10. Chapter Ten
Chapter Ten
I step into the shop, its smell wrapping around me like an old sweater, familiar and comforting.
"Morning, sunshine," he calls, arranging a cluster of carnations on the counter.
"Sunshine’s got nothing on me," I quip, tying my apron around my waist. The fabric feels rough against my skin, like it's trying to rub the truth out of me.
"Someone's chipper," he grins, tapping me on the nose with a carnation. "Didn’t know you were such a morning person."
"Surprise," I say, diving into a stack of orders and hoping work will anchor me. I focus on the list, the names and addresses blurring together as I struggle to make sense of anything other than petals and stems.
Jamie hums a tune, the sound easy and light as he unpacks a box of sunflowers. "Got three deliveries today," he announces. "You sure you don’t want the new Junior Minion to handle them all?" He was talking about the part time college student that only worked one day a week.
I try to match his energy, the way he seems to float above everything without a care. "Only if Head Minion promises to finish the bridal arrangements. On time, this week."
"Ouch," Jamie laughs, going about his daily tasks. "That was one time."
"Two times," I correct, moving to the fridge for the first round of roses.
It feels normal. We feel normal. I didn’t tell Jamie anything I had learned a few days ago. I didn’t want to burden him with some of the information or change him being dragged into this mess more than he was. Instead, I watched him carefully for any signs that he might suspect something was wrong. He seemed oblivious, as he arranged flowers with his usual cheerful demeanor.
"You're doing it again," Jamie said.
"Doing what?" I asked, wiping down the counter with more force than necessary.
"That thing where you stare into space and look like you're planning someone's murder." He leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "What's going on, Viv? And don't tell me it's nothing. You've been weird ever since you gave that flash drive to the detectives."
I sighed, tossing the rag into the sink. "I'm just tired." Jamie gave me a look but before he could say anything I cut him off.
"How about I take the funeral home today?" I say, trying to sound casual, and change the subject, "Give you a break from the grim stuff."
"Give me a break," Jamie echoes, raising an eyebrow. Though I could tell he knew I switched the subject on him, and was letting it go for now. "What’s the real reason?"
"Just figured you could use some time with the living. It’ll be a nice change for you." I grin, but it doesn’t reach my eyes, and I hope he’s too distracted to notice.
"I see how it is," he teases. "Sticking me with all the heavy lifting again."
"Exactly." I pack a vase into a box, sealing it with tape. "Wouldn't want you to strain yourself with all those flower stems."
"You got me all figured out," he concedes, putting his hands up in surrender.
"Fine, you take the delivery. I’ll hold down the fort and do the real work."
"Glad we’re clear on who’s boss," I say, trying not to feel the ache of leaving him out.
Jamie winks, handing me a clipboard. "Just remember, you promised to be back in time for lunch. Thai food doesn’t order itself."
"I’ll be back," I promise, wishing it were that simple with everything else. Wishing it were just this easy.
“And if you want to talk about it at lunch, I’m all ears..” Jamie told me, making me pause and withhold a sigh knowing he knew that something was off with me, “But if you don’t want to talk about it I am here when you are.”
I gave a small smile and went on my way to load the van up. The drive to the funeral home takes longer than usual, or maybe it just feels that way I find myself checking the rearview mirror obsessively, looking for cars that might be following me, for faces that seem too interested.
Is this what it's going to be like now? Living with this constant hum of fear under my skin?
I pull into the funeral home's parking lot and sit for a moment, hands still gripping the steering wheel. The building looks innocuous in the morning light—just another place where people come to say goodbye to their loved ones. Not a place where Alphas tackle Omegas to the ground. Not a place connected to missing scientists and dead Omegas.
Just a building. Just a delivery. Just another day.
I take a deep breath before I stepped out of the van, reaching for the arrangement in the back seat. The weight of it feels reassuring in my hands—solid, real, uncomplicated. I lock the van and head toward the entrance, focusing on the simple task ahead: deliver flowers, get signature, leave.
The funeral home is quiet today, the lobby empty except for a middle-aged Beta woman sitting behind the reception desk. She looks up as I enter, her smile professional and practiced.
"Good morning," she says. "How can I help you?"
I hold up the arrangement. "Delivery for the Matthews service."
She nods, checking something on her computer. "Of course. They're in the East Room. You can place it on the display table near the entrance."
I follow her directions, grateful for the simplicity of the task. The East Room is somber and tasteful, with muted lighting and soft music playing in the background.
It didn’t take long for me to finish arranging the flowers. I quickly made sure everything was in order, my full focus on the flowers, not noticing anyone around me till I heard someone clear their thoughts. I jumped, a small yelp leaving my lips as I turn around.
Reeves was leaning against the frame like he owns it. "Going somewhere?" Reeves asks, that infuriating smirk crawling up his face.
"Delivery's done," I snap, recovering. "Unless you're ordering funeral flowers for yourself."
He grins, stepping closer, and the door shuts behind me like a trap. "I'll give you points for creativity, Vivian."
I force myself to hold his gaze, my insides a tangle of anger and questions. "Are you stalking me now?"
"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" he shoots back. "After all, you keep showing up where I am."
I narrow my eyes, trying to cut through his sarcasm, "Maybe I just have terrible luck."
"Luck," he repeats, like it’s a private joke he’s letting me in on.
The man behind him speaks up, his voice smooth, almost amused. "I’d say it’s more than luck."
Reeves shifts, giving me a clear view. The other man's eyes meet mine, steady and measuring. His dark black hair was cut short on the sides, but on the top it had some volume leaving him with some bangs, his green eyes glittering as he looked at me. "Lucas Delray," he says, as if he's reading my mind, or maybe just my face. " You can call me Lucas….And you must be Vivian. We've heard a lot about you."
I swallow my surprise and try to look unimpressed. "Can't say the same."
He nods, a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "I'm part of Dakota, or as you know him by, Reeves and Gabrial Collins’s pack. We all work together."
The names land heavy, the pieces clicking into place in my head. Reeves and Collins, just like I thought. I should be worried, maybe scared, but all I feel is a reckless kind of curiosity. I cross my arms, lean back against the door. "That's nice. Big family business, is it?"
Lucas nods again, his smile growing. "Something like that."
"Isn’t that interesting." I say, trying to sound casual, trying to cover the churn in my gut, “Is there any more of you that I need to worry about popping up randomly or is it just you three?”
Reeves snorts, the sound loud in the quiet room. "There is one more. Theodore. It just depends if he decides to leave his tech cave.”
I bit my lip before I silently shook my head, pushing the thoughts away for another time to think about.
"I need to get back to work," I said, shifting slightly and trying to sound more confident than I felt. "Jamie's waiting for me."
"Ah yes, the Beta," Reeves said, his tone making it clear exactly what he thought of Jamie. "Your watchdog."
I bristled at his description, straightening my spine. "My friend and colleague. Not that it's any of your business."
Lucas stepped forward, his movement smooth and deliberate. Unlike Reeves's aggressive stance, Lucas moved with a casual grace that somehow felt more dangerous.
"We don't mean to keep you," he said, his voice carrying that particular Alpha timbre that was meant to be soothing but always set my teeth on edge. "We're just doing our job. Making sure you're safe."
"By lurking in funeral homes and scaring me half to death?" I asked dryly.
Lucas smiled, the expression reaching his eyes in a way that felt genuine. "We prefer to think of it as keeping a watchful eye. The funeral home is a public place, after all."
"And you just happened to be here when I was making a delivery?" I asked skeptically.
"Not exactly," Reeves admitted, crossing his arms. "We were notified when you left your shop."
I frowned, not liking the implications. "So you are watching me."
"Protecting you," Lucas corrected smoothly. "There's a difference."
"I don't need protection from delivering flowers," I said, reaching for the door handle behind me. "Now if you'll excuse me—"
"Actually," Reeves interrupted, his tone shifting to something more serious, "we need to talk to you about something. Collins wanted us to brief you."
I paused, frown on my face, “Brief me with what?”
Lucas exchanged a glance with Reeves before stepping closer. "There's been another development in the case," he said, lowering his voice even though we were alone in the room. "Another Omega was found last night."
My stomach clenched. "Dead?"
"Yes," Lucas confirmed, his expression grim. "Same cause of death as the others. Hormone shock."
I leaned back against the door, suddenly needing the support. "Where?"
"Not far from here," Reeves said, his earlier smugness gone completely. "About ten blocks east."
I leaned back against the door, suddenly grateful for its solid support. "And you think it's connected to Thompson's research? Like the others?"
"We're certain of it," Lucas confirmed, his green eyes studying my reaction. "The victim was a lab assistant at Teria. Worked directly under Thompson until about a month ago when she transferred departments."
A chill ran through me despite the warm day. "So they're targeting people who worked with her."
“Looks that way.” Reeves spoke, eyeing me, “Collins seems to want to keep you in the loop. I get that you are a part of this….” He pauses looking at me with a frown.
“I just don’t think we should be bringing a civilian into this, no matter how involved you are.” Reeves gave a sighed, running a hand through his hair.
Lucas shrugged, his eyes still on me. "It's not our call. Gabriel's the head Alpha. He makes the decisions."
"And he decided I should know about another dead Omega?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady despite the fear crawling up my spine.
"He thought you should be aware of the escalating situation," Lucas explained, his tone gentler than Reeves's had been. "Especially since we found something else at the scene."
I braced myself. "What did you find?"
Lucas reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small evidence bag. Inside was what looked like a business card. My business card.
"This was in her pocket," he said, holding it up so I could see the familiar logo of Petal & Thorn printed on the cream-colored cardstock.
My mouth went dry, “I see.” I didn’t know what to think of this situation, I didn’t know why my shop had to be involved in this. Couldn’t they have picked a different meeting spot?
“We are watching your shop closely, we don’t want to think it, but just in case you are a potential target.” Lucas said, his green eyes intense as they held mine.
I swallowed hard."So what does Collins want me to do? Hide in my apartment until this is all over?"
Reeves snorted. "He suggested it, actually. But he also knows you well enough already to know you'd never agree to that."
The fact that Collins had accurately predicted my response was both irritating and oddly comforting. "He's right.’
“Which means we will be around for the foreseeable future.” Reeves told me, a grin on his face as his dark eyes gleamed in amusement.
This was definitely going to be a long and foreseeable future with him being around more. I would rather take Collins than him.
"Fantastic," I muttered, "Just what I need—more Alphas hovering around my shop, scaring away customers."
"We'll be discreet," Lucas assured me, his tone placating in a way that only irritated me further.
"Like you were discreet when your partner tackled me to the ground?" I asked, shooting a pointed look at Reeves.
Reeves at least had the decency to look slightly chagrined. "That was... different circumstances."
I rolled my eyes, reaching for the door handle. "Just stay out of my way. I have a business to run."
"One more thing," Lucas said, his voice stopping me before I could leave. "Collins wants you to call him directly if you see anyone suspicious around your shop. Anyone at all."
“Got it.” I bit out leaving before they could stop me again. I just wanted to get back to the flower shop and away from these Alphas who seemed to be able to get under my skin.