Page 159 of Traded
When Jonas appears next to him, a whimper sounds in my throat as I look between them.
Where are they?
A hand curls over Liam’s shoulder.
“Here,” Lauren says softly. “I might be able to help.”
More faces appear behind them, and my legs start shaking again as she slips between them. Liam moves aside to let her pass, his expression unreadable. Lauren approaches me slowly, her hands out.
And then she turns.
Liam blinks as she keeps her hands up. “What’s going on?”
“You stay the hell away from her.” Lauren doesn’t move. She plants her feet against the ground, squaring off as I stare at her back. “You hear me?”
Jonas looks over his shoulder uneasily. “We need to get Rosie somewhere quiet. Give us some space, will you?”
“No.” Lauren’s voice rises as well. “Nobody moves. Where’s Carter?”
Jonas and Liam exchange glances, and my gut clenches.
Liam tries to step inside, and Laurensnarls. “Don’t come any closer.”
“You’re being ridiculous.” Liam’s voice tightens, looking between her face and mine. “Rosie’s our omega, Lauren. Get out of the way.”
“And I’m your scent match,” she says grimly. Murmurs ripple through the crowd watching. I see Katie’s pale face. Ethan. Ryker, and Benji. “And she was leaving you tonight. So you tell me why there’s a mating bite in her neck, when I know it’s thelastthing she wanted.”
“Kessler?” Benji steps forward. His eyes sweep over me, and then to Liam. “Want to tell us what the hell’s going on here?”
“She wanted to get away,” Lauren says loudly. “And you tried to stop her. That’sassault.”
“Rosie.” Benji says my name, and I blink away tears. “Do you want them in here?”
Slowly, I shake my head.
Benji turns, planting himself next to Lauren. “You heard what she said. You’re not coming any closer.”
“Fuck off, Laine. This isn’t any of your business. She didn’t say anything.” Liam steps forward, but a hand yanks him back.
“I heard it pretty clearly.” Mackenzie steps through. His eyes sweep over me, his jaw tightening. Dimitri Yukov ducks his head to get inside the room, following as they shift to stand beside Benji.
Katie darts in front of Liam with a hissed curse.
Ethan. Ryker. Noah. Gabe. Even Ness, her scarlet lipstick faded as she shoulders past a silent Jonas and shoves him into the wall.
They form a line between my pack and me. Lauren steps back, and Mason strides past Jonas to take her spot with a stone-faced expression.
“Carter is coming,” Lauren whispers. My legs crumple. “Boone is finding him. He’s coming.”
Chapter forty-five
Carter
“Reynolds!”
Kneeling over the toilet, I retch again. Digging in my pocket, I yank out the pills and tip them into the basin, shaking the bottle until every single one is gone and flushing before I can shove my hand in to drag them back out.
No more.
