both looked at me, and I balled my fists and put on a fake smile.
“You okay?” Zara asked.
“Yup. Right as rain. Just had to gurgle some water.”
“Great. Casey’s waiting outside. I’ll meet you guys in a few. Nice game
tonight.” She turned to Sam. “Check ya later.”
I didn’t wait for Sam to speak but beelined for the exit at the end of the
warehouse that led out into the back lot.
Sam appeared beside me. “What’s up with you? You seem…off.”
“Maybe it’s because you just bodychecked me into the crowd. Or maybe
it’s because your pack is a bunch of lying, murderous, psychos hellbent on
destroying me and my family.”
Sam chuckled. “You’re being dramatic, and you know it. Billy was a
wildcard.”
“Right, and the others he recruited? Lemme guess, they were just flukes?”
“There’s a lot of bad blood, but only a few acted on it. Jaxson has hunted
down anyone in the pack he thought would be a risk.” Her tone grew serious,
and a shiver skated down my spine. What had he done to the traitors?
“Anyway,” Sam continued, “sorry about your lip. I figured we both
needed to blow off some steam tonight. Are we good?”
I gripped the doorknob of the exit and glared at her but only saw truth in
her eyes. Sam was the one member of the pack who I’d grown to like, though
she was prickly as hell and our last conversation still stung because it was the
truth: You and Jaxson can’t ever be a thing. Just stay away.
I sighed and stepped out into the orange-lit parking lot. “Yeah, I’ve got no
beef with you, just—”
My breath left my chest in a rush, and my pulse quickened. Instead of the
bodyguards Jaxson had trailing me, I saw him.
“Jaxson freaking Laurent,” I hissed, my gaze locked on the devil beast
himself. Six and a half feet of man-hunk under those blue jeans and dark V-
neck. He was leaning against the hood of his truck with his arms crossed and