Page 131 of Pack of Crooks

I give her an unapologetic look. “I said what I said. Are you ready?”

Sighing, she nods, glancing at Ellen one last time. “Yeah. I’m ready.”

Thank fuck. We need to get the hell out of here and deal with Tristan once and for all. I don’t know about you, but I’m a little fucking tired of alphas who think they’re God’s gift to earth.

thirty-six

HAZEL

The hotel room the guys got for Vivian is huge. With its own mini-kitchen and lounge area, she’ll be more than comfortable until we deal with Tristan. She watches my pack leave the hotel room and I follow her gaze, heart strings tugging.

“So you have a pack,” she murmurs.

Cringing, I turn to her and fess up. “Yeah. To be fair, when we first met, it wasn’t like that. They were only courting me.”

Her eyes roam over my face. “What else did you lie about?”

“Nothing.” I shake my head. “I know finding out I’m not exactly who you thought I was is shitty. I’d be pissed if I were you, I get it, I really do, but I hope you can understand why I did it.”

“If what Ellen and your pack say is true then. . .” She trails off, tears brimming.

“The pack is going to stop it.”

Nodding, she sniffs and swipes at her cheeks. “I thought that things would be different. That I wouldn’t end up just another omega statistic, you know?” Her voice breaks. “Turns out we’re all just meant to suffer.”

“I don’t think so,” I tell her, rubbing her arm. “We can have good packs, you only have to find the right one.” Exhaling, I say something that I know might piss her off, but I care about Vivian. “As amazing as Ellen seemed, you do deserve better.”

Vivian’s eyes clear, and she frowns, picking at her nails. “She was so. . . I don’t know how to describe it. Being in her orbit felt like I’d won the lottery. If she was upset though, it felt like I was gum on the sidewalk. Chewed up, spit out, only to be stomped on.”

“Love isn’t meant to feel like that.”

“I know,” she says with a small nod. “But I think I still love her in a way.”

“Of course you do, because your heart is amazing, Vivian.” I pull her into an embrace, squeezing her tight. “And whether you stay with Ellen or you want to find a new pack, I’m here for you. To listen. To kick her ass?—”

“Hazel,” she says with a chuckle.

I pull back. “I mean it, Vivian. I don’t have a lot of friends, but you’re stuck with me.”

“I think I like the sound of that,” she says with a watery smile. “But you should go. I bet they’re getting impatient.”

“They’re not like that,” I tell her, hugging her again. “I’ll text soon, okay?” I have no plans on telling Vivian that there’s no way Tristan is living past the night. Some truths are better kept a secret.

Vivian has a cute loft apartment in Brooklyn Heights. Too bad I can’t see a damn thing in the dark. The guys insisted on having the lights off whenever Tristan decided to break in. I’m lying in Vivian’s bed, staring at the ceiling fan. Playing decoy is nothingnew. Doing it to entrap my estranged father? That’s definitely new.

Maddox is hiding in the en-suite. Killian is lurking behind the bedroom door, and Ezra is just inside the walk in closet. The minutes tick by, and I start to wonder if we’ve got it all wrong, that Tristan actually won’t show up with plans to hurt Vivian, but then the softest of clicks cuts through the air.

My breath catches.

“Steady,” Ezra whispers.

I turn onto my side, back facing the door, and close my eyes, heart banging around in my chest. Tristan is so quiet a terrible thought flits through my mind. He’s done this before. Bile churns in my gut. How many people has this alpha hurt?

He’s no better than the feral alpha in the subway. Actually, he’s worse. He does it fully knowing how much harm he’s causing.

The bedroom door creaks open ever so slowly, and his scent pours into the room, rich with excitement. My heart leaps into my throat. I fight to keep my breath steady as he takes one step. Two. Three.

His fingers brush against the back of my head, but before he has a chance to do anything more, Killian snaps the door closed.