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I bite my lip and slide out of the booth, pulling away from his touch. “Like I said, let me handle this, and you can have whatever you want.”
Arsenio doesn’t remain in the booth, quickly following me to get to his feet. He’s not going to let me get too far out of his reach. There’s no way he’s going to sit placidly by as I leave the building.
He grabs my waist and pulls me in close, guiding me through the crowd and toward Holly, surrounded by the Silverstein Pack, looking happier than I’ve ever seen her. I wish I didn’t have to interrupt this moment.
Pulling away from Arsenio, I spin in front of him, sending my dress flowing. It’s enough to catch Holly’s attention, and she squeals and raises her arms, curling her fingers to get us to come closer to them. The Silversteins break apart, allowing me into their circle, with Arsenio joining them on the edge. I take Holly’s hand and spin her, dancing with her for a minute.
I gather my nerve to tell her what’s about to go down and lean into her ear. “Your brother set up a drug deal for the suppressant pills. You and I are meeting the dealer outside right now.”
Holly slows down and pulls away, meeting my eyes. “Now, now?”
“They’ll only deal with us.” I rub my lips together, studying her face for a reaction.
She doesn’t give much of one and just nods her head. “I guess I should get used to taking care of myself, huh?”
“With the way the Silversteins look at you, I’m going to guess it won’t be for long. It’ll be a good thing, though.” I keep my words low and flick my gaze to Beckett, staring past me at Arsenio. “Now, come on. We have to go through the back.”
Holly turns to the guys. “We’ll be right back.” I assume they know about the suppressant pills, but I don’t know how aware they are of Holly’s plan to continue taking them. I’m not going to get in the middle of that, because I have my own shit to deal with regarding the pills.
Arsenio grabs me by the shoulder, stopping me from moving away with Holly. He reaches into his jacket and pulls out a pocketknife, the small blade discrete in his hand. “I want you to be on guard. Don’t hesitate to stab the asshole if they try anything. All you have to do is push right here, and the blade will flip out.” Arsenio shows me, and I try it a couple times, feeling the Silversteins’ gazes watching the two of us.
“What about me, big brother?” Holly wiggles her fingers. “I need some cash, right?”
Arsenio groans and digs into his pocket. “I fucking hate this,” he mutters under his breath, handing Holly a wad of money. “I’m not going to give you a weapon because I know you can throw a decent punch. I’ll be nearby. Remember to keep your space. Keep your discussion at a minimum. And just be fast. There’s no need for small talk or any sort of conversation. Get as much as they have available.”
Wow. I don’t know why I’m so surprised. I’ve struggled so hard to make it month to month with the pills, and Holly can buy everything available. I wonder how my life would’ve turned out if I had that sort of luxury. Not that it matters. I wouldn’t change anything up to this point.
“Got it. Now don’t worry. Buying pills isn’t even that bad. It’s not like you don’t have influence now. I’m sure other packs do the same.” Holly offers a smile, keeping her voice light.
Except it’s not true. Using this medication to illegally pass as a beta is a serious crime. It’s enough that the Pack Regimes could intervene. I’ve heard stories. The Pack Regimes need omegas. They wouldn’t allow us to just ignore our order. They believe our duty is to serve pack leaders and to breed. At least, it’s that way for most. The ones in power.
“You know I’ll always worry about you, Holls. You’re my baby sister forever.” Arsenio squeezes her shoulder and then turns to me. “Be quick. I don’t want this to take away from our night together.”
I kiss him just long enough to test my own restraint and hook my arm through Holly’s. Arsenio blocks the Silversteins, preventing them from automatically trailing behind us. I hear him and Beckett murmur, and I peek over my shoulder and offer a smile. It’s forced and hard to maintain, but I want to remind myself how brave I used to be. With my guys’ protection now, I can feel how I’ve really taken to my place as an omega, relying on them. I know it’s okay, but sometimes it’s good to just do something for myself while helping Holly learn to also take care of herself without her brothers.
Leaning in close to me, Holly nudges me toward the hallway in the back of the club. From her assertion, I think she’s been here before and knows her way around. I know Arsenio wouldn’t have taken us somewhere he had no idea about. My pack knows not only the region of Saint Vista, but they have also studied all of the neighboring areas as well. It’s part of being part of the Pack Regimes.
“I can’t believe we’re doing this,” Holly whispers. “Is it weird that I am kind of excited?”
I laugh, her comment helping to ease the sudden fear inside me. “To me, yeah. But I get it for you. You’re a little troublemaker. Danger doesn’t faze you as much.”
“You’ll get that way. My brothers will make you feel invincible.” Holly bumps her hip to mine and guides me toward the stairwell leading down to the back alley.
“Just remember feeling and being invincible are two different things. When you’re on your own, fear is your friend. It’ll keep you cautious and make things a bit easier. I was being a bit reckless when I was discovered. I was overwhelmed with my annoyance over a bad deal. I said things I should’ve kept to myself, and that pissed someone off. Your brothers were actually there, then. They stood up for me.” It almost feels like forever ago that I found myself being blackmailed into working for Madame Tamsin. I’m just so grateful I don’t—
I freeze in my tracks, pulling Holly to a stop just before the exit. The familiar scent of bitter coffee overwhelms me, my memory triggering me in a way I hadn’t expected. I can’t believe I can still recall exactly how Madame Tamsin smelled, especially when she was in a bad mood.
“Kinsey? What’s wrong?” Holly gives me a little shake, pushing me out of my thoughts.
I shiver and shake my head. “It’s nothing. I thought I smelled a familiar alpha. My old handler.” Gathering my nerves, I push my hands against the door to the back alley. “It’s nothing. I’ll be okay. Let’s just get this over with.”
I step forward into the alley only to have a strong wave of coffee and something spicier like clove assault my senses. I don’t even have a chance to fully grasp what’s happening before a strong hand locks on my wrist and yanks my arm over my head. Madame Tamsin laces her fingers around my throat and shoves me against the wall, growling under her breath.
“Kin—” Holly’s voice cuts off as Madame Tamsin drops me and snatches her, slamming her into the wall beside me.
Something dark rushes over me, and I click the button on the small pocketknife, sending the blade flipping out. I throw myself forward and jab the knife into Madame Tamsin’s smooth calf. She hollers in surprise, her leg giving out on her. Yanking my arm, Holly drags me to my feet. It’s as if I can’t control my anger. Instead of running, I launch at Madame Tamsin and collide into her, straddling her as I use all my strength to pin her down. Holly doesn’t try to pull me off. Instead, she grabs the knife and aims it at Madame Tamsin’s throat, forcing her to freeze in place.
“What the fuck? What the actual fuck! Who do you think you are? This is the omega of the Gilded Sands Pack. They’ll take your head for this. Where are you from? Tell me who your pack is.” Holly shakes with her anger, nicking Madame Tamsin’s throat.
