by Noah Harris
Michael glanced at his tablet. “Leaving now?”
Adrian hesitated, checking the time again before deflating. “No, probably not. I would love to go running out and scope the place now, but it’s a little too late. By the time I found a good place to take cover, it would be night. That’s when security is always the highest. It’s generally better to wait till morning.”
Michael smiled. “Please don’t look so disappointed.”
Adrian flopped on the end of the couch opposite Michael. “Well, I was wanting to get out and do something and now that I have a place to go, I have to sit around and wait again.”
Michael eyed him carefully. “Is that the secret to all that sass and attitude?”
Adrian blinked at him. “What? What’d I do now?”
Michael chuckled. “You’ve been practically overflowing with pent-up energy since you showed up the other day. I’ve been impressed with your ability to sit still despite looking like you want to be doing anything else.”
“Learning how to sit still is a pretty important lesson if you want to survive doing what I do,” Adrian said with a laugh.
“And now you look like a little kid who’s had his favorite toy taken away from him.”
Adrian eyed him, thinking that he looked too smug for his own good. “I get the feeling that you’re taking pleasure in my discomfort.”
“Mm, I would say it’s more that I find your restlessness endearing. I might know a little something about that myself.”
Adrian snickered. “Is this the part where we spend the night sharing about ourselves?”
Michael set the tablet aside, never removing his gaze from Adrian. “I can’t say that I’m used to sharing all that much about myself. Yet, if you wish to go back to staring at a computer screen until you fall asleep on my couch once more rather than using the guest bed I offered you, by all means, be my guest.”
Adrian snorted. “I can see why you’re in business. You certainly know how to sell something.”
Michael smiled. “Well, you could always tell me about yourself instead.”
Adrian wrinkled his nose. “I was being sarcastic, you know, because so far you haven’t sold me on anything. Unless this is one of those tactics where you show me the worst options available to make the last choice seem palatable.”
“Do you have another idea then?” Michael asked, amusement playing in his voice.
Adrian’s gut flipped once more when he caught the look Michael was giving him. There was something burning behind the man’s dark blue eyes, and the heat of that fire washed over Adrian. Despite being what should have been a safe distance away, Adrian could detect the woodsy smell that surrounded Michael. It grew stronger by the second and Adrian’s heart began to race.
Adrian didn’t remember being unnerved to the point that he didn’t know how to react many times in his life. There was usually a witty comment or an irreverent joke that he could make whenever a conversation or situation veered close to being uncomfortable. He was quickly discovering that Michael somehow, either through some natural charm or through some trick that he had learned over the years, knew just how to throw Adrian off.
Their interactions had been odd from the start. Michael’s easy manner, combined with his casual means of shutting Adrian down with a glance had unnerved the omega. Adrian had always prided himself on his ability to get under the skin of just about any person he met when he really tried. He’d discovered long ago that people who were reacting, rather than acting, were prone to making mistakes, and more importantly, never looking farther than what lay before them. The idea that Michael knew how to throw Adrian off balance was unnerving, if only because it meant that he was the one who couldn’t look ahead, he wouldn’t have the advantage.
Adrian struggled to find a convincing smirk. “You sound like you have a few ideas of your own.”
Michael’s confident expression never flickered. “A few thoughts have crossed my mind, yes. I imagine that you might have thought them yourself from time to time.”
“You sound awfully sure about that,” Adrian said, not sure why he was trying to buy time.
Michael shrugged. “You don’t build yourself a small business empire by being unsure and overly cautious.”
Adrian had no doubt that Michael had more than enough confidence to last him a lifetime. “I suppose that’s true.”
It was only as the silence stretched between them that Adrian realized how lackluster and flat he had sounded. Michael watched him long enough that Adrian could feel himself squirming under the scrutiny. There was an air of expectancy around Michael, and Adrian wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do. The strong scent of wild wood that emanated from Michael waxed and waned, filling the space between them, only to drift away as Michael seemed to deflate gradually.
The almost stifling sense of power that came from Michael receded and Adrian took a breath in relief. He hadn’t realized until it was gone, but there had been an overpowering sense of Michael’s presence, as his force of will had found a way to express itself. It was remarkably close to how he felt when Eli found the power within him that gave him command. It was a natural aura about the alpha that surrounded him, giving weight to his words. The only other alpha Adrian had ever sensed it in, and not grown immediately furious or belligerent about, had been Eli. Michael would mark the first alpha who had ever made Adrian feel off-balance, and a little awkward, from that show of power.
If Michael was disappointed by Adrian’s lack of response, he hid it well. “I suppose, I should eventually find my way back to my office. If I don’t take a few calls and check on some of my employees, everyone will think the world is ending.”
Adrian chuckled, secretly relieved to have found an excuse to be free of Michael for a little while. “It’s because you spoil them. If you don’t let them work without Dad looking over their shoulder, how are they going to learn to be adults?”
Michael laughed at Adrian’s teasing, standing as he spoke. “Maybe I enjoy having them be a little dependent on me. There’s nothing quite like having someone begging for you to do something for them.”
It was an innocent statement, but there was a leer in Michael’s voice. Adrian found himself distracted as Michael stretched. The tight folds of the man’s shirt rode up, the taut skin of Michael’s stomach showing. Adrian couldn’t help but admire the lines of muscle of Michael’s abs, nor could he help his gaze following the line of dark hair that would undoubtedly run to Michael’s groin.
Adrian watched him finish and walk away. “Yeah, go play daddy for them.”
Michael chuckled as he rounded the corner. “The only people who’ve called me that were naked at the time.”
With that thought stuck in his mind, Adrian had nothing to say as he heard Michael mount the stairs to prepare for his day.
Chapter 8
The smell of coffee was strong, filling the air with the rich scent of long nights and bad hangovers. It wasn’t the coffee’s fault, it was simply one of the only things Adrian could bring himself to drink when he had dragged himself from wherever he crashed after a long night of having too much fun. The smell of greasy food mingled with it, another unpleasant reminder of his occasional nights out. Yet, for all the bad memories of turning stomachs, aching heads, and sluggish energy, he loved being in rundown diners.
Diners soothed Adrian. He liked watching people, no matter the time of day. Seeing them pop in and grab their meal. Some would sit quietly in a booth, reading a book or a newspaper, though as time went on, phones often replaced paper. Sometimes people would sit at the counter, chatting casually with one another or with the waitresses behind the bar.
No one paid him a bit of attention, even the waitresses would begin to ignore him the longer he sat at a lonely table. There was always just enough noise to keep things from getting too quiet, but it didn’t turn into a din Adrian could barely think through. He’d discovered at an early age that too much quiet allowed his mind to wander too far, and his mind wa
s a dangerous place when it was given free rein. He preferred to not let his mind wander the old pathways of memory, where emotions rose and fell with startling harshness.
“Do you even know of any other diner?” a familiar voice asked.
Adrian looked up to find Liam’s dark-green stare looking down at him. “Well, you know me, I’m a creature of habit.”
Liam snorted, absentmindedly running a hand through his buzzed, sandy brown hair. “Yeah, that’s you, utterly and completely predictable.”
Adrian motioned to the bench across from him. “Gonna sit, or were you planning on standing there and staring at the beautiful sight that is me?”
Liam shook his head, easing himself into the bench. “At least I can always count on you to think you’re the hottest thing that walks the planet.”
“What, are you implying I’m not?” Adrian asked, enjoying the comfortable snarky routine.
Liam didn’t enjoy it as much if the frown sliding across his face was any indication. “I’m already regretting choosing to approach you.”
Adrian decided to take pity on him. “So, what brings you out here? I haven’t seen you sit down and have a bite to eat that didn’t come out of the station’s kitchen in quite some time.”
Liam sighed at that. “Have you been spying on me again?”
It was Adrian’s turn to snort. “I’ve been keeping an eye on you, yeah. You’ve been so busy lately, if I didn’t check in to make sure you weren’t about to drop dead from exhaustion, Eli would have a fit.”
Liam raised a brow. “Eli’s been having you keep tabs on me?”
“I keep tabs on all of you because you’re my pack. I report what I find to Eli so that he doesn’t worry, leaving out certain things because no one likes a tattletale.”
The corner of Liam’s mouth twitched. “I don’t think I’ve done anything that you would need to keep from Eli.”
“Remember when you went to Erik’s bachelor party?”
Liam’s eyes widened. “You saw that?”
Adrian grinned. “My friend, I saw everything, including the part where you were so drunk you forgot that changing into a wolf in front of a bunch of humans might be a bad idea.”
Liam groaned. “I can’t believe you followed me that night.”
Adrian shrugged. “I knew you were going out and that you might actually try to have a good time without getting permission first.”
Liam frowned. “I don’t ask for permission to have fun.”
“Dude, you almost never do anything fun unless you’re with the pack. When you decided to go out for Erik’s bachelor party, I was so sure you were going to play designated driver and be a good boy all night. I was kind of surprised when I watched you start taking shot after shot. I was a little more shocked when I watched you almost let yourself turn into a drunk wolf rather than just a drunk human,” Adrian said with a chuckle.
“And you swear you said nothing to Eli about that?” Liam demanded.
Adrian laughed. “I didn’t tell him about that, and I didn’t tell him that I was the one who stopped you from turning in front of a crowd of humans. Who the hell do you think made sure you got home that night? You didn’t end up in your bed of your own accord, trust me.”
Liam scowled at him. “I woke up the next night without my clothes.”
Adrian snickered. “I promise, I was only doing what you asked. You kept insisting that you wouldn’t be comfortable unless you were absolutely naked. I didn’t take advantage of you. I let you pass out, left a glass of water and some aspirin on the bedside table, locked up, and left.”
The look of annoyance on Liam’s face lingered for a moment, fading slowly. Adrian could never quite understand why, out of everyone in the pack, Liam seemed to have the biggest issue with him. There were two alphas in the pack, but it was the beta who took offense to Adrian. The only thing that Adrian could come up with was that as faithful and obedient as betas could be, Liam had taken it further, to the point where Adrian’s often irreverent and snarky sense of humor bothered the man on a deeper level.
“Well, one thing I know, you are somewhat predictable,” Liam finally said.
Adrian paused before resuming to grab his mug of coffee. “Oh? And how’s that?”
“You don’t come out here and think for a long ass time unless you’ve got something on your mind.”
Adrian snorted. “You just sat down and I know you haven’t been watching me. How would you know how long I’ve been sitting here.”
“Because you’ve got that look on your face like you’ve had too many cups of coffee. You’re drinking it black, too, which you only do when you’ve had several cups sweetened and the sugar is starting to bug you. And the whole place seems to have forgotten that you’re here. I’ve been sitting here for five minutes and no waitress has approached. That screams that you’ve been here for a while.”
Adrian wanted to be surprised, but instead he just smiled a little as he took another sip of coffee. He was a man who prided himself on being hard to track down and difficult to understand. Yet he knew that deep down there was a part of him that wanted someone to notice him, to pay attention to what he did and who he was. The occasional moment when one of his pack members called him on something, as Liam had just done, went a long way toward affirming that his pack genuinely cared. Even Liam cared enough to pay attention to Adrian to know just how long it took him to switch to black coffee.
“Alright, so I’m not even going to bother denying it when you’ve gone through all the effort of calling me out,” Adrian said with a small laugh, motioning to the waitress for two more cups.
Liam was still watching him carefully. “I haven’t been so busy with the fires around the city that I haven’t heard what’s been going on. Is it whatever Eli has you out doing for Michael that’s got you thinking?”
Adrian shrugged. “He doesn’t really have me out doing it, I had a choice. But yeah, I guess it is the stuff with Michael that’s bugging me a little.”
“Having a hard time digging up the information you need?” Liam guessed.
Adrian wasn’t sure he wanted to have this conversation with Liam. “Before Marcus called me earlier, I would have said that was driving me nuts.”
“But Marcus called, and you have the information it seems. So what? You can’t follow up on what he gave you?” Liam asked, leaning back to let the waitress set a cup of steaming coffee before him.
Adrian shook his head, pausing to thank the woman as she retreated. “No, not at the moment. I’m going to wait till tomorrow morning, when people are at their most sluggish to go sneaking around.”
Liam thought on that a moment. “Okay, so it’s not the job?”
Adrian sighed. “No, I guess it isn’t, though I’m not too thrilled at the idea that someone within his own pack might be betraying him.”
Liam made an ugly face. “You think there’s a traitor?”
“I’m not the only one. I think Michael only brought me into this because he thinks there’s a traitor and he doesn’t quite have the heart to root them out himself.”
Liam’s lip curled into a disgusted expression. “I guess I can’t blame him for not wanting to think it, but the quicker the traitor is found and dealt with, the better. He shouldn’t be that soft.”
Adrian’s eyes narrowed. “Just because it upsets him to think that someone within his pack might be a traitor doesn’t make him soft. Would you be happy to find out one of us was betraying the pack?”
“I’d be furious, and I would want the person found. I can’t see Eli willing to allow one of us to run around, betraying the rest. He’d do something about it from the moment he suspected.”
Adrian smiled at the stubborn expression on Liam’s face. “I think being in charge is a lot harder than you’re making it out to be. I can understand it a little.”
“How? Since when are you in charge of anything?”
“I meant that I can understand why it would be hard. Think about it, Liam. If there
was a traitor, and it wasn’t me, I would probably be the one who found out about it first. That would mean I’d have to be the one to report everything to Eli, knowing it meant one of our own being killed. Traitor or not, that’s still gotta be hard,” Adrian protested.
Liam shrugged. “But that’s what has to be done, simple as that.”
“Everything is always so ‘simple’ to you,” Adrian said unhappily.
“Because things are simple, you just overcomplicate them,” Liam shot back.
“Yeah? Then what’s the simple answer here then?”
“You’re already taking care of it, you’re finding the traitor for him. After you do, all you have to do is hope he’s a strong enough alpha to deal with the traitor appropriately,” Liam said with a shrug.
“He’s strong,” Adrian said quietly.
Adrian had known quite a few alphas and pack leaders in his time, it was part of his role as information gatherer and saboteur. Many of them were arrogant, demanding, and pushy, motivated by their need to serve their own egos and a desire for control. Very few were like Eli, easygoing, comfortable with the power he had, and content to keep what territory he thought was necessary for his and his pack’s safety and happiness. A few were like Marcus, stoic, a little too serious for their own good, and dedicated to advancing themselves and their pack.
Originally, Adrian had believed Michael was more like Marcus, without the slightly grumpy edge. But the more time he spent with Michael had begun to change his opinion. Adrian had spent just under a week with the alpha, and he was already seeing different sides to Michael than he originally believed existed. Adrian had caught glimpses into the man’s personal life illuminating just what kind of person Michael could be underneath the masks of pack leader, successful business tycoon, and serious faced alpha.
Liam cocked his head. “You sound like you’ve been getting close to him.”
“I’ve been spending pretty much all of the past week with him. How could I not be getting some sort of insight?” Adrian asked, uncomfortable with the look Liam was giving him.
