Faith & the Dead End Devils (Sweet Omegaverse, #8)(79)

Gabe Cleary shrugged. "Not a problem. I'm staying in Huberville."

Two towns north. And right on the route of 78 he'd mentioned. I chewed over my suspicion, the club's current policy on outsiders, and nodded slowly.

"Lemme check this beauty in, then. I have some paperwork for you to fill out, got ID on you?"

Mr. Chipper nodded and kept smiling.

"Follow me," I offered, turning back to the garage. I'd get the bike, file and copy his ID, and take it all to King.

"Any chance of me getting a beer at that bar when we're done here? Just while I wait for a cab?" Gabe asked, digging into his pocket for a wallet as I dug out the pages for paperwork I didn't usually bother filing. I glanced up at him, and he plucked at his sweat-stained collar. "It was a long walk."

"Bar's closed for a while. Renovations," I said, noting the slight tightening of his eyes. "Best bet is the convenience store. I'll walk you over when we're done here."

The little plastic ID card clicked against my counter.

"Great," the alpha across from me said, and I tried not to smirk at the snap of frustration at the back of his voice.





King glared at the photocopy of Gabe Cleary's ID. "You watched him get in the cab?"

I nodded. "And I watched the cab leave town."

"This look legit in person?" Bear asked, plucking the paper from King's fingers.

I shrugged. "It did, but it's not like we wouldn't know how to get a good one, right?"

"And you're sure he wasn't—"

"Skid and Rider left the garage right before he appeared. They would've seen him around the back if he'd been snooping. He looked like he'd just walked the five miles."

Bear hummed. "Could be true."

"Might not be," King countered, leaning back in his chair, hands steepling over his stomach. He looked to Bear. "Where is she?"

"With Chance," Bear said. "They made some dinner."

"Probably riling up the club," King said with a sigh. "Does Chance have to rub it in with those hickeys and bites?"

Bear's chuckle was low. "She loves it. She eggs him on."

I cleared my throat, drawing their attention back. I'd seen the marks on the omega's skin, and my own nerves had prickled with envy.

"Look, I… Some of the guys are talking," I said slowly, my brow furrowing.

I did not spread shit in the club. I didn't get involved in the little politics between Rider and King. I just wanted to ride, to fuck, to drink, and to work.

"Talking," King prompted, staring at me over the rim of his glasses.

I hated that omega. Envy was scorching running through me. I wanted her gone and my time with Chance back. But I wasn't so much of an asshole that I wanted her being preyed on by someone like Skid, who would push past a “no” to get what he wanted.

"No one has crossed the line with her yet, but the longer she's here, the more they'll think about it, test that boundary. Your warning is only gonna hold up so long," I said. "She gets comfortable, ends up alone with the wrong person…"

Bear growled lowly, but he and King both nodded.

"Understood," King said.

"Would you keep an eye out?" Bear asked, head tipped and eyes narrowed at me.

I frowned, considering the question. "I don't want anything to do with her. But…but I wouldn't let anyone hurt her either. If I was around."

Just get her out of the club, I wanted to beg. Get her away from Chance. Or get them both out of my sight. Or…

"Fair enough," Bear said slowly, the pair of them staring at me speculatively.

I had the sudden urge to squirm under those gazes, an uncannily similar sensation to the understanding I was being watched by an unseen observer. What were Bear and King seeing that I hadn't intended to reveal?

"Keep me posted on this guy," King said, tapping the paper on the desk. "He comes back, text me and stall. I wanna see him face-to-face."

"You got it," I said, digging my hands deep into my own pockets, backing up toward the door.

"You see Chance and our girl, send 'em upstairs," Bear said.

I gritted my teeth but nodded, praying the pair had already cleared out of the bar. The music was blasting, and the air was thick with alpha pheromones. We only had about half the girls that hung around still on hand, and I had a feeling shit was about to get ugly as brothers jockeyed over them.

I'd meant what I’d said to King and Bear about keeping the omega safe, but it wasn't just her. The guys could be rough with the beta girls too, and I didn't stand for it. I was no prince, I knew that. I cut myself loose from the women I fucked around with, left bruised egos in my wake, hurt feelings, but I made sure they were enjoying themselves every bit as much as I was, if not more, while we were together. Competition over women led to bad behavior with a lot of the others, and I wasn't sure King really realized the strain the club had already started to take since he'd brought that woman home from the raid.

I debated going directly to the bar, searching out Chance and sending him and the girl away, if only for the excuse to speak to him. But I needed a moment to breathe before diving into that mess. I headed for the bathrooms, only needing to nudge the door to the men's room open a fraction before letting it slap shut again. Literally disgusting. It smelled like one of the toilets was backed up again.