Page 88 of Their Knotty Pack
I click my tongue. "But you did."
"But I did," he agrees, sighing. "Okay, we'll talk when I see you tonight."
I say goodbye and hang up, thinking that he'lldefinitelybe seeing me tonight.
Chapter 36
Bethany
Ifind Hunter in the downstairs bedroom that's been converted to an office, his head in his hands as he stares at a folder on the desk.
"Hunter?" I call gently, not wanting to startle him.
"Bluebell," he looks up at me, his eyes tired, before checking his watch and frowning. "You're home early."
I wince, walking in and perching on the edge of the desk. "Yeah…I kind of got fired." His brows shoot up and he opens his mouth to speak, but I hold my hands out. "Before you say anything, it's probably for the best. The whole place left a sour taste in my mouth after leaving Pack Hansen, and…well speaking of the douchebags, they came to my work today. It was the last straw for management, apparently."
Hunter goes still, his eyes darkening as he looks me up and down. Not with heat or lust, but assessment. Appraisal. Is he…is he trying to see if I got hurt? "Did any of them lay a finger on you?" His voice is calm, but it's that deadly calm before the storm. The quiet before the slaughter.
"No." I quickly shake my head. "You know Brennan Petrov? The guard at the OMS?"
Hunter nods. "Yes. He was at a barbecue with his pack that Kieran's sister invited us to to get to know us. Your brother was there too."
Hannah had them over for a barbecue? Oh. That must have been the one Archie invited me to that I was too busy feeling sorry for myself to attend.
I nod. "So, Brennan showed up, and he scared them off. He may have threatened them a little." I smirk. "They ran out with their tails between their legs."
Hunter closes his eyes, exhaling out of his nose before opening them. "I spent the day compiling all the evidence I can against them for harassing you, and am filing the restraining order with the judge first thing in the morning."
Something Pack Hansen said before leaving the OMS sticks in my mind. "They said…" I swallow, and Hunter looks at me expectantly. "Good luck finding a judge that will approve a restraining order against them…do you know what that means?"
Hunter frowns. "I'm filing it with Judge Caldwell, the fairest and most impartial judge in the courts. Whatever they're implying…it won't be an issue." His attention goes back to the open case file on his desk.
My shoulders deflate in relief. "Good. And Hunter?" He looks back up at me in question. "Thank you. For doing this. For…taking care of me."
He gives me a small, sad smile, nodding once. "Thank you for trusting me to do it."
My eyes catch on the little photo paper-clipped to the folder. "Who's that?" And why…something unsettling sits in my chest at the sight of the pretty blond girl.
He huffs a breath, following my line of sight before turning the folder to face me. "Lindsey Prior, a twenty-four year old omega. She went missing a few weeks ago."
Missing. Right. So why…why does she look familiar? Did I assist her at the OMS at one point? That has to be it. But if that's the case…
"Does she have a pack that's looking for her?" I ask softly.
He shakes his head. "No. No pack, not much of anything, really. She had a job doing overnight commercial cleaning, and somewhere between one job and the next, she just…disappeared. We found her car, abandoned in the warehouse district."
She must not have clicked with any of the packs she got set up with, if she was by herself.
"She's the seventy-eighth omega to just…go missing off the streets in the last six years. No body, no evidence, no…anything. Just evaporated. Like she never existed at all."
He sounds so sad when he talks about them, and I don't know how he does it. I can hardly deal with the idea that I possibly could have had a hand in omegas not being happy with their lives, and here he is, with seventy eight lives riding on his shoulders.
He shuts the file with a sigh, and stands, stretching. "I'm done for the day. Are you hungry? I was about to make myself some kimchi ramen for lunch. Do you want any?" My brows raise. It can't be any later than one, and it's obvious he has more work to do. But is he…is he actually trying to spend time with me?
"I have to admit, I've never had kimchi, but I'd love to try it," I hop down from my spot on the desk and follow him to the kitchen.
"It's a quick and easy meal when the kimchi is made, and I made a fresh jar before we moved in, so it should be perfect to eat now."
