Bonedust

broad shoulders, and blue-black hair that stuck up in perfectly disheveled spikes, he looked every bit the part of rock star. Her stomach flipped over, nerves getting the best of her as she quickly looked away. Three years of working for High Velocity and Zane had always somehow had the ability to look straight through to her soul. That, and he had a wicked smile that always made her burn.
    Enough was most definitely enough.
    Flashing a quick sliver of a smile, she gave them a brief rundown. “All clear here. Everything ran smoothly, so I don’t have much to report. If there’s nothing else, you can call on Conner. He’ll be taking over my usual post tonight.”
    Charlie braced for their protests, knowing none of them were going to be happy with what she had to say, but for her sanity, she had to go. She couldn’t keep doing this. It was starting to eat at her, little by little.
    “What?” one of the men barked, the others jumping in.
    “You feeling all right, Char?”
    She took a deep breath in and patiently waited for the quartet to settle down before she continued. “Conner’s going to take over tonight. He’s been in training for awhile now. He can handle it. He’s stepping up to take over my position.” She paused. “I’m going to be leaving you guys.”
    The looks they shot her were sharp and drilled straight through to her nerves. The mix of confusion and surprise that etched across their features nearly made her reconsider, made her stay here where everything was familiar. In a way, they were family… Instead, she steeled herself and forged on. “As part of that, Conner is ready to take over the after show security.”
    “How soon are we talking?” Zane’s voice was quiet, calm, but she could feel the intensity behind his words.
    She took a breath. This wasn’t going to be easy. “In twenty-four hours, I’ll be off the clock. For good. I’ve already put my notice in.” She’d gotten that out of the way two weeks ago. She was actually surprised none of them had picked up on it before now, but they’d been busy with the tour. Too busy with the after-show parties.
    There was silence for a heartbeat. “You can’t go, Charlie. None of the other security guards have an ass like yours,” Parker said with a wink. Micah frowned, lines etched between his brows, but he had never been much of one to react, so it wasn’t a big surprise when he said nothing.
    Benji, on the other hand, moved closer, nudging tentatively at her shoulder like an uncertain young wolf might his alpha. “Ha, April fool’s, right, Charlie?” This was the hard part. Leaving this guy was going to tear at her—she had always had a soft spot for Benji. They had sat together, side by side under many full moons, understanding the community that the silence could build. They didn’t need words as wolves. What had started as simply stumbling upon each other one night had become sort of a tradition and Charlie cherished both the memories and the friendship that had blossomed.
    But it was Zane who surprised her. His normally cocky grin vanished, fast replaced by the hard tension in his jaw, the sharp drop of his eyebrows. His entire demeanor stiffened and she thought for a moment he was going to cause a scene, because—let’s face it, they were talking Zane Alexander. Her palms grew damp and clammy as she gazed at him. Please, just let me go.
    Memories swirled to the surface. The secret smiles he always seemed to save for her, aimed straight for her heart, slipping like sand through the cracks of her resistance. The way her heart skipped when he teased her. They had a past, in a way. They’d worked together for three years and he’d flirted with her since day one, wining and dining like a pro. Still, she resisted.
    He was gorgeous, she was attracted. She’d always been attracted… But she also knew what kind of a man Zane was. He wasn’t a steady-relationship kind of man and she didn’t need to fall hard and fast, only to get her heart broken. They’d never been lovers, even when the spark had always been there. She never allowed it.
    But he said nothing and the breath she was holding escaped her slowly. Setting her jaw, she turned, but his stare stabbed into her back with all the force of a blade. Reminding her.
    Too late. She shrugged it off, stepping away. For once in a long time, she was actually going to be able to run wild and free after a show instead of holding back until it hurt, until the moon only had