“Yes, of course.” Chad wondered what this was about.
“I couldn’t help but notice you’re moving a little stiffly,” Merchant said after a few seconds. There was an odd hesitation in his voice, like he wasn’t quite sure how he should be wording his statement.
Suddenly Chad understood. This was about Aiden. The asshole had clearly crossed a line with Chad, and now they were worried he was going to be a coward about it and sue.
Chad might not be able to beat Aiden in a fair fight, but that didn’t mean he’d use the law to get his way. He wasn’t that much of a traitor to his own kind. An alpha either fought and won, or they yielded to the natural order. Doing otherwise would get you shunned and held in contempt.
“If this is about yesterday, you don’t have to worry,” Chad said.
“We don’t?” Merchant turned to him with a questioning glance. “What do you mean?”
“I’m not going to sue,” Chad said. He hoped this wasn’t coming from Peter. If the alpha thought that Chad was the kind of alpha who couldn’t take care of his own problems… it would be humiliating.
“That’s good,” Merchant said. He didn’t sound convinced.
“I mean, I’m angry that he beat the crap out of me, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to humiliate myself by getting alawyer.”
Chad regretted his outburst immediately, and the look Merchant was giving him wasn’t helping matters. He felt like a hormonal teenager.
“Is this… is Peter Tank worried I’m going to sue?” Chad couldn’t help himself. He wouldn’t be able to stop thinking about it unless he got an answer.
“No. I was the one who raised the concern. He didn’t think you were the type.”
Chad was relieved. Knowing that Peter thought him weak and craven would have tainted the night they’d shared together. He wanted to ask if Peter had said anything else about him, but he couldn’t figure out how. For all he knew, Peter might not want anyone to know what had happened between them.
The rest of the drive was conducted in silence. When they got to the airport Chad was relieved. Merchant had been unfailingly pleasant, but there was something off about him.
“Do you have any idea when you’re coming back?” Merchant asked as he pulled into the departures lane.
“It depends on my dad,” Chad said. “I’d like to be there for my mom until he gets out of the hospital, if at all possible.”
“Your dad?” Merchant prompted, stopping the car. Chad realized he hadn’t actually told Merchant why he was leaving.
“Yeah, he had a heart attack yesterday. I’m flying out to see him and to help my mom out.”
“Oh,” Merchant said, looking surprised and oddly pleased. “Well, I hope he gets better soon.”
“Thanks,” Chad said, feeling more unnerved than ever. He’d never met someone who could make smiling look so sinister. Grabbing his backpack from the back seat, he opened the door and jumped out onto the sidewalk. He winced as the impact sent a jolt of pain through his ribs.
He turned around. “Was there anything else?”
Merchant shook his head, another strange look on his face. “No, that was it. Have a nice flight.”
Chad nodded and slammed the door shut behind him. He turned around and walked into the airport without a look back.
***
Chapter 15
Peter made no effort to put Merchant at ease when David let the man into his office. He leveled him with a narrow-eyed stare, his body language letting the other alpha know that he was still in deep shit.
“Well?” he asked, leaning back into his chair with his elbow propped up on the armrest. Merchant fidgeted.
“He’s not going to sue,” he said. Peter relaxed. “He seemed pretty offended by the suggestion, actually. He wanted to know if you were the one who was worried about it.”
“And?” Peter didn’t mean for the word to come out in a growl, but it did. Merchant actually took a step back.
“I told him I was the one who was worried about it and that you didn’t think he was the type.”
