AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The man freezes, his body tensing. For a moment, I think he’s going to run, but then he slowly turns to face us. The hood still hides his features, but I can see the glint of his eyes in the dim light.
“Can I help you?” he asks, his voice deep and smooth—too smooth. I instantly hate it. His scent hits me then, unmistakably alpha, and my own alpha instincts bristle in response.
Zane takes a step closer, his posture aggressive. “Take down the hoodie.”
The man hesitates for a split second before slowly reaching up and pushing back his hood, revealing his face. He’s younger than I expected, maybe in his late twenties, with sharp, angular features and cold blue eyes. His dark hair is closely cropped, and there’s a hard set to his jaw that speaks of a life lived on the edge.
Recognition flashes in his icy eyes as he looks between Zane and me. A ghost of a smirk plays at the corner of his mouth. “Happy now?”
Cocky bastard.
Zane ignores the jibe, his focus laser sharp. “What’s your business here?”
The man spreads his hands in a gesture of innocence. “Just visiting a friend. Is that a crime now?”
“You were here at two this morning,” I interject, my voice laced with skepticism. When he tilts his head to the side, a flash of recognition sparks. I swear I know this guy.
He shrugs, the movement fluid and nonchalant. “I keep odd hours. Surely you boys can understand that.”
Zane takes another step forward, invading the man’s personal space. To his credit, the stranger doesn’t flinch. Zane’s nostrils flare, picking up on the guy’s scent. It’s the same thing I’ve been trying to do, but it faded.
Alpha.
“I live here,” the guy says slowly. “I’m going to pull out my keys.”
I grind my teeth and give him a curt nod. “ID too.”
“Listen,” the guy says, “I’m only doing this because I’m in a good fucking mood, but you two are in the wrong neighborhood to be fucking with these people.”
He isn’t wrong.
With deliberate movements, he grabs his wallet and tosses it to Zane while he grabs his keys with his other hand and jingles them.
“Logan Pierce,” Zane reads from the ID before tossing it back. “Address hasn’t changed since his ID was issued.” Zane sighs and looks over his shoulder at me. “Four years ago.”
The tension in my shoulders eases slightly, but wariness keeps me alert. He isn’t our guy, but something about him nags at my memory.
“You’re that reporter,” I say, realizing just who he is. “You were at the political event a few days ago.”
“I sure was.” Those blue eyes flash with recognition as his eyes roll up and down my body in a visual inspection. “You were working security.”
“We were.” I reach out to shake his hand, the tension bleeding from me. “Puritan City Alpha Security.”
“That’s right.” He beams and snaps his fingers. “Hey, you guys wouldn’t be hiring, would you?”
Zane just glowers at the guy. I’m not getting too much through our bond besides skepticism.
“Why?” I cross my arms. “You looking to get out of journalism?”
“Yeah,” he drawls. “Not sure bugging people is in my DNA, ya know.”
Zane cracks. “And you think you won’t be bugging people working security?”
Logan laughs, a genuine sound that cuts through the tension. “Fair point, but at least I’d be doing it for a good cause—protecting people and keeping them safe. That’s something I can get behind.”
I glance at Zane, who raises an eyebrow but remains silent. The skepticism is still there, but it’s softened a bit.
“What made you want to switch careers?” I ask, curious despite myself.
