“But you still have your best friend,” I point out. “That’s something.”
“That…is the only light at the end of a very dark tunnel.”
I turn my coffee mug in slow circles, watching the dark liquid ripple. “You two sound like a pack.”
Dom scoffs. “Two alphas don’t make a pack.”
“Three alphas and two omegas could.”
Dom chokes on nothing—actual, physical choking, his hand flying to his chest as he coughs and sputters like I’ve just suggested something genuinely insane.
“You can’t be serious,” he manages when he can breathe again.
“Why not?”
“Because—” He waves his hand in a gesture that encompasses everything and nothing. “Because that’s not how this works. I’m a bartender with a criminal record and we’ve known each other for less than a week.”
“I’ve heard crazier stories. Packs form when you least expect it all the time.”
Dom goes completely still. “Did Phoenix tell you about the poster?”
I raise an eyebrow at the absolute panic in his voice. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Fuck.” He drags both hands down his face, silver rings glinting in the dim light. “Forget I said anything.”
“Sure.”
He sighs. “This is fucking surreal. Phoenix is a goddamn movie star.”
I meet his gaze without blinking. “She’s also a woman who deserves to be loved. Try treating her like it and you might be surprised how far that takes you.”
The words seem to knock something loose in him. His hands fall to his sides as his posture relaxes. “Four days ago, my biggest problem was whether Earl Miller was going to start another fight with the Sinners. Now I’m getting relationship advice from a rock star in my bar at one-thirty in the afternoon.”
“Life comes at you fast.”
“Yeah.” He huffs something that’s almost a laugh. “That’s one way to put it.”
We sit with that for a moment. Finally, I drain the last of my mug and set it down with a decisive click.
“For what it’s worth,” I say, sliding off the stool, “I don’t think any of us know what we’re doing. We’re all just making it up as we go.”
He takes a deep breath and then blows it out. “I appreciate the advice.”
“Anytime.”
I’m halfway to the door when Dom’s voice stops me.
“Hold on a second.”
I turn back and give him an expectant look.
He’s leaning against the bar again, but his posture has shifted. There’s a glint in those dark eyes that I recognize—the look of a man who’s about to make a deal.
“I wasn’t going to bring this up. But if you’re so interested in handing out favors, I could use one more.”
I chuckle at that. “What’s that?”
“The night you performed, the bar did more in sales than we did in the last month.” Dom’s mouth curves into something that’s not quite a smile. “My boss has been riding my ass eversince, wanting to know if I can convince you to do it again before you leave town.”
