Chapter 14 Treats
Treats
Sebastian
She’s wearing Jake’s shirt. What happened to mine?
This is fucking stupid. I tug on it. She looks over at me, first confused, and then she gets my silent question.
She leans over and whispers in my ear, “Jake took yours away and left his.” And she says, because she’s trying to kill me, “What’re you going to do about it? ”
I quickly show her the white rose I bought from the stand outside the hotel on our way in. She’s very confused and quite shocked. I wink as I set it on the coffee table in front of her. It has a little ribbon tied around it, so hopefully it looks like a gift and not like I swiped it from somewhere.
Freddie shoots me a look. Wait, what’re we all talking about?
Jake is saying something, “He was told to kill him. By any means necessary. It wasn’t a scare or a smoke alarm. He said the man who paid him wanted Senator Wong dead.”
Oh yeah, the guy. The assassin. Fuck, that took all afternoon. Jake beat the guy to a pulp. Shadow watched from the…shadows. And I had to keep everyone fucking focused. Jake was screaming at him about god knows what.
But we found out some things. Like, how Freddie’s dad was worth only $50,000 for the hit. Kind of low if you ask me. Also, this guy seemed a bit new. He had the artillery, sure, but he had no military background. Maybe not a great candidate for a hit.
We also learned that this guy fucking hates Senator Wong.
“He was no fan of your father, Freddie,” Jake was saying. I lean over and smell my omega. Not my omega. And she smells like Jake. He’s all over her.
“He had lots to say on the matter. He kept saying that Senator Wong wasn’t a real Chinese man. That he didn’t take care of his own people. That he’s no better than a white man.”
Freddie huffs. “That’s stupid. My dad has been a leader in helping the Chinese community in this city. For fuck’s sake, we’ve contributed more to the development of Chinatown than any other family.”
“Yeah, I wouldn’t argue with him. He seemed a few pumpkins short of a patch, if you know what I mean.”
I need to rub my smell on her. I don’t like that she only smells like Jake.
I look over at Freddie, and he appears like he knows what I’m thinking, with one raised eyebrow.
I roll my eyes at him and wave down the server and ask for a water.
I’d like a whiskey, but I’m still technically on the job.
Jake orders an iced tea. Shadow doesn’t say a word.
He doesn’t look good. His skin is ashy, and his eyes are sunken. I order him a Coke.
We still have to figure out how to help him. But I don’t think spending more time with Ondine is going to help at this point.
I reach down and pick up a yellow cookie. Ondine stops me and takes the cookie from my hand. That’s my cookie. Why can’t I have a cookie? She sets it down and picks up an orange cookie, then puts that in my palm. I lean back with my orange cookie, wholly confused.
“What did you do with him?” Freddie asks.
Jake answers, “Dropped him off at the front door of the hospital. If we need him again, we’ll find him.”
Jake is watching me and my cookie.
I take a bite. It’s nice and orange-y. I look to Ondine for answers, and I just see a self-satisfied look on her face. She picks up the rose and smells it, then sets it back down.
Everyone holds a collective breath.
Oh god, what is this feeling? There’s like a balloon inflating in my chest. But it feels really good. Like a good balloon.
Today has been a long ass day. It began with going to Ondine’s apartment and starting that fire.
I ensured it would only affect her unit.
I’m not a monster. I closed all the doors too, so it ultimately was just the kitchen and living room—including that fucking beanbag chair.
I also have some boxes of her things in the back of my truck.
Including the most random items I thought she may miss, like a comb I found under her pillow.
I “repaired” her thermostat incorrectly, and it started the fire.
I wanted to make sure it didn’t look like arson.
If I weren’t worried about arson, I would have doused that beanbag chair with gasoline.
But I didn’t want anything to connect back to Jake.
I also didn’t want it to look like her fault.
A faulty thermostat is right there in the responsibility of the landlady.
Jake interrupts Freddie, who had been talking about Senator Wong’s untarnished reputation with the Chinese community in the city, to address Ondine. “Baby, which cookie can I have?”
“Excuse me?” She asks, and I can’t tell if she’s making her voice extra sweet or if that’s just how she is.
Freddie rolls his eyes and sinks back into his chair. His hand goes to the chain on his neck to play around with. Ondine notices the chain, too. I don’t like that look she has on her face as she watches him.
“You gave Sabbies a cookie. Give me one.”
Ondine gives Jake her full attention. He’s acting jealous. Of a cookie.
“You don’t get a cookie.”
“Excuse me?” he repeats her question back to her.
The corner of her mouth lifts in humor. She’s teasing him. She leans forward and looks over the silver tower of treats. “You’re not a cookie guy, don’t pretend otherwise.”
I’m trying to think if that’s true.
Ondine stands up. She leans over, reaching for a small treat.
A petit four. It’s light pink with some frosting leaves on top next to a frosting pink flower.
She picks it up and walks around the low coffee table.
What is she up to? I look to Shadow, who hasn’t touched his Coke. He’s staring at Ondine.
I try to feel what he’s feeling, but he has his side of the bond locked down. Shadow knows I’m questioning him, but doesn’t want to open up.
She stands between Jake’s spread legs. He looks up at her, waiting to see what she’s doing. She turns and sits down, right in his lap. She curls up in him, and he puts his arm around the back of her, holding her on him. God. Now I’m jealous.
“You are a cake guy.” She holds out the petit four, and Jake leans his head down, taking this little cake into his mouth. He chews and smiles at her. I guess he’s a tiny cake guy. I’ve never seen him smile this big.
“You also need medical attention,” she says, and she takes his hand, inspecting his knuckles. He shrugs as he swallows his treat. She looks around for the server, who is quick to come talk to her. “Do you have an ice pack?”
“I will get you something,” she says and leaves.
“You’re going to take care of me?” he asks, barely above a whisper. That must be the final straw for Shadow because he makes a grisly noise and stands up.
“I’m going for a swim. I’ll be done for my next shift.”
Jake whips his head to him. “Stop, wait.”
Shadow heaves a breath. “What?”
“Take Ondine with you. Freddie and I need to talk about his interrogation from earlier.”
Oh yeah, wasn’t Freddie supposed to be with that obnoxious woman…what’s her name? Sarah? Cecilia? Sophia?
Shadow doesn’t respond for several pregnant moments. Finally, he asks, “Wasn’t Freddie supposed to still be with her now?”
Jake turns to Freddie, who shrugs. “I got all I needed. Plus, she was rude to your omega. So, I had to send her away earlier.”
Jake’s eyes pop out of his head. “How on earth did Cynthia meet Ondine? You said you were going to her place. Sabbies, did you know he was here?” And to back Freddie asks, “Were you fucking her in the suite with Ondine there?”
“I had three men with Freddie. I didn’t get a debrief from them yet.”
They must still be in the hotel. I got distracted by the idea of seeing her again. I didn’t even check in. I check my chats and see that yes, the guys I had on Freddie are nearby, and I can see them.
Damn.
Freddie waves his hand like it’s no big deal. “The suite is big enough for several activities.”
Jake grips onto Ondine tightly. “But you just said she was rude to Ondine.”
Shadow takes this distraction to slink away. But Jake catches him. “Shadow, I’m not fucking around.”
He puts an alpha bark into his voice. Shadow can’t not stop and wait.
If he resisted him, it would be in direct violation of Jake as our pack lead.
He’d be challenging his leadership. It surprises me that I wonder if he’ll try.
His attitude and behavior lately don’t give me much faith in his ability to contest Jake.
But he doesn’t. He waits.
Freddie offers an explanation. “Your omega was playing piano like a fiend. She gave Cynthia and I a private concert.”
Ondine rolls her eyes. “I thought I was alone.”
Freddie offers no more information. Jake puts his hand on Ondine’s cheek, moving her face to look at him. “You’re ok. Cynthia is a rat. I don’t want you near her.”
I want to laugh. Jake and his quark, where he doesn’t ask someone how they feel, he just assigns a feeling to you, and you have to accept.
“Ondine?” I ask gently, a smile on my lips. “Are you alright?”
She matches my smile and nods.
I can feel Jake through the bond, thanking me. It must have been a pretty powerful emotion to get through. Our bond has been stressed because of Shadow.
I haven’t felt much beyond anger and frustration in months. The only reprieve was when we first brought Ondine home. Those days when she was in heat.
Jake strokes Ondine’s cheek and brings her face back to his. He brings their lips together and kisses her. It’s quick. He kisses her cheeks, her eyelids, and forehead.
“Ok, my dear, go swim with Shadow. We will meet up later tonight.”
“I don’t have a swimsuit.”
“There’s a shop here in the hotel. Shadow will help you.” That last line was meant for Shadow and was said in a lower, serious tone.
She kisses his cheek and stands up. She looks at Freddie, for what I don’t know, then offers me a little smile and quick nod, which I return. She then turns to Shadow. He grits his teeth but motions for her to follow him.
Does it make me a bad pack mate that I have this bad feeling?
The three of us seem to share this nonsensical thought because we sit in silence for a while. The server returns with an ice pack and hands it to Jake.
He and I make eye contact.
“I’ll go take care of what I need to. And then go check on them.” I stand. I’m sure everything will be fine. I need to check in with my people, and then I will check in on Shadow and Ondine. I am sure it will be fine.