Total pages in book: 64
Estimated words: 63055 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 315(@200wpm)___ 252(@250wpm)___ 210(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63055 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 315(@200wpm)___ 252(@250wpm)___ 210(@300wpm)
I don’t. But I am turned on that he’s willing to go in the ring for me. Very turned on.
Garrett stands, and the other two follow. “Step outside with me, Bo,” he commands.
Bo darts a glance at me as he follows the men out of the apartment and shuts the door.
I stand there and blink for a moment.
Then I rush to press my ear against the door.
Bo
I follow Garrett into the hallway, willing my heart rate to stay steady. Fate knows an alpha will smell fear all over you if you let it in.
Fuck.
“So.” Garrett folds his arms over his massive chest. “What are you going to do about the girl?”
I knew this was going to be about Sloane, even though I was praying to avoid the inevitable.
“She swore she’d take it to the grave,” I say quickly. Like a human’s promise means anything to these guys.
Garrett shakes his head slowly. “You know that’s not good enough.”
I want to argue with him. Garrett has a human for a mate. So do Trey and Jared, for that matter. Garrett was not cut from the same cloth as his father, other than being alpha enough to lead a pack. He and his friends were rebels. They were thrown out of our pack when they weren’t much older than I am, and they do things their own way here.
Still, that doesn’t mean he’s going to cut me any slack.
The rules are in place to protect shifters from exposure. If humans found out we existed, we’d be hunted down and exterminated as monsters.
I rack my brain, trying to think of something I can say—anything—to spare Sloane the fate I’m pretty sure they’re going to demand.
“Get her memory wiped tonight. It’s twenty-four hours. It shouldn’t have too bad an effect. I’ll text you the number of a guy who can do it.”
I shake my head. “We have to be back in Phoenix with the money by this evening.”
Garrett pins me with a hard stare. “Then you bring her back here afterward. You know the rules. Don’t fuck up.”
Shit. Fuck. Damn it all to hell.
I turn to go back in the apartment without being dismissed, but Garrett throws me up against the door with his hand at my throat.
“I need to hear a yes, sir.”
Dammit. I really don’t want to agree to having a vampire tamper with Sloane’s mind. It can cause problems, and she doesn’t deserve that kind of shit. But I don’t see any way around this direct order. “Yes, sir,” I choke.
He releases me. “Good.” He pulls a couple bills from his pocket. “You need money before the fight?” He’s a good alpha, aware of his pack members’ needs.
I’m not one to turn money down, so I take the twenties and shove them in my pocket. “Thanks, Garrett.”
He grunts, and the three start off down the hallway.
“Garrett?”
He turns.
“Are you going to tell your dad about this?”
He shakes his head. “My territory, my problem. You can decide for yourself what you want to tell your alpha.”
“Thanks.” I watch them walk away, feeling like a fifty pound weight is on my chest.
I don’t begrudge Garrett for doing what an alpha is supposed to do to keep our species safe—but fuck.
Wiping Sloane would be a mega-betrayal. I mean, fuck. Should I tell her it’s going to happen to minimize the fuck-over?
Is there any point when that conversation would be wiped, too?
Dammit!
I turn the knob and enter the apartment. The shower’s running in the bathroom. For a moment, I consider joining Sloane for Act II of her birthday shower fucking, but guilt’s strangling me like a parasitic vine. I decide to run out for toothbrushes and a razor, instead.
And maybe coffee or Dr. Pepper.
And a phone charger or both our phones will die.
I leave Sloane a quick note and head to the elevators.
I can’t think about wiping Sloane’s mind. First, I have to win a fight against a cat shifter. Then get her mafia assholes paid off. Then I can worry about what’s next.
Yeah, because sticking my head in the sand always works well.
Sloane
I brush my teeth with the toothbrush Bo brought back, trying to act like everything’s cool. Like I’m not totally freaked out about everything.
The fight.
The money.
The mafia.
Getting my memory wiped.
Because I heard what Garrett told Bo. Get her memory wiped tonight.
I don’t know how that works, but I know I don’t want it. I was stupid to trust anyone to have my back. No one ever has. I came into this world alone, and I’ll go out alone.
I mean, I don’t blame Bo. I recognized the tension in him from the moment I witnessed his secret. I’m not supposed to know. I get it.
And he’s still a fucking knight in shining armor to me. He saved my life. He’s going to fight to win money for me.