27. Erin

Chapter twenty-seven

Erin

Jason Wood is a dead-eyed, bald-headed man with a twitchy smile that makes me think of all those horrible men in boardrooms and courts I’ve lived with all this time. I’m not afraid of him, but I do hate that smile and the confidence in his eyes. It’s smugness, and it’s foul, and I can’t wait to make him eat it.The random phone call I got today from Alpha Label’s, requesting a time to catch up, has surprised me. Finding out Jason was in town waiting to meet me, was unsettling. I’m not normally on the back foot. Locke has protested me coming alone, but in the end, when I’d asked if he trusted me, he’d said yes, and that was that.

“Jason Wood, correct?” I hold out my hand. “My name is Erin Bradley. I’m a senior partner at Serenday. I am specifically a contract lawyer, and I’ve been hired by Mr. Raines to look over the contract. Can I just ask how you found him?”

“I’m afraid that’s unnecessary,” Wood says, his voice clear and calm. “We’ve had our lawyers look over and write up the contract. And you can ask, but I’m not going to answer.”

I nod, listening to him. “Even so, you will produce the contract and provide it to me or I will visit my boss, who is due to go golfing with CEO Raines on Saturday, I believe.”

Jason’s smile drops. “Locke is contracted to Derision.”

I smile wider. “And yet, he only ever signed one contract. Where are the others? Where is his renewal? Why have his royalties not been assessed and his assets? Why are you refusing to send me a copy, Mr Wood? I have emailed you multiple times requesting one. What have you got to hide?”

He shakes his head. “Go to CEO Raines. He doesn’t care about Locke.”

“He might not, but I do, and I will not let this go, and there are people that owe me, Mr Wood. I’m not going to let this abuse continue.”

Mr Jason Wood sits back. “Has Locke been telling you his lies? All the stories? I thought he was done with all that.”

I narrow my eyes. “What do you mean?”

“Locke used to make up stories about the other band members right at the start. He used to tell us, come to my office and complain, refuse to go on stage.”

I lean forward, staring at him like I can’t even believe what I’m looking at. I’m so glad Shane had a pen that records sound. It’s sitting on the table, right there, recording everything. “You knew?”

He scoffs. “It was a cry for attention from a spoiled teenage delinquent.”

“He was seventeen!” I hiss.

Eustice sets two cups of coffee down beside us, and I hold my tongue until she’s gone.

“He was a child. The band are, what, four years older than him, five?”

“He was trying to get his mother’s attention!” Jason Woods hisses. “Self-absorbed teenager, we were all like it, just most of us had responsibilities and consequences. We weren’t spoiled little rich kids.”

I slap my hand down on the table, and the entire diner goes silent. “He was being abused by his manager, which, let me refresh your memory, is you, and his bandmates. But I’m not going to let it stand.”

Jason shakes his head and starts to laugh. “There’s nothing you can do. That contract is set in stone. He’d need to be dead to wiggle out of it.”

I seethe, suddenly wishing I could get his head and slam it through this table.

“You’re not having him back.”

“Oh, and how are you going to stop me? How are you going to stop Alpha Labels from regaining their property?”

“He’s not property.”

“Oh, but he is. That’s what he signed up for. He is our thing. Our lead singer. If we want him to sing lead for the biggest band in the world, he will. If we want him to disappear and play pipes in some hamlet town like this one, he will. Because we will it.”

I lean back in the chair and let my rage come out as a feral smile. “You’re not taking my omega from me.”

“He already has a pack. You’re lying. You’re not real scent matches,” Jason says coldly.

“I am his alpha.”

“Not in the eyes of the world,” Jason says and shrugs. “Cue the court of public opinion, and Locke belongs to the world as much as he does the label. He’s never going to be yours, Miss Bradley. I’m sorry, you seem so worked up about this. Just fuck him and then forget him. Like everyone else does. You’ll find someone nicer.”

He stands up without touching the coffee and walks out. The door chime has never been so infuriating.

I watch him go. He won this round, but he hasn’t won the war. Someone walks past me, and I start when I realise it’s Bray. I didn’t even know he was in here.

“Bray!”

He ignores me and slams out of the dinner, looking both ways before he jogs down the street.

“Let him be, love. For all his life, Bray has handled things alone, and we, well, we have not been kind to him. But sometimes, a man needs to think things over on his own.”

I exhale and lean back as Eustice sits opposite me. Her hair is all fly away today, and her eyes look tired. She picks up Wood’s coffee and takes a sip.

“Such a waste.”

I lean back. “That didn’t go how I’d hoped.”

“What are you going to do now?”

“Exactly what I said, except I’m going to find the loophole. I suspect I know what it is, but I need to clarify it.”

Eustice nods. “That man is no good. We don’t like his kind here. They find no places to stay. No where to eat. Nothing to drink.”

I tilt my head to the side. It didn’t occur to me the town would gate-keep its guests.

“We consider you and Locke one of us now.”

I blink at her. “Uh, thank you.”

“I don’t know about thanking me, but it’s something.” She tilts her head to the side. “Sometimes, people come here and they find it hard to leave. We can delay him if you want?”

I stare at her, hearing the offer beneath the words. “No, thank you. I have this.”

She reaches out and pats my hand. “If you need us, just shout out.”

I’m a bit dazed when I walk out onto the street.

The river festival is well and truly over, and the town is so much quieter now. Everyone I see is someone I know that lives here, and they all have smiles for me.

The transformation from a bustling hive of energy into a soothing pocket of peace is incredible. I can see myself living here. I could be happy with Bray, Shane, Finn, and Locke here.

Am I staying?

Yes. I am.

I can work from here or remotely. Or find something less stressful to do. But I don’t want to go home. I don’t want the life I left behind. The smiling while they lie, the dog eat dog world. Up at work by nine and still at the office at dawn. Living on coffee and air.

I want to see colour outside of an office on the twentieth floor. I want to eat a burger, laugh, fuck, sing, and dance. Fuck, I want to see the sunrise from a picnic blanket with my lovers.

But when I close my eyes and picture all those things, Locke is there by my side.

Locke is there. By my side.

Jason Wood and Alpha Labels are not getting their hands on him. No way in hell.

I spot Finn coming out of the tiny grocery store and jog over to him. I grab half the groceries and smile.

“So, who is managing your resort?”

Finn groans. “Don’t you start. Everyone has been asking me. I’m taking a few days. Karma is refusing to leave Benny, so it will just be us.”

“A few days! The horror. Oh, poor Finn.”

He bumps me with his arm and nods towards his car. “Over there. You know, I wouldn’t pick on me if I were you. You need me.”

“Oh, I do, do I?”

“Yeah, you do. I make a mean risotto.”

I put the groceries in his trunk and watch as he does the same. As soon as he stands up, I wrap my arms around his waist and bury my face in his chest.

“I need you for so much more. I need you because you bring peace to my soul and quiet to my mind. You make everything go away. Finn-”

“I love you too, Erin.”

I look up and kiss him hard and long, on the street full of the people he grew up with.

“I take it that your meeting didn’t go well?”

I sigh. “Not exactly. The issue is, at this point in time, I don’t think I have much ground to stand on. Locke may have to go with him for now. Our best bet is to keep Locke out of sight.”

Finn growls, it's softer than an alphas, but I appreciate the strength of it, the rage behind it, the determination.

“You are so hot when you’re being protective and dangerous,” I tease.

Finn groans and rolls his eyes. “Don’t mock me!”

“Not mocking, sincerely turned on right now.”

Finn presses a hard kiss to my lips. It’s chaste as fuck, so when he pulls back, I lick all the remaining taste of him off.

Yum.

“Where is Bray?” I ask, not wanting to explain what happened but knowing that I’m going to have to.

“He sent me a text. He had something to do.”

I groan unhappily.

Finn eyes me carefully. “Shane and Locke are at home. Are you ready to head back? Bray will bring his bike.”

I wipe my mouth, frustrated and unsure what to do. I nod. Bray is a big alpha. If he gets into trouble, he will sing out.

“Okay, let’s go.”

“Good, and you can tell me why you look so unhappy about Bray changing our plans.”

I huff and climb into the passenger seat. “Finn?”

“Yeah?”

“What did you dream of having while you were here?”

“What do you mean?” he asks, looking over his shoulder and checking for traffic.

“Like, you were keeping the resort, but what did you see in the future?”

“Well, I guess I was hoping for someone to share it with.”

“A person?”

“Anyone, a pack. Just someone who would work the bar with me while the town came out to listen to music. Laughter, the sounds of family. I just wanted someone to share what I loved.”

My heart breaks for him. “Your family would be so proud of everything you’ve done.”

“Oh, yeah?” his lips tilts up. “How do you know?”

“Because I am,” I say simply. “I want that dream with you, Finn.”

His smile vanishes, and for a moment, he looks so vulnerable it hurts.

“Don’t play with me, Erin.”

“I would never play with you about this. Do you know why I became a lawyer?”

He shakes his head, his eyes on the road again.

“Because my mother died, and I went to live with my aunt, and her ex took her for most of what she had accumulated. My aunt is exceptional. You’re going to love her. But she was barely keeping her head above water. So, I went to law school. I found out enough to scare the crap out of him. He gave her things back and stopped demanding a monthly stipend. My aunt was so proud of me she suggested I continue. But I didn’t love it.”

“You don’t?”

“No. I enjoy the challenge and picking apart contracts, finding loopholes and weaknesses. But I don’t love my job. I could not do it again for the rest of my life and I wouldn’t miss it.”

“I would miss the resort. I love bringing people out here, seeing their faces. I love the atmosphere of the dining room and the bar. If I had to give it up, it would hurt me.”

“It’s a good thing I’m okay to stay here with you, then.”

He slams his foot on the brake, stopping the car in the middle of the road. He turns to me, his face slack with shock.

“Erin, what are you saying?”

“Finn,” I tease. “I’m saying I’m going to pack my things and move in with you, or Shane’s, or the cabin. If you won’t have me, then I’ll-”

“Won’t have you…are you crazy?” He lunges across the space, pulling me into a hard hug and laughs. “I’m so fucking happy. I haven’t been this happy since my family died. Fucking hell, Erin, you’re just making all my dreams come true.”

“All of them?”

“Yes. Shane, Bray, Locke, the resort, and you. All my dreams.”

“I’m a dream?” I don’t think I’ve ever heard anything so heartbreakingly sweet. This beta is killing me.

“You are to me,” he says so sincerely it’s impossible to doubt him.

“Take me home, then, beta, and we can dream some new dreams together.”