Chapter 21
Chapter
Twenty-One
ARLO
I don’t know if I helped settle Baron’s nerves, but I feel better. I didn’t realize how relaxing the post sex glow could be. Ves looks knowingly at me as I take Cali’s hand after the show.
The adult humor went right over her head, but she loved listening to Lennox sing. My alpha has a barrel chest made for range. He can hit low and high notes in a way that raises goosebumps over my skin, and makes me want to ask for private concerts.
“He’s so good,” Cali whispers to me. They’re getting ready to bring the performers forward for the final curtain call and everyone is quietly waiting.
“I… He is,” I gush. Cali won’t judge me for fan boying over my alpha, she’s just as excited as I am. It’s true that I dislike large crowds, but I’m surrounded by my pack.
Nothing bad can happen to me here.
As Lennox comes forward on stage, I stand and lift Cali onto my hip so she can clap wildly for him.
“Yay, Lenny!” she yells. Baron smirks as he shakes his head in amusement because Cali was given permission to use his nickname. I can’t wait to watch them fuck it out. I hope I’m there for it.
We’re all finding our way, and that’s going to mean different things for each of us. Ves claps his hands beside me proudly, despite the fact that this isn’t his schtick, either. But, this is what pack does.
“He’s got a set of pipes on him,” Ves admits under his breath as I grin. Look who had the attitude fucked out of him. Things are getting better and he’s less wound up than usual.
That’s partly why I don’t understand why Baron is having these bad vibes about coming here. Still, I nervously look around to see if I can see anyone who would be an issue for us.
A man with a mullet and dark eyes is on stage staring straight at Cali and I as he takes his bow for a minor role in the performance. It’s so intense, I flinch. His gaze moves to Cali until the troupe walks off, leaving my chest feeling really tight.
I want to tell Baron, but it would also mean alerting this innocent girl in my arms about why I’m so uncomfortable.
“Arlo, put me down. I’m not a baby. I can walk,” Cali says sternly.
“Of course you can, honey,” I rasp, complying.
“Take my hand,” Ves says sternly, holding it out to her. She’s so excited, she’s almost bouncing.
I smile weakly as we begin to walk toward the main aisle to leave, checking behind me regularly to see that Ves is holding her hand tightly.
“Why are you so jumpy?” Baron growls, dropping his arm around my shoulders.
“Bad vibes.” Anxiety is stealing my voice as we walk, and it’s hard to keep from having a panic attack.
“Breathe.” The command manages to relax the muscles around my lungs and I gasp in a breath. “Ves has Cali. Walk ahead with me.”
“But there’s a man,” I hiss, craning my head to see if he’s in the crowd now. He could be, right?
Fuck, I just want to find Lennox to ask him about this guy. He said the people he works with are great. My alpha would never lie to me!
“What. Man. Arlo.”
“I don’t… Fuck. He’s a performer, Baron. He has a mullet and scary eyes.” Shaking my head, I struggle to remember what he’s wearing. “He’ll probably change, but he has purple balloon pants on and a white button up shirt.”
“What was he doing, baby? You’re shaking, and my heart is pounding. It’s not in your head if we feel this way, Arlo. Don’t doubt your gut.”
We’re walking out into the main lobby with a shit ton of other people, and it’s not really helping my feeling of claustrophobia. Between my anxiety and the press of people, I’m not doing very well.
“He was staring at…” I glance back at Cali before blowing out a breath.
“Got it. We’ll find Lennox and get the fuck out of here. Then, we’ll ask him who this guy is, baby. I don’t want to be here any longer than necessary.”
I nod shakily as I carefully pick my way through the crowd into the lobby. Cali’s eyes are wide as she leans against her dad, slightly overwhelmed by the crush of people as well. It gets better once we’re in a wider space, and I force myself to speak with her.
“What was your favorite part?” I ask. “Lennox is going to want to know.”
She’s wearing a cute lavender dress with leggings underneath it, because she told me ‘Lenny loves this color.’ Cali didn’t have many questions to ask about the two alphas joining us.
I mean, she has them, and asks about a shit ton of things, but she has never once been suspicious of either Lennox or Baron. Ves has taught her about stranger danger and being aware of her surroundings. None of what he’s told her has triggered her spidey senses.
Lennox tamed her wild curls with a special hair mask. He got her to agree to changing her shampoo and conditioner by explaining her hair is special and needs special treatment. He said she could either trust him, or he could explain the scientific evidence for it.
Cali said that as long as it was backed by data, she’d take his word for it. I love the way they banter and discuss things. He treats her like the tiny human that she is, instead of a child.
Cali frowns as she pulls away as if someone is touching her, but I can’t see anyone specific. Ugh, where’s Lennox? There’s still a shit ton of people around us.
“Honey, what’s wrong?” I ask.
“I don’t know. I thought someone was pulling my hair.”
This little girl is tender headed. It’s a struggle to untangle her hair anywhere other than the tub with conditioner. The hair mask makes things easier, and that’s why she got on board very quickly.
“You!” Ves yells, grabbing something.
“Ow, ow, shit! I didn’t mean anything by it, mister. Let me go!”
Reaching out, I snatch Cali up into my arms, big girl or not. She’s touching her hair andbreathing hard as her face becomes flushed with redness.
“It happened again!” she wails. “He pulled it and hurt me!”
A man is on his knees, where he was fucking hiding among the bodies around us.
My face scrunches in disgust as I hug Cali to me, smoothing my hand over her curls as if to erase what he did to her.
It’s the same man I saw before, but he’s bald now and wearing jeans and a t-shirt. The mullet must have been for the show.
“He wouldn’t stop staring at her,” I rasp. God, I feel sick. I’m going to be dreaming about this man’s evil eyes for a long time. Ves is holding tightly to the man’s fingers, and I suspect he’s about to break them. “Ves. Not here.”
“What’s going on?” Lennox asks. “Why is Corvus on the ground? Cali, honey…”
“He touched my hair!” Cali screams, completely distraught.
Lennox’s face curls into a mask of rage and Ves takes this as a nod of approval for whatever is about to come next. He yanks Corvus up by the collar of his shirt, tearing it as he does and then pulls the hand he’s holding behind his back.
“Out of the way! I’m making an arrest!”
Baron’s hands squeeze my waist as his lips press against the shell of my ear. “Ves needs Lennox and I. Can you get Cali back to the hotel?”
I nod quickly, swiping at my face as I hitch Cali up higher into my arms. When I’m really upset, I’ll start to cry. It’s the most frustrating thing, but there’s no sign of judgement on Baron’s face.
“Cali, you and I are going home. Your daddy is going to make sure that man can’t touch you ever again, okay?”
She nods, curled against me as she cries, and I follow behind Ves. Lennox and Baron flank either side of me, keeping anyone from coming too close as we walk.
“I’m sorry, Cali,” Lennox says with wide eyes. “He’s new to the group. I would never bring you anywhere you aren’t safe on purpose.”
She throws herself toward him, and I nearly drop her. Lennox easily takes her, leaving me feeling a bit bereft. The weight of Cali in my arms reminded me she was safe. It’s not quite the same simply seeing her. Baron collars the back of my neck and presses a kiss to my temple.
“Always trust your instincts. Nine times out of ten, they’re going to be right. Even still, you couldn’t have known the bastard would be crawling on the damn floor. That’s some fucking shit no one expects.”
I know he’s right, but I still feel awful. Lennox tells her all about the bedtime story I’m going to tell her, and I listen carefully because she’ll remember this. It’s a story about a giant Viking and a FBI agent who teamed up with an alpha who is allergic to the sunlight.
My lips curl up as I realize he’s talking about Baron, and it eases the ball of apprehension in my gut. The air is cool as we walk out into the night, and I reach for Cali.
“Your ride share is going to be here in two minutes, guys. I know you hate using the app, Arlo,” Baron says. My lips part in surprise, but he’s not done yet. “I texted you his name, license plate number, and the four digit number he’ll ask you when he arrives, okay?”
“Marry me,” I mumble, hugging Cali tightly.
“Oh, you’re stuck with me for life.”
“Cali, honey, we’ll see you in the morning, okay?
” Ves asks, a pair of zip ties already around Corvus’ wrists.
There’s something in his mouth as well, and I realize it’s a handkerchief Lennox keeps in his pocket.
“We can have a yes day in the morning before I go to work. Think about what you want to do. I’m going to handle this. ”
“I love you, Daddy,” she sniffles. “You always keep me safe.”
Oh, my heart. There’s fury in Ves’ eyes but Cali doesn’t flinch from it.
“I love you, honey. I see a car coming. Check the license plate, Arlo.”
“I will,” I breathe, watching as Ves pushes Corvus toward the parking lot. While there are a couple of curious glances, no one asks questions. It’s California, after all. We see crazier things than this.
Sure enough, a car slides up in front of Cali and I. Shifting on my feet, I fish out my phone and find everything matches once I walk toward the back of the vehicle to check the plate.
“Arlo, yes? Can you give me the code you have, please?” the driver asks. He waited patiently for me to come back toward him, and I nod.
“Twenty-five, six, zero.”
As I get into the back seat with Cali, I find that I’m no longer anxious. All the details are handled for me. I get to take care of the little girl curled up beside me, and my pack will figure out the rest.
This is what acts of service look like for me. I don’t even care that the creepy man with evil inside of him isn’t going to live through the night. If that makes me a terrible person, then so be it.
But he won’t be able to ever hurt anyone else.