“Okay,” she says with a snort. “So, I’m a little reckless. But it’s always for a good cause.”
I open my mouth to scold her, but what kind of hypocrite does that make me? My impulse control, especially when it comes to Abbie Taylor, is for shit. I might have spent years hiding my thoughts behind a scowl, letting the shit Booker put me through slide off my back like it didn’t burn me to the bone, but Abbie’s always been my weak spot. Something Booker was only too aware of and used to keep me leashed until cancer put him on his ass.
I shove those memories down deep and focus back on our surroundings.
“You checked out the med center yet?” I ask, nodding at Patch’s domain. I funneled a lot of funds into its creation, given that Booker believed medical tests were for pussies, and the only thing a distressed omega needed was a knot and a firm hand. “It’s got a general exam area, but also a lab and a critical care area for more serious injuries. We can also accommodate heats and ruts, assuming other arrangements aren’t in place.”
She’s been studying the building, but now she turns to me with a cocked brow. “My heat’s not for a month, and I always pack suppressants. Just in case you were wondering how I was planning on managing it.”
“None of my business,” I tell her, even though the denial burns like acid. “Some packs choose to go offsite for their heats and ruts, but most use their own suites.”
“Really? Your dad was never a fan of that.”
My stomach clenches, that acid now swirling through my blood. “Booker’s views on omegas were archaic bullshit, but he was also just a greedy old fuck. Any way he could make an omega feel like they were under his thumb, he milked it.”
Abbie wraps her arms around herself, but her gaze is still fixed on me. “And it won’t be a problem if I’m unbonded? I just mean that our suite is on a residential floor, and alphas slip up…”
“Patch tracks every alpha’s rut cycle in the club. That’s a condition of membership. Plus, we issue them with blockers before a heat and use air purifiers on all the floors.”
Abbie’s brows shoot up in surprise. “Wow, that’s thorough. I guess that’s why it smells so clean. I just assumed it was the new club smell.”
“If you think of anything else we can do to make it safer for omegas, let me know.”
“I will.”
She gives me a tentative smile, and I can’t resist brushing a thumb under her eyes, where the shadows are the deepest. “I know you’re still adjusting, but you look tired, Abbie.”
I tell myself that she leans into my touch for a second, before pulling away with a rueful smile. “Some nights I sleep. Some nights I have vodka.”
“And any night you have me.” Her eyes widen and I silently curse my runaway tongue. So much for keeping my impulses under control. “I mean that if you want to talk – about the club, Samson, or anything else – I’m here. And I don’t sleep much, either.”
“There is something I wanted to ask you.” She shuffles her feet, her scent thickening. “You know that other guy in the picture on your desk? Your VP? Is he around much?”
I pause, seeing something shimmer in her eyes before her gaze darts away from me. “Bluff lives offsite. I want him as my VP – it’s what I always planned – but I’m not sure it’s going to work out.”
Her brow crinkles, her attention fixed on a distant spot, and when I turn, I realize she’s staring at the gym. “I saw him. Just for a few moments the other day.”
I feel heat flood my neck. Bluff has always been a risk I’m willing to manage, but now I’m wondering if that’s backfired, as well. He’s the first man I’d want beside me in a gun fight, but he’s also the definition of a loose cannon. Whatever respect he had for rank and duty was blown out of him by the IED that killed two other members of our unit.
But even that tragedy won’t protect him if he frightened Abbie.
“That’s why you left.” The memory of her pale face and wide eyes the day she literally ran out of the compound makes my heart pound. “Did he hurt you?”
“No. We barely spoke.” She shakes her head, but there’s something there… Something that flickers under the surface and adds a different note to her scent. “It’s fine, Ark,” she insists, dragging her hand through her ponytail. “I was just curious about him.”
I try to catch my breath around the tightness in my chest. I’m pretty sure she’s hiding something from me, but after telling her I’m a friendly shoulder to lean on, I can hardly shake it out of her.Bluff on the other hand…
“I’m thinking about offering his seat on the council to Wings,” I tell her when my pulse finally stops pounding. “He’s a legacy, and everyone respects him. I think he’d be a strong addition.”
Her gaze warms, making my neck prickle all over again. “He’d appreciate that, Ark.”
I want to say more – promises pushing against my tongue, eager for more of those warm looks and gentle smiles – but my phone buzzes, reminding me that I’m late for church.
“I’ve got to go. But I’ll see you later?”
“Sure. I’ll be around.”
As I head back towards the main building, I shoot Bluff a message, asking him to contact me ASAP. He never answers a call, and most of my texts go unread, given that he misplaces his phone every other week. I’m constantly mailing him replacements, but that doesn’t mean he bothers to take it out of his junk drawer, or wherever he stores the damn thing.We need to talk about what happened in the gym.
