Page 80 of Rocked By the Alpha
Tanya hurries to their sides. “What’s wrong?”
“That sick Alpha. The one who broke into Ruby’s house,” Nat tells her, “Ruby can smell him here.”
Tanya’s face darkens. “Good. Let me get my hands on the dude.”
“Let’s just keep calm. We don’t know where he is.” Nat sweeps her gaze around the theatre. Then motions to Ryan. “Ruby’s feeling a little faint. We’ll get a snack and start again in 15.”
Ryan jumps up onto the stage and jogs towards them. “What can I get you to eat, Ruby? I’ve got an energy bar in my bag.”
“You need to get security,” Nat says.
With all her friends around her, Ruby’s fear is slipping away, replaced by fury. How fucking dare that bastard show up again!
“That sicko who broke into my house is here somewhere.”
Ryan stalls. “Here?”
“I can smell his scent,” she hisses. “Where’s security?”
Ryan stares at her, then jolts into life. “I’ll get them on the radio.” He yanks the silent walkie talkie from his belt and brings it to his mouth.
“Dean,” he says and after a moment a reply crackles over the device. “We have strong reason to believe that the Alpha that broke into Ruby’s house is in the area.” Ryan brings the radio to his ear, listening to the garbled response.
Tanya and Nat have Ruby sandwiched between them but the scent of this man swims through her sinuses and she can’t stand it.
“I think I could sniff him out,” she tells the others.
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea. He could be armed,” Nat says.
“It’ll be quicker and I just want him caught.”
Ryan nods and speaks to Dean on the radio again. “Okay. Security have you covered.”
“I’m just going to walk about casually.” She swallows. “If we alert him to this he may bolt.” The others nod and Nat takes her hand. Both their palms are sweaty.
Ruby walks to the edge of the stage following her nose, the others sticking close to her. The scent curls and twists in the air and it is so clear, so vile, she can practically see it. A trail of breadcrumbs. She follows it down into the audience seats and through the gap in the rows, her gaze swinging along the seats. It gets stronger as they ascend through the seats, walking up towards the back rows, and her heart hammers in her ears, her breath sounding too loud too. She squeezes Nat’s hand tight and her friend encourages her on with a tight smile.
“The view up here is great,” Ryan says casually, his fingers coiled around the radio.
“I’m still not convinced anyone will be able to see me,” Tanya says.
They climb higher. Ruby can see the stage light hanging on the ceiling, can hear the faint tumble of the air con from the vents in the back wall. It’s blowing the hideous scent right at her. The sickness in her stomach flairs. She swallows it away.
The back row.
She climbs the final steps. Her eyes skim down the row of seats and meet another pair. Dark eyes she doesn’t know.
The man sits low in his seat and he smirks at her menacingly.
“There!” she cries, lifting her hand to point at him.
The man jumps to his feet and squares his shoulders. He’s tall and broad, his hair shaved close to his skull, his t-shirt and jeans faded and dirty.
He takes a sinister stride towards her, his dark eyes glinting, and her breath strangles in her throat.
Dean and three other security guards sprint down the rows, leaping over seats.
The Alpha sees them and lunges towards Ruby. She screams, closing her eyes and shielding her face with her arms.
