Page 20 of Alpha Bond

“She doesn’t need friends. Back the fuck off, Heller.” I step forward into his space. He stands his ground. The grin isn’t so engaging anymore.

“Jagger, it’s okay, I…” Sierra’s voice is tentative. She’s seriously uncomfortable, and I don’t fucking like it.

“It’s not okay,” I growl. “Fucker needs to know when to do as he’s fucking told.”

“You don’t hold rank over me, Law,” he snarls back. His fists are bunched at his side, and his head is tilted at me, his jaw jutting. It makes a tempting target.

“Don’t need rank. I got orders.” My own fists curl and uncurl. Gage’s nostrils flare again, and he licks his lips. “Walk away.”

Of course he doesn’t. What he does is far more stupid. I sense the fist swinging up before I see it, but that’s all I need. I catch his wrist in one hand and twist it sharply behind him as I step forward and spin him around. His back is pressed against my chest, and it bows slightly as I wrench his arm up behind him.

“Don’t embarrass yourself, Heller,” I growl into his ear. He tries to push against me, probably hoping to unbalance me. It doesn’t work. I jerk his arm up higher, feeling him wince as bone and tendons pull to their limits. “If I break it, you’re off patrol for weeks. You know what that means.”

“Fuck you,” he grits out. But he’s stopped fighting. Being off the patrol team means he’ll be reassigned to one of the clean-up crews. And Gage Heller has too much pride to be scrubbing out shit.

“Think carefully about your next move.”

Sierra is staring at us with huge eyes. I haven’t gotten the sense that she’s easily scared, but the fear in her expression is unmistakable. And for some reason, that makes me even angrier than Gage’s idiot posturing.

“Fine!” He puffs the word out as he sags against me. I let him go. “But don’t think this is over, Law. You don’t get to keep her to yourself.”

“She’s not mine.” I step away from him. “She’ll be gone soon enough. Till then, stay the fuck away.”

Gage puts distance between us. “Watch your back,” he warns me. Then he nods at Sierra. “Till next time, beautiful.”

She doesn’t respond, just watches wide-eyed as he stalks away.

I sit back down and reach for my fork. “Eat up.” I take a bite of egg and chew it. “Don’t wanna hang around here longer than necessary.”

There’s a long pause before she asks, “Does this happen a lot?”

“Only around unattached females. Not a lot around here. You’ll be dealing with that shit until you leave.” I keep eating.

“But not from you?” She seems apprehensive.

“Not from me.” I shake my head. She doesn’t seem too convinced, but I’m not going to waste time trying to explain why. Nor do I feel inclined to do so. “Now finish your food. We need to get you shoes. And then you need to heal up. The sooner you’re out of here, the better.”

“Okay,” she murmurs, looking down at her plate. She’s not devouring her meal with as much enthusiasm anymore. Probably unhappy.

But her happiness is not my problem. This whole thing is a damn mess.

I can’t fucking wait to get her out of my hair.

Chapter 9

Sierra

I watch Jagger silently as he strides slightly ahead of me. He’s been brooding since the incident in the canteen. I guess I can’t blame him. He didn’t ask for this responsibility; I feel it now more than ever.

I skip a bit to keep up, bumping into him every now and then in my anxiousness to stick close. It’s almost comforting that he recoils when I touch him. The way that other male’s eyes had raked over me had reminded me too much of Rack and his pack. Jagger’s blatant disinterest is a relief. But also a bit unsettling. I’m not used to such an obvious lack of attention. My kind draws interest from unmated males. It’s why we prefer to remain out of sight.

“This isn’t going to work,” he mutters under his breath. “How the fuck am I supposed to deal with this shit?”

“Excuse me?” I say.

“Talking to myself.” He keeps his eyes fixed ahead. “Goddamn Titer and his fucking bullshit. Who does he think…?” He stops and frowns at me. “What’s wrong with you?”

I realize I’m breathless. When I raise a hand to smooth my hair from my flushed forehead, it’s trembling. “I’m fine,” I lie because I already feel like enough of a burden.