Page 78 of Nest of Thieves
I press my lips together. Omegas aren’t technically supposed to have sex before they’re paired with a pack. Just like with the jobs I did for Laurence, I kept my love life a secret. It’s not like I was out every weekend sleeping around, but I’ve done it enough to know how and what I like. I also know that, no matter how hard I tried to keep my feelings out of it, the more I had sex with a person, the more I thought about them.
“You’ve never been good at following the rules, have you?” It doesn’t surprise me he’s connecting the dots when I practically drew the line for him.
“No,” I admit, sliding my gaze over his face. “Have you?”
“No,” he says with an ornery smirk. “Life is boring in a box.”
I bite back a smile. “It is.”
His face hardens a little and he glances out his window. “We should go in.”
Even though we’re done talking for now, I know the conversation is far from over.
twenty-one
JO
Orion is laid out on the desk in the shop’s office. His shirt is off, and his torso is painted red. Doc hovers over him, hands covered in Orion’s blood. My eyes zero in on the crimson color against Doc’s pale skin. There’s so much. The contents of the desk are littered all over the floor, knocked off to give Doc a working table. Lark immediately leaves my side and goes to join Vette and Mac where they stand by Orion’s head.
“Hey, man.” He gazes down at Orion.
“Hey, boss,” Orion says, grunting in pain.
“Keep quiet,” Doc says, wiping the area surrounding one of the punctures. “Fuck,” he mutters.
“Fuck?” Orion asks, glancing at Vette and Mac. “What does fuck mean?”
Blood pours from the wound—seeps from it. I’m not a doctor, but I know that’s not good. Orion isn’t going to make it, but that doesn’t stop Doc from trying. Doc’s brow is covered in sweat while he works, face lined with concentration and concern.
“Nothing, man. You’re good.” Mac puts his hand on Orion’s forehead. “Look at me, O. You’re good, yeah?”
Orion’s pale face scrunches in pain. “It hurts.”
“You got stabbed, O. Of course, it hurts.”
Orion laughs a little, then winces in pain. “They were fucking kids, man.”
“We’ll get them,” Mac swears. “You’re A.C.K. No one messes with the Atlantic City Knights and gets away with it.”
Vette glances in my direction. I lift an eyebrow to say,yeah, I know that’s your gang,but right now, I’m not thinking about how to use the information to my advantage. Right now, all I’m worried about is the young man on the desk who is, without a doubt, bleeding out. The minutes tick by, and Doc never gives him anything for the pain. The man is so focused on trying to fix Orion that he’s not bothering with how the man feels.
“Hey, Doc?” I ask.
“What, dammit? I’m in the middle of something!”
I ignore his tone and walk to his side. “I think the patient needs some pain relief. Do you have any?”
Doc blinks and looks at me, understanding flashing across his face. “There’s morphine in the bag.” He turns back to Orion and sets to work.
I scan the room, acutely aware of three pairs of eyes drilling into my back. The bag is on the floor next to the desk. I grab it and dig through it, finding the morphine and a needle.
“How much?” I prep the needle, glancing toward Orion, whose face is contorted in pain.
“The whole thing,” the wounded man says.
“You’ll kill yourself before I can save you,” Doc growls.
Orion pants and wheezes out a laugh. “I’m already dead, Doc.”
