Page 23
Four days of throwing myself into work, reviewing the data I copied from their servers, and reminding myself that I already have a place in the world.
Because the kiss hadn’t changed anything.
It couldn’t.
Orien Bellamy might be my mate, but I am still a Vartanian.
My family still comes first.
My mission still exists.
And pretending otherwise because an Alpha can make my pulse misbehave would be unforgivably stupid.
By the time I returned to the Blue Note, I’d convinced myself I could handle the situation as long as I stopped focusing exclusively on Orien.
So, I’d shifted my attention elsewhere.
Instead of spending every visit trying to get under his skin, I’d started getting to know the rest of the Blue Note Crew. Petra. Ghost. Kain. Reef, when he remembered who I was. Dex, who guards the door to the backrooms when the club gets busy. The regulars who treat the lounge like a second home.
Officially, it was intelligence gathering.
Understanding an organization means understanding the people who make it function.
Unofficially, it gave me an excuse to avoid being alone with the Alpha who kept making me question instructions I’d spent years following out of blind loyalty.
Besides, if the rest of the crew trusted me, Orien would be more likely to bring me deeper into the organization eventually.
At least, that’s what I keep telling myself.
But I can’t keep my distance from Orien any longer. My last meeting with Alexei hadn’t gone well. My brother is tense at the slow progress I’ve made, which I’m sure Uncle Mikhail is behind. Alexei has never before questioned how long an infiltration mission takes. He knows it’s delicate work, and pushing for too much too fast could get me killed.
But the family council is running out of patience.
So they’d given me a way in that requires I approach Orien again.
The lounge is warm after the winter cold outside, the crush of bodies heating the already toasty space to almost uncomfortable levels.
Ghost lifts a hand in greeting from behind the counter as I approach. By now, I’ve become a familiar fixture among the regulars who cycle through on weeknights rather than the heavier weekend crowds.
I shrug out of my oversized cardigan, tying the sleeves around my waist to give my ass the illusion of fullness.
I’ve cycled through several outfits at this point, narrowing in on what draws Orien’s attention the most. His interest tends to settle on my neck and legs, so I figure I’ll tease him tonight by wearing a shirt with a collar high enough to brush my chin.
A whiskey sour appears on the counter in front of me, and I raise my head to see Ghost, already slipping away to serve the next customer.
“Thank you,” I call after him, but he’s already returned to his work.
Petra waves from the corner booth where she sits with two of her friends. “Lee! Come here a second!”
I weave through the crowd to her table, careful not to bump into anyone or spill my drink. “Hey, stranger.”
Petra had made good on her offer to introduce me to her friends, and they had decided I would be their new bestie. I hadn’t discouraged the idea, and we’ve met a few times outside of the lounge.
Her eyes crinkle at the corners. “We missed you on Sunday. I thought we had plans for brunch.”
“Sorry, got caught up with work.” I don’t mention how my Heat had come, and I’d spent a miserable two days confined to my apartment. It’s better she think I’m a flake so when family disrupts future plans, the pattern is already established. “Next week?”
“Sure thing.” She smiles, and I clap her on the shoulder before continuing on my way.
