Page 110 of Passion and Payback

“Jesus, definitely didn’t get snagged by any government agency,” I blurted out at the sight of him.

“Alpha,” he said in that calm voice of his. “Probably best I come in and assess the mess you two have made.”

“O...kay,” I said, stepping back and letting him in, closing the door behind him and locking it. Not that the lock had done much good, but it made me feel better. “I’m going tolovewhat is coming up. I can sense it.”

“Your sarcasm is noted, and your instincts are as sharp as ever. This meeting will be informative and perhaps stressful,” he said, gesturing ahead. “If you would. I imagine an unknown person coming into his apartment would cause a stir after everything that’s happened.”

“Loving this,” I repeated in a sing-song voice as I led him up the stairs and into the apartment. I was surprised Hunter wasn’t waiting in the hallway. Instead, I could hear him doing something in the kitchen. “Hunter, when you’re done...doing whatever you’re doing, we have company.”

“Thank you for the obvious,” Hunter called back, his tone unreadable other than the tension.

“At least he’s cracking jokes. That’s something,” I muttered as Stitch walked toward the mess in the hallway, and I closed the door.

I followed him as he peered down at the two bodies with a low hum before speaking again. “Black Hat again.”

“They were a group of friends with money and connections. I’m not surprised they used the same company for their dirty business. I expected it, really.”

“But didn’t expect the attack.”

“No.”

“Not like you. Has love and home made you sloppy?”

“Without things like love or a sense of bonding, I wouldn’t have been the ‘Alpha’ you all needed me to be.”

He took the counterargument in stride, thinking about it before nodding and stepping into the living room. After a moment, he looked at me, and despite barely moving, I could sense the question he was asking. In turn, I could only swallow hard and turn my face away, not afraid to show him the guilt and the sorrow. Stitch was an odd guy, but he understood loss and never judged another for their feelings unless they were in his way.

“Bedroom,” I said when he finally turned away, and I watched as Stitch strode down the hallway. I realized he was wearing black leather boots and black jeans. It wasn’t unheard of for a former soldier to break into their real self after they got out of the military, and some of that realness was...wild. Stitch, however, was not the man I would have pegged to go for such an unusual and striking look, but then again, I never claimed to know him as a person, just as a soldier and squad mate.

He emerged from the bedroom a couple of minutes later, a thoughtful expression on his face. When I tried to speak, he raised a hand gently at his side and silenced me. Not more than ten seconds later, Hunter appeared, his eyes darting immediately to Stitch. If he had any thoughts about Stitch’s appearance, his face gave nothing away before he put on a small smile.

“Coffee?” he asked.

“Strong as hell, please,” I said.

“Anything fancy? I’m not the whiz Rich is, but I picked some things up and have the stuff.”

“Straight black, maybe an espresso or two.”

“Right and...”

“This is Stitch,” I said.

“Hello, Hunter,” Stitch said, his hands still at his side. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Small talk doesn’t come easy to you, does it?”

“I find it irritating.”

Hunter smiled at that. “Good to know. Well, would you like some?”

“A mocha with a shot of espresso would be nice.”

“I can do that. I already had the espresso machine going for myself anyway.”

“Thank you.”

Hunter walked off, and I thought about asking Stitch how he knew Hunter was coming around the corner but decided against it at the look on his face. I recognized it from the time we’d worked together, and he needed his time and space to think. I always imagined his thoughts were like futuristic computer on some spaceship, where all the screens were in front of him, running equations, algorithms, possibilities, and things I would never understand.

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