Page 20 of Dodging Bullets

He waved a hand. “I can drive myself home, Rio.” I raised a single eyebrow, and he sighed. “You aren’t going to let it go, are you?”

I mean, he was an unbonded Omega who lived on the bad side of town, and it was the middle of the night. “Not unless you want to stay here tonight?”

August’s eyes flicked to Paloma and Llew, then back to me. “I shouldn’t. I have to be at work for an early appointment tomorrow.” Standing, he stretched, and a sliver of his golden stomach peeked out. Lust hit me in the chest, but I pushed it down. It was inappropriate, at the very least.

Pulling my boots on, I waited by the door as August gave Max a quick hug, then shook Llew’s hand once more. Paloma was sound asleep, and he just gazed down at her sleeping face, her bottom lip caught softly between her teeth. He didn’t wake her, though.

Finally, we stepped out the front door, and I walked with him down the front steps to the driveway. His car had seen better days. Hell, it had probably seen better decades.

August chuckled as he stood beside it. “If you could see your face right now.” He held up the keys. “Do you want to drive, or are you good with being the passenger princess?”

I growled at him, making him laugh harder. I grabbed the keys off him and held open his door. “One of us has driven in a warzone, Omega. I’ll drive; you be the passenger princess.”

He gave me a cocky smirk, and I felt like I’d just done exactly what he wanted me to, but I didn’t have it in me to care. He folded himself easily into the car, looking up at me with a smile that promised mischief. “Yeah, but one of us has driven this shitbox all the way to California, though I’ll let you drive if it makes you feel better.” He was teasing me, but I was still relieved. Being in control of things helped keep my demons at bay, and August was an expert on my demons. I’d definitely played right into his hand.

The car took two turnovers to fire, and I slid my eyes to August. He just shrugged. “This is going to blow your mind, butthe VA doesn’t have a lot of money to pay its therapists. This old girl still gets me where I need to go.”

Barely,I thought, but didn’t say anything else as I pulled away from the house. We were quiet for a moment until I got on the freeway, and I wasn’t happy with how shaky this hunk of metal felt as soon as you went over fifty miles per hour.

Finally, I cleared my throat. “I can’t thank you enough for coming out today. I know it kind of went sideways there, but we’re kind of out of our element with Paloma. There’s so much trauma there that I feel like I’m walking along a goat track with landmines either side. We don’t want to inadvertently cause her more damage.”

August nodded softly. “Anytime. I mean it. I would like to come and visit her more often, perhaps help her get acclimatized to the world she now lives in.” He let out a sigh, the sound loud enough to be heard over the loud whistle of his car engine.

How did this thing even run? I wondered if he’d let me take it to my mechanic to get it looked at.

He continued. “Can you imagine living life thinking that the rest of civilization had perished in an apocalypse, only to discover it wasn’t true?”

I shook my head, because the very idea made me both disbelieving and full of rage. “If I ever get my hands on her supposed ‘Leader,’ I’m going to tear his head from his body. He abused her. Did you see that brand? That is theleastof the physical markings on her body, let alone the emotional scars. He kept them locked away, convinced her she was worthless.”

For a moment, I wondered if I’d gone too far in my vehemence. August just stared out the windscreen, lost in his own thoughts. Eventually, he turned back to me. “Let me know if you need an alibi. I have no sympathy for people who abuse Omegas.”

I’d forgotten that August worked with people who’d seen the worst of humanity from both sides of the political lines. Scary Alphas didn’t faze him. In another world, he would have been a great addition to the Pack.

Smirking, I watched the road. “Good to know.”

August opened and closed his mouth a few times, like he was trying to find the words for what he wanted to say next, which was odd for the normally self-assured therapist. “You should also know that I think she’s only a few weeks from her heat. And if I had to guess, I’d say she’s been on heat suppressants for a while. She should have had her first heat years ago, but she seems completely unaware of anything to do with her Omega nature. She’s been here for a few days now, and before that, in whatever hellhole you found her in, so I would bet my medical license that she didn’t even know what she was taking before. She wouldn’t even think to ask for them now.”

I clenched my back teeth. “Should I find her a supply elsewhere?” Suppressants weren’t exactly legal; Paloma wouldn’t be able to walk into a doctor’s clinic and request them. But I could find someone, if August thought that was what was best for her. I needed another Omega’s opinion on this, because I didn’t know shit about Omega biology and the effects of delaying a heat.

“You should ask her, of course,” August said simply.

I pulled at the collar of my shirt at just the idea of that conversation. Was it hot in here? “Maybe you should have the birds and the bees talk with Paloma. It would be better coming from you.” Or maybe even Otillie-James. Lance would bring her around if I asked.

“Alpha soldiers never cease to amuse me. You just told me you drove a vehicle through a warzone, but the idea of talking to an Omega about her heat sends you into a tailspin?” He chuckled softly, a sound that soothed my frayed nerves. “She’s unaware ofthe world, Rio, but she isn’t stupid. Explain it to her in layman’s terms; she might surprise you.” I opened my mouth to argue again, and he raised a hand. “But if you think she’d be more receptive to hearing the facts from another Omega, I’m happy to address it with her.”

Relief coursed through me. Not that I didn’t think I—well, probably Max—could’ve had that conversation with Paloma, but we all had a vested interest in how her heat would progress. August was an impartial expert on the matter.

We were silent again, both lost in our own thoughts, until he directed me through the scummy part of town to his apartment. It stood tall and dark beneath a broken streetlight, and I felt my molars grinding. “This is where you live?”

August shrugged as he pointed to a designated carpark out the back of the apartment block. “Yep.”

“Is it safe?” I was on edge, the shadows in the parking lot making me feel jumpy. “Stay.” I nearly barked, just pulling back from commanding him. Fuck, that was bad, but I hated that he was about to walk across an area with bad lighting and too many hiding places. I walked to his car door, watching the shadows for threats. Opening it slowly, I looked at his tense face and hung my head. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to compel you to stay. Old habits.”

August stared up at me, his eyes seeing far too much. Finally, he gave me a short nod and stood. “I understand. But if you try to bark at me, I’ll stab you in the kidney.”

A laugh burst out of me, ricocheting around the empty area and bouncing off the darkened buildings. “Fair. Let me walk you to your door. Please?”

Shaking his head softly, he grabbed his briefcase from the footwell and followed me to the security door. He scanned a keycard, the door popping open. “I’m really quite safe from here,” he told me softly. “The area is sketchy, but the other tenants in this building are good people.”

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