“Hello again, little one,” he said when he saw Bridget. This had to be Domenic, then.
The rage that barreled through me was nearly religious. How dare he come into our space? I stood and pulled her behind me.
“You have ten seconds to get the fuck out of my house,” Andrew growled in spite of the gun trained on his chest. He took a threatening step forward.
“Be still,” Domenic barked, meeting his eyes. He didn’t even have to raise his voice, but Andrew froze. “And shut up. I’d prefer not to make a mess in this… lovely apartment. Can’t you afford better after all those wins? Or has the money dried up so quickly?”
Andrew could not answer. His mouth seemed to be glued shut.
Adrenaline made my mouth dry and my hands shake with the need to act. But the gun had swung my way, and I did not favor my chances at dodging a bullet a second time. Bridget was clutching the back of my shirt. The need to protect her wiped my mind clean of everything else. I just wished I knew how to do that.
Bridget had told us more about Marco, the young man pointing the gun at me. Now that I was looking for it, I could see the slight wobble in his arm and the hint of doubt in his eye. Hekept glancing back at his father. If I could take advantage of his distraction, I might have a chance.
Before I could act, I heard Bridget take a deep breath and step from behind me. “How did you find me?” she asked, and her voice was steadier than I expected. But she still gripped my arm for support. For a second I forgot about the danger of our situation and worried about her pain.
“You really should be more careful about who you confide in,” Domenic replied. He stood facing us with his hands resting on the back of one of the chairs. His posture was relaxed and confident. But the ironic glint in his eyes couldn’t completely mask his anger. Another wave of adrenaline hit me.
I glanced around for Gabriel. Somehow, no one was paying him much attention, and he was inching his way towards Andrew. I forced my gaze back to Domenic before he noticed, too.
Bridget was frowning at him, but then her brow smoothed with a look of horror. She gripped my arm tighter than ever. “Not Anvi,” she murmured.
Domenic’s face contorted in a look of mock sadness. “I’m afraid so, little one. We needed a man inside, forgive my phrasing. And Anvi was the perfect little helper. You’d be amazed at how little money it took to gain her cooperation. She destroyed the existing samples so ours could save the day. She was grateful for the chance. Something about a sick niece; it was tiresome.”
It could not be true. Anvi was just a bright, if somewhat annoying intern. But then I remembered how often she had mentioned her nieces and nephews, and how her parents were scraping together the funds for her tuition. How close they all were. What would someone like that do for their family?
I’d never had that type of love with my mom. But now… What would I do for Bridget? Or Andrew and Gabriel, knowing how much they meant to her? Almost anything.
“You’re sick,” I spat to draw his attention to me. Gabriel had moved a few more feet. “How dare you use—”
Domenic nodded at Marco, who brandished the gun at me. “You’ll speak when spoken to, pup, or I’ll muzzle you, too.”
Bridget squeezed my arm again. I clenched my teeth but stayed still.
“Anvi also kept a close eye on you. Iwassurprised to hear that you were growing close to an Alpha. You’d always been so… frigid.” The look in his eyes was hungry now, unmistakably aroused, and my stomach clenched with disgust. “But it seems you’ve finally bloomed, haven’t you?”
Andrew grunted and I met his eyes. Even though he was still locked in position, I could see the rage pulsing in him. We would tear this Alpha limb from limb for daring to speak to her that way. My muscles tensed again, ready to attack, but then Gabriel moved into my eyeline.
He shook his head at me, as if he knew what I was thinking. I forced my attention back to Domenic.
When had I started to trust them? They could have so easily been my rivals, but now, with Bridget’s life in the balance, our bond was cemented.
“What’s your plan?” Bridget asked, and I knew she had seen our silent interaction. “I will never help you hurt another Omega.”
Domenic clenched the back of the chair. “No, I don’t suppose you will. And it seems myinvestmenthas been compromised anyway. But I have another idea for how you can be useful to me. You’d be surprised how cooperative you’ll feel with my mark on you.”
I took an involuntary step forward. He would never lay a hand on her. Marco might shoot me, but I would kill this Alpha first for daring to suggest he would claim my Omega. Bridget yanked my arm to pull me up short.
“You’re disgusting,” she hissed. “What about my mother?”
Domenic laughed. “Yourmother. You’ll be able to give me the son I’ve always wanted, the one she was too useless to produce. The strong, Alpha son I deserve. And I will treat you like a queen, rather than subjecting you tothis,” he gestured around the apartment again. “We always gave you the best of everything, didn’t we?”
“Fuck you,” Bridget spat and I almost didn’t recognize her voice. “I will never touch you, you sick piece of—”
“You’ll be leaving with me one way or the other,” Domenic said calmly. “Marco, should we just take care of the distractions?”
But Marco didn’t respond. He was watching his father with unmistakable grief. The gun was drifting down, pointing at my waist rather than my chest.
“He doesn’t care about you,” Bridget whispered, looking at Marco, too. “He never has, and he never—”
