Page 18 of With A Little Luck

Chapter Sixteen

Quincy

“ I ’m not letting you go anywhere with them alone,” Hart says as he towers over me in the kitchen.

“That guy walked in like it wasn’t shady as fuck, and I’m genuinely surprised you’re not freaking out right now.

” He frowns. “In case there’s any question about it, I’m positive that I locked the door after I grabbed dinner from the delivery driver. ”

“I believe you,” I say, resting my hand over his heart and rubbing gently. His stress and anger are spilling over into me.

Omegas are empathetic, but what I’m feeling from Hartley is more extreme than I’ve ever been able to pick up from another person.

“I don’t understand why this is even a question,” Hart says, and his face betrays his agitation.

“Get that guy’s phone number, and tell him you’ll meet with him somewhere in public to discuss the baby.

Then we ban Trigg from the restaurant permanently, get a company in here to do a security sweep, and we can stay at a hotel for a few days.

I used to employ Stone Security back when I needed full-time protection.

They do a lot of celebrity contracts. I will hire us round-the-clock security. ”

His muscles are so tense under my fingers, and his jaw is equally tight. It’s clear he’s trying to protect me, but the thing is, I truly don’t believe I need to be kept safe from Trigg or Ridge.

I’m the one who approached Ridge that night, and I owe him more than a few heartfelt apologies.

Trigg…

Well, he probably does look sketchy.

There’s just something deep inside me that says he would never hurt me.

And logically, I understand it doesn’t make any sense, but my gut is convinced.

It’s the same pull that made me feel completely comfortable shoving my face in his throat at the restaurant.

Sure, I was embarrassed, but something in my stomach said that he wouldn’t turn me away.

“Seriously, Quincy, why aren’t you telling them to get out?” Hart asks, raking his gaze over my face.

I frown, glancing away. “Ridge and I might not know each other well, but if I had any way of finding him, I would have done it months ago.” I swallow thickly, trying to force away the uncomfortable bubbling in my stomach.

“And I know you don’t like Trigg, but I do.

There’s some undeniable connection there.

A pull, I guess you could call it. I think he’s meant to be part of my pack. ”

“There’s no fucking way I can coexist with that guy,” Hart growls, studying my face. “You like him better than me…”

“No,” I assure him as firmly as I can. “But I don’t like the idea of having to choose between you, either. I mean, I don’t even know where either of their heads is at?—”

“Have you ever heard of a soul match?” Trigg asks, coming into the kitchen.

“I asked for a minute alone with Quincy,” Hart growls, taking a step toward Trigg.

My hand falls from his chest, and I almost make a grab for his wrist, but he doesn’t advance any farther toward Trigg.

“Yes, you did,” Trigg concedes. “I gave you one minute and forty-three seconds. I was feeling overly generous.” He smiles like he’s quite pleased with his joke.

“Where’s Ridge?” I ask, panic clawing at my chest.

What if he left?

I have no way of getting in contact with him.

“He went to tell Knox that it’s going to be a few minutes,” Trigg says calmly. “Don’t worry. He won’t disappear on you. I think he just needed a moment to himself?—”

“That would be a mindfuck,” Hartley says.

I sigh.

This cannot be my life.

“Now, I asked a question,” Trigg says. “Do you know what the soul match scent is?”

I shake my head. “No.”

“It’s probably some bullshit he just made up,” Hartley mutters.

“It’s not.” Trigg shrugs. “You don’t need to believe a word out of my mouth.

The only opinion that truly matters is Quincy’s.

” His gaze moves to me. “I started to wonder if there was some deeper meaning behind your scent. Lightning, electricity—whatever you’d like to call it—is the scent reserved for soul matches.

It’s one step up from a scent match. I found multiple trustworthy websites and even ordered a book about them; although, it won’t be delivered for several days.

The bottom line is, there is an explanation for why you feel so drawn to me.

” Trigg crosses the kitchen while my mind races.

I’ve never heard of soul match scent, but it sounds a lot like the concept of soulmates.

Hartley growls, but Trigg ignores him. He doesn’t stop until he’s directly in front of me.

“Soul matches are happiest when they’re in close proximity to one another.

Even better if they’re physically touching.

” Trigg brings his hand to my cheek, brushing my hair away from my face.

“It’s a soul-deep connection, and that leads me to believe that you can sense the truth in my words when I say I would never hurt you .

” His sincerity radiates in my chest like an indescribable warmth, and I find myself nodding.

“You’re a psychopath, aren’t you? You have to be. Tossing around bullshit, saying whatever you have to say to convince her your lies are true,” Hartley says, breaking the spell between me and Trigg.

“What do I smell like to you?” Trigg asks, quirking an eyebrow behind his black glasses.

“Lightning or the weather right after a bad thunderstorm,” I whisper.

Trigg beams.

I’ve seen teases of smiles that seemed sincere before, and a few that felt like he was smiling because it was what was expected, but this is a true smile. It completely transforms his face as his eyes sparkle.

“And that would be the soul match scent,” Trigg says, wrapping a hand around my lower back and pulling me closer. “You’re quite literally made for me.”

My chest gets tight as he marks my cheeks with his scent, one after the other. It’s almost like I can feel Hartley’s anger radiating in the air.

Why is it so hard for alphas to share? Shouldn’t evolution have taken over and helped to curb their jealous nature?

Being made for Trigg sounds like a dream…except the whole stalking part. Then again, I would have straight-up pulled his name off of his credit card if he had ever paid with one. Once I had it, I wouldn’t have been able to stop myself from looking into him.

But you wouldn’t go as far as putting cameras in his house. Would you?

“You said you wouldn’t harm me,” I say to Trigg, staring into his dark eyes. “I want that same guarantee for Hartley.”

Trigg’s eyes narrow.

“If you don’t give me your word that you won’t hurt Hart, then I won’t be going anywhere with you.” I shrug, refusing to look away from his piercing stare. “It’s that simple.” The baby rolls around, stretching against something important. I jolt, bringing a hand to run over my lower stomach.

“Are you okay?” Hartley asks.

At the same exact time Trigg hisses, “What’s wrong?”

“I’m fine,” I assure Hartley with a soft smile. My gaze moves to Trigg’s. “She stretched, and it didn’t feel great. It’s also not my favorite thing in the world to still not have your promise that you won’t hurt Hart.”

I’ve never seen such a petulant look on a full-grown man’s face before. It would be cute if my feet weren’t starting to hurt.

“I will not kill your boyfriend,” Trigg grumbles, rolling his eyes. “No guarantees that Ridge won’t try when he learns the two of you spent most of last night having sex.”

“That has nothing to do with anyone but Hartley and me.” I squint up at the sullen alpha.

“You know what, Trigg? I’m not even going to waste my breath telling you how inappropriate it was for you to not only put cameras in my bedroom, but to watch private moments you had no right to intrude on.

” I pat his chest and step back. His hand falls from my back, and I step over to Hart, who tosses an arm over my shoulder.

“I need a moment to speak to Hart without an audience. Once we speak, and if he agrees to come with me, I will go with you and Ridge, but fair warning, I have to work the day after tomorrow.”

Trigg’s head tilts. “You never need to work another day in your life. I will gladly provide for you and the baby.”

Damn omega instincts.

I’m fully aware that his words could sound ridiculously sweet or mildly creepy—I know some people use financial abuse to trap partners with no way to escape—but I choose to view his statement as thoughtful.

Mostly because I know if I were trapped in a terrible situation, I could call my mom and dads, and they would send me money for a plane ticket, no questions asked.

Things have been strained between us since I asked for assistance cleaning out Gran’s house after she passed away, but if I was in a truly dangerous situation, I know they would be there to help me.

“Tonight has been crazy, and it’s not over yet,” I say, giving Trigg a tired smile. “If you could give me a minute with Hart, I would appreciate it.”

“Hey, Quincy, right?” The guy in the driver’s seat turns around as I climb into the middle row of the SUV.

“Yep. Hey, Knox.” I force a smile and a friendly wave. It’s really starting to mess with my head that they’ve been this close the entire time.

Trigg is already in the back row, but Hart climbs into the middle row next to me as Ridge takes the passenger seat.

“Shit, this is going to be weird, but I need your autograph for my dad. He’s a big fan.” Knox puts the vehicle in reverse and pulls out of the driveway. It takes me several slow blinks to realize he’s talking to Hartley.

“Yeah, no problem, man,” Hart says, but it sounds forced.

This is going to be an uncomfortable ride.

I only packed a few outfits and necessities, like my phone charger and prenatal vitamins.

My head is a wreck.

Ridge and I need to have a conversation without anyone else around.

I also need to have a talk with Trigg about what is and isn’t appropriate behavior.