Page 37 of Party Girl: How a Naughty Omega Finds Love
She’ll never be back.
She’s gone.
Sorrow surges through me, and a strong hand pushes mine away. Asher kneels next to me, and I glare at him through watery eyes.
“What are you looking for?”
“A key.”
“Let me help.”
Those three words knock the wind out of me, and I collapse onto my ass. He slowly unzips the smallest pocket, his large hand disappearing inside of it. Furrowing his brow, he shakes his head and moves to the next pocket.
I choke on a cry, trying my damnedest not to let it out. I hate grief.
Asher opens the next pocket. He takes a deep breath and pulls out my more intimate belongings. I’d be devastated if I weren’t so worried about finding the key. Thongs, bras. A small vibrator. The tiny box I kept inside my underwear drawer. I grab it from him and open it, sighing in relief when I see the letter she wrote for my eighteenth birthday still folded up inside. The paper crinkles when I open it, my eyes drinking in the sight of her elegant cursive.
I have this letter.
Clutching it to my chest, I flick my gaze back to where Asher sets the last of the backpack’s contents on the cheap carpeting.
“Hold on,” he whispers, turning the bag upside down. Shaking it vigorously, as though willing whatever I’m desperate to find to appear, he stares at the backpack.
A flash of metal and a soft thud on the carpet makes me gasp. My heart swells, and I snatch the key, gripping it so tightly the teeth of it dig into my skin.
“Thank you,” I tell Asher.
He sits back, searching my face.
I don’t wipe my cheeks. These tears are meant to fall. They don’t hurt, not like losing Granny did.
“So they kicked you out already then?”
“Guess so,” I say with a sigh, staring at the bags on the floor that hold my belongings. I didn’t see the tracker in my searching. The Omega Council probably took it back now that I was auctioned off. I’ve officially worn out my usefulness, so there’s no need to track me.
“Come on, I’ll take you to your parents.”
Shaking my head, I set the key by my side and look through the bags for my wallet. “No. I’m not going there.”
“Okay. A hotel then?”
I nod. “I have some savings.” Granny gave me money from time to time and I’d been collecting it in an account. If only I could find my card, I could use it for a room. “It has to be here.”
I must have missed it during my first search. Surely, they wouldn’t take that too. Who am I kidding? I’m lucky they left me this much.
“Can’t find your purse?” Asher starts to sift through my stuff as well. “What does it look like?”
“It’s a small, black cardholder. I took it out of my purse the other night and left it on my counter.” Prime real estate for swiping. Maybe whoever packed my things stole it. I wouldn’t put theft past the other omegas in the building either. We all come from low packs. We all know what it’s like to want, some more than others. Then there’s Lindsey’s stash. Surely Camila would have made my life hell after finding that. Someone smart enough to realize the value of the drugs took them.
After five minutes of searching for the wallet, we give up.
“Fuck.” I shove my clothes back into one of the suitcases. “I’m not going back to my parents’ house.” Especially not after I broke my mom’s nose. The moment I fall asleep, she’ll be on me.
Asher gives me a confused look.
“You have to arrest me.”
“I’m not arresting you.” Pity colors his features. “There has to be someone else you can call besides your family. A friend?”
