Page 11 of Breaking the Alpha
Weird didn’t begin to cover the change in Birch—the gentle way he brushed Jocelyn’s hair from her eyes, the relaxation in his movements, even the shift in his stance as the old guarded preparedness River had seen in Birch his whole life melted to a casual comfort.
For a moment, he wondered if he would ever be the same with someone.Someone less LA couture and more barefoot hippie.But now wasn’t the time to think about it.Not when his pride was stinging from the fake number Angelina had given him and the tightness in his chest after she walked out was still making itself known.
Besides, now was the time to go into the house he’d dreamed of burning to the ground since he was seven years old.
While Birch and Grey went inside, Jocelyn held back until he joined her.
“Your room is made up for you and there are fresh towels on your bed,” she said, her steel-blue eyes warm.“It’s good to have you home.Grey has been bouncing off the walls waiting for you since Birch texted us.”
“Thanks,” he murmured as he stepped into the entranceway and took a moment to look around the main floor.
Therewerean awful lot of throw cushions.
Jocelyn eased past him and whispered something into Birch’s ear then patted him on the backside when Birch turned to Grey.“Go get River’s bags out of his trunk and take them up to his room.”
Grey grunted but obeyed, shouldering him on the way out and smirking when River’s balance went off for a split second.
He joined Birch and Jocelyn in the kitchen, his eyes drawn to the turquoise art on the place mats on their old kitchen table.“Are those octopuses?”
“Octopuses, sea turtles, whales and—” Birch tilted his head.“Seahorses.Beer?”
He shook his head.“No thanks.I have a major campaign shoot in a few weeks, so every beer equals an extra twenty minutes in the gym and it just isn’t worth it.”
Birch set his beer bottle down, shaking his head with a smile.“Jesus H.Christ.Who’d have thought people would be paying good money to have your ugly mug in ads?”
Before he could respond, Jocelyn slid in close to Birch and bumped him with her hip.“For the record, River, I would pay good money.So would my mom and every other woman in town.”
“Your mom, hey?”He liked her more and more every time she spoke.“So Jocelyn, that thug you’re snuggling up to mentioned you’re an accountant.”
“Forensic accountant,” Birch chimed in, his thumb moving across his phone screen.“It’s like an accountant on steroids.Take a look.”
Leaning in, he scanned the news articles mentioning Jocelyn, brows shooting up.“Woah.And this guy is the best you could do?If you ever want to trade up, I have a younger broth—”
Grey’s hand caught him upside the head, his other trying to snatch the extra beer off of the counter.“Shut it, dipshit.I’m moving in on the sly.”
Jocelyn responded with nothing more than a laugh and the easing of the beer out of Grey’s hand while Birch merely took another sip and winked at his girlfriend.
It was so normal if he didn’t look at the table and remember how hard the wood was when his head was bounced off it.
If he didn’t see the faint discoloration on the drywall where Winter patched the hole left by River’s shoulder when his dad shoved him into it for sneaking an extra sandwich.
If he couldn’t still hear the sound of Grey crying in his bed weeks after their mother took off and left them alone under the heavy hand of their father.
The doorbell rang and he snapped back to the present moment as Grey snatched the money from Jocelyn’s hand and raced to answer it.Birch called out a reminder to tip twenty percent and Jocelyn set plates onto the octopus place mats.
*
River loaded thelast of the dishes into the dishwasher and started it, leaning against the counter as the levity of their meal gave way to the more pressing, serious topics needing to be addressed.
“There are currently thirteen businesses under investigation through the firm I work for,” Jocelyn stated, placing a hand on Birch’s knee.“Serpent’s Tongue was one of many, and the number involved is growing.Most are scattered through the Midwest, a few on the coast.It’ll take months, maybe years, to connect all the dots, but Ryder wasn’t simply dealing a few handfuls of drugs out the back door.He was involved with a ring.”
“And they aren’t happy they lost their hold in Epson,” Birch finished, his voice hard.“Ryder was servicing half the counties in the region.We’ve received a few calls from guys wanting to meet up.”
“Untraceable calls,” Jocelyn interjected.“Whoever was above Ryder wants Birch to take over.”
Looking back and forth between them, he scoffed.“You aren’t taking them up on that, are you?”
“Fuck no,” his older brother growled.“But since you’re going to be putting in time at the shop, you need to know to keep your head up and be aware.No one works nights alone.If any of these assholes call, I have a number taped to the laptop to report it.Anyone acts sketchy, we call Sheriff Fogerty.”
