Page 81 of Party Girl: How a Naughty Omega Finds Love
“Trev and Asher are here now. I’m safe.”
He stares at me, gray eyes piercing. “I wish I weren’t so worried, but they’re the best people I know to leave you with for protection.”
I nod and lift the corners of my mouth slightly. “I’ll be okay.”
“I don’t like it.”
Narrowing my eyes, I lean forward and poke his chest. “Don’t make me feel weak.”
“You’re not weak,” he says quickly, standing and adjusting his pants. “I’ll be back within the hour.” He drops a quick kiss on my lips before I can get up and leave.
By the time I make it out of his room, he’s already informed the guys where he’ll be going and storming toward the front of the house. I’m not ashamed to admit I check his ass out. Something about a man being angry on my behalf is so damn sexy. He drags the guy Avi knocked out to his car. I check the street, but no one is outside right now. The gunshots probably terrified the neighbors, but the cop cars are here now.
A beat-up sedan pulls up to the curb and my stomach flips. I open my mouth to warn Hayden, but he waves at whoever is inside.
Maddy, the paramedic, walks toward Hayden’s patrol car. They have a short conversation before she adjusts the big bag hanging off her shoulder and heads toward me.
“I knew you couldn’t stay away,” she says when I meet her at the door. She takes in the mess. “Wow. What happened?”
I press my lips together.
Maddy releases a breath. “Asher called me because he trusts me, but I get it. My orders are to make sure you’re okay and then check on Avi.” She points to a barstool, and I take a seat. Grabbing a few things from her bag, she sets them on the counter before shining a light at my face. “Your bruises from the other night are almost gone. Follow the light with your eyes.”
“I didn’t hit my head.” At least, not very hard.
“Follow the light,” she says again, moving it across my line of sight. I do as she asks, letting her poke and prod me. “What happened to your neck? Those are new marks.”
I reach up and touch the bruises, still unsure if I can tell her the truth.
“I like these guys and I don’t think they’d hurt you, but you’d tell me if you weren’t safe, right?”
“It’s not like that,” I say.
She arches an eyebrow. “What’s it like then?” Rubbing her hands together to warm them up, she eyes my throat. “I’m a friend of the pack, Whitney. I’d never sell these guys out. They’re the closest thing to brothers that I have.”
I study her face. “How do you know them?”
Gently, she touches my neck, pushing and feeling for any sign of serious damage. “Asher and I grew up on the same street. Our parents were friends. He went to the academy, and I became a paramedic.”
“So you see each other a lot?”
“Only on the job and on the occasional barbeque our parents hold. They’re a great pack and we’re friends, but my mate and baby take up most of my free time.”
Some of the jealousy that had been building inside of me subsides.
“The guy Hayden has in his car was choking me.”
“Asshole,” Maddy mutters, removing her hands from my neck. “You’ll be okay. Maybe a little sore, but within a few days you’ll be back to normal.” She starts to shove her supplies in her bag. “One last thing.”
“Yeah?”
She zips her bag. “Don’t hurt them, okay?” It’s not a warning so much as a plea. Maddy really cares about these guys.
“I’ll try not to.”
Patting my thigh, she nods. “Thank you.” Maddy heads down the hall and softly knocks on the bedroom door, joining Asher, Trev, and Avi.
Unease settles in my stomach at being left alone. Instead of going to join them, I search for a broom and dust pan, stepping around debris and glass. Being in this room makes my heart rate skyrocket, but I breathe through my nose, counting the inhales and exhales. My mind starts to wander. I count the pieces of glass I sweep up instead. Cleaning will help me stave off the panic that’s slowly building in my chest, threatening to take over at any second. I sweep the space three times before all the bigger pieces of glass are cleaned up.
