Karter
KARTER
CLACKING AWAY ON my keyboard, I gave a slow nod at the sales figures report on my screen. We were doing particularly well this quarter. It was at least in part up to my team to make sure we stayed that way. I’d already held a meeting today, brainstorming for new ad campaign ideas. It had been surprisingly productive.
My phone, sitting on the desk, lit up with a screen that indicated an incoming call. I snatched it up, thinking it might be Cameron. Maybe he’d gotten finished with work a bit early. As it stood, I still had about 15 minutes before I needed to head his way. But the contact name and photo was for my mother. My alpha mother, Farrah, who was also technically my boss.
“Hello?”
“Karter Andrew Morrison, you have some explaining to do.”
My fingers twitched on the sides of the phone. The urge to hang up was very strong. But I only rolled my eyes up to the ceiling before responding.
“Hello, mother. It’s wonderful to hear from you.”
“You just can’t be nice, can you?” She accused me. I wasn’t sure how to answer. I’d recently discovered I could be nice, but only for soft-voiced omegas who were under 5’5 with big hazel eyes and silly t-shirts. And I only knew one person who fit that description.
“What did I do this time?”
“I just got off the phone with Marlena, who let me know that Lucas is very upset about what you did.” Marlena was Lucas’ mother, who happened to be very good friends with my mother.
“That’s a crying shame. I feel terrible.”
“This really isn’t funny, Karter. She told me he was completely humiliated, and was very nearly kicked out of the hotel. Please tell me there was some sort of misunderstanding.”
“There was no misunderstanding, unless you count the fact that the man is practically stalking me as a misunderstanding. Then, yes.”
“Oh, will you stop being so ridiculous? I just don’t understand why the two of you can’t get along.”
“I just told you why, as I’ve told you numerous times in the past.”
Lucas was not only a supremely irritating presence in my life, but a point of contention between us as well. I’d been clear with her about his harassment, but she’d blown me off, not taking my issues seriously. If Lucas had been born an alpha, and I’d been born an omega, I knew that it would be a different story.
“You understand he’s contracted through the company as an employee, right? You absolutely cannot let your petty squabbles get in the way of professionalism with an employee.”
“Tell him that. Every time I turn around he’s in my office or trying to get into my hotel room.”
“Well, Karter, I don’t know what you expect when you give someone mixed signals. You say you don’t want anything to do with him, but we both know that wasn’t the case when you brought him up to your apartment.”
The fact that he had actually told my mother that I’d drunkenly brought him up to my apartment only magnified my feelings of hatred for him.
“That was nearly a year ago,” I reminded her, between my clenched teeth. “And as I told you then, absolutely nothing happened between us then or ever.”
“But I saw that photo in the news of the two of you together the other day. You can’t expect someone to understand your intentions when you don’t make them clear, can you?”
My eyes widened, and I felt my hands begin to shake with anger. I wanted to smash my phone on the desk. The blessed fucking photo. Had he planned it that way? Just another way to invalidate me, so he could play the victim?
“I have to go.” Obviously I couldn’t rely on her to believe me about anything. But if she didn’t believe me, then what course of action did I have against him? “I have an appointment.”
“Karter, th-”
I hung up the call before she could get her sentence out. She was already calling me back as I was saving my work and shutting down my computer. I ignored it, and another call tried to come through by the time I was walking out of my office door. Breathing in through my nose and slowly out of my mouth, I shoved my phone in the pocket of my suit jacket. I had more important things to take care of.
The drive to Cameron’s restaurant didn’t do much to calm me down, but I knew seeing him would help. Part of me wanted to tell him what I was upset about, but another part worried that it would make me seem weak in his eyes. He was already depending on me as a source of strength. Would an omega want an alpha that couldn’t handle something so trivial on their own?
When I reached the restaurant, I found a parking spot right in front, so close I could see inside the windows. Pulling my phone from my coat pocket, I swiped away the notifications of missed calls from my mother. I opened up a news app and scrolled through articles, glancing up occasionally to see if Cameron was walking my way yet. The last time I glanced up, I saw a rush of chaotic movement inside the restaurant. Something weird was going on.
Slamming my car door behind me, I rushed up to the entrance. When I yanked open the door, the scene before me was hectic and loud. When my searching eyes could finally zero in on Cameron, adrenaline roared through my blood with so much intensity I felt like I could rip the door off its hinges.
He was pressed against a table, trapped by a stocky man in a bulky coat. The man was clawing at him as he struggled, like he was trying to hold him down. Another man, wearing the same work uniform as Cameron, rushed toward them from the back of the restaurant, trying to wedge between them and peel the attacker off.
Before I could fully process anything, my legs were pushing me toward them. I tackled the stranger, sending us both tumbling to the ground. Cameron yelped as the tight grip on him held for a split second, yanking him forward a bit before the man’s hands loosened as he was pulled away.
My lips peeled back in a snarl, exposing my teeth as I dug my fingers in the back of his neck, holding his head to the ground. A growl I couldn’t control rose up from my chest.
“I-I called the police, they’re on the way!” A panicked female voice sounded out from somewhere behind us.
Keeping my hand locked in an iron hold on the attacker’s neck, I did my best to twist around so I could see Cameron. He was panting. The guy who’d tried to help was asking him if he was okay.
The man under me started wiggling, trying to buck me off.
“Stay still or I’m going to rip your head off your shoulders,” I threatened him between my clenched teeth.
“Karter.” Still somewhat breathless, Cameron took a few steps forward to touch my shoulder. “Don’t hurt him. He’s on something, or I don’t know, but something’s wrong with him.”
“What the fuck is going on?” I couldn’t help but ask, but Cameron only shook his head at me, nearly doubled over with the effort to try and catch his breath.
“I don’t really know what happened,” he admitted.
“Alright, alright, break it up.” A short beta woman with broad shoulders and a smoker’s rasp came out from the kitchen door. Cameron eyed her cautiously. I had to imagine she was his boss.
“Sharee, I’m sorry, I don’t know what happened.”
“Nothing to be sorry for, kid. Go wait in the back for the police.” She pointed him to the door. “And who are you, exactly?” Her question was directed at me now.
“I’m with Cameron.”
“He’s Karter Morrison!” Cameron’s friend, the girl I’d talked to the day I’d come in, very unhelpfully supplied my identity. Sharee, as Cameron had called her, didn’t look too impressed with the exclamation.
“Sam, make sure this fella doesn’t go anywhere,” she pointed down at the man still pinned to the ground by me. “And you, Mr. Karter Morrison ,” she said my name like it was something made up by an imaginative child. “To the back with me.”
It took every ounce of willpower in me to unclench my fingers, releasing the nape of his neck and removing my knee from his back. My instincts were torn between staying and ripping him to shreds and following behind Cameron to make sure he was okay.
Heading through the swinging door, I realized I’d never been in the kitchen of a restaurant. It was hot, loud, and generally unpleasant. Luckily, Sharee led us through the kitchen back to a tiny office, where she pointed to two wooden chairs and told us both to sit. Then she started digging through a desk drawer.
He was still shaking a little. I didn’t care whose boss she was, I couldn’t just sit beside him when he was barely keeping it together. Gathering him up in my arms, I pulled him into my lap, holding him against me.
“Do you want to talk about what happened?” I asked him softly, close to his ear.
He shook his head. “I’m not even sure what to say.”
“Well, you’ll have to talk to the police in a couple minutes, so you better start figuring it out,” Sharee suggested. From the desk drawer she’d been rummaging in, she pulled out a bottle of liquor, pouring a small amount into a tiny cup and shoving it into his hands. “Drink that for now.”
Obediently, he tossed it back before grimacing and letting out a sound of absolute disgust.
“And as for you,” she said, her gaze shifting to me. “Mr. Karter Morrison.” Her expression softened a bit as Cameron leaned more into me, resting his head on my shoulder. “I expect you’ll make sure our dear little Cam here gets home safe and of sound mind?”
“Of course.”
She asked Cameron a few questions, questions I suspected she was only asking him to prepare him for the police report. But during the round of practice, I discovered that he vaguely knew the man from his other job, though they’d never had any real interaction outside of drink orders. There had apparently been nothing particularly suspicious or threatening about him until today. The odd addition about money confused me, but we all agreed the man was drunk and likely on some kind of drug.
When the police came, he recited the same answers to them. He was still a bit shaken, but in his own words, not completely traumatized. I could tell part of him was still concerned for the man they’d taken away in handcuffs. I wasn’t remotely concerned for him, but even I could admit it was strange that he would suddenly attack someone he’d had no interest in up to this point.
On the ride home, there were too many things I wanted to say. Most of them were comforting, but I couldn’t control what came out first.
“You’re not working at that strip club anymore.” I kept my eyes forward, but I could see him turn to face me, from my peripherals.
“But this didn’t even happen there.”
“But you knew him from there. He found you because he knew you from there.”
“But… That doesn’t even make any sense,” he argued. “And anyway, I already told you I can’t. It’s too much money, and-”
“Serve me fucking drinks, then,” I snapped out. This day had been testing my nerves from the beginning, and now I felt like my frustration was boiling over inside me. “Clean my house. Do my laundry. Whatever you feel like you need to do to earn it, since you won’t just let me give it to you. For whatever fucking reason.”
“I don’t want to take your money, Karter. I told you that.”
His wounded tone dug into my ear like an icepick. Clenching my hand on the steering wheel until my knuckles went white, I inhaled a deep breath.
“I know you don’t, Cameron. But I can’t live with the idea that you’re putting yourself in danger. This is not negotiable. You’re not working another shift there.”
“But-”
“No,” I cut him off. “Figure out whatever you need to do to feel okay about it.”
He was quiet for a while, facing away from me, staring out of the window.
“I’m sorry,” I said, when the silence was too much. “But I don’t know why you insist on doing everything on your own. If you let me help you, everything would be so much easier.”
“Yeah, it would be easier. Until you decide you’re tired of supporting me and my kid and move on to something else, and then I’m screwed with no job.”
“Do you honestly think I could do that to you?”
“I don’t!” He said, finally turning to face me again. “I don’t think you would, but… You have to understand where I’m coming from. I don’t just have to worry about myself! I have Ty, and… And…” He shuddered, covering his face with his palms. Completely unmistakable sounds, whimpers and sniffles and sobs filled the empty space in my car, drenching me in absolute misery. Of course he was crying. After what he’d just gone through, I’d snapped at him. Wonderful alpha behavior.
Part of me wanted to slam on my brakes, but I thought the best thing would be just to get him home. We were barely two minutes away anyway.
“Please don’t cry.” I was more or less begging. I wasn’t used to dealing with anyone’s tears, particularly not anyone I had feelings for. And particularly not when the person I had feelings for was crying because of me. I deserved worse than death.
“I haven’t even told you what happened today,” he sobbed into his hands. “Please don’t be mad at me, I really just need you to help me.”
“I’ll do anything,” I promised. “I’ll help you with anything. Just stop crying.”
For once, he did not obey my command.
“Let’s just get inside and you can tell me what’s going on. Whatever it is, I promise we’ll figure it out and everything will be fine,” I said, mostly because I didn’t know what else to say.
“O-okay,” he agreed, in a weak and watery voice. The sound of his tears were like a battering ram, crushing my bones to a fine paste.
I whipped into the closest spot I could find, and practically teleported to his side of the car, helping him out as gently as I could. He didn’t technically need assistance walking, but I felt like if I didn’t help him with something , I’d spontaneously combust.
As we approached his door, there was a piece of paper taped to it. Glancing around, I noted there were identical pieces of paper taped to the doors of his neighbors as well. I watched him peel it off and begin to read it. At first his eyes were skimming, but then they widened and began raking over the surface of the paper like he’d been served a death warrant.
“I give up. I really just give up.” There was a tone of absolute hopelessness in his voice that I’d never heard there before. He shoved the paper into my hands before turning around to unlock his door.
I wasn’t a lawyer versed in legal mumbo jumbo, but the message on the paper was straightforward. It was a notice to vacate the premises due to sale of the property. In simple terms, everyone in the building needed to be out within 30 days, and then the whole place was being demolished.
With a heavy sigh, I followed him in.