the hallway.
Instead of going after either of them for answers, I deal with the piece of shit whining like a bitch. Since we’re suddenly alone, I press my hand over his knee, asking who he’s working for. I try first in English, and then I try Spanish, finally using Google Translate for a Russian version, but he keeps avoiding answering. So, I keep pressing down until he passes out.
I search him for weapons, ID, anything to tell me who he is. I only find a phone.
The whole time, the dog stares me down again.
Clearly, this dog is an Alpha. There’s no fear in his eyes or any self-preservation, really. He sees himself as the top dog, and I’ll eventually have to sort out that hierarchical bullshit with him because I’m not about to share the top spot with him—or anyone.
In the hallway, I can see Kade talking softly to Quinn, and I can admit, it stirs jealousy. I’m aware they had some sort of relationship, but Kade refused to say much about it or anything about her. And while I didn’t appreciate his lack of sharing at all, I get where he was coming from.
