Chapter 6: Thorne

Chapter Six

Thorne

L ennox bolts across the empty street. It’s not even eight a.m., and she’s running around in socks and some random person’s coat.

She’s always been a bundle of trouble, wrapped up in an angelic package.

Ever since the first time I laid eyes on her, I knew I was fucked, and I did everything I could to keep distance between Lennox and the persona I was forced to portray.

Being deep undercover changes a person.

It’s not easy when you’re surrounded by the equivalent of human filth.

I was put in place a little over two years ago to watch the Barrett family. Back then, they were on the edge of power. They didn’t quite run New York, but they had their own pieces of the illegal pie and aspirations for more.

Once I was already well undercover, Avan Barrett made a play to take out the ruling family. It was successful, and my supervisors at the DEA couldn’t have been more pleased with where they positioned me. They were even happier when they realized I could take undercover lead of their joint task force with ATF.

Only, things got dicey when Dustin Barrett, Avan’s little brother, wouldn’t stay out of the club Lennox worked at, and our paths crossed one too many times.

Somewhere along the way, I made a promise to myself that all the disgusting shit I had to do to earn Avan Barrett’s trust would be worth it when I watched their entire family being hauled away in handcuffs…

But within weeks of knowing Lennox, I would have blown my cover to keep her safe.

My options were limited, so I did what any shady-as-fuck mob-affiliated dickhead does—I claimed her as mine, so no one else would touch her. It was the best shot I had at keeping her alive under the fucked-up circumstances I was working with.

And it worked for a while.

We had six months of stolen moments, but then my bosses tried to call me in.

Not once or twice, but three fucking times, and I knew I was in deep shit. The assignment was taking too long, and they had other avenues they wanted to pursue.

To add to the clusterfuck, the family the Barretts took New York from was about to make a play to get the city back, so I did the only thing I could think of.

I broke up with Lennox and begged a contact to get her the hell out of New York. It was the only way to keep her from coming back to talk things out while everything was hitting the fan.

It was a dick move.

I knew it then, just like I know it now, but I thought it would be easier for her to move on if she hated me. Because of the parameters of my assignment, I couldn’t even tell her who I really am.

So, she left, hating the guy she thought I was.

None of it is a good excuse, when I put myself in her shoes, but I couldn’t face whatever came next unless Lennox was out of the city and safe, so I made sure to stack the team with a couple of guys who owed me favors from way back. They worked in tandem with my contact, snatched her from the club, and kept her safe in New Jersey.

Within a week after getting her to safety, everything exploded with the Barretts.

The entire core of the family was wiped out during a wedding-turned-massacre.

Once the dust settled, I was called into the field office to give two years’ worth of statements and depositions.

The Barretts are no more, but I saw a lot while I was undercover, and other arrests had to be made.

Not to mention, my bosses were so done with my shit by then, they threatened me with obstruction of justice charges of my own if I disappeared before I was called to testify.

So, I did what I was legally required, put in my fucking notice, and came searching for my woman.

Only, now she hates me.

And it’s not like I can pretend I don’t know why.

I’m just not giving up without a fight.

“For the love of God, woman.” I stride after her, scooping her up as she tries to step over a slushy puddle of melting ice.

She squeals and tries to hold on to my shirt. It makes her heels slap against my shoulder.

“Put me down, right this instant, Thorne,” she snaps, kicking her sock-covered feet. “What are you even doing here?”

“I came to find you,” I tell her truthfully. “And it took a lot of hell to make that happen. Your sister hates my guts. I thought you would be with her, but when I saw the dogs…” I frown, wondering how much I should say.

Lennox’s sister, Brooklyn, is now bonded to a pack with two giant German shepherds.

Lennox has always been terrified of big dogs, so I wasn’t shocked that she chose not to stay with Brooklyn and her pack, but I had no idea where else to check.

The trip to Virginia wasted an extra week, but no one would tell me a goddamn thing over the phone.

“I didn’t even try to stay with Brooklyn.” She glances at the doors to the bed-and-breakfast as they get closer. “She’s finally happy. I wanted her to be able to focus on her family.” She shrugs. “You know how it goes. I’m an omega too. It’ll always be hard for her to have me in her personal space, especially now that she has alphas of her own.”

My chest gets tight from hearing the word alphas .

I’ve always understood Lennox would need a pack one day. Back when single couple pairings were common, omegas suffered because one alpha wasn’t enough to meet their sexual needs during a heat.

Most omegas present before twenty-one, but she hasn’t had a full heat yet, just waves. I’ve done my best to help her through the spikes as they came.

And yet, I won’t be enough once a real heat hits.

It fucking kills me, because I remember how perfect it was to have her to myself. I’d still never cause her to suffer just because I don’t share well.

“How did you find me?” Lennox asks, dragging me out of my dark thoughts.

“Your sister wouldn’t tell me anything, but I finally got it out of her alphas. Only, they sent me to The Exchange here on the island. That fucking place wouldn’t even confirm whether or not you were there.” I sigh, bumping my ass against the door to the bed-and-breakfast. Once it opens, I walk us into the small vestibule with newspapers and a candy machine. “This was the only place I could get a room, so I settled in here last night. My plan was to call your sister again and beg her to give me your new number, but I didn’t want to bother her too early.”

It’s far from warm, since we still have another set of doors to go through before we’re fully inside the building, but it’s a step up from being out in the biting wind.

“The Exchange didn’t have space for me.” Lennox shakes her legs until I place her on her feet. “Not yet, anyway. I had lab work done, but their best estimate is that my first heat will come sometime in the beginning of January.” She shrugs, glancing away. “I’m waiting for the call to tell me when a spot opens up.”

“You came up here all by yourself, knowing they didn’t have a spot open?” I ask, trying to keep my concern from coming out sounding like anger.

“I’ve been floating around alone for months now, Thorne.” She sighs. “I don’t want to bother Brooklyn, and I’m never moving back home with my family. I kinda hoped I would get lucky and a spot would randomly open if I was close by…”

There’s that eternal optimism of hers.

She might be a little naive, but after the ugliness surrounding me for the last few years, her hopeful outlook is nothing short of charming.

Being undercover got progressively worse, until I almost forgot it was all a fucking act. Then she fluttered in, with her big hazel eyes and easy smiles.

She became my light at the end of the tunnel—the reminder of why I was surrounded by human garbage on a daily basis. Protecting people like her is why I became an agent, but along the way, I ended up jaded. I even started to wonder if I was any better than the thug I was pretending to be, but Lennox tethered me in my darkest hour.

Maybe I’m a selfish motherfucker because she’s not getting rid of me now.

It’s just not happening.

She can be pissed and give me hell.

And I’ll endure every second of it until she’s ready to let me back in.

Lennox huffs, shoving up the sleeve of the coat she’s drowning in.

All my concerns about what happened to her last night flood back in.

This is why she needs me at her side.

That way, she can continue to be innocent to the horrors of the world.

And if anything monstrous tries to touch her, I’ll demolish it, so she can continue to live like the happy-go-lucky angel she’s always been.

“Okay, so you’ve got a plan for your heat, but talk to me about last night,” I say, studying her beautiful face. “Whose coat is that? What happened to you?”

“I went out, had some drinks, hooked up with a couple of really hot guys that I’ll probably never see again. You caught me on my walk back to sleep off the dick-down coma.” She flashes me a cutting smile.

I quirk an eyebrow because I’m not buying any of it.

She shrugs. “I’m finally enjoying my life without having to act like everyone else expects me to.”

My lips roll together as I fight the urge to call her on her bullshit.

She doesn’t smell like sex.

It’s the one thing keeping me from completely losing my mind.

Lennox has been mine since the very first time I slipped inside her. I majorly fucked up by not coming clean to her about my assignment, but I know better now.

I came for her as soon as I was legally able. That has to count for something…

Right?

I fucking hope so.

“Sorry to tell you this, but I’ve moved on from mediocre quickies in the back room of the club.” She smirks, and those fucking dimples of hers pop in her soft cheeks.

“Is that right?” My hand flies up, wrapping around her throat. Her hair gets tangled in my fingers, but I don’t worry about that as I back her toward the glass wall that leads into the lobby. “I’ll bet they didn’t fuck you half as thoroughly as I did,” I muse, getting very close to her ear. “Is that it? You needed double the dick, and it still didn’t do it for you? Aww, kitten, I know you well enough to understand how much that must have pissed you off.”

She’s a bossy little thing, completely unafraid to demand what she wants. It’s one of my favorite things about her.

“I am going to knee you in the balls,” she snaps, slapping my back with her heels that are still held in her hand. “I’m over being someone’s secret.”

“Lennox…” I sigh, shaking my head. I get that she’s hurt, but she’s being purposely stubborn. She said she got it back then, but if she needs reassurance now, I’ll remind her. “You understand how that world works. If anyone had even an inkling of how much I love you, they would have used it against me. It would have put you directly in the line of sight to be used to punish me if I misbehaved.”

“Love me?” she scoffs. “I begged you to be real with me that night. You told me it was time I moved on and found a pack.” Her voice gets higher pitched with each word.

My shoulders slump at the pain radiating in her tone. “I thought it would take me maybe a few weeks, at most, before I could explain myself. Your phone was shut off, and no one would give me your new information. Even back to that night, Avan had cameras all over the club. It wasn’t like I could tell you everything; not without him hearing and getting it on tape.”

“If it was only a few weeks, then maybe I could have forgiven you,” she whispers. “It took too long. I grieved. I can’t do it again, Thorne.”

“You won’t have to,” I promise, staring directly into her glassy eyes. “I’m here now, and I’m not going anywhere.”

The door next to us opens with a whoosh , and the guy who checked me in last night pops his head into the vestibule.

“Is everything all right here?” Rush growls. He seemed fine when we first met, but I’m currently regretting not being armed.

I’ve spent the last few years not taking shit from anyone.

There was no room to show any weakness.

My instincts scream that I need to teach him a lesson for interfering.

She’s mine.

He needs to see himself far away from her if he wants to live.

It’s irrational and not how things work in the real world, but being undercover fucked with my head in more ways than I knew until it was time to readapt as a civilian.

“Let me ask again,” Rush says with a growl. “What the fuck is going on here?”

I run my thumb over Lennox’s jaw and quirk an eyebrow.

“Everything is fine.” Lennox huffs. “I was politely telling my ex to scurry back to whatever hole he crawled out of.”

I snort and give her throat a little squeeze before stepping back. “I’ve got all the time in the world. I quit. The government no longer owns my ass. The entirety of my job now is to keep you safe while I earn back your trust.”

Lennox rolls her shoulders, stretching in the ridiculously large jacket. She gives me an unimpressed look and raises her hands, shooing me out of her way.

“I’m coming for you hard this time, kitten . ” I take an additional few steps back, despite everything in me screaming to toss her over my shoulder and steal her away to my room. “I’m not going to stop until you’re mine. Permanently .”

“Ned dropped off your coat,” Rush says, holding out an arm for Lennox. “I’ll walk you up to your room, just to be safe.”

My jaw clicks as my teeth grind together.

I should have seen that coming.

He’s an alpha.

She’s a vulnerable omega.

I’m sure he just made it his life’s mission to protect her from me .

Fucking alpha instincts.

Too bad for him, I learned a lot about myself while I was undercover.

I’ll slit his throat and toss him in the harbor without losing a single wink of sleep if he tries to interfere.

Lennox is mine.

I’m not above murdering anyone who tries to keep her from me.