Chapter 15 Jagger
FIFTEEN
Jagger
“Thank you for being so accommodating,” I say as Calder leads us through The Valley Voice office.
After reaching out a few days ago, we arranged a time to meet early. Six in the morning seemed ridiculous, but he felt that it was best for discretion.
“Not a problem,” Calder says smoothly. Although he’s been professional and shook my hand, his smile doesn’t meet his eyes, giving me the impression that his girlfriend has made him well aware of my history.
“I know you don’t give many interviews, so I have to admit that I was surprised to hear from you. ”
I glance around at the desks, covered in papers and photographs. “I want to support the college paper.”
“You have a loose radiator valve,” Nash comments.
“Sorry?” Calder frowns in confusion at my packmate.
He points. “The valve. It’s broken.” His tone is matter-of-fact as he kneels to examine it. “If you don’t get it fixed, you’re gonna have a flood on your hands.”
“Thanks, I’ll call a plumber,” Calder replies. “They should be able to come on Monday.”
“No need.” Nash flicks his wrist. “I always keep tools in the car.”
Nash doesn’t wait for confirmation before he trudges out of the office.
“Nash likes fixing things,” I explain. “If he notices something’s broken, he’ll lose his mind over it. And he’s seriously hangry at the moment, so I’d let him deal with it if I were you.”
“Right.” He regards me suspiciously. “Are you usually on such good terms with your bodyguards?”
“Uh…” I pretend to take interest in a snow globe with a little fox on the inside. “Is that the SVU Foxes mascot?”
SVU’s hockey team is legendary.
“Yep.” Calder pulls out an office chair.
“Take a seat. We won’t be disturbed. None of the reporters know you’re here, and no one ever comes in before 9am.
” He sits opposite me then picks up his phone.
“I hope you don’t mind if I record our conversation.
I want to make sure I capture everything.
It’s obviously strictly confidential, and I’ll send you the finished article before publication for your approval. ”
“Sure.” My eyes stray to the tidiest desk that has a plaque reading, “Kady Sinclair.”
“Ready to start?” Calder asks.
I nod. I figure it’s best to get this interview done before asking any questions about Delilah.
“Everyone on campus wants to know more about why you’ve decided to come to college,” Calder starts. “Why SVU, and why now?”
“I never got to have the typical college experience yet always wanted to,” I reply. “So after my last tour, I thought it’d be a good time to give it a shot.”
Calder’s shrewd eyes narrow. “And is there a reason you picked Scent Valley University, in particular?”
“It has a great music department.”
“How are you settling in so far?” Calder leans back in his chair. “It can’t be easy, having created such a stir and attracting so much attention around campus.”
“I always like meeting my fans.” I’ve given interviews like this a thousand times before, so I know exactly what Valerie would want me to say. Being honest is definitely not part of it. “But really, I’d like it if everyone just treated me like any other student.”
We’re interrupted by Nash stomping in, tools in hand. He struts directly over to the radiator and gets to work, filling the silence with metallic clangs as he lays out his materials.
“You really don’t have to do that,” Calder tells him. “I can call in a professional.”
Nash merely grunts, ignoring him and picking up a wrench.
“Told you.” I grin at Calder. “Don’t worry. He’s good at what he does.”
Calder must realize he’s facing a losing battle. “Our readers have sent in a bunch of questions, so I thought we could do a profile piece. Are you okay with answering some quick-fire questions?”
“Sure.”
“What is your favorite—”
Behind me, the office door slamming against the wall makes the entire room vibrate, the energy shifting in a flash.
“Calder!” a high-pitched voice rages as a blonde tornado bursts in. “Why didn’t you tell me this was scheduled?” She whips off her coat and flings it over a chair. Despite the time, she’s impeccably dressed with her hair braided in an intricate design that looks like it took hours to do.
Calder loosens his collar, gnawing on the inside of his cheek as he shifts on the spot. “I thought it’d be easier if I handled this interview alone.”
“Why?” Her chin juts up. “I’m sure Jagger won’t mind if I join you. We’ve already met. Kady Sinclair.”
She offers me her hand, yet when I reach out, she snatches her fingers back and opts to glare at me instead. The temperature in the formerly cozy office seems to plummet.
“The more the merrier,” I reply with a nervous laugh, although her incensed gaze makes my skin prickle.
“See?” Her eyes quickly dart to Calder before dragging over a chair. “Where were we?” she asks in a snippy tone.
“We’re just about to get to the quick-fire questions.” A bead of sweat appears on Calder’s forehead. Obviously, he’s worried about the loose cannon that’s now been unleashed.
“The questions.” She clicks her fingers. He grumbles under his breath as he hands her a piece of paper before offering me an apologetic look. “I can take it from here.”
Something tells me that it was no accident that Kady was left out of the interview. She pops on her thin, silver-framed glasses that make me feel like I’m about to be quizzed by a schoolteacher.
“Done,” Nash declares proudly, standing and rolling down his sleeves. “That radiator won’t be causing you any havoc now.”
“Thanks.” Calder gets out his wallet. “What do we owe you?”
“Forget it.” Nash waves him off.
Kady looks Nash up and down, tilting her head to the side with intrigue crossing her features. “Is he a member of your secret pack too?”
A pink flush creeps up Nash’s neck.
“I already know that you’ve added a barista to your ranks.” She puts down the paper, folding her arms in front of her. All she needs is a light to shine into my face, and I’d feel like a prisoner being interrogated. “Why not a security guard too?”
For a 6′7′′ alpha, Nash suddenly seems very small under the scrutiny of this omega. He shuffles in his boots, his mouth opening and closing, looking to me for help, but I’m equally dumbstruck.
“You don’t have to say anything. Your face says it all,” she declares smugly. “How many more of you are there in the pack? Are you creating some kind of Jagger cult?”
I splutter. “Cult?”
Nash finally finds his tongue and adds sarcastically, “He wishes.”
“There’s only me, Tae, and Nash,” I say. “That’s it.”
Valerie would be pulling out her hair extensions if she knew I was revealing this to a reporter, but Kady is one of Delilah’s best friends. If I want to win her back, I have to start by being honest.
“I didn’t see anything about a pack in my research.” Calder rubs his chin. “Is this a new arrangement?”
“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t print it,” I implore. “I’d rather keep my packmates’ privacy for as long as possible. When people find out…” I shake my head. “Well, you’ve seen the crowds outside Bouncing Bunna every morning.”
Kady’s lip curls. “Yeah, you’re the reason I haven’t been able to get my morning coffee for the last week.”
Calder’s nose scrunches. “My girl needs her caffeine.”
“Calder!” Kady nudges his shoulder. “Professional boundaries, remember?”
He clears his throat. “Sorry, of course. Maybe we should get back to the questions I prepared?”
“I have some questions of my own.” Kady steeples her fingers under her chin, leaning toward me.
“This is why I didn’t tell you about this meeting,” Calder speaks through gritted teeth.
“Look, I may as well tell you that I didn’t only come here for the interview.” I decide I have nothing to lose. “I was hoping to speak to you.”
Kady meets my stare with an icy one. “Perfect, so we can skip past the bullshit.” She slams her small fist on the table. “Did you come back to torture Delilah some more? It’s bad enough what you did last year, but now you sent her on a date with one of your packmates!”
I didn’t expect her to come at me with accusations right away.
“Tae didn’t know anything about Delilah.” I wipe my sweaty palms on my jeans. “Them meeting was an accident.”
“You really expect me to believe that?” she scoffs. “I can’t trust anything you say.”
“He’s telling the truth,” Nash chips in. “He didn’t tell us about Delilah until after her date with Tae.”
“So he lied to you too?” Kady laughs bitterly. “Lying seems to come so easily to you, Jagger.”
“Kady.” Calder rests a hand on her wrist, her temper seeming to be reaching boiling point. “We’re in the office, remember?”
She slaps his patting hand away. “I’m perfectly aware of where we are.”
“I want to speak to Del,” I tell her. “I have to explain myself. I owe her an explanation.”
“An explanation?” Her nostrils flare. “What you did was unforgivable. No explanation could justify the damage you’ve done.”
“She has a point,” Calder agrees. “Leaving an omega after heat like that...” He shakes his head. “Not cool, bro.”
“He’s not your bro,” Kady snaps.
I suspect he’s going to be in trouble later.
“I know what I did was wrong.” I bow my head in shame. “Really fucking wrong. She deserved—no, deserves—better.”
“You told her she was your scent match,” Kady practically growls.
“Do you realize how big a deal that is? Delilah’s not one of your Fireflies.
She’s the sweetest, kindest person I’ve ever met, and you…
” For the first time, her anger seems to temper down, but the sadness on her face may be even worse than her wrath. “You… broke her.”
“I…” I wring my hands, fear creeping in that I’ll never have the chance to win back Delilah. “I know what I did was terrible. Fuck…” I rake my hands through my hair. “But I didn’t lie to her. I meant what I said. She is my scent match. I still believe that. I—”
“How could you leave your scent match?” Calder’s hand strays to Kady’s knee, and surprisingly, she doesn’t shrug it off this time. “I can’t imagine leaving…”
“I want to make it up to her, Kady.” My voice comes out stronger now.
“She’s too good for you.”
Her harsh words hit me like a drumstick bashing a cymbal.
“I know,” I agree in a choked whisper. “But I have to speak to her, even if it’s just a chance to apologize. I’m not the same guy who left last year. I have a pack now.” I glance at Nash. “A pack that has made me a better person.”
“At least his pack knows how to fix radiators and make decent coffee,” Kady mutters to Calder, loud enough for everyone to hear.
Nash snorts. “Ouch.”
The atmosphere is so tense that I’m seriously considering burying myself under the mountain of The Valley Voice issues stacked in the corner.
“Besides, I don’t know why you think I would help you speak to Delilah.” Kady drums her fingers on the table. “To be frank, I told her to stay away from you. And if you thought giving her tickets to your sold-out show would change anything—”
“Of course not!” I quickly interject. The more I try to make this situation better, the worse it gets. “But there is something at the show I really want her to see. Please. Ask her to come.”
“I’ll relay the message, but don’t expect her to show up.” She wrinkles her nose in distaste. “She won’t, if she follows my advice.”
“Thank you.” I nod. “That’s all I ask.”
“If I email you the questions, maybe you can send me your responses for the column?” Calder suggests.
“Good idea,” Nash agrees, already pacing for the door, his tools jangling. He’s not the only one who can’t get out of here soon enough. “Let me know if you have any more problems with the radiator.”
I stand up to follow. I know when I’m not wanted.
“Thank you for seeing me.” I pause. “And Kady? I am truly sorry. I know you don’t believe me—I wouldn’t if I were you—but I really do care about Delilah. Thank you for being there for her when I wasn’t.”
“You don’t need to thank me for being there for my friend. We’re Stella sisters. We stick together.” Her lips flatten into a thin line, turning away to type furiously on her computer.
“I’ll see you out.” Calder joins us. When we reach the exit, he drops his voice.
“Look, I’ll never condone what you did, but if Delilah is really your scent match, the only way the two of you will be happy is if you’re together.
” He sighs heavily. “Stella House omegas can be hard work.” His eyes glitter when he looks back over his shoulder at Kady, whose typing is so loud that it’s a wonder she doesn’t punch holes straight through the keys. “But so worth it.”
“You’re lucky.” I attempt a small smile. “Don’t fuck it up like I did. Cling onto it.”
“I intend to.”
“Calder!” Kady calls out impatiently. “Have you seen Devon’s latest column? I’m sure my edits were on your desk.”
“Good luck,” Calder whispers before closing the door.
“Well, we made it out of there alive.” Nash shudders as we walk down the stairs. “Barely.”
“Do you think there’s any chance of her coming to the show now?” I ask as we head down the rickety stairs, hit by the smell of delicious Chinese food that has me salivating.
Nash shrugs. “Not if Kady has anything to do with it.”
He may be right, but I can’t give up hope.
I have something special planned for the show. Something to show her how sorry I am and hopefully, help make things right. Now I just have to pray that she shows up.