by Esme Beal
The police never bothered to police crimes in the West Bay, so they definitely weren’t going to do anything about this. Not with the amount of action going on. Nobody seemed to care that I was looking at everybody else in disbelief.
The fight was brutal. Two men, bare-chested and bare-fisted, swinging at each other like they were trying to put the other in the hospital. They were going at it so hard. The sweat dripped along with the blood. The commotion kept going until finally one of the fighters was victorious. A combination of cheers and boos erupted from the crowd. It wasn’t enough to stop the action though. The two men were cleared out of the center and two men replaced them.
Not what I’m looking for.
I stepped away from the chaotic scene of the fight. I was heading back down the alley when I saw a couple of men slouched up against the wall. They looked like what I would expect to find in this area. Destitute. Dirty. Down on their luck. They both had their heads down like they were too weak to stand up but not tired enough to fall asleep.
One of them slowly turned their heads up toward me. He gave me a chipped-tooth smile.
“How are you doing, sir?” he said. “Spare some change? Anything’ll help.”
I knelt down next to him and pulled out a few bills from my pocket. He took them from me. His eyes sparkled like a child on Christmas morning. The enthusiasm he saw was enough to make me smile.
“Check it out,” he said as he nudged the man next to him. “We can go get something to eat.”
The other man rolled his head and saw the money I’d just given his friend. The smile on his face grew just as wide.
“Thank you,” the other man said. “I really appreciate it.”
“Don’t mention it,” I said.
“You hear to fight?”
“Who? Me?”
“Yeah. You look like you know how to handle yourself.”
I looked back at the barbaric scene behind me and shook my head.
“No,” I said. “Not looking for a fight.”
“Shame. A scrap is a good way to make some money in these parts.”
“It seems that way…”
I thought what he said for a second then it hit me.
“…There is another good way to make some money,” I continued.
“Drugs,” one man said.
“How did you know—”
“The docks are right there. It’s not exactly the biggest secret in the world. There’s a dealer on nearly every corner in this part of town. I’d never mess with the stuff though.”
“Money not good enough?” I asked.
“Money’s good just not worth it. You get caught dealing on the wrong corner and the gangs will make you pay for it. Territory is divided up. You’ve gotta know the boundaries. Too much work, in my opinion.”
“Right… Say, fellas, you wouldn’t happen to know where I could find one of these dealers, could you? Not a hand-off but an actual dealer.”
They both looked at one another then raised their eyebrows at me.
“Why?” one of them said. “You lookin’ to score some dope? You seem to be put together pretty well. Why would you wanna mess with that stuff?”
“Not for me. You said the money’s good.”
“Bad idea,” the other man sighed. “But if that’s what you wanna do, I ain’t gonna tell a man what to do with his life. You wanna check out Lansing Drive.”
“Anywhere specific?” I asked.
“It’s a few blocks from here. You’ll know what you’re lookin’ for when you find it.”
“Thanks.”
I reached into my pocket and pulled out a few more bucks for them. They took the money from me, their enthusiasm beaming at this point.
I headed out of the alleyway and back out onto the street.
“Lansing…”
It only took a few minutes for me to arrive at my destination. And it took even less time to realize what the two men were talking about. There was a man near every alleyway.
They didn’t do a very good job of hiding what they were doing. Subtle handshakes with passers-by. Conversations without making eye-contact. It had all the makings of what I was looking for.
Find the right man.
I headed down the street without making too much eye contact. I stopped when I got next to a man who was leaning up against the wall. He had his arms at his side, his head moving back and forth on a swivel like he was afraid someone was looking for him. His long-coat looked suspicious in this kind of weather. But even without that, the look in his eye was enough to give him away.
Stay calm.
I walked up next to him but didn’t look at him.
“You think you can help me out?” I asked
He didn’t respond immediately but I knew I’d gotten his attention. He looked down the road just as a group of bikes rode by us.
“Maybe,” the man said. “It depends on what you’re looking for.”
“You know what I’m looking for,” I replied.
“You got the cash?”
“I got the cash.”
The man moved away from the wall and finally looked at me. He sized me up, his eyes shifting up and down. I stood my ground and nonchalantly shrugged as I waited for him to say something.
“All right,” the man said. “It’s 20.”
“Right…”
I reached into my pocket for the money. I moved slowly. There was no telling what this guy was up to me. Cash in hand, I slid my hand up toward his so he could take it.
It’s all right. You’ll get your answers. Just stay calm.
I looked into his eyes just before my money hit his palm. But then something happened.
He narrowed his eyes at me. Then they widened suddenly like the realization had hit him.
“What—”
He suddenly turned around and bolted down the alley.
“Dammit!”
I muttered to myself and quickly chased after him. The man was big but he moved a lot faster than I expected him to. It didn’t help that I didn’t know my way around.
“Freeze!” I shouted. “Police!”
I couldn’t risk pulling a weapon out and trying to stop him. Not when I didn’t know who was around me. All I could do was try to chase the big man down.
I gritted my teeth and ignored any of the fatigue that might’ve been setting in. The adrenaline was pumping too hard in my veins. It wasn’t long before I eventually managed to catch up to the man.
A chain link fence blocked his path down the next alley. He started to climb it just as I caught up to him. I grabbed his coat from behind and with all my strength, pulled and slammed him to the ground.
“Don’t move—”
A hard right hand connected against my cheek. He wasn’t interested in listening to anything I had to say. I stumbled back a few steps but maintained my footing.
He struggled to get back up to his feet but when he did, I was ready. I grabbed him again. I held him down. He threw another punch but I moved out of the way and cracked him right where he hit me.
“Stop struggling!” I said. “You’re not in trouble. I just want some answers.”
“Yeah, right.”
“I’m serious. I don’t care about you. I just need to ask you a few questions.”
“You must be out of your mind if you think I’ll say anything to you.”
“You can either spend your time talking to a judge before they throw you in a cell or you can give me the answers I need. It’s up to you.”
He glared at me, his jaw clenched. But he stopped struggling and eventually relaxed.
“What?” he muttered.
“The drugs. Where’d you get ‘em from?”
“You really expect me to answer that?”
“We had a deal, remember?”
“…Out of town. Where do you think they come from?”
“Who?”
I grabbed him by the collar and shook him when he hesitated to respond.
“Who?” I rep
eated.
“Rivera. Rivera, all right!”
“You know, Rivera?”
“Come on. Everybody knows who Rivera is. He’s supplying 90-percent of this stuff.”
“How can he do that? Rivera isn’t even in Snow Falls?”
“Not yet. But he’s coming. Next week.”
“Next week?”
“He’s got a meeting. I don’t know for sure. Just rumors.”
“A meeting with who?”
“Who do you think? Rivera doesn’t do all this shit by himself.”
“Where?”
“I don’t know. I don’t make the stuff. I don’t even know where they come from. I just sell it, okay? That’s all I know.”
I looked into his eyes and searched for something more but I knew that was all I would get out of him.
“Okay,” I sighed.
I moved off of him and helped him back up to his feet. He dusted himself off and straightened his jacket.
“Now you plan on arresting me?” he said.
“We made a deal. Just wanted some answers.”
He headed back down the alley, a look of disgust on his face.
“Stay out of this part of town, pig. You’re gonna get yourself killed.”
I calmed myself down the best I could and went over everything in my head.
Rivera already had his product out on the streets. And he was coming in a week. I didn’t have much time to prepare for him. I had to be ready when he arrived.
Before my thoughts could wander, my phone vibrated in my pocket. I looked at it and saw the message from Bryce telling me he wanted to meet me.
I was about to refuse when I realized that it was probably for the best that I left this part of town. There was no telling what the locals would try to do with me. Spending time with Bryce was exactly what I needed at the moment.
Chapter 9
BRYCE
I got to my apartment door as fast as I could as soon as I heard the knock. Uriah stood there and looked just as I remembered him from the night before. Everything except for the bruise on his cheek.
“What happened to your face?” I said, unable to hold back my concern.
He gave me a soft smile and then it hit me.
“I guess you really are a cop, huh?”
“Either that or I’ve been picking fights with the locals on the streets.”
“I wouldn’t put it past you. You look like you know how to handle yourself.”
“Funny… That’s the second time I’ve heard that today…”
“Come in. Let me take care of that for you.”
I stepped aside to let Uriah into my apartment. He immediately started looking around. Most men would’ve been ashamed about the state my place was in but it was always home to me.
“Don’t mind the mess,” I said. “I don’t usually have guests over.”
“If you think this is messy, you should see my place… Maybe I’ll invite you over some time.”
He gave me a wink and I immediately felt the heat in my cheeks.
Dammit.
I never got embarrassed around other men and all of a sudden I felt like I was back in high school.
“Have a seat,” I said. “Make yourself at home. I’ll be right back.”
I headed toward my bedroom and grabbed all of the things I needed from my bathroom. Despite the condition he was in, Uriah’s arrival was enough to put a smile on my face. For a moment, the stress of carrying his child didn’t weigh on me.
When I got back to my living room, Uriah was sitting comfortably on my couch, leaning back in his seat with his arms spread.
“This is a nice place,” he said. “Brickstone must be doing a lot better than you implied before.”
“I’ve been living in this apartment for most of my adult life. I got a good deal on it. Landlord says I’m a good tenant.”
I swabbed some of the alcohol on his cheek and wiped away the blood. Uriah sighed a deep breath while I examined his injury closer.
“It doesn’t look serious,” I said. “Just a small laceration. The blood made it worse than it is. The bruising will probably swell worse in a few days though. I hope you don’t plan on getting your picture taken anytime soon.”
“And to think I was planning on getting my Christmas portraits taken early this year.”
We shared a laugh together. Despite how intimidating Uriah was, there was a softer side to him. I expected an Alpha like him tough to be around but I only found myself growing more comfortable.
“You have a nice smile,” I said.
I was so busy with the cut on his cheek that I almost didn’t realize what I’d said. When I did, my eyes widened in surprise.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I didn’t mean to—”
“Why would you be sorry about complimenting me?”
“I don’t know,” I said with a shrug. “Doesn’t seem appropriate to say something like that when you’re injured.”
“Just a small cut and a small bruise. Nothing serious.”
“Right…”
I smiled softly at him.
“You have a nice smile, too,” he said.
“Now you should be the one apologizing.”
“For what?”
“Trying to tease me. Mocking me.”
“Okay, okay,” he said with a laugh. “I’m sorry.”
He put his hands up innocently. It was nice to see him in a good mood.
“But you do have a nice smile,” he said softly.
I did my best to pretend like I hadn’t heard him even though we both knew I did. I reached down for a bandage and put it on his cheek.
“There,” I said. “All patched up. You should probably avoid getting punched in the face if you want it to heal faster.”
“Good advice,” he said with a nod.
“Do you want something to drink? I have some beer in the fridge.”
“I’m still on-duty. I only popped in here to say hello to you.”
“Oh. Right. I forgot. The whole cop thing.”
Stupid.
I looked away from him. I didn’t do a good job of hiding my embarrassment.
“Listen,” I said as I shook my head. “It was dumb of me to send you that message. I was just bored and I was just wondering what you were up to. I forgot that your job is probably a little more intensive than sitting in a cubicle all day.”
“Most of the time, I do just that. It’s not all shootouts and car chases. Trust me, Bryce. I’m exactly where I want to be.”
He reached out and took my hand in his. I looked up at him. That tender smile of his was so damn distracting that I had trouble thinking straight.
“Besides,” he said. “We need to talk.”
“We do?”
“Of course. About the baby.”
“Oh. Right.”
I let out a laugh and glanced down at my stomach.
“It’s hard to believe that happened,” I sighed. “Most Omegas spend their whole lives looking for someone to be with.”
“And most Alphas feel the same way. How are you feeling though, Bryce?”
“…I’d be lying if I said this is how I pictured everything going. You hear stories about things like this happening after a one-night stand but you never think it’ll happen to you.”
“I guess we learned our lesson.”
“We sure did,” I said, chuckling softly. “But I’m not upset. I’m happy. This is what I want. I’m ready to do whatever it takes to make sure that this child is all right.”
I pulled my hand from Uriah’s and put it over my stomach. He followed and put his hand on top of mine.
“I feel the same way,” he said. “I know the situation is a little weird. Going from complete strangers to sharing something like this… It’s awkward. But there’s no reason that this won’t work out. I’ll be here for you. I’ll be here for our child. You can depend on me, Bryce.”
Uriah gave me a look that made me believe everything he was saying. A strange
r not even a day ago and now I was entrusting him to be the Alpha to my child.
I nodded softly to him and smiled.
“This will work,” I said. “I know this can work. Which is more than I can say for myself…”
“What does that mean?”
“Brickstone. I… I won’t be working there for awhile.”
“It’s probably for the best. The pregnancy is going to take a lot out of you. Will the bar be okay?”
“It’ll be fine. You saw for yourself. It’s not that busy. And I’ve got a lot of people around me. My brother hired a lot of good people.”
“Your brother… When am I going to meet him?”
“You want to meet my brother?”
His face scrunched with confusion.
“What?” he said as he shook his head. “Of course I want to meet your brother. He’s going to be my child’s uncle.”
“Right,” I said, laughing softly. “I suppose you’re going to meet him eventually. I just… Can I ask you a favor?”
“Sure.”
“Don’t go to Brickstone. Don’t go looking for him. Knowing my brother, there’s no telling how he would react to finding out that you’re the father. You could be the finest man in all of Snow Falls but he’d still judge you.”
“If that’s what you want—”
“That’s what I want. I… I’ll introduce you to him when the time is right. I promise. Just trust me…”
Even though I’d only just met him, it hurt me to keep my brother away from Uriah. Uriah didn’t mind though. That soft smile still on his lips, he just nodded.
“Okay,” he said. “Whatever you want.”
“Thanks…”
I put my head down and held back a sigh of relief.
“I don’t suppose you can tell me the details of your investigation,” I said. “But it’d be nice to know that you’re doing all right.”
“I can’t share the details of a police investigation with anybody. Not even you. But there’s nothing you need to worry about. I’ll get to the bottom of the case, one way or another.”
“I know you will…”
I moved closer to him and leaned against his arm. The two of us sat comfortably on the couch. The way his hard body felt against me brought back memories of what we did the night before. His masculine scent was intoxicating, clouding any other thoughts I had.
My face drifted toward his. He met me the rest of the way. Our lips smacked softly with a kiss. His facial hair was rough against my skin. His tongue felt so good against mine that I inhaled a deep breath and sighed.
