Chapter 19
Nova
Two Weeks Later
“Does he really think we can’t see him?” Ian asks, cocking his head to the side as we both stare at the very not so subtly hidden Detective Tucker Davis sitting at one of the tables by the window in Ian’s bakery.
“No, I think he knows we can see him.” I grin, leaning forward on the counter, chin in my hand as I stare down the very sexy officer. “I just don’t think he cares.”
Ian grunts, mimicking my pose. “Two weeks, Little Doe. It’s been two weeks of him following you around. I don’t like it.”
“He’s harmless.” I look over to Ian. “I think he has a little crush.” I wiggle my brows.
Ian growls, pulling me into his arms. “No,” he grunts. “My Omega. I’m not sharing with anyone but my brothers.” He lowers his voice, lips brushing the shell of my ear, making me shiver. “Plus, he’s investigating us. We should be planning ways to kill him to keep his mouth shut.”
My body flushes as I lean into my Alpha. “Mhhm,” I hum. “I like the stabby side of you.” I lean back to look up at him, but he’s glaring daggers in Tucker’s direction. “No killing the nice Detective. It will draw attention."
“Fine. Only for now. But if he gives me a reason...” Ian trails off, looking down at me. “I will.”
“Down boy,” I purr, leaning up on my tiptoes to press a kiss to his lips. “Now get that sexy ass back in the kitchen and make me those Biscoff croissants I love so much.”
“Anything for you, my Little Omega.” He nips at the tip of my nose, his smile making my heart melt before he flicks a death glare over to Tucker. Ian takes his fingers, and does the I’m watching you gesture.
Laughing, I push him toward the back and he goes, grumbling in protest.
When I turn back around to face Tucker, he quickly lifts his newspaper, trying to hide the fact that I caught him. Smiling, I shake my head and make his usual order.
Like clockwork, almost every day Tucker comes into the bakery, orders a black coffee and one of the gingerbread croissants. They were supposed to be out of season last week, but I convinced Ian to keep making them. People are still buying them, and I keep a few to the side for Detective Davis.
This man intrigues me. I’m not sure what his MO is, but he’s not very good at hiding the fact that he’s pretty much been stalking me.
He hasn’t approached me again, nor have there been any more random kidnappings. I have been keeping a knife on me, just in case. I wanted a gun, but Nick told me no after I almost shot him when he was teaching me how to shoot.
Nick has someone digging into Tucker. From what they found out is he’s thirty, a junior detective, and originally from New York. He bounced around police departments before relocating here, where he’s been ever since.
He seems to come from a normal family. Dad is a retired NYPD officer, mother is a nurse. No siblings. Clean record. Although, that doesn’t mean anything when your dad was a cop. He could have helped keep Tucker’s name clean.
Either way, I want to know why he’s investigating my pack. Nick said the cops here have kept their noses out of his father’s business for years, and theirs as well. So why now?
Honestly, it’s a waste of time to even look into this. So my men stole a few hundred grand in products. It’s not like they stole from mom and pop shops. They hit brand name, big companies. And in the end, the money went to good use. If you ask me, I call it even.
Still, it doesn’t explain why he’s been stalking me. If he thinks he can get me to crack, to give up information on my Alphas, he’s sorely mistaken.
Carrying the coffee and croissant to the table, I sit down in the chair across from him. “You know,” I start, making him jump as he shoves the newspaper down, “you’re not being very subtle.”
His wide blue eyes stare at me in surprise, his cheeks growing pink.
“What?” He blinks.
I lean back in my seat, cross my arms, and smirk at him. “If you’re trying to hide the fact that you’re here, you're not doing a good job,” I reiterate, tone laced with amusement.
“I don’t know what you mean.” He clears his throat. “I’m just here for lunch.”
“Huh.” I nod. “Sure. You do know this is a bakery, right? We don’t sell any food but baked sweets.”
His lips twitch. “What can I say? I love keeping the stereotype alive and getting a coffee and donut for lunch.”
“Then where’s your food?”
“I ate it already.”
“Strange. I’ve been here since you came in. You didn’t order anything.” He doesn’t reply, not sure how he’s going to get out of his very bad lying. “And, you’re wrong,” I say, pushing the items I brought across the table to him. “You don’t get a donut. You get this.”
His eyes drop to the coffee and gingerbread croissant, blinking before looking back up at me. “How do you know?”
“I’m observant, Detective Davis.” I smile, leaning forward. “Very observant.So much so that I know you come in every day at the same time and order the same thing.”
“But–”
“How do I know, because I’m not always here?My Alpha tells me. He doesn’t like you, by the way, so I’d be careful with him.”
His brows furrow. “Why? I didn’t do anything wrong.”
I huff out a laugh. “You sure about that?” I raise a brow. “Let’s start with you having your cop buddy snatch me off the street. Something I could have pressed charges for, by the way. Not a single thing about that interaction was legal.”
His shoulders drop. “I’m sorry about that. I didn’t ask him to do that, I just wanted him to bring you in to see me.”
“Why? To tell me my mother put out a missing persons report? Yeah, not buying it.” I lean back. “You’re up to something, Detective Davis, and I want to know what.”
“I’m just doing my job, Miss Brooks. That's it.”
“And what might that be? What does your job have to do with me or my Alphas?”
“Nothing,” he says, not taking his eyes off mine.
“So why stalk me?” I raise a brow.
His cheeks pinken more. “I’m not stalking you,” he mutters.
“Mhhmm. Then tell me why I not only see you here, but I’ve seen you following me around town.” His eyes widen. “Don’t worry, I haven’t told my Alphas... yet.” I smirk.
“I–I’m...”
“You’re cute when you're flustered,” I chuckle.
He lets out a loud sigh. “Okay, fine. I like you, okay? You caught my attention when we first met, and I can’t seem to get you out of my mind.”
That surprises me a bit, and I can’t deny the way my belly flutters. “I’m flattered.” I smile. “You’re pretty cute yourself.”
“Uh, thanks?”
“But I have a pack. Three Alphas who are obsessed with me.” I sigh, flicking my hair over my shoulders dramatically, fluttering my eye lashes.
Tucker chuckles softly. “I have no doubt about that.”
I sit there, staring at him, loving how he shifts in his seat awkwardly. “So, what are you going to do about it?”
“About what?” His brows furrow.
“About your little crush? You gonna ask me out or something?”
“I-uh-I don’t know.” He’s flustered, and it’s adorable.
“I never thought about giving an Omega a try before.” I cock my head to the side. “But for you, I might make an exception."
“Really?” His eyes light up.
“If,” I continue, unable to hold back my grin, “you can convince my Alphas to let you take me on a date.”
“You’re joking, right?” He blinks at me.
“Nope.” I shrug. “I love them. I’m with them. And this is a pack decision. Our lives are crazy enough, I won’t be the reason more is added to their plate. This could go one of two ways.”
“And what ways are those?" he asks, whispering like he’s not sure he wants to know the answer.
“They could say yes because they know I have the hots for you, and I’m also interested.”
“Or?”
“They could kill you.” I shrug.
To him, he probably thinks I mean they would kick his ass or something, but no, I think they might actually kill him.
Not that I’d let them, because Tucker hasn’t done anything wrong.
He seems to be a good guy. Still, there’s something more going on here and I want to get closer to this Omega to find out what it is.
“W-what?” he gapes at me.
“I’d start with Will, then Ian. If you’re still standing after that, try for Nick.”
“Wait...” he says as I get to my feet.
“Have fun with that.” I wink before turning around and leaving the bakery.
I’m on cloud nine, a giddy feeling giving me a floaty vibe as I head home.
Having so many people interested in me, who aren’t low life pieces of shit, is kind of fun.
Should I be thinking about another man like this when I already have three? Maybe not. But there’s something there, a pull when I’m around him.
I want to find out more and see if he really is a good guy. And maybe, if he falls hard enough for me, whatever he planned on doing with my Alphas, he’ll give up on.
A girl can dream, right?
When I get home, I find Petunia and Duchess and give them both some pets.
Petunia has finally stopped hissing at me and now only gives me death glares. I call that progress.
Nick still bitches about how he hates her, but I’ve seen the grumpy fucker baby talking her when no one’s around. Like babe, you’re not fooling anyone, okay?
It’s March now and the weather is getting nicer. Most people are still dressed in jackets, but where I’m from, this is a nice spring day.
So, in a pair of shorts and one of the guy's hoodies, I head to the beach. It’s strange that it’s always empty, but it’s nice to have this space for ourselves.
I sit with my thoughts for a few hours, just watching the waves and playing with the sand.
When I feel a presence at my side, I look over expecting one of my Alphas but I’m surprised to see Detective Davis instead.
“What are you doing here?" I ask as he takes a seat next to me.
He looks out at the water, not saying anything. Something wrong, and I find myself feeling concerned for him.
“What's wrong? Did something happen?”
His blue eyes find mine and I see the emotions flickering in them.
“I wasn’t completely honest with you at the bakery.”
My body stiffens. “About what?”