APEX

Ch. 28: Third Time's Not the Charm

Calla

I always thought that the term jaw dropping was only used by writers, and that real people outside of books didn't actually do this. But when Barnett strolled into my office on my mother's heels, my mouth opened wide with shock and stayed stuck that way for a good ten seconds.

The audacity of that man, to walk so casually and confidently into Apex headquarters—and into the same room where both occupants had kicked his ass on two different occasions. My God, Barnett was either immune to self-reflection or dumb as rocks. My vote was for a combination of the two.

And then there was my mother, who had apparently orchestrated this little reunion. We didn't always see eye to eye, but she'd gone too far this time. Bringing the man who had violated my autonomy felt like an outright betrayal. As soon as my jaw was working again, I addressed her first, with all the animosity I could muster. "What is he doing here, Mother?"

Before she could answer me, Rhys, who had already positioned himself between Barnett and me, spoke. "I don't need to hear the answer to that question. Barnett has made himself an enemy of the Apex pack. He has been banned from setting foot here, Mrs. Bardot. I'm going to assume you weren't aware of that fact, but seeing as though this is the case, I'm going to call security and have him removed."

He reached for his desk phone, but my mother laid a hand over his to stop him. "There's no need for this silly display, Rhys. Barnett is here as my guest, and I am a guest of your father's. We'll take care of this situation and then be on our way back to Crown."

"He's not welcome in Crown territory either, Mother," I said. "A fact that he knows damn well."

"Calla," my mom said in a tired voice that sounded like she was having to reason with a four-year-old that wanted to eat a bag of jellybeans for dinner. "Can we discuss this without your hulking Alpha employee in the room? I understand he has a grudge against Barnett."

"A grudge?" Rhys glared at Barnett. "He came into Apex's forest territory during the Wilderness Cycle, challenged me, and then ran off with his tail between his legs when I knocked him over a cliff. Did he by any chance mention that to you?"

My mother's shoulders went rigid. "Not in so many words. But as I said, if you could just leave the room for a few minutes, Rhys. We can get this all cleared up and be on our way."

Leaning back on the front edge of my desk, Rhys crossed his arms in front of his chest. "You know what? I don't think I will."

"Rhys," I said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay."

He turned his head to look at me. "Is it?"

No, I communicated directly to him, hoping he'd let me into his mind long enough to hear my silent message. But nothing will happen with my mom here. Just stay nearby. "Let's just get this over with."

Rhys hesitated a moment longer, but then did as I asked. "You're the boss," he said as he left the office.

I listened for his footsteps after he'd closed the door behind him, but there were none. The thought that he could be back here immediately if I needed him to be helped settle my nerves.

"Calla," Barnett said as he thrust his bouquet of flowers in front of me. "I'm here to ask for a second chance."

The fact that my mother must have told him what my favorite flowers were, or even tracked down a bouquet for him during a season of the year in which irises didn't usually bloom, did nothing to abate my anger. "Second chance? You asked for that back in the Wilderness Cycle, and we all know how that went."

I took his flowers from him and deposited them in the waste bin.

Barnett's pretty boy face soured, reminding me of the member of a boy band whose biggest hit had failed to make it to the top of the charts. "Well, what about a third time then. Third time's a charm?"