Chapter 1
Chad took a deep breath and let his head loll back against the headrest. He was exhausted. He’d been traveling for the past thirty-six hours, changing planes twice, and spending more time than was healthy standing in lines for security, and he was about ready to drop. Now at the very end of his journey, sitting in the back of a cab with the soundtrack of a Bollywood movie ringing in his ears, he was on his way to his brand-new apartment.
Just keeping his eyes open was a struggle.
He should have slept on the last plane crossing the Atlantic. He’d been tired enough during the whole nine-hour trip, but the tiny seats in economy had been too uncomfortable. It had been impossible to mold his bulky body into the tight seat in a way that would let him rest. He’d thankfully been offered the aisle seat by the beta next to him, but that was a small comfort. It wasn’t often he envied betas and their slimmer and shorter builds, but seated in economy he did.
Six months ago, back when he’d still been on active duty, nine times out of ten he would have been upgraded to business by virtue of his uniform and the fact that he was an alpha. Now he was just another schmuck paying as little as possible to get home. Chad was honestly a little shocked that Tank Security didn’t spring for business class for its employees. Then again, given the number of zeros on his first paycheck, they might just expect him to spring for those luxuries himself.
Watching the city passing by through the tinted window of the back of the cab, Chad marveled at how much his life had changed in the past two months. It was a big change from the Army, that was for sure.
He still couldn’t believe that he worked for Tank Security. His parents were aghast, having sent him any number ofnews articles detailing the misbehavior of private contractors operating as soldiers, but Chad was confident that his new employer was one of the good guys. He’d been recruited by his old commanding officer, an alpha he respected as an impeccably honorable man, and his first job with the company hadn’t done anything to change his mind.
In the eight weeks working private security for an oil executive at Desert Energy, not once had he seen any behavior that resembled the articles sent to him by his parents.
“We’re almost there, sir.”
Chad opened his eyes to find the cab driver glancing at him in the rearview mirror. He’d almost fallen asleep and he hadn’t even noticed.
Glancing at the meter, he pulled out a hundred dollar bill. He crumpled it up in his hand and put his wallet back in his pocket. He traced the bulge it made in the denim; just to make sure he hadn’t accidentally put it on the seat next to him or let it fall to the floor.
When he was this tired Chad had a tendency of losing things, and the last thing he wanted was to have to hunt down his wallet and cancel all his credit cards while in the middle of a move to a brand-new city.
Looking out the window, Chad took in his new neighborhood. The buildings on either side of the street were utilitarian and slightly run down, but they weren’t covered in graffiti and there were no shots being fired in the street like his mother was so worried about. An elderly couple made their way down the sidewalk, pushing walkers and moving at a glacial place, but other than them the street was deserted.
It was almost a little weird. Chad had expected the city to be bustling, but his neighborhood was practically sleepy.
“This is you,” the cabbie said, parking the car outside a three-story building that looked like it had seen better days. Chad tried to gauge how he was feeling. It didn’t feel like he’d come home at all, and for a moment he wished that he hadn’t decided to move away from his hometown and had just taken the job offered to him by his father.
But that was stupid. If he’d stayed at home he would have been bored to death within a year. This move was for the best.
“Thank you, sir. Keep the change.” Chad handed the man the hundred and opened the door, stepping onto the street as the cabbie thanked him for the generous tip. The sidewalk was cracked, but the road itself looked like it had been recently repaved. Chad grabbed his duffle bag from the trunk and threw it over his shoulder with a muffled grunt of effort.
He made his way into his new building.
Chad’s first impression was favorable. The lobby wasn’t as run down as he’d feared. The tiled floor clean and uncracked, and as he made his way up to his studio on the third floor he was pleasantly surprised. There had been pictures of the place online, sure, but he hadn’t expected them to be accurate.
Taking the steps two at a time, the promise of a bed gave him a final boost of last-minute energy, Chad hoped to God his apartment was as nice as the rest of the building. He was already on the third floor by the time he realized that he was making a hell of a racket, his boots stomping down on every other step with a crashing echo, and he self-consciously started walking softer.
Hoping he hadn’t disturbed anyone, Chad found the door labeled 304 and inserted his key—conveniently picked up at the airport—unlocked the door, and stepped inside.
He was home.Finally. Dropping his bag on the floor right inside the door, Chad looked around. The studio was small, but not claustrophobic. A single room contained a kitchenette in one corner, a queen-sized bed in the other, and a two-seater couch with a utilitarian coffee table taking up the wall under the single window. That was pretty much it. There was a door to the right that Chad guessed led to the bathroom.
Peeling off his coat and stepping out of his boots, he stumbled toward the bed. It wasn’t made, the mattress sporting what he hoped were coffee stains, but he was too tired to care. All he wanted was to sleep for twelve hours. The apartment was warm enough that he’d be fine without sheets, and he could use his coat as a pillow.
Pleased with his plan for the imminent future, Chad dropped down on the bed and scrunched up his coat until it resembled something he could rest his head on. He lay down and closed his eyes.
He fell asleep instantly.
Chapter 2
Peter was bored. He’d spent the morning working out and training with his friend Merchant—getting his blood pumping and making him feel vicious as they grappled on the training mats—but now he was behind his desk with nothing to do.
Slouched back in his chair, his head thrown back, Peter stared up at the ceiling. He had a meeting with a prospective client in two hours, but until then he was about as useful as an omega. He missed being out with his men so much it was like a visceral ache.
Fuck this.
Sitting up, furious with himself for wallowing and wasting time, he pushed down the button on his phone to talk to his assistant right outside the office.
