Page 26 of Ruffled Feathers

“What if we find a scent match? What if Truett falls in love with an Omega who hates her?” I noted he didn’t say what ifhefell in love. Because he was already one hundred percent in love with Otillie-James.

I held back my snort. People-watching was something they’d taught us to do in specialist training, analyzing the smallest flickers of body language, and deciphering what they meant. However, there was nothing small about the way Edison felt about Otillie-James. He watched her like he wanted to gobble her down. He wanted her so badly, it was almost painful to witness.

The way she wanted him back.

Maybe this was the way I could repay her for her kindness; I could help her get her Alphas. I couldn’t have the girl, but they could. Everyone just needed to get out of their own way. Then, when she was happy, I’d be able to leave.

Self-flagellation was the only mistress I’d need.

Thirteen

Strat

The investigating detectives had been less than impressed when I told them we didn’t have enough to charge the only person picked up in the cockfighting raid who’d actually been in possession of a rooster, but once I’d explained her statement, and the corroborating evidence, they’d eventually come around.

However, they’d had a single proviso, one that I’d agreed to, merely because I wanted to see Otillie-James Baler and Truett Heathstone one more time.

The phone line rang, and I tapped my fingers against my desk as I waited for them to answer.

“Heathstone.” The gruff, one-word greeting was exactly what I expected from Truett.

“Truett, it’s Strat Wilmington.” Silence.Surly fucker.“I just wanted to let you know that Miss Baler’s charges have been dropped completely. However, the Rock Hill PD has requested that she come down and look at a lineup of possible suspects to see if she can place any of them at the scene of the cockfight.”

“We politely decline,” he answered almost immediately.

I sighed. I should have known he’d say that, just to bust my balls. “You don’t want to talk to your client about it, perhaps? Maybe I’ll just give her a call myself.”

The idea of talking to the gorgeous Otillie-James Baler made my dick throb. I wish I knew what it was about her that made my Omega purr, but it was something. And unlike an Alpha, who was all angsty about choosing their one mate, Omegas could choose as many as we damn well pleased, and if you wanted to be part of that, you’d just have to get on board, whether Alpha, Beta, Omega, or Unshown.

It was one of the few freedoms that came with the designation.

“Isn’t it unethical to lust after possible defendants?” He sounded so snarky and high-handed, it made me smile. I loved cutting him back down to size.

“Obviously, you weren’t listening. All her charges have been dropped. What goes on now is between yourselves and the police department.” I almost purred as I delivered the next line. “But it is still my job to put the rest of those scumbags away, and I think I’d like to work very closely with Otillie-James to achieve that. Maybe I’ll take her to dinner to discuss it.”

The noise he made down the line was borderline rude. “Over my fucking dead body, Wilmington. Leave OJ alone.”

Oh, that sounded possessive. Maybe I’d read it wrong, and theyweretogether. “Is she yours? I didn’t hear anything about you or Edison Chalmers claiming another Pack member, but I’m not exactly hooked to the grapevine, you know.”

Maybe they had an Omega already. The thought made something that felt a lot like jealousy churn in my chest.

Silence again. “We’re still in the early stages of courting.”

I’d been an ADA long enough to know that he was full of shit, but I let it slide. “I see. Well, as her Alpha and her lawyer, I’d be happy to discuss it with you also. Say, tonight? AtLeLuxe?” I rattled off a fancy French place downtown, even though I was more than happy with hot wings at my local dive bar. His pride would demand that he come, and his need to impress both Otillie-James and me would mean he’d probably pay and burn about it the whole time.

“I’ll make a reservation. We’ll see you there at seven.” He hung up on me, and I laughed. Alphas were so predictable.

Although it was suit and tie attire, I dressed down a little in tailored dress pants and a white dress shirt, with two buttons left undone. Washing out the hair gel, I just ran my fingers and a little mousse through the tousled lengths. It made my hair shine gold in my bathroom lights.

I looked less like the ADA and more like a man. No, more like an Omega.

I’d hated my designation when I first presented. My parents had wanted an Alpha, of course, and they’d made their disappointment very clear. When Elizabeth had designated as an Omega too, their parental disappointment had been all-encompassing.

Not that I gave a fuck what my parents wanted. But I’d had a dream since I was a kid, and it was to be a Supreme Court Justice. Being an Omega would hinder that if I let it. If I showed an ounce too much compassion or empathy—if I was anything but a cutthroat asshole—they’d shunt me to some backwater office and let me live out my little career, until an Alpha could come along and take care of me.

I didn’t want that. I wanted to earn my place. I wanted to be competitive. I wanted to take on my peers and win, fair and square. Truett had been the first of my classmates who hadn’t given a shit. Even now, he didn’t care that I was an Omega—only that I was a worthy adversary in the courtroom.

Handing my keys to the valet, I walked into the restaurant. Smiling politely at themaître d’, I gave her Truett’s name, and she directed me toward a table by the windows. I spotted Truett immediately, his dark hair shining almost mahogany under the chandelier. He stood as I arrived, and I took in his outfit quickly. In dark blue dress pants and cream cashmere sweater, he looked like he just stepped off the pages of GQ.

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