26. Lucy
CHAPTER 26
Lucy
The sky was cloudy as we drove back to the city – no trace of the sunshine and warmth left. Each moment the sky grew darker, so did Liam’s mood. He probably overheard my conversation with his sister-in-law, but I couldn’t think of anything in particular that would have upset him.
Melinda Valor was annoying and predictable. She’d also called me a bitch to my face, which I’d expected, but that didn’t mean it hadn’t pissed me the fuck off. Where did she get off acting so clingy toward Liam anyway, and then turn around five seconds later to accuse me of being some kind of gold digger?
I sighed, hating how many conflicting emotions were churning inside me. I blamed Liam for all of them too. This useless anger toward Melinda wouldn’t be as hard to let go of if she hadn’t stirred up these weird feelings of possession and jealousy.
From the moment we’d collided, there was this draw to Liam I couldn’t deny no matter how hard I tried. Ignoring it wasn’t working anymore, not after the way he’d stood up for me.
Every little touch and look from him had every nerve I possessed thrumming with pleasure just from the attention he was giving me. The prospect of getting any closer to him worried me.
How was I going to manage this feeling that just kept growing? It was starting to feel a lot like…obsession.
Desperation .
Need.
Then there was the added complication of Liam’s best friend and assistant – Cassius.
Was Liam seducing me because he actually wanted me, or was it all just for show? And what did any of this have to do with Cassius? Clearly, they were together, but the nature of their relationship seemed to be more complicated than I’d assumed.
If I gave in to the omega instincts that were screaming at me to take anything and everything I could get from these legacy alphas, would Liam toss me aside after he got what he wanted?
Did he want me for him or for Cassius? Or were they planning to share?
…did I want Cassius?
I glanced over at Liam, feeling a flash of something in my chest when I saw how tight the muscle in his jaw was, like he was clenching his teeth hard enough to shatter them.
He was clearly angry, but I didn’t know why. Asking him didn’t seem like a good idea either and I was pretty sure I wasn’t ready to hear whatever his answer was.
Biting back another sigh, I propped my chin on my fist and watched the city whiz by.
Regardless of his answer, one thing was for certain. This legacy alpha beside me was bringing out the omega in me in ways I’d never experienced before – in ways I’d never wanted to experience.
Despite that, I couldn’t help but think…he might just be one of the only alphas worth acting like an omega for.
All he wanted was for me to stay by his side and I could do whatever I wanted, or so he said .
That could have easily been an act Liam put on for Melinda to sell the whole ‘girlfriend’ aspect of this relationship, but even if he was just putting on an act, hearing him say that had done something to me and I didn’t think it could be reversed.
I wanted him, and pretending I didn’t was going to be impossible if he kept acting like this no matter how complicated the nature of our relationship was. Liam Valor was a client, and I was the private detective who was hired to find his brother’s murderer.
This fucking case was ruining my life in more ways than one.
Seeing that painting in Melinda’s house had stirred up vivid memories I’d pretended didn’t exist for the last fifteen years. The chances I’d see even a copy of it were slim to none, let alone the original.
Most days I pretended as if I’d been born into this world fully formed like nature itself had given birth to me, because if I let myself think about my father or mother for even a second, I would start spiraling all over again.
Nothing about what had happened during those three years before Frankie had adopted me made sense, and if I thought about the why too much, I’d lose my fucking mind all over again.
On top of that, I was reacting like a fully functioning omega for the first time ever, and I still couldn’t figure out if it was just because of Liam, or if it was Cassius too. This physical change might not be so bad if it wasn’t also causing me to lose Frankie.
My partner had always been more functional, and always presented as normal far better than I, but that wasn’t the reality of the situation and if I didn’t figure out what the fuck was going on with my body, I could make her even worse.
Frankie was slipping through my fingers and it felt like the harder I tried to hold on, the more tenuous our connection got.
Her updates over text made it clear she wasn’t ready to talk about any of it and pushing her at this point would only make things worse. Sharing our findings in our secured files would get us through the leg work of this case at least.
But I hadn’t been apart from her for this long in years.
I knew we had an abnormal friendship, but our lives were so intertwined by this point that we rarely did anything without each other, and all of a sudden it was Liam who was trying to fill the emptiness inside me instead of Frankie. It felt so much worse too, now that I was being forced to consider how I was going to keep everything I’d worked so hard for if these new symptoms were going to stick around.
There was a strong possibility I’d have to stay behind a desk until I was bonded to an alpha if I couldn’t get it under control and I hated that more than anything .
I really needed to go see that doctor and find out if he had any answers.
Out of all the specialists I’d seen, Nathan seemed to be the one most likely to help me, which I was still trying to wrap my brain around since I’d given up on any kind of solution a long time ago.
Could Liam be right? Was I actually a dominant omega, and if I were, was there some way to confirm that?
Maybe there was a test to determine the range of an omega’s pheromones just like there was with alphas, but I doubted it was that well known or more people would know that such a thing existed.
The vehicle came to an abrupt stop and Liam put the car in park. Somehow the sun was already setting. We weren’t at his house in the city or Valor Enterprises either.
He got out of the car and slammed the door shut before I could ask him anything.
I watched as he walked around toward the passenger side door.
Even the way he walked was dominating – as if he expected every single thing on this planet to get out of his way or he’d make them …
It was such a contrast to his usual fairytale prince persona that I braced myself, not sure what to expect. He didn’t yank open my door exactly, but it was a bit more forceful than usual and I stared up at him, trying to figure out what the hell was going on, but Liam only offered me his hand, not an explanation.
Honestly, I was too out of it to care anymore. As long as I didn’t have to interact with anyone else or make any decisions, I would go along with whatever he wanted to do. My thoughts were just too scattered to do anything else.
Grabbing my purse, I took his hand and let him link my arm through his.
Matching his pace was easy when he adjusted his stride for me as if he were always aware of every tiny little thing I did. I wanted to thank him, but I was too annoyed at how good he was at all this.
Exactly how many omegas had he done this for?
None of these feelings of possession and jealousy would be choking me if it weren’t for him.
Car keys were handed to a faceless valet and Liam led me around a fancy building to a back entrance. It was strange enough I felt that damning curiosity prick at me through all the emotions I was experiencing.
Then I realized this place was a restaurant, but not just any restaurant.
No, something so mundane would never do for Liam Valor.
Instead, he’d brought us to the hottest new fusion place that took reservations a year in advance and never had any openings. Normal people couldn’t eat here and even if they did manage to get a spot, they’d never be able to afford it.
I was pretty sure they even charged for the air in this place considering how many people were inside and yet there hadn’t been a single report of anyone ever getting pheromone sick here.
I looked up at Liam, wondering why he’d take me to Bite of all places instead of just ordering something in like we did last time, but the way those garnet eyes glittered dangerously made all my questions on the matter disappear.
“Lucy, would you like me to deal with Melinda for you?” Liam opened the door and the elegant warmth from inside the building was almost enough to distract me from his question.
“Whatever you’re thinking, no. She’s pregnant.”
“Did you just say Melinda is pregnant?” Liam demanded, shutting the door in someone’s face before pushing me back against a wall.
I didn’t even dare breathe with him this close when he looked like he was on the verge of committing violence.
Damn it, I really needed to think before I opened my big fat mouth.
Clearing my throat, I nodded. “I can’t be sure without a test obviously, but there’s a milky scent that clings to her skin. It’s something I’ve only smelled on someone who’s pregnant or nursing.”
“Is that why you’re upset?” Liam clenched his jaw and looked away from me to study the empty street like he might just murder me here and didn’t want any witnesses.
But his question clashed with his demeanor and it was giving me some serious whiplash.
“No, that’s not why I’m upset, but you can’t do anything to her without hurting what might be Gideon’s child.”
“Gideon’s child?” The weight of his presence and aura eased ever so slightly as he considered that. “I suppose anything is possible.”
“It’s definitely a child of Valor.” I raised an eyebrow up at him, wondering how long we were going to stand behind such a fancy restaurant like this, acting all suspicious. “What are we even doing here?”
Reason filled his eyes once more, but the vicious gleam in them didn’t go anywhere, if anything it only got sharper. “It’s time for dinner and you need to eat. Plus, you like finger foods, don’t you?”
It was impossible to hide my surprise, but he was right and I hadn’t expected that. I liked everything bite-sized if possible because it was easier to eat when I was working, otherwise I’d never eat anything at all.
But had he ever seen me eat anything other than the Chinese food we had last night? I didn’t think so.
Liam didn’t give me time to ask him about that. He just pulled me toward the back door to the restaurant, and the person he’d shut the door on was still patiently and politely waiting for us on the other side. She looked like she could be a hostess, but she wasn’t holding any menus and her hands were clasped in front of her.
“The private room you requested is ready, Mr. Valor,” she said in a soft voice that was still easy to hear despite the dull roar from the restaurant.
I was surprised by how much I liked the atmosphere and the quiet way the staff went about their jobs. Some of the irritation from dealing with Melinda and the anxiety burning in my chest started to ease.
When Liam set his hand on my lower back to lead me toward the private room, even more of that awful feeling dissipated until it no longer felt like acid reflux burning my throat.
I really hadn’t thought I could stomach eating, but the smell of food wasn’t overwhelming.
Everything was perfect, including the room the hostess led us to which was the epitome of luxury.
One wall was just glass to use the sparkling lights of the city as a focal piece. It added to the urban ambiance too, meshing with the colored LED lights that lined the room, and the shelves displaying interesting art pieces that looked like something out of a sci-fi show.
Where there weren’t strange glowing art nouveau pieces, there were plants. The smell of the room told me they were real too with their vines crawling all over the walls.
What this decor had to do with their theme of bite-sized food, I wasn’t sure, but it was definitely different. I could see how something like this would be perfect for a party or gathering of some kind.
The table was large enough to fit six to twelve people, but only two chairs were on one side to take advantage of the view.
So, no one would be joining us.
I felt a pang of guilt by how relieved I was. I’m sure Frankie and Cassius would have liked to eat here too. Well, maybe we could arrange something after the case was closed.
“The glass wall has a one-way film,” the hostess assured me as two waiters set wine glasses down, presenting a few options to Liam, who ignored them. “Is there anything I can do to ensure your experience is perfect?”
“No alcohol,” Liam responded as he took my purse from me to hang it on a little hook behind the chair. “And I’d like a menu that includes all the ingredients for each dish.”
“Of course.” The hostess bowed her head slightly and the two waiters disappeared before returning with a pitcher of crystal-clear water. “The weather is clear enough tonight, but it is supposed to rain again. Would you like me to adjust the setting on the glass?”
“Lucy likes the rain, so leave it as it is.” Liam still didn’t look at the hostess or the waiters who disappeared again after filling our glasses with chilled water instead of wine.
Her training had to be something else, because the hostess murmured some polite nonsense and disappeared only to return a moment later with the menus. She was unobtrusive and professional while Liam treated her like she didn’t exist.
Why did he keep fucking staring at me though? It was distracting enough I wasn’t fixating on the fact this alpha cared enough to remember how much I liked the rain.
I definitely didn’t want to know how much a private room like this cost either no matter how curious I was. It would just make it impossible for me to enjoy the food and the way Liam pulled out my chair told me there’d be no arguing with him.
This was where we were going to eat and that was that.
Normally, that kind of attitude would piss me the fuck off, but this alpha had picked the perfect place to make sure he got his way. There was nothing about this restaurant that made me uncomfortable other than the price.
It wasn’t the first time I wondered how he knew me so well.
“Do you like this place, Lucy?”
I eyed him as I reached for my water, wondering why he still seemed so on edge. “Honestly, I want to be mad you surprised me with an outing I didn’t agree to, but you did so well with your choice that I can’t really commit to hating this.”
Liam flashed me a smile, but it disappeared so quickly I paused mid-sip, wondering if I’d imagined it. “I think that’s the first time you’ve complimented me, Lucy, and I have to admit, it’s making me feel a bit reckless.”
There was something wrong with this man.
The second I opened my mouth, I knew I’d regret asking him this question, but there were only so many questions I could keep to myself before one eventually popped out. Unfortunately, I didn’t always get to pick which question I would blurt out.
“Why does that make you feel reckless?”
“I just do.” Liam smiled slightly, but that dangerous glint in his eyes was still there and with the dim lighting, the garnet color looked just as luminescent as Cassius’s gemlike blue.
Liam had always been difficult to look away from, but when he was on edge like this, I just couldn’t stop staring and I had no idea why. Was it the air of barely restrained violence, or was it how different he looked like this? Like he’d taken off a mask and finally shown me just how sharp all his teeth were.
I froze when he reached out and traced the edge of the black bow in my hair, that slight, secretive smile of his widening ever so slightly. “You look adorable in this,” he admitted. “But you’re impossible to read, and I’m not quite sure how to deal with that. It’s almost like you exist just to test me.”
Those words felt like a lie when everything he did made me wonder how the fuck he could know me so well when we’d spent so little time together.
This legacy alpha was dangerous, but I couldn’t quite bring myself to care when he looked at me like this…
Like I was the only person in the world.
I was a fucking idiot to think I could ever resist this kind of devotion, even if it was just pretend.