Technical Threat (Westin Force #4) - Julie Trettel Page 0,38

leery of the presence of strangers.

“He’s serious you guys. Jimmy’s ready to buy this place. I called the lawyer to get things rolling. As long as Shay actually signs, I think it will go through.”

“It’s a dumb idea. Then what? We’ll have no income.”

“Jimmy already said we can keep our jobs here, right?” Sapphire asked.

“Yes. I really think Sage is right, but after this morning, I just can’t do it anymore. Something has to change.”

Without even realizing I was doing it, I started lightly rubbing her back. She relaxed at my touch but didn’t seem to notice either. It felt completely natural like something I’d been doing my entire life.

Sage winked at me. “Things are already changing.”

“Did you get everything packed?”

“Almost. I have a few more items to pick up tonight still.”

“Where are you going to sleep tonight? This is insane.”

“Tarron has it covered. She’ll stay with him over at the hotel in town. The nice one,” Sage added.

“What?” Sapphire asked. “That’s insane. We don’t even know him.” She looked right at me. “Why would you even offer that? You don’t seem like a creep, but that’s a sure sign of one.”

I scowled. “I could never hurt her,” I confessed.

“He’s her one true mate. It’s his job to look after her now,” Sage said as if it were the simplest thing in the world and common knowledge.

Susan groaned and covered her face with her hands mortified at her sister’s candidness.

When Nonna gasped, I dared to glance her way. Her eyes were overflowing with tears, but she wore the biggest smile I’d ever seen.

“A true mate?” she whispered.

I sighed. What if things didn’t work out with Susan? What if she denied our bond and walked away? We hadn’t had time to talk about what was happening. We were both too busy trying to just process the fact that it was happening at all. I didn’t want Nonna to get hurt if it all went south.

“Looks like it,” I said, because no matter how much I wanted to, even knowing it would be better to keep it to ourselves at first, I couldn’t bring myself to deny that Susan was mine.

Mine, my fox growled in agreement.

“You make it sound like I’m a charity case, Sage. I’m not. I can get my own hotel for tonight.”

“There’s no need. We’ve already made the arrangements,” Nonna said, suddenly taking control.

She had been happy to get another room when she thought Susan was just some vacation hookup. I’d seen the amusement in her eyes and knew her well enough to know that’s what she had been thinking. Finding out that we were mates changed everything.

I knew Nonna would not only accept Susan into our world, but she would love and protect her the same way that she had me, ever since the first moment we had met.

A part of me felt like my life was suddenly spiraling out of control and I had no say in it whatsoever. But mostly, it scared the shit out of me that I really didn’t mind.

“You just leave the details to old Nonna,” she said. “I’ve got it all under control.”

Susan groaned. “Thank you. Because I certainly don’t feel in control of anything right now.”

“I’ve got customers, but we’ll uh, talk about this later?” Sapphire asked hesitantly.

My mate nodded and gave her a little wave.

My arm was already around her and I gave her a little squeeze of encouragement.

Nonna peppered her with questions for a few minutes before Susan apologized and excused herself. “I’m working until closing around ten tonight. Are you planning to camp out the entire time?” she asked me with a hint of amusement in her voice.

“Possibly,” I admitted. “Having a hard time leaving, but I do have some work to do this evening, so I’ll be in and out.”

“And I’d like to go back to the hotel soon. I could use a good stretch and maybe a nap. He made me drive nine hours straight yesterday.”

I snorted. “Nine? No, it was fourteen because we stopped every hour for your stretches,” I teased her.

“Where are you from?” Sage asked.

“California, dear,” Nonna explained.

“Wow, that’s, uh, a long way from here,” Susan said sadly.

“It’s okay though. It’s meant to be. Trust me on this,” Sage assured her.

“We’ll see,” she said noncommittally.

I didn’t like the sounds of that, but I knew that now wasn’t the time or place to discuss that.

For much of the remainder of the day I only saw Susan off and on as she flitted around the