Chapter 33
THIRTY-THREE
Jez
TO NO ONE’S SURPRISE, I’d been right. Gage thought the shopping spree was a fantastic plan.
His broad face had been pinched with stress and worry pretty much nonstop since he and Heath first found me in the hotel room, standing over Knox’s unconscious body.
Now, it brightened like the sun coming out.
“Oh, yeah—we are so doing this,” he said. “Shopping and dinner. Let me go tell the others where we’ll be.”
Tony, who was apparently still hell-bent on refusing to take money from the rich alpha pack he worked for, cleared his throat. “Gage... I can’t ask Knox to pay for me to buy stuff I don’t need. I could just tag along for moral support, or—”
“Tony.” Gage’s deep voice sounded almost sad, despite his enthusiasm only a few moments before.
“Knox has the kind of money that doesn’t run out just because you buy a friend some nice clothes.
He already gives a shit-ton of it away to charity every month, and of course there’s the work we do on the down-low with the omegas.
That doesn’t come cheap—but even so, what’s left over could keep someone in luxury for a dozen lifetimes, even if his business never made another dime. ”
“C’mon, Tony. This pack is rich rich,” I said, hoping to close the deal. “How they think about money isn’t the same as how you or I think about money.”
We are not the same.
That universal truth had been rattling around in my head since I first walked up to Knox in the hotel bar and tried to seduce him. It wasn’t any less true now than it had been back then.
Tony wavered for a moment. “You’re sure Knox is okay with this?” he asked Gage.
“Of course he’s okay with it,” Gage said, like it was obvious. “Here. Tell you what. Think of it as the pack’s thank-you for staying with Knox at the hospital and bringing him home when we were... um... otherwise occupied. Does that help?”
I winced at the reminder of exactly how we’d been occupied. But Tony took a deep breath and nodded.
“Okay. But only this once,” he said uncertainly.
Gage’s face brightened again. “Cool. Get dressed, Jez, and we’ll go spend some money.”
The clothing Tony had picked up for me after Gage brought me to the pack house was still the nicest I’d had access to since I was a little kid.
My ‘alpha hunting’ outfits had always, by financial necessity, been cheap, low-quality dresses and shoes from dodgy Chinese shopping sites—stuff that looked okay when it was brand new, but wouldn’t have lasted a month under regular use.
The wardrobe Tony had gotten me didn’t include fancy dresses or shoes, but it was well-made and most of it fit me. At his suggestion, I went with stylish jeans, a classy scoop-neck blouse, and comfortable shoes.
“It says, ‘I just mated a pack so rich that I don’t have to dress up to impress you,’” he told me, frowning as he fussed with my wayward hair until he was happy with it.
It was strange, having people touch me casually. I wasn’t completely sure Tony had even realized what he was doing.
Before everything else that had happened between us, we’d sometimes ended up slumped together on his ratty sofa late at night, leaning against each other as we shared microwave popcorn while watching a movie or TV show on his laptop.
I’d cherished those evenings for the sense of safety and belonging they’d given me at the time.
After I set fire to my friendship with him, I’d had to lock those feelings away.
Otherwise, I’d have missed them so badly that their absence would’ve eaten me up inside.
My loneliness after I’d run away from Tony was my own damned fault, and no one else’s.
I couldn’t afford to open myself up to that kind of loss and disappointment again.
So, I hadn’t.
And now here I was, back at the beginning, sharing space with the boy who’d wormed his way past my defenses with his kind eyes and clever guitar pick. I’d come full circle.
Once I was dressed and groomed to his satisfaction, we rejoined Gage in the kitchen. He was scrolling on his recovered phone, all his attention on the screen. At our entrance, he looked up and smiled.
“Ready to go?” he asked. “Okay, first things first. Dinner plans—something with burgers, or something fancy?”
“Burgers,” Tony said immediately
“Fancy,” I said, almost on top of him.
Gage’s lips twitched. “Fancy with a burger option on the menu, coming up. Just a sec...”
He went back to his phone again, tapping and scrolling.
“It’s gonna be like, rhinoceros burger with gold leaf instead of lettuce, or something,” I teased Tony, relishing the feeling of ease that seemed to have settled between the two of us.
“It is not going to be a rhinoceros burger,” Tony said under his breath. “They’re endangered. And you can’t eat gold.” He hesitated. “Can you?”
“Hello?” Gage said into his phone. “I’d like to make a reservation for three, at seven p.m. tonight.” He paused as the person on the other end spoke. “Yes, sorry, I know it’s last minute—”
I blinked. Huh? Since when was letting a restaurant know that you were coming eight hours ahead of time considered short notice?
“—but I’m with the Knockley pack,” Gage continued. “We would take it as a personal favor if you could find a table for us tonight.”
More unintelligible speech from the other end.
“Thank you,” Gage said. “I appreciate the accommodation, and we’ll make sure to give you some positive press in return.”
He hung up. I raised a suspicious eyebrow.
“Positive press?” I echoed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Gage slipped his phone into the pocket of his tailored trousers and met my gaze evenly. “I do want to be clear about this, kitten. Part of agreeing to let Knox fix your I.D. problem is going to be letting yourself be seen with us in public.”
I frowned. “Well... yes. Isn’t that what we’re doing today?”
“It is,” he agreed. “But I don’t think you understand what that’s actually going to mean.
I’m not the main attraction of Knox’s pack.
He is. But people still know who I am...
and they’re going to be interested in any omega I’m wining and dining and buying jewelry for.
” His earnest hazel eyes moved to Tony. “That’ll be the case for you, too—to an extent.
But you’ll have the freedom to shape that narrative more than Jez will.
You can be the beta moving up in Knox’s organization. Or you can be more.”
Tony took a physical step backward, even as I tried to digest everything he’d just said.
“I’m just an employee,” Tony said quickly.
Gage nodded as though it wasn’t a big deal. “That works. If that’s what you want, that’s what we’ll go with.”
I bit my tongue to keep from pointing out that after everything Tony and I had talked about, it clearly wasn’t what he wanted. How had I become the love interest in this romance movie, when Tony was the one who’d actually caught feelings for Heath?
“Fine,” Tony said. “Good.”
“Yes, fine,” I agreed. “Can we go now?”
“Sure,” Gage said. “I’ll drive.”
Gage’s SUV was exactly the kind of vehicle I’d have expected him to drive.
It was big and silver and angular—taking up space on the road without being overly flashy.
He was a relaxed and confident driver, so I quickly found myself sightseeing as we headed toward the part of the city where rich people hung out.
I’d been to Navy Pier a couple of times, and I’d sniffed around the edges of the Magnificent Mile to see if it was a good target for panhandling.
After a couple of attempts, I’d set my sights lower, in places where Chicago’s finest weren’t quite as concerned with keeping things postcard-perfect for the tourists.
I’d thought Gage might head for one of the big department store buildings like North Bridge or Water Tower Place, but instead we ended up walking on the side streets just off Michigan Avenue. Tony whistled, looking at the store names like Hermes and Prada, and several others I’d never heard of.
“Shoes first,” Gage said, leading us into a Christian Louboutin store.
Tony blanched. “Are you sure it’s okay to spend this kind of money on, y’know, footwear?”
Gage turned and came to a halt, placing a big hand on Tony’s shoulder. Tony’s cheeks, which had gone pale at the prospect of spending a thousand dollars on a pair of loafers, went bright pink beneath the alpha’s touch.
“Yes, I’m sure it’s okay to spend this kind of money on shoes,” Gage told him solemnly.
Tony gulped as the big alpha gestured a pair of associates toward us and exchanged a few low words with them. Moments later, we were whisked off in different directions. I disappeared into a wonderland of slings, sandals, pumps, and platform boots.
“What sort of occasions will you be needing shoes for?” asked the stylish male omega who’d taken charge of me.
“Um...” I hesitated, remembering what Gage had said about being seen with members of the pack. “Just... nice dinners, and maybe... parties? Or clubs?”
“Perfect!” the omega enthused. “Yes, I have several options that would suit you wonderfully. Let me bring some out in your size.”
What followed was a whirlwind of trying on fairytale footwear with flashy red soles. I ended up with a pair of low-heeled slingback pumps in a pretty ivory color with little crystals embedded in the shape of flowers, and a pair of dramatic red stilettos with a strap at the ankles.
Tony emerged from a different section of the store, looking like a tornado had just spit him out and carrying a pair of leather loafers in black patent leather, with the toes tapering to an elegant point.
Gage ran an assessing eye over our prizes and gave an approving nod. “Nice. We’ll take them.”
The process continued at different stores catering to different things—handbags, jewelry, menswear, dresses, coats.
Gage whistled when I emerged from a changing room wearing a tailored cream cocktail dress with an adorable matching pillbox hat, and a tiny mesh veil that covered one eye and cheekbone.
Both Gage and I blinked rapidly in surprise when Tony emerged in a different store—a perfectly fitted charcoal suit accentuating the lean lines of his body that he usually hid under baggy jeans and shapeless shirts.
“Tony,” Gage said. “My dude. Don’t take this the wrong way, but whoever taught you to hide all that under hoodies needs to be taken out to the woodshed and whipped.”
I froze for a moment, because I could tell Gage exactly who’d taught Tony to hide himself away. I should know. I’d been the one to bash the asshole’s skull in with a table lamp.
Tony, too, went unnaturally still for a beat. But then he took a deep breath, let it hiss out, and said, “Yeah, it doesn’t matter now. Maybe it’s time to stop hiding from what happened in the past.”
“You look amazing,” I whispered, standing on tiptoe to speak in Tony’s ear. “Heath’s an idiot, and if you weren’t batting for the other team, I’d do you in an instant.”
Tony blushed and gave an uncomfortable little laugh. “It feels like I’m wearing a Halloween costume. But you’re right about one thing. Heath is an idiot.”
The shopping expedition continued. As the afternoon wore into evening, the number of designer shopping bags in the back of Gage’s Yukon grew to truly obscene levels.
I’d ended up wearing the cream dress and slingback pumps, while Tony was in his new suit, with the addition of a striking maroon silk button-down and matching pocket square.
As we entered the high-end restaurant Gage had blackmailed into taking our reservation, the three of us drew a number of interested looks.
I tried not to shrink back, knowing that—just like Tony—I would have to get past my instinctive desire to hide in the shadows if I was going to play this role successfully.
Did these random people recognize Gage? Or was it the expensive clothes?
Maybe it didn’t matter. The restaurant staff was polite and welcoming. Our table was tucked away enough to feel at least somewhat private, while not being truly hidden from the other diners.
“You know, if you get rhinoceros-burger juice on that suit, you’re never going to forgive yourself,” I murmured to Tony, as I scanned a menu full of food I’d never even heard of.
Tony glanced down at the clothing that cost more than I could panhandle in a year. He cleared his throat. “Yeah... maybe I’ll pass on the hamburger after all. Gage, do you know what’s good? Could you order for me, please?”
“Order for both of us,” I said. “I don’t even know how to pronounce most of this stuff.”
Gage gave a little chuckle. “You assume I know how to pronounce it either? But, yeah, I can do that.”
I ended up with a fancy-looking pasta dish containing little red and white bits of seafood that looked like shrimp, but were apparently... baby lobsters? Tony had a steak and some kind of puffy, cheesy potato thing.
“Mmm. Best rhinoceros I’ve had all week,” he deadpanned, cutting through the succulent red meat.
Gage had some kind of tiny roast birds in a mushroom sauce, with asparagus and almonds on the side. For dessert, we shared a chocolate cake thingie that had a different flavor of fruit jam between each layer, and a rich vanilla buttercream frosting slathered on the outside.
I noticed that Gage was only pretending to eat it, instead watching Tony and me devour the thing like it was the last food on the planet.
“Oh, my god,” I groaned, once we’d fought a fork-duel to scrape up the last bits of jam and icing. “That was the most amazing meal I’ve ever eaten.”
“And now the food coma is coming for me,” Tony agreed, looking as wrecked as I felt. “Crap—are we supposed to get up from the table now?”
Gage was smiling his secret little smile again—the one that said he was an alpha who’d successfully fed his charges until they were about to pass out from bliss.
“Pretty sure they frown on sleeping at the tables. Sorry.” He stretched, taking a look around the dining room as though to catalog the other customers.
“Well, the good news is, we’re only a block or so from the parking garage. ”
Tony snorted. “It’s almost like someone was thinking ahead.”
“Always,” Gage said, running a satisfied, proprietary eye over both of us.
The trip back to the pack house was uneventful. As Gage and Tony hauled our shopping bags up to the front porch, I was busy wondering if Gage would let me crash in his room again tonight, rather than slinking back up to the attic.
That was my excuse for yelping in surprise and nearly jumping straight back into Tony as the door opened to reveal Heath, car keys in hand—eyes bloodshot and slightly wild as he took in our presence in front of him.