“They planted it.”
“Of course they did. Someone wanted to get promoted. They needed to close the case. My brother wasn’t as easy a target, so…”
“So Reese went to jail in your brother’s place.”
Arlo nods.
“Seems like a pretty big coincidence, the two of you ending up here together.” I arch an eyebrow at him, but I can tell that the window for confessions is closing. He’s not going to give me anything else.
Which is why I’m not surprised when he puts his hands on my upper arms, and pushes me back ever so slightly. “That reminds me, I should get back to the camera. First night up, we don’t want to piss anyone off.”
“I think we’ve earned a little downtime after that blow up, don’t you? I’m guessing an alpha smashing a cameraman into a coffee table will get us some decent viewership. Plus…” I tilt my head at the camera in the upper corner of the kitchen, where it watches us intently.
“This won’t help us,” Arlo says, shaking his head. “Quickest way to get fired from a job like this is by touching the target. Even this might be enough to get me in trouble.”
My eyes widen. “If they try, I’ll make sure they know what happened.”
Arlo snorts. “Sweetheart, they won’t care about your thoughts on the subject any more than they’ll care about mine. We’ll just have to hope the coffee table is enough to get us out of any jam that comes up.”
I like that he says “we” and “us” like we’re a team.
***
Reese emerges from his room a little while later, looking stormy. He chose the room closest to the front door, furthest from my room. I know I shouldn’t be hurt by it, because of course he wants his space; he’s as unwilling a member of this party as I am. But still, the implication that he wants nothing to do with me stings just a bit.
He sits down next to me on the sofa, his eyes narrowing as he catches sight of Arlo at his camera in the corner of the room.
“Don’t look at the camera,” Arlo and I say at the same time.
Reese grunts, averting his eyes.
“You should touch each other at least a little,” Arlo says, adjusting his lens.
I clear my throat, my cheeks heating as I look up at Reese. He gives me a glance that is full of disinterested apathy. It shouldn’t hurt, but it really does. I felt so good in this dress when I first put it on. I know it compliments my curves, and I did my hair so it would do that curly thing that shows it to its best advantage.
I straighten my back and look at him as fiercely as I dare. I look good, damn it. I’m not going to let him make me feel like I don’t.
“They can’t hear you but they can fucking see you,” Arlo calls from behind the camera. “Control your stinkface, Reese. If they don’t like this, you’re going back to prison, and Haven has to pay back whatever they gave her to get her here.”
The thought of that has me scooting closer on the couch. I cross my legs toward Reese, and run my hand up over his chest, smiling up into his eyes. He looks at me in shock, stiffening as I move even closer.
“I was in the drama club,” I explain, offering him a sweet smile.
Reese grunts, shifting slightly in his seat.
“Are you from here?” I ask, batting my eyes at him. I know the answer, of course. Even if Arlo hadn’t told me that they grew up together, he’s an alpha; only people who have spent a fair amount of time within the city limits wind up with a dynamic, be it alpha or omega. But we have to talk about something.
“Yeah. A few neighborhoods over.”
“Tough area?”
“Yeah. Mission. And not the nice part.” He clears his throat and adds, “You? Probably from Nob Hill or something, right?”
I swallow the sting in his words, reminding myself that it’s not an unreasonable assumption. After all, most omegas do grow up in the nicest places. Instead of pushing away, I lean closer with a brilliant smile. “Yes, I’m from here, too, I guess that’s a given since I’m… what I am.”
Reese grunts.
“I’m not from Nob Hill, though.”