Page 5 of Heat & Deceit
She nods and pats herself on the back. “I know I work forPlaying for Keeps, but I think I could be an interior designer.”
“You could create a custom line for the game. Dick-shaped body pillows. Sheets with the art from the app on it.”
“Dick-shaped body pillows,” she says with a laugh. “God, I should get one. The guys would hate it.”
I swallow down the jealousy that rankles inside of me. Unlike my shitty pack that rejected me, Kiki had three alphas pining after her for years. They’re so happy, it makes me want to throw up...or punch something.
It’s fine. I don’t want a pack, not after what happened with the last one. I don’t need a bunch of alphas to be happy. I can do this on my own. I have to.
“So. I want to check, because I know you mentioned it, but the heat suppressants the center was giving you—”
“I have enough to last me another few weeks. Plenty of time for me to find a supplier.” Heat suppressants are only available legally when it’s medically necessary. As Sunny Hill is meant to help people recover, they couldn’t exactly have an omega go into heat. Nothing is more unstable than an omega in need of a knot. Truth be told, the last heat I remember was with my old pack. Everything after that is a blur.
“Are you sure finding a dealer is a good idea?”
“It is what it is.” I shrug and pretend like the idea of being so close to drugs doesn’t make my skin itch. Since there’s no longer a medically valid reason for me to suppress my heat, I can’t get a prescription. “I need the suppressants if I’m going to live my life as a beta.”
“Right.” Kiki presses her lips together.
“What?”
“Nothing,” she says too quickly.
“Just say it. You don’t think I can do this.”
She scoffs. “That’s not what I was going to say.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“I was going to say that you should let me check around, find a connection who’s legit and safe. You know how it goes with these dealers.”
All too well.
It’s not a bad idea.
But again, I’d be accepting more help.
“I see you worrying about letting me help. I’m more than happy to do it, and you can’t stop me.” She stares me down, daring me to argue. The determined glint in her blue eyes is enough to tell me this is a battle I won’t win.
I blow out a hard breath. “Fine, you can help.”
“Wow. Don’t sound so excited about it. We’re family, Nova. We take care of each other.” She hops off the bed and steps toward me.
Involuntarily, I take a step away, and my back smacks into the wall.
“Shit, sorry.”
I nod. “It’s okay. It’s just a habit.”
“I hate them.”
Thembeing my pack and the assholes they sold me to.Thembeing Curtis, the alpha who owned Twisters, the strip club I was forced to work at, and his omega, Shelly. Shelly has other alphas, but I only ever dealt with her and Curtis at the club. They weren’t good people.
“Curtis is dead. And the pack... They’re still in jail?” Before I made it to rehab, the pack had tried to find me but ended up in a brawl with some Hell Hounds. Things went sideways and shots were fired. I’m not sorry they’re locked up. They’re assholes, and honestly, they probably deserve worse.
“Yup. A few well-placed warnings kept any bail bonds from working with them, and my guys made sure they didn’t have enough money in their bank accounts to get out. Trial isn’t for another few months.”
“Good. Fuck them.”
