Page 32 of With A Little Luck

I glance toward the end of the alleyway. That reminds me, I’m in a hurry. “He was fine when I saw him earlier. We have an appointment tomorrow with the obstetrician.” I offer a polite smile. “Thank you for the assist earlier. I have to go.”

“Are you sure he’s not related to Easton?” Shaw asks, failing to keep his voice low enough to prevent me from hearing the question.

I scoff.

Easton must not have shared that piece of information with them.

Not that I care.

I have more important things to tackle, like where the hell Knox disappeared to. Making it to the mouth of the alley, I turn right and follow the next equally smelly alleyway past the back of the restaurant and toward the parking lot.

Once I hit the sidewalk, I take it parallel with the building until the railing ends and stride across the roundabout that circles the front of the building.

The parking area is raised, with a walkway in the middle and another railing to prevent cars from pulling forward too far and heading over the three-foot decline.

The same feeling I always get when I’m being watched hits me right in the gut, and I frown, swiveling my head and taking inventory of the parking lot. Well, that instinct might be on the fritz, considering I never noticed the men in the alley until it was nearly too late.

However, the hostess from the restaurant that Knox spent several hours flirting and chatting with stares directly at me with wide eyes. Her hands are glued to the steering wheel, like she’s holding on for dear life.

She twists and frantically digs for something in the passenger seat, and I sigh, making my way to the driver’s side door.

I keep the jewelry bag in my left hand and use the knuckles of my right to knock on the window. Her head whips up, and she shoves her key into the ignition, starting the vehicle.

It’s frigid.

There’s no reason she would be sitting in abject terror unless…

Fuck my life.

This day is never going to end.

Where is Knox?

He’s built a much better rapport with the quirky woman.

I knock again, this time with more force.

If she attempted to put the vehicle in reverse, she would run over my feet if I didn’t jump back.

“Sutton, roll down the window.” It’s firm but not a bark.

I’ll take that route next if necessary.

She jerks to the side and slams her finger on the button to open the window. “I didn’t see anything—I swear!”

Well, that was the least convincing lie I’ve ever heard, and I’ve listened to some real pieces of shit try to bargain right before I took their lives.

Oh yes, I’ve heard many lies in an attempt to save themselves, but somehow this woman is the most transparent of them all.

If she truly believes her life is in danger, I would think she could put a little more effort into being convincing.

I quirk an eyebrow.

She twists, grabbing something from the passenger seat and holding it out the window. “Your friend forgot this. That’s the only reason I followed you. I mean, I was going to give him my number, but…”

Taking the beanie from her outstretched hand, I mentally weigh the chances Quincy will forgive me if I have to kill her work friend.

At least, to my knowledge, they’re only coworkers.

I don’t consider those I’m forced to be friendly with for work purposes to be actual confidants, but Quincy is especially soft.

I don’t believe she would take it well if Sutton went missing. Dropping the beanie into the top of the small jewelry bag, I open the car door and grab the tops of my dress pants at the knees, pulling them up enough that I’m able to squat down.

Christ.

She must be traumatized if she put on her seat belt only to sit in the car for at least thirty minutes without ever leaving.

“Can I be honest with you, Sutton?”

Her eyes widen, and she leans deeper into the vehicle in an attempt to get away from me. “I won’t call the cops or anything. It was clear you were just defending yourself. I didn’t even really see anything. Oh God, except all that blood.”

“Listen to me carefully,” I say, forcing every bit of alpha command that I’m capable of into my words.

“You care about Quincy. It’s easy to see.

You’ve been a great friend to her when no one else at work has given her the time of day.

” Okay, that’s just my personal observation, but I’m astute.

“Quincy is tangled up in something that she had no part of getting herself into. I can’t give you specific details, but I can assure you that I’m here to keep her safe.

If you were to turn me in, I wouldn’t be around to protect her. ”

“Wait, what?” Sutton’s jaw falls. “You told me you haven’t seen her.”

“Yes, well, I was attempting to keep you out of their line of sight,” I say calmly. “Quincy is safe. I will make sure you speak to her, but for her sake, and the baby’s, I would appreciate keeping what happened earlier between us. She doesn’t need any additional stress.”

“I know how to keep my mouth shut,” she says, nodding repeatedly. “Please don’t kill me.”

“I don’t harm innocent people.” I shove my glasses up with my free hand. “Quincy is being hunted because of her association to her daughter’s father. She’s done nothing wrong. They’ve found her guilty simply because of her proximity to him.”

And me, too, but I keep that morsel of information to myself.

“Where is she?”

“She’s close and safe. Hartley is with her.” I offer a polite smile. “The type of men we’re dealing with are not deterred by cops or laws. They planned an execution in the middle of town…”

“But there were others watching your back,” she says, like she’s trying to force the pieces together.

I nod. “And I’m lucky they were.”

“I don’t want Quincy to get hurt.” Her voice wavers, and her eyes dart away.

She hasn’t decided if she’s going to file a police report. It’s clear she’s struggling with what she thinks is the morally sound call, and she’s saying what she needs to say to ensure I don’t kill her.

“I know you don’t,” I say, placating her.

“And I won’t allow that to happen, but again, to ensure her safety, I have to be in a position to protect her.

These aren’t the kind of men who run when sirens get close.

They won’t hesitate to take out a cop or two if that’s what it takes to complete their contract.

” Seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars is a motivator like no other, but I keep the financial details to myself.

“Quincy is at risk. We’re not talking about low-level thugs or a pissed-off ex-boyfriend.

These are contract killers. They don’t knock.

They don’t warn you that you’re next, but now that you know what’s happening, you’re at risk too.

They will come for you if they even think you have information that might lead them to their target. ”

Her hand flies to cover her mouth, and I prepare myself to duck out of the way if she vomits.

There we go.

It seems Sutton is finally realizing what she walked herself into while trying to return Knox’s beanie.

“I understand that you’re a good person. You want to do what’s right. That’s an admirable trait.” I reach out and awkwardly pat her thigh. “The hard part comes when doing the right thing on paper translates to the wrong thing in reality.”

“Do you always talk in riddles?”

I nearly snort.

I’m much better at making direct threats than veiled ones, but I’m trying to handle this situation in a way that won’t make Quincy hate me if she hears about it.

“Let me put it to you this way,” I say, letting the mask of civility fade. “Would you rather experience a few moments of guilt or a lifetime of looking over your shoulder?”

“Who’s going to protect me?” she snaps. “You said I’m involved. If I don’t call the cops, who is going to watch my back?”

Shit.

She has a point there.

There’s every possibility that I should have called Easton the moment I saw her. That would have made her his loose end to tie up. I intervened, and now this is my mess.

“You’re fond of Knox.” I bring the bag up, shaking it to show his beanie.

“He’s highly trained in personal security.

You can leave your car here tonight. You’re rattled and in no state to drive safely.

I’ll have him accompany you home, and he will stay with you until I can speak to someone about having a team assigned to you.

They’ll protect you while this plays out. ”

“And if I say no?” Her chin tilts in the air.

“Then you take your chances on your own.” I shove myself to my feet. “Best of luck, Sutton. Hopefully the police response times will be up to your standards if you truly need to call upon them.”

“Hey, wait!” she calls out as I turn. The sound of her seat belt being flung off fills the air. “I changed my mind.”

A slow smile crosses my face.

I’ll just bet she did.

The drive to drop me off at Ridge’s is awkward.

Sutton’s fear permeates the air, making my nose wrinkle. She’s an omega, by the smell of it, and I’m baffled how I failed to notice until now.

Knox doesn’t seem heartbroken to know he’ll be keeping a close eye on her for at least a day or two. Easton opens my messages and leaves me on read. Perhaps he’ll call later, since I was sparse with details in text, but he knows Knox is now responsible for keeping Sutton quiet.

I’m mildly amused how wide her eyes get when we pull into Ridge’s neighborhood. She scoffs as she spots the gate guards, but I probably would too if I didn’t understand the severity of the situation.

“I’ll stay with Sutton while you run in to grab your belongings,” I tell Knox before twisting in my seat to face the omega.

Bringing the jewelry bag to sit on the armrest between the front seats, I grab out his beanie and toss it on the dashboard.

“Now, I was rushed a bit, but I’d like your opinion on a few things I purchased for Quincy. ”

Knox shuts the door, grumbling about something, and I ignore him.

“Okay,” she says, leaning forward. “But you said you would prove to me that Quincy is okay.”

I frown.

Did I say that, or is that just how she interpreted things?

Either way, I collect my phone and pull up the cameras. “She’s setting up her nest. Pregnancy increases the instinct even more strongly than her just being an omega. She is fine.”

Holding out my phone, I provide the proof Quincy is alive and well.

“Now, back to my gifts. Do you think she’ll like them?”