“Every alpha in this room can,” he answered without looking up at her. “You reek of panic and desperation.”
Paige was pretty sure you didn’t need a good nose to figure that out. Her shaking hands and trembling voice were dead giveaways.
The bartender let out a loud harrumph. Instinctively, Paige recoiled from the sound.
“You want Kian? You got him.” The bartender shook his head slowly before walking away.
Wait. That hulking shadow at the end of the bar was Kian? The one who said she reeked of desperation?
Paige drew in the deepest breath she could manage and slowly shuffled toward him. The closer she got, the more warning bells sounded in her head. She shouldn’t be doing this. This man—this beast—was too big. Too primal and unpredictable. If she had any sense left, she’d turn tail and run.
Where? Straight into the barrel of Craig’s Glock?
This was it. Her only hope. There was nowhere else to run. All she could do now was pray.
Paige stopped two stools away from the giant. She knew the buffer zone was only an illusion. There wasn’t any distance that was safe when near an alpha. It wasn’t as if she’d be able to outrun or outfight him. Still, Paige couldn’t force herself to move any closer.
“Can I talk to you?” she asked.
He didn’t look up from his beer. The glass mug seemed comically small in his massive hand. She knew he could crush it into shards with a twitch. “What would you do if I said no?”
The truth slipped out before she could stop it. “I have no idea.”
“No, you don’t have a clue, do you?” He gave a short derisive laugh before lifting his drink and downing the whole thing in one swallow.
“I know that I can buy you another beer.” She pulled a bill out from her purse and laid it on the bar.
He paused for a second before slamming the empty glass down.
“That’s a good start.” He raised his hand, motioning the bartender back over. “You can keep talking until your money runs out.”
“I don’t want to bother you,” Paige said. “I really don’t want to be here.”
“That’s pretty obvious, lady,” he growled. “Get to the point.”
“My name is Paige Byrne,” she said. “Officer Wilcox in Sacramento gave me your name, and—”
“Denise sent you?” He gave another laugh, this one even darker than before. “You must be in trouble.”
“I am.” Paige blinked at his casual tone. She dropped her voice down to a whisper. “Someone is trying to kill me.”
“Figures,” Kian said. He shot the bartender a pointed look as he grabbed his next beer. “Denise has always had a soft spot for charity cases.”
“I’m not looking for charity,” Paige said, feeling strangely defensive. “I can pay if that’s what you want.”
“So, now my little sister’s pimping me out,” he muttered.
Little sister? Paige narrowed her eyes and leaned in closer, trying to spot a family resemblance, but it didn’t do much good. She could barely see anything in the low light. “You’re Officer Wilcox’s brother?”
“Of course. How else would I know her?” he said. “Who else in Sacramento, of all places, would know where to find me on a Sunday night?”
It made sense. After all, nearly all alphas were born into regular families just like everyone else. But for some reason, Paige was having a hard time trying to make a genetic link between the very normal cop who had saved her this morning and the beast sitting in front of her now.
Kian, though, didn’t seem to appreciate the extra attention. He gave a low growl of warning, and Paige immediately straightened up.
“Sorry,” she rushed to say.
The alpha lifted his beer and downed it as fast as the last. “Who wants you dead?”
“My fiancé,” she said, then caught herself. “I mean my ex-fiancé.”
“Why?”
“Because I witnessed him murder a man.”
“And you really think he’s going to follow you here?”
“You don’t know Craig.” Then again, it turned out neither did she. Not really. All she knew was that the stress of this back and forth was killing her. “He prides himself on always getting what he wants. If he’s set his mind on killing me and you don’t help me, then I’m as good as dead.”
Kian’s spine straightened. His shoulders pulled back. Paige’s breath caught in her throat, fearing that she’d pushed him too far with her upset tone. She held her hands out in front of her as she slid back a step.
“I’m sorry,” she rushed to say. “I don’t mean to offend you. I was just—”
Her words died as Kian rose from his stool and turned toward the door. For the first time, Paige got a good look at him as he stepped into the light. He was well over seven feet tall. The breadth of his shoulders were twice as wide as hers.
And then there was his face.
She couldn’t say he was beautiful. Not even handsome. At least, not traditionally so. His features were far too tough and hard to be described that way, but there was something so vital and animalistic about the cut of his brow, the dark brown beard dusting his jawline, and the depths of his deep-set eyes. A deep longing stirred in Paige’s chest.
Kian Wilcox might not be pretty, but he was damn sexy.
Too bad he was about to kill her.
“Please don’t hurt me,” she begged.
Kian’s brows pulled together hard. “Get behind me,” he growled.
Paige blinked. “What?”
He didn’t repeat himself. Instead, he reached out, grabbed the sleeve of her jacket, and whipped her behind his wide back—all faster than she could react.
Too startled to protest, Paige peeked out from behind Kian’s side. She was surprised to find every other alpha in the bar standing at the ready, their attention focused, their muscles coiled and ready to fight.
So, he wasn’t about to rip her head off. But he was sure as hell ready to kill someone. Every alpha was.
A new wave of fear washed over Paige. “What’s
