Page 20 of Knight With Benefits

“Okay then, I guess I’ll see you in the morning.”

Her lips tipped up, although she wasn’t quite smiling as she nodded back. She wiggled her fingers in a semblance of a wave before slowly closing the door with me still standing there, steadily convincing her I was some creepy stalker the longer I couldn’t make my feet move.

Dragging a deep breath into my lungs, searching for a hint of her scent amidst the rest of the lingering smells, I finally peeled my sole from the ground and turned. My pace was little better than plodding as I forced myself away from her home, but I managed to keep from looking over my shoulder in case she was watching through her window to be sure I left.

Exhaustion hit as I stepped in front of The Hangout, the emotional drain of the day taking more from me than physical labor ever did. Seeing my bike sitting by itself across the parking lot instead of parked with the others made my shoulders slump, and as much as I didn’t want to go the extra distance, I also couldn’t leave it over there. Hell wasn’t as bad as the Slums, but I still wouldn’t leave my motorcycle unattended in an empty lot for an extended time. The light that should have shone on that area was too dull to give more than a bare gleam, and I added replacing it to the list of tasks I had in my head for the café. It would be an easy way to pay Gwyn back without her realizing what I was doing.

Sitting on my bike, I didn’t bother cranking it. I was half tempted to leave since I was already on it, but I knew I wasn’t tired enough yet to make it through the night alone, and the guys would say something if they didn’t see me again after the way I’d popped in while looking for Gwyn. My phone had already vibrated in my pocket a few times, I just hadn’t bothered to check it yet.

I walked my bike over to put it in the row with the others, noting who else was inside. Blake’s ride was missing, but Sebastian’s was there, with Patch’s and Danger’s, and a couple of the others.

The guys were in their usual spot when I made it inside, and I braced myself for the questions I knew would come. Knox moved from the chair beside Sebastian as I made my way over, and I was glad to see Frank using the arm he’d broken as he poured beer from the pitcher into one of the empty glasses before sliding it to me as I took a seat.

Sebastian’s and Danger’s mates sat between them, discussing something as the guys talked about a rebuild they were doing at the shop. Sebastian’s garage had done well in Hell, but it was booming at its new location. He’d even mentioned opening a second shop in Hell again since he was just as devoted to the community as the rest of us, hinting at putting me in charge of it, but I had no interest in running a garage. I didn’t mind the two days I helped out so he could have time off with his mate, but I preferred the work I did the other days of the week. If I was running his second location, I wouldn’t have time to help the people who needed the handywork I did.

“Any issues today?”

If there had been anything serious I’d have called Sebastian immediately, and he knew that, he was just using the question as an opening. I took a drink as an excuse to put off answering, making him wait and buying myself a few more seconds to decide how I would explain my earlier actions.

“Nope.”

I popped the P, staring him down and daring him to ask. I’d known Sebastian since I’d moved to Penford after leaving the military, and we’d gotten along right from the start, but we were both alphas. It was natural to challenge each other to a degree.

“Find who you were looking for?”

He might not have realized who it was, but it couldn’t have been hard to figure out that was what I’d been doing when I stuck my head in earlier.

“Yep.”

I popped the P again just to be annoying, making Sebastian roll his eyes. I was the older of the two of us, but he always claimed to be more mature. Teasing him was a favorite pastime of mine, and he knew better than to take it seriously.

Shaking his head, he let out a sigh.

“Well, that’s good. Have you seen or heard anything about you-know-who?”

My gut tensed, fresh worry flooding in thinking something else had happened. Ever since Brooke had shown up at the garage asking him to tend her through her heat, we’d been having more problems with the Purists, and everyone was waiting for the other shoe to drop after the trial that had ended with three of the speciest’s leaders in prison for trafficking, along with a list of other crimes. Some hoped that the silence of the group meant they’d been cowed, but I had a feeling new people had already taken over and were just biding their time. Minor skirmishes along our borders were nothing, I was waiting for a real attack.

“Nothing out of the ordinary. We had a group of betas in here last week who seemed to have those leanings, but David kicked them out, and Patch made sure they left the area.”

Sebastian hummed as he took a swig of his drink, his arm subtly tightening around his mate. None of us blamed him for helping her, despite the trouble it had led to, and the scar around his neck showed he’d taken the brunt of it. The only other person who’d been truly hurt was Jackson, and we were doing our best to help him.

My gaze slid to the woman beside Brooke, the wild curls framing her round face giving her a cheery appearance. Charity had just as many reasons to hate the Purists as the rest of us. After she found out they were trafficking women, they’d kidnapped her sister to blackmail her into being claimed by one of them so she couldn’t rat them out. I didn’t enjoy violence for the sake of it, but killing those bastards holding the women hostage had been a pleasure.

“There are rumors floating around that someone has finally taken over and is organizing them again. Someone who’d been a silent partner before and has been around through it all, which means they might hold a grudge.”

I cursed under my breath. We all knew the Purists would never go away, too many people were intolerant of those who were different, but we had hoped the group would die down at least. It didn’t seem like that would be happening if there were already rumors.

“Anything aimed at us?”

“Not yet.”

I bit back a sigh and drowned it under another swig of beer. The mess with the Purists was almost enough to send me running for a cabin deep in the woods where I’d never see another person again, but I could never leave my brothers. The Knights were the pack I’d never had, closer than the only family I had left, and they’d accepted me despite my demons.

Besides, I’d go crazy alone with nothing but time to think of my past.

“So, who was that omega the other night?”

My hackles rose, my entire body tensing again as Sebastian got to what he’d really wanted to ask. Sebastian was happily bonded, so I knew he had no interest in Gwyn himself, but the alpha part of me still didn’t like another male asking about the omega I’d taken too much interest in.

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