Chapter Thirty-one — Trinity
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
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TRINITY
Ismiled at the flowers on my bedside table. Well, it was a plant. More specifically, violets. And not like I’d ever seen before. They were fluffier and almost looked rose-like. They were stunning and had been delivered around lunchtime along with a serving of the violet ice cream from last night.
The dessert had been glorious. Better than glorious.
Some of the best ice cream I’d ever had.
Including the violet. Sweet and lightly floral, it was the kind of ice cream that could get you into trouble.
Because it was easy to eat and then you’d eaten the whole container, and while that was a solid life choice, I couldn’t do that as a diabetic.
Well…
I couldn’t do it much.
Everything in moderation, even moderation. My doctors and I were aligned on this. If you followed every single rule, life sucked. So I took care of myself in order to make sure an occasional lack of moderation was an option.
This morning, after doing Theo’s training, I used the treadmill in the gym for the first time. It had a nice view of the coast.
There was too much ice cream for me today, which was why the rest of it was in the freezer for another time.
After we finished those desserts—with Aiden feeding me every bite—we left.
When I said I wanted to get down and dirty and have some pizza, he asked me where the best pizza in Clarity was.
Which was how we ended up on the beach, shoes off, his jacket around my shoulders, and some of the best pizza ever.
Aiden kissed me in front of the front door before he left, like a real first date, promising that he’d be moving in today. I couldn’t wait for that.
Everyone was having a normal Sunday, except for Aiden.
He was supposed to be moving in—and I assumed the others were helping when they could—but I didn’t do that kind of labor.
I would supervise and watch, but I was not a box-carrying girl.
Plus, I doubted any of the five Alphas in this pack would let me carry a box.
I grinned.
Still, spending so much time with them this week and coming home early meant I was behind. I was trying to catch up a little. Tomorrow was a holiday, thank fuck. I was grateful the girls agreed to move our brunch waffle excursion so I could hold my life together with both hands.
I needed to ask Aiden about the flash drive. It slipped my mind on our date. There hadn’t been any other concerning signs since the break-in at my apartment, and every day that went by without something happening convinced me it was a coincidence.
But if what Tracy found was true, and these corporations were dumping pollutants in the water while smiling to the cameras and claiming to be environmentally friendly, the sooner I figured everything out, the better.
I dialed the number I’d found. It was the weekend, so I didn’t expect someone to pick up. A voicemail would be just fine.
A real person answered. “Coastal Reef Alliance, how may I direct your call?”
“Oh. I’m so sorry. I didn’t expect anyone to be there.”
She laughed. “We’re not usually here on weekends, but you know how it is.”
“I do.”
“How can I help you?”
“My name is Trinity Crawford, and I’m calling from Clarity Magazine. I’m interested in doing a piece on the progress of the coral reef project. Is there someone I could speak to about it?”
“Oh, that would be Melanie,” she said. “She’s on a call right now, but I know that she’ll absolutely want to talk to you. Do you have time next week?”
“Absolutely.”
We set the call before hanging up. Perfect.
Interviewing Melanie about the project's success would be helpful.
Was the pollution affecting the success of the coral reefs?
The information on that flash drive might have already threatened some large corporations.
If that was combined with a marked, measurable negative impact on the environment?
They were fucked.
I took my laptop into the nest and snuggled down with a blanket. So far, I hadn’t spent much time here. It needed some adjustments. Paint and pillows and lights. And their clothes.
They were taking me to the nest store soon. Period.
I sent notes on two pieces and wrote a draft of the Element article before my eyes started to ache. Food could also be nice. Had I eaten today?
A banana this morning after I used the gym.
Fuck.
I put my laptop away and went to the kitchen. On the way, Bastian’s door was open. Hmm. Speaking of their clothes. A hoodie was thrown over a chair. It smelled like him. Perfect.
On the list I told them I could sneak. Now was the perfect time to show them.
Bastian’s hoodie went into a corner of the nest. The shirt I stole from Brooks went on the other side. My instincts directed me where to place everything. Theo’s dress shirt and Logan’s sweatpants were the next victims. Nothing from Aiden. Yet. I didn’t want to interrupt his moving in.
I heard noises coming from that direction, but went to the kitchen instead, feeling a bit smug for not getting caught. Not that they’d care about me stealing their clothes. But still.
“Haven’t seen you all day, wildfire.”
“Whose fault is that?” I teased. “I was in the same place most of the time. Half expected one of you to track me down and have your wicked way with me.”
“You were working,” he said. “We won’t interrupt you when you’re at work. That, and Aiden needed help.”
I opened a cupboard and found cups and plates. Another one had spices. Warmth lined my back, Logan’s cinnamon and sugar surrounding me. “What are you looking for?”
“Snacks.”
An arm around my waist guided me over to a tall door near the fridge while he walked with me. “Pantry.”
The small, shelf-lined room had everything from cereal to flour. Including a shelf that was lined with snacks. I grabbed a protein bar and tried to turn, only Logan hadn’t released me yet.
“I need your food list, Trinity.”
“I know.” He let me spin inside his arm so I was looking up at him. “I keep forgetting. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. Just know that if I don’t have it by the end of this week, I will absolutely fuck it out of you.”
I suppressed my smile. “Noted.”
Bastian entered the kitchen and came straight to us when he saw. He froze a foot away. “Why do you smell like me?”
Logan leaned in and inhaled. “She smells like all of us.”
“No idea what you’re talking about,” I said.
A smirk. “Somehow I doubt that’s true.”
I shrugged and made sure my face gave nothing away. They could figure it out if they wanted to.
My other three Alphas entered the room. My Alphas. I liked the sound of that.
“All moved in?” I asked Aiden.
“Enough. Not perfect yet, but it’s livable. And there’s more than enough room for that scene.”
The others looked at me. “I told him I wanted a scene before the dynamic included him.”
Brooks came over and enveloped me from behind. He scented me too. Maybe they’d find their clothes in the nest. Until then? I wasn’t saying shit.
Taking a bite to mask my smile, I decided right then and there that I was going to steal their clothes and put them in the nest until they figured it out.
“It’s a good idea,” Logan said. “Even if I’m a little jealous.”
“I was going to ask you if you were okay with it. You’re the only one I haven’t… at least not here.”
He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, since Brooks still had me wrapped up. “You don’t need permission to be with any of us. Jealousy is normal, but it’s our problem to deal with, not yours.”
“Keep saying well-adjusted shit like that, and I just might fall in love with you.”
“I hope you fall in love with us no matter what,” he said.
I hoped that too, but I didn’t dare say it out loud.
Theo poked his head around Logan. “You did your training?”
“Before I used the gym.”
That smile felt like stepping into pure sunshine. “Thank you for being obedient.”
A shiver zipped up my spine. I did it right. I made him happy. There wasn’t an interrogation or follow-up questions to make sure I’d done it. Just a thank you.
Theo’s almond scent overtook everything as Brooks passed me into his arms. He tucked me beneath his chin and held me. “I love the way you melt for my praise,” he whispered. “I just need to know something.”
“Kay.” My voice was muffled by his shirt.
He leaned down so I was the only one who could hear him. “I love that you melt so much. Is it because you haven’t had anyone give you praise?” I stiffened, and he kept whispering. “It’s okay, sweetheart. It just makes me sad, that’s all. Can you tell me if it’s true?”
I swallowed. My skin felt hot and tight, and admitting any part of the truth I’d been hiding forever felt dangerous. And yet, I couldn’t lie to him. “It’s true. I mean, Dad would, when he was around.”
Translation: he wasn’t around often enough for it to matter.
Theo kissed the top of my head. “Thank you for telling me. Are you going to go play with Aiden?”
I looked straight up at him, even though I was plastered against his chest. “Yeah.”
“Have fun.”
Narrowing my eyes, I tilted my head. “You say that like I’m walking into danger.”
Logan laughed. “The man’s a pleasure sadist. You are walking into danger.”
“Only the good kind of danger,” Aiden clarified.
I peeked at him around Theo. “Do you have your computers here?”
“Some of them. The really big ones are still at the warehouse and will stay there. But I have enough.”
A cough drew my eyes to Bastian. I realized he was covering a laugh. “Enough might be a slight understatement.”
Aiden just shrugged. “Maybe.”
“Okay. I’ll be right there. I have to grab something.”
I grabbed the handheld safe out of my bedside table. If he had his computers, then maybe he could have them work on this while he fucked the shit out of me.
His room already had dark blue walls. I remembered from my first tour of the apartment. A big bed now occupied the space, along with a couch and a chair. There were still boxes spilling out of the closet, and—
“Bastian was right. That was an understatement.”
Aiden sat down in the chair at his desk with an amused smirk. “I’d argue it wasn’t an understatement. To me, this is enough.”
I’d argue that having six monitors and what looked like three giant towers was more than enough. But computers and I generally hated each other, so who was I to judge?
“Fair.” I unlocked the little safe and pulled out the flash drive, suddenly nervous. “This is why I reached out to you.”
“Wherever you found it, I’ll always be grateful.”
“I got it—” My thoughts froze me. If Tracy hadn’t gotten into her car accident, I would never have been promoted or had her broken filing cabinet. I wouldn’t have found this or reached out to Aiden.
There’s no telling whether I would have tried to do the Element article if Tracy was still here. It wasn’t a comfy thought. I liked to think that I would have run into the Breaker Pack some other way, or maybe the same way if I’d gone to the club. Even pretending that didn’t give me Aiden.
“Sorry,” I said. “I just realized how close I came to not meeting any of you. My boss died a few months ago in a car accident. Without that, none of us would be here.”
His eyebrows rose. “Wow.”
“Yeah. Anyway, it was an old file of hers, and a contact gave me this. But I have no way to unlock it. Do you have a program that can do it while we play?”
The look on his face was pure confidence, and it was hot as fuck. He pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it aside before reaching for the drive. “I can make that happen. Now take your clothes off. On the bed.”
Aiden caught my wrist before I could turn away fully, lifting it. One finger ran along the links of the hand chains I wore. “Leave these on.”