Lucas shook his head. “No need, Officer.”
“I have to insist.” She gave him a sweet smile. “I wouldn’t want you to get ‘lost’ again. The precinct can be quite tricky.” Opening the door, she gestured for him to leave first.
“All right, Officer,” he relented. He gave Sofia a last glance before walking out. Winters gave her a sympathetic look before following Lucas, the door closing behind her with a soft thud.
The tension began to drain out of her body, and she slumped forward, bracing herself on the sink. God, what a fucking mess she was. She’d never been this emotional, not even when the shit with Derek went down. But Goddamn Lucas Anderson was turning her into a wreck.
Maybe this was how rich people acted; they thought everyone was beneath them and they could just move them around like puppets. Or that they were dancing bears for amusement. And to think that night at Blood Moon, she almost kissed him.
Looking up, she stared at her reflection in the mirror. Time to move on, Sofia. Really, her career and her ego couldn’t possibly suffer any more, so maybe from here, the only place to go was up. And now that Lucas Anderson had had his fun with her, he could move on to his next victim. Because if she saw him again, it would certainly be too soon.
Chapter Ten
When he arrived at the station this morning, Lucas only thought of the satisfaction he would feel once he put Detective Selinofoto in her place. He already knew that he would win this game, and there was no way she was going to come out on top.
But his victory felt empty.
She never flinched or wavered the other times they verbally sparred. He threatened her when she confronted him, and she stood her ground. He even made her chase him down a deserted highway, but she remained cool as a cucumber.
But today, when he wounded her pride by implying her incompetence at her job and humiliated her in front of her superiors, he saw something that would haunt him for a long time.
Hurt.
And, Goddammit, he should have known better. Sofia was a woman in a male-dominated field. She probably had to work twice as hard as any man in the job to get half as far. He knew this because he’d seen it in his own mother. Frankie Anderson was not only a business woman but also a female Alpha in her own right, and she was constantly being underestimated. Hell, his twin was about to embark on the same path, and Julianna and Isabelle would always have people discounting their skills because of their sex. If any of them found out about what he did to Sofia, they would kick his sorry ass.
This whole damn situation wasn’t even his doing. Nick Vrost, who was still Beta and head of security for Fenrir, had somehow found out about Sofia and insisted they nip it in the bud by calling the commissioner. Frankly, he thought it was an overreaction, and if he had known what would happen, he never would have agreed to it.
He was a fucking bastard. And for once since he’d met her, his own wolf was in agreement. It ripped him from the inside, and he had no choice but to follow her because the animal was growling at him. Her rage cut into him like a blade, every word twisting it into his gut. She was right, and he was man enough to admit it.
“Here you go, sir,” the young female officer’s tone was sickly sweet and condescending at the same time. “I know this big precinct is sooo confusing and it’s easy to get lost and many of the signs here have big words like, ‘authorized personnel only’ so it might be difficult to understand.” She pointed to the sign above the door leading out to the street. “There’s a simple one for you: Exit.”
“Thank you,” he said, feeling thoroughly reprimanded. The officer smirked at him, then turned around and walked away.
His town car was already waiting for him at the curb. Reyes was standing next to it and he opened the door when he spotted Lucas. He was about to slip inside when he stopped and turned to the burly bodyguard.
“Reyes, I need to ask you something.”
“Sir?”
“You’re former military right?”
“Yes,” he answered. “I took early retirement when Mr. Vrost contacted me and offered me a position.”
“Do you have any contacts in New York?”
“Contacts?”
“I just need someone to keep tabs on Detective Selinofoto.”
“Sure.” Reyes scratched his chin. “But we have people on the Lycan Security Team who could do that.”
“You mean, those two pups who couldn’t tail her for more than a day before being discovered?” he said.
“Ah.” He thought for a moment. “I know a guy. Do you just want surveillance or—”
“Just watch her. I want to know where she is at all times and if she does anything unusual.” He lowered his voice. “And be discreet. This can’t be traced back to me, or Fenrir, or the clan.”
He nodded. “Yes, sir.”
As he got into the car, Lucas knew he was being an idiot. The smart thing to do was to put this behind him and forget about Sofia Selinofoto. He had already won the game. But his wolf wouldn’t let him rest. It seethed with anger, which was directed at him.
And her face. Her Goddamn beautiful face filled with hurt. Whenever he thought of it, his gut twisted with agony. He would give her some time, but he would have to find a way to approach her, so they could talk. Maybe in a few days she would cool down, and he could actually get close enough to talk to her and apologize. His wolf seemed appeased for now, and he only hoped he could find a way to keep it under control.
Reyes’s contact was good. No, he was excellent. He went to work right away that same day, and
