Chapter Seven

Randy

T here is a small crowd of people gathered outside the Wild Hare when I pull up. It’s too damn cold to be outside in this weather, but there’s an entire group of them–Matt, the Gobelin mechanic whose shop is at the far end of the parking lot; Hunter and Austin, the human vape guys whose shop is close to Matt’s; Zach and Eddie; and, in pajamas and a jacket, Soojin.

As I put my truck in park, the neon lights of the Wild Hare flicker on and off in the predawn light–lighting up each letter in the sign for the Wild Hare individually in sequence. My heart feels like it’s gone off track, it speeds up as I step out of the truck and head toward them. Thankfully, between the mix of people and the cold air, Soojin’s scent is muted, but it’s still there, teasing me ever so slightly. I try to play it cool, but Zach’s knowing eyes follow me, no doubt picking up my erratic heart beat.

“What the hell is going on?” I holler over the noise.

“There was a power outage and when it came back on, everyone’s alarm started going crazy, and then the sign…” Zach gestures at the sign as it flashes faster and faster.

“Have you called the electric company?”

“Yeah,” Soojin says, “there’s nothing wrong on their end.”

I can feel Soojin’s eyes on me as I turn to look at them. Instead of hiding or hanging back, she steps closer to me, but doesn’t say a word. Does she know how being this close, even with all the layers of clothes on between us, drives me insane? “Let me try to get this alarm off and then I’ll see if I can do anything about everyone else’s.”

I step into the Wild Hare and go straight to the keypad. It takes four hits of my fist this time, but I get that alarm stopped. The lights, though, are still going crazy outside. “Do you mind looking at mine next?” Matt asks, as I step outside. “Lori’s already at work and I’ve got the kids in the truck.”

I look around at the group. If I start at Matt’s shop, I might as well go to the vape shop next. Soojin’s restaurant is on the opposite end of the parking lot. It will have to be the last. “Zach, can you try Soojin’s alarm again? I’m going to Matt’s first.”

“I don’t think–” he starts. I know what he’s doing, but if Soojin’s not interested, being alone with her will just make things more awkward for both of us.

“I’ll come over there if it’s still going off when I finish with the other two. Just try .”

We split up, but I have no doubt Zach’s going to just half ass his attempts at Soojin’s alarm, just to get me over there. I decide to take my time.

At Matt’s shop, it doesn’t take much to get things turned off. His alarm shuts off after just a few hits, but the vape shop takes a little more hammering. I slowly step out of the vape shop after a few minutes, hoping that Zach or Eddie would have given in and fixed Soojin’s alarm, but it is still echoing across the parking lot.

The lights of the Wild Hare continue to dance and flicker as I reluctantly cross the parking lot to her tiny restaurant. Inside, I find the three of them staring at the alarm. Eddie is hitting it a few times with his fist, as I come up behind them, but the wailing continues.

“What’s the code?” I yell over the noise.

Soojin hands me a piece of paper, our fingers brushing ever so slightly as she meets my gaze. We lock eyes for too long a moment, but I can’t think of anything–clever or otherwise–to say. Her expression gives nothing away. We might as well be playing poker, as smooth and unbothered as her face is.

She’s no longer wrapped up. Her coat is lying draped over a nearby chair. She is standing not two feet from me in a modest flannel pajama set with buttons down the front. The fabric drapes across her breasts and across her backside in the least provocative way possible. But my mind still can’t help but wonder what it would feel like to pull the soft fabric off her and have access to the skin underneath. I suck in a breath and instantly regret it, the scent of her filling my lungs and making my cock harden.

I clear my throat and turn away from her, suddenly remembering I have an audience this time. I enter the code, hit the pound key, then pause just a second before hitting the off button. The wail continues on. I try a few more times before I start, ending each attempt with a pounding of my fist. It takes five hits of my fist in the end to silence the stupid device.

Zach and Eddie have both backed off and are both watching with amused expressions on their faces. Even Soojin has a half smile on her face as I turn around to find I’m the subject of everyone’s rapt attention.

“Where’d you learn that trick?” Zach teases.

“What trick?”

He pounds his fist in the air, mimicking what I did to the alarm control panel. “With the fist.”

I snort and shake my head. “Your dad used to fix everything that way.” I hand the paper back to Soojin, but don’t let my gaze linger on her for too long.

“Man, I haven’t thought of him in forever.” Zach says with a deep sigh. “The anniversary’s tomorrow. I need to get mom some flowers so we can decorate his grave.”

“What anniversary?” Soojin asks, quietly.

“Of dad’s death,” Zach says, without hesitation. “He died on Christmas Eve…seventeen, eighteen years ago. It’s how Randy got stuck being Alpha all this time. He was dad’s beta, but I was only ten when dad died, so Randy had to take over. He’s been taking care of the pack since then.”

Soojin looks over at me, but this time I don’t meet her gaze.

“Not anymore,” I try to say brightly. “I’m enjoying my retirement.”

“I don’t know. Dragging your ass out of bed to come save us two days in a row sounds a bit like taking care of us,” Eddie says.

I shrug and shake my head. “I’m still your uncle. Call me if you need me. I need to head back to feed the animals.”

“Thanks for your help, Randy,” Soojin says. I nod in her direction, but force myself to look away. If she’s not interested, or if I’ve truly waited too long, there’s no point in bugging her. I leave the three to get started on their day, as I head back to start mine.