Page 159 of Queen of Diamonds

Poor thing was in a rush to find a comfortable place to give birth.

Zed, who, along with Knight, had been happily crossed legged watching the kittens amble about, looked up to us.

“You know,” I said. “I’m calling Elena. She was obsessed with Lucy. I’m sure she wants a kitten.”

“She’s the one with connections with Lev,” Kyan said absently. “I think…”

I blinked at that. “Why would Elena be involved with a Russian fixer?”

“Nah. Irish mob, from what I can tell, but Lev works with them.”

Hold on. Irish—“What?”

I’d always known Annika was like me—seeing how she interacted with the world was a bit like looking in a mirror—but Elena? She was timid and a total hot-mess, in a cute-omega way. How had she ended up with the Irish mob?

“Packed up. Or kidnapped. Hard to tell with the mob. Probably… both?”

“Uh…” He really was stalking my High Roller life. “Wait. Can you contact her pack? Only thing better than getting a kitten is getting a surprise kitten.”

Kyan shrugged. “I think so.”

Well.

I didn’t care what her alphas said. I’d be dropping a kitten at her doorstep.

EPILOGUE TWO

GLADE

Ifixed my diamond studs onto my ears, taking a breath and checking myself once more in the dressing room mirror.

I pushed open the door and made my way to the second-floor bar just before open. Only, I stopped in my tracks at the obscenely handsome image of Zed Maverick in a dark, well fitted suit, leaning arrogantly against the bar. Which was odd, because it was still fifteen minutes until open.

Uh. My eyes narrowed. That was my bar. I hadn’t been here in months. Why was he touching my bar before me? He grinned as he adjusted his cuffs, looking me up and down dramatically as if he hadn’t driven me here in this outfit.

“What the hell are you doing?” I asked. He’d offered to drop me off, not come in.

“I got a job,” he declared.

“You what?” I asked.

“I get paid to follow you around.” He looked so fucking pleased with himself as he adjusted his collar. I narrowed my eyes. Ah. Shit. That was one of the security outfits.

“No way that’s your job.”

“Travis doesn’t really care what I do, as long as there’s the same number of bartending omegas at the end of the night as there was at the start. Apparently, a load of you have gone missing recently”—he cleared his throat.—“can’t imagine why. But he’s paying for extra shadows.”

“You’re joking.”

“I certainly am not.”

“And he didn’t mind the face tattoos?” I asked, a little surprised at that.

“I like to think they look rather classy with the uniform,” Zed said, affronted.

“He’s right, you know.” That was Tallow’s voice behind me. I spun to see him sliding onto a barstool, but he’d only got halfway on before I’d thrown my arms around him.

“Damn, the scent match thawed you a little, Ice Queen.” He chuckled, drawing me into a hug back. And to my relief, I didn’t even flinch as his hand brushed the fabric over my scars.

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