Chapter 24
Chapter Twenty-Four
QUINN
Istay in my room, listening to Santiago and Aleksei work and argue. Kade intercedes when their bickering gets past a certain point, and interestingly, they always back off. Until they start up again.
The combination of vodka and my swaying Omega hormones makes me super sleepy. Like bone tired. But the return of Sergey and the change of date to our nuptials has my brain ticking louder than a cartoon timer.
The stress of the chat I’m waiting on burns through some of the buzz.
The courier company keeps bouncing me from customer rep to customer rep while they search for my package.
Considering I sent it on the way to the airport back home, it should have been here already.
All of what I packed is replaceable, but at the same time, it wouldn’t be great if the box went missing.
Perhaps it was irresponsible of me to put lives at risk by using a third party to transport the poison I’d chosen for Sergey.
The courier company, though, is renowned for their experience in handling sensitive and restricted items. And the way I wrapped what I needed meant if the small perfume bottle shattered, it wouldn’t leak out.
Hiding the antidote took a trip to the dark side, but the woman I’d found had done an incredible job.
I couldn’t figure out how to open the hairbrush until she showed me.
My screen pops up with a new link, and this time, it is a tracker. Thankfully the package has been found and is headed out for delivery. I sign off, probably with too much gratitude, but I am relieved.
Pulling the door open, I go to race out of my room, but instead trip over Roshka. The result would make for a great clip on Insta, as I go down in a sprawling heap and end up half on Roshka and half at the feet of Aleksei.
The small grin on Aleksei’s face only confirms how funny it looked from his point of view.
Jittery energy has me springing up before he can help me, embarrassment hitting me hard when I realize I probably just flashed him my lady bits.
“Your dog is going to kill me,” I grumble, turning to glare at the black mass who didn’t move an inch.
“What a way to go,” he mumbles. His English is back to being impeccable. “What was the rush?”
He glances into my room, and the humor that was there dims. Twisting around, I look back to see what’s made him react like that. Nothing appears to be amiss.
“You let your guard into your room?”
I get a waft of what made his mood flip. As I consider the Santiago’s inappropriate but also strangely perfect visit to my room, I realize I’m flicking the band of my engagement ring. It’s like my subconscious won’t let me forget what he did to my ring on two separate occasions now.
But I also get the fright of my life, because after I’d rolled around naked in sheets smelling like Santiago, I took a long, hot shower, full of filthy visuals of what he did in my bed. After which I only put on Aleksei’s T-shirt because he smells equally amazing.
Which means I’m braless, pantiless, and devoid of any makeup. And I could joke my way around some of that, except for the fact that no makeup means no fucking makeup—as in, there’s nothing hiding the bite.
I leap over Roshka and hide behind the door, hoping Aleksei didn’t see my hand.
“Let me get changed.” I slam the door before he can respond.
In the space of a few minutes, I do what I should have done right after my shower—cover up his fucking bite. By the time I’m walking out of my room, I’ve got concealer in all the important places and clothes on.
Swinging the door open, I find Aleksei, Santiago, and Kade having another meeting, which stops the moment I walk closer.
“That’s not suspicious.”
Kade gives me one of his looks when he thinks I’m being a brat.
The one I begged him to use. If we were alone, there’d be a lot more than a look involved.
And it’s not like I need any more confirmation that he’s amazing, and my hormones are fluctuating all over the place, but I get a full-body flush, regardless.
I ignore him and the fact I was just out here acting like a lunatic. “The package the courier lost is on its way. It should be here within ten or so minutes. I’d like to go down to meet the courier at the gate.”
“I’ll go,” Aleksei offers.
“And me,” I add quickly before they veto walking to the gate as too dangerous. “I need to get out of this house for five minutes. My head is a mess, and the fresh air will help.”
“Sounds good,” Kade interjects when both Alphas look like they’re about to prohibit my walk. “And considering the time, I’ll see what I can make for dinner.”
I give him a small smile of thanks not realising the day is over. “There’s leftover chicken in the fridge.”
I zone out while everyone readies themselves. Aleksei disappears into his suite with Nalla on his heels, while Santiago goes into the bedroom. He appears in the doorway a second later with a puffy jacket in his hand.
“Here,” he says.
“That’s not a proper jacket,” Aleksei growls from behind me, making me startle.
I don’t even get to face him before I’m all but accosted by a weighted warmth encompassed in earthy, woody, sweet, and musky notes. His jacket clearly smells like him, and it makes me weak in the knees.
“Do you have proper shoes?” he asks, and since he’s behind me, and my brain is in hyperdrive, it’s like he’s whispering wicked promises in my ear. Like a lover would. I get so lost, I can’t remember answering, so I say nothing.
“Quinn,” Santiago calls me from down the corridor, and I scurry to him.
“I need fresh air.”
“Let’s go, then.” He waves his arm towards the newly constructed door. “I’ll show you how it works after.”
Nodding because I’ve reached my emotional capacity, I hurry through the house with him leading the way, Roshka next to my legs, and Kade and Aleksei bringing up the rear.
“Someone let me know when you’re back inside,” Kade says, taking the hall toward the kitchen. “I’m just going to throw something together, but it’s not going to be gourmet.”
“Wait here,” Aleksei says abruptly, his eyes on Santiago, before he breaks into a jog to catch up with Kade.
Santiago is watching me. I know it, god, even my body knows it. His attention sends shivers down my spine. Thankfully, he doesn’t move an inch. “Do you have suppressors in your package?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you still need to see a doctor tomorrow?”
“I want to. I don’t want to go into heat. It’s so fucked up in this house, Santiago, you have no idea. I don’t feel safe, and that’s after spending like three seconds in the same room as Sergey and his posse.”
“The women threatened you?”
I pull a face, confirming they did while still not looking at him. I really am on the edge, but I want him to know more. I don’t usually share like this, but he does this to me—makes me feel like I can trust him.
“I also said to Bambi I’m happy for her to stay in Sergey’s suite.”
“She stays in there?”
“Yeah and the other women. There’s four I’ve met so far.”
I risk a look, and I’m not too surprised by his expression. When we’re alone, this Alpha wears his heart on his sleeve, and by god, it’s a beautiful thing. He’s offended to the point of bitterness on my behalf.
“Remember what I said about going if you need to,” I tell him.
Aleksei joins us, reading a message on his phone and thankfully missing our interaction. “Sergey will be here within the hour. He’s coming back early.”
“Quinn will not be seeing him tonight. I want her locked away. She’s exhausted.” Santiago arcs up, expecting a fight, but Aleksei is already agreeing before he finishes.
“We do a quick walk around. If we start now, we will pick up your package, then get you back upstairs with time to spare.”
And that’s what we do. Aleksei doesn’t talk, and neither does Santiago.
I find myself again as we walk from one edge of the property to the other.
In the grand scheme of things, it’s nothing.
I don’t have some groundbreaking epiphany that rocks me to my core.
Instead, it’s more of a resetting of my ideals.
Since I met these three men, each one has unknowingly tested my resolve.
Now that we’re all together, I feel like who I am as a person is being challenged by whispers of what we could be.
I know I’m acting like I’m living in a washing machine—my emotions spinning—but I am also aware that once the cycle is done, I’ll come out on the other side, the same but better. Cleaner.
They’re heavy, strange thoughts, but life is fucking weighted.
The courier arrives at the gate right at the same time we do.
I take it as a good sign. Santiago offers to carry the box for me as we walk back to the house, but now that it’s in my hands, I’m not about to let someone else hold it for me.
Besides, it feels wrong for him to be involved at all.
This way, if anything goes to shit, Aleksei can’t view Santiago carrying it for me as evidence that we’re in cahoots.
At the door, Aleksei and Nalla leave us again, heading towards the kitchen. Roshka is on my heels, even closer than Santiago.
“Quit it!” I turn and hiss aggressively at the giant furball.
Of course he moves even faster.
Santiago drifts to the side, nonplussed by the standoff between me and Roshka, and he presses his hand against a sensor.
“Did someone come and install that?” I ask, a little freaked out. Surely, they would have mentioned another person being in the house.
The electronic release triggers a small beep inside the hallway.
“No. It was Aleksei.”
“Jack of all trades, huh?”
“Seems like.”
“You know, it’s weird. He’s hot and cold, but he’s also so different from Sergey, it’s like light and day. When you meet Sergey, you’ll get why I’m not doing a great job of explaining.” I blab, and that’s fine because it’s been a hell of a day.
Or two. Or, actually, a few weeks. No, months.
“Quinn,” he says, dropping his voice lower so I have to strain to hear him, “you need to be very careful around him. No matter how different you think he is, I want you to remember the position of second-in-command in the mafia means he has proven he is dangerous.”
“Same sentiment could be applied to you, then, right? I mean, you’re obviously involved in the Cartel. In some capacity. For the life of me, I can’t figure out why you’re here? It seems below you.”
The expression on his face is as obvious as if he’d opened his mouth and said the same thing back to me.
I figure hiding out in my room is probably the safest for all of us. Santiago stops my escape, catching my hand. A jolt of what feels like a thousand amps races up my arm. The noise I make is involuntary, a needy keen falling from my lips, and he swoops closer.
“I understand you’ve chosen to deal with the situation different from how I want you to, and I respect your decision and your reasoning.
But for me, the only thing that matters is you.
Please accept my truth. It doesn’t need to change anything, and honestly, maybe just knowing it will calm some of your storm.
” He pushes hair off my face, his sentiment softening.
“And while that sounded very egotistical, I promise you it wasn’t.
For me, I knew the second I saw you. I knew.
” His whole face changes, like a weight is off his shoulders.
So often, people say what you want to hear but never do what you need them to. Santiago just threw down the gauntlet, and instead of being overwrought, all he looks is relieved.
He’s also clearly decided to let his bossy side come out to play.
“Now go stash whatever you’re doing a terrible job at hiding and come back out to the sitting room, ready for dinner.
We agreed staying locked in your suite is the safest tonight.
And spending the night playing board games will hopefully slow your racing thoughts down.
Not that I tabled my suggestion of fucking you until you couldn’t keep your eyes open.
It’s still out there, though, if you have changed the whole ‘you're only my bodyguard’ thing.”
Thankfully, his phone rings before I decide his idea is solid.