Chapter 4
4
“Y ou don’t have to come inside,” I tell Cassian as I punch in the security code for my penthouse suite. “I’m tired and just planning to eat and go to bed.”
Meeting the Rockfords had left me physically and emotionally exhausted and having to deal with Cassian’s hovering is starting to get under my skin.
“I’ll leave after I make sure you actually eat.” He glares as he shoves his hands into his front pockets. “You should shower, too. Wash his stink off you.”
Fuck, maybe I should skip dinner and have a drink instead. There’s no other way I can deal with Cassian’s attitude right now.
When I shove open the door, I reconsider my decision to come home when I find myself faced with Rico, Jace, and Lena sitting in my living room.
What’s the point of top-level security if it doesn’t keep people out?
I take in their unhappy faces and stride into the kitchen to pull out a bottle of rum. “To what do I owe this invasion of privacy?”
“What the fuck, Avery?” Rico throws his hands up in the air. “Did you seriously go meet with the Devil?”
“We’re fleecing the Rockfords.” I splash golden liquid into a crystal glass. “So what?”
Concern flickers across Jace’s passive features, while Lena’s lips press into a thin line, her fingers twitching toward the knives strapped to her thigh.
Rico barks out a harsh laugh, the sound grating on my nerves. “Oh, that’s rich. After everything Raphael did, after he left us high and dry, you want to crawl back to him? Have you lost your damn mind?”
I slam the bottle back down on the quartz countertop. “I don’t remember this being a democracy. They have money. We like money. The. End.”
Cassian snorts and crosses his arms over his chest. “Was it money you were discussing with that asshole?”
My spine stiffens, but I ignore the comment.
Rico bursts up from the couch. “What the fuck does that mean?”
Lena pulls out one of her knives. “If he sinks his claws into you again, I’ll cut them off.”
When Raphael first walked out, Lena had been the one to pull me back from the edge more than once. Everyone always talks about the wonder of being mated, but they never discuss the debilitating pain of being abandoned.
Raphael thought I’d give in to his demands because I wouldn’t be able to survive without him. He should have remembered what a stubborn asshole I could be when backed into a corner.
“Enough,” I snap, done with their input on this matter. “This isn’t up for debate. We’re working with the Rockfords, and that’s final. If you have a problem with doing the job, there’s the door.”
Deafening silence fills my suite, broken only by the distant hum of the city beyond the walls.
Lena’s stare cuts through me, the knife tapping against her thigh. “You sure about this, Avery? Raphael’s betrayed us once already. What’s to say he won’t do it again?”
I refuse to flinch under her intense scrutiny. “I’m sure. This is how I take back my freedom.”
Silence stretches between us, taut as a garrote, before she dips her chin in acceptance. “I hope you’ve thought this through.”
With a slow exhale, the tension in my shoulders eases. Lena’s support means more than she knows. She’s been with me since the beginning, and I trust her like family. Because that’s what she is to me. Not by birth, but by the blood, sweat, and tears we’ve shed together.
Jace stands in the corner, his broad frame casting a long shadow across the floor. He hasn’t said a word since I entered, but the weight of his silence speaks volumes.
“You have something to say, Jace?”
His head lifts. “It’s a risk. But if it’s what you need, I won’t argue. Just be careful. Raphael’s not the same man he was before.”
“I know.” I take a sip of rum and relish the burn. “Neither am I.”
“Careful? With Raphael? That’s a fucking joke.” Rico stomps around, his hands flying through the air to punctuate his points. “He didn’t give a damn about being careful when he abandoned us! Left us high and dry without a second thought. Two-thirds of our crew died because of him!”
After Raphael left, some of our people didn’t like taking orders from an Omega. Alphas challenged me for control, and we answered with swift, bloody efficiency.
The betrayal of learning what they really thought of me cut almost as deep as Raphael walking away.
But we survived and rebuilt in a different location. Cassian was one of the first to join our new crew. I was wary of bringing on another Alpha, but he didn’t flinch at taking orders. Over time, others from our original team fell in combat or deals gone wrong.
Now only Lena, Jace, and Rico remain, the last ties to what we were before everything broke. Before Raphael broke it. And they’re right to question me. I’m not the only one with a grudge against my former Alpha.
“I understand you’re angry, Rico. We all are.” I take a steadying breath. “We’re also professionals, so rein it in.”
“Are we just supposed to forget? Pretend like it never happened?” Rico’s voice rises, his whole body snapping taut with rage. “He was our brother! Our family! And he turned his back on us without a second thought!”
“Don’t you think I know that?” My hand tightens around my glass. “I’m not asking you to forget. I’m asking you to trust my judgment.”
Rico scoffs, shaking his head in disbelief. “How am I supposed to do that when you’re the one running back to him after everything he did?”
My jaw clenches, the muscles in my neck tightening. “I’m not running back to him. I’m doing what needs to be done.”
Cassian speaks from behind me, his words bitter with accusation. “Was what happened between you today what needed to be done?”
Irritation flares at his words, at the possessiveness underscoring each syllable. I turn to face him, my posture stiffening. “I don’t answer to you, Cassian. I’m more than capable of handling Raphael on my own.”
Cassian’s jaw clenches, a muscle twitching beneath the faded scar on his cheek. “Yeah, I can smell how much you handled him from over here.”
Anger surges through me. “I know what I’m doing, and I don’t need you second-guessing my every move.”
Cassian takes a step closer. “I’m not second-guessing you! I’m trying to keep you safe, which I can’t do when you’re bending over for?—”
“Finish that sentence, and we’re going to have a problem,” I say, a deadly calm settling over me.
The silence stretches between us, Cassian’s face flushed with anger. “Maybe I need to cool my head.”
“Maybe you do.” I point to the door. “If you can’t get yourself under control, don’t bother showing up for the next meeting.”
The muscle in Cassian’s jaw twitches before he turns on his heel and slams out the front door, the echo reverberating through my bones.
I blow out a long breath, trying to regain my composure.
“Well, fuck.” Rico throws himself back onto the couch.
“Was making him my second-in-command the wrong move?” I ask.
Rico snorts. “Not like any of us Betas wanted the job.”
“Yeah.” I glare at them. “Fuck all of you for that.”
Lena shoves her knife into its sheath. “Are you still in love with Raphael?”
I reel back as if slapped. “What? No! I?—”
“Don’t lie to us, Avery.” Lena cuts me off. “We deserve to be told exactly what we’re walking into. And despite being a bastard, he is your mate.”
My mouth opens to protest, to deny her accusations, but the words stick in my throat. Because I don’t lie to my family, and I do still want Raphael. After everything. Even after all the pain he caused, I still yearn for him, still crave his touch like a drug.
“It doesn’t matter,” I say instead. “After this job, things will be settled for good.”
“It matters to someone .” Rico frowns toward the door where Cassian disappeared. “In case you’ve missed the signs, he’s trying to take Raphael’s place.”
I gulp the rest of the rum and refill my glass. “I’m aware.”
It’s in the way Cassian watches me, stands too close, and lets his touch linger. I might’ve pretended before, but after his offer to help me through my Heats, there’s no ignoring it now.
I scan the room. Lena’s lips are tight with sharp disapproval, Jace stays silent, and Rico…
His leg starts bouncing with agitation. “We love you, Avery, and any of us would take a bullet for you. But Cassian…”
“He’s too devoted,” Lena supplies. “Maybe even dangerous.”
I think back to all the times he’s put himself in harm’s way for me, all the times he’s gone above and beyond the call of duty. At first, I thought it was just his way of proving himself, of earning his place on the team.
Four days ago, I would have defended him without question. Now?
Still, he hasn’t crossed the line. Yet.
I rake a hand through my hair, then walk over to join them, falling onto the couch across from Rico. “He’s loyal. And he’ll get over his crush.”
At least, I hope that’s what this is.
So far, all he’s done is make his interest in me known, and I refuse to punish him for that. Not after so many years of loyal service. At least I know I can rely on him, unlike the other Alpha who walked out of my life.
“That’s no crush.” Lena leans forward, propping her elbows on her knees. “He’s borderline obsessive. It could turn dangerous if you let it go unchecked.”
The truth of her words wiggles their way beneath my skin.
Jace clears his throat, drawing my attention. “You and Raphael had a complex history, but Cassian is not Raphael. If you’re not careful, his loyalty could cost you more than you’re willing to pay.”
A chill runs down my spine at his words. Jace has always been the quiet one, the observer. When he speaks, he shouldn’t be ignored.
Mind racing, I lean back into the cushions. Raphael’s betrayal left me wounded, and I selfishly craved the unwavering devotion Cassian offered. But they’re right. Lately, his attention has been cloying. I need to set more boundaries before things spiral out of control.
I bow my head for a moment, the dull throb of a headache building behind my temples. When I straighten, I meet the concerned gazes of my family. “I hear what you’re saying.”
Relief softens Lena’s features, while Jace remains impassive, but tension eases from his shoulders.
“Fuck.” Rico leans across the coffee table to snatch the glass from my fingers and toss back the contents.
When this job is done, I’ll deal with Cassian.
I just hope, when the dust settles, I’m not left killing both the Alphas in my life.