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“Sure,” he agreed, then he gave me a look that said he didn’t want me out of his sight. I laughed and stood up too.
“Come on, bodyguard. You can guard us both,” I said as I took his hand.
“Sorry, guys, I’m not usually this forgetful,” Eliza said. The way she said it had my bestie radar going off.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, stopping mid-sidewalk, nearly causing a collision until Zaven pulled us both to the side.
“Nothing. I just have this weird feeling. When Loki was walking me home last night, I swore I saw someone slip into the alley. And just now, I swear I saw him again.”
My heart stopped, and Zaven went on high alert.
“What did he look like?” I asked as I glanced down the sidewalk. No one was standing out, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t been there moments ago.
“I’m not sure. I didn’t get a great look at him.” Eliza’s brow was pinched with worry as she looked around.
“I knew this was a bad idea,” Zaven muttered.
“We’re not going there,” I countered. “I’m not hiding away completely. Being cautious? Sure. Not living my life? Not an option.” His lips formed a thin line as he fought back an argument he knew would only make me angry. We’d had this talk several times over the last few weeks, and I thought I’d made it really fucking clear that I couldn’t mentally survive if I was stuck in their Family mansion for months on end.
“I’ll grab my phone,” Eliza said awkwardly as she ducked into the car. She screamed as she was yanked inside of the vehicle and out the other side. Someone had opened the door on the other side while we were busy arguing.
“Zaven!” I gasped, and he rushed to the other side to confront her attacker while I tried to pull her from the masked man’s clutches.
“Let me go!” Eliza screamed. He listened, or rather Zaven made him, and the sudden break of tension on his end sent us flying back onto our asses. Before we could stand up, a hand clamped over my mouth, then a strong-smelling liquid overtook my senses. I instinctively screamed, but that was a mistake; the intake of breath had my head swimming. The last thing I saw was Zaven’s panicked face as we were dragged away.
* * *
An awful throbbingin my head had me trying to reach up and grab it only to find I couldn’t actually move. Something rough tugged at my skin every time I shifted, and I finally realized that I needed to figure out where the fuck I was and what was going on. I blinked against the darkness in the room, trying to adjust my eyes so I could make out my surroundings.
“Eliza?” I hissed. It was quiet here, too quiet. Panic rose in my chest, clawing at my lungs until it was impossible to breathe.
“You may want to calm down.” The voice came from my right, and I shuffled around to try to face its source. A low chuckle echoed out before I heard a click. With the small table lamp now on, I could make out who’d spoken.
“Santos,” I said quietly. My voice trembled, and I hated myself for that. I wanted to feel strong right now, not weak.
“Sarah,” he said in a mocking tone. “Or should I say Hazel?” He languidly stood up and walked forward like he hadn’t a care in the world. He reached out and lifted a chunk of my pitch black hair in front of my face.
“Sarah’s dead,” I snarled as I yanked my head back. “Why am I tied up, you fucking monster?”
He clicked his tongue like I was being a disobedient child. “You’ve been out in this corrupt world for too long. I’ll make sure that Leon grabs some Rapture when he goes out today. Ironic, isn’t it? That yourhusbandis the one who sold us the drug in the first place?”
“Maximo would never sell you Rapture,” I growled. “Maybe you should learn what a real alpha is like. You’ve missed the mark several times over.” He walked over and leaned closer until he was inches from my face. The awful stench of sage and burnt herbs hit me, and I gagged. Anger flashed through his dull green eyes, and he shoved a hand through his long black hair. The man was sleazy, inside and out, always had been.
“Ah, but see, your alpha gangster made it possible for us to engineer Rapture. It’s his product that we altered to suit our needs. He was none the wiser. The idiot even gave us a discount in thanks for our continued patronage.” As he laughed, the door behind him opened, and I heard Eliza’s screams filter in.
“Let her go!”
When the newcomer walked in, I recognized him as Santos’ right hand man and beta, Trey. They used to walk around the compound like they were god’s gift to all omegas, but to me, they had always been so pompous and misogynistic. I’d hated them since we were kids. As the leader’s son, he knew his future was laid out like a red fucking carpet. He’d never had to struggle or had his values challenged.
“My pack will kill you,” I said simply.
They laughed like this was a fucking joke, and that just made my rage boil over. I let out a feral scream that had them both pausing, startled. They’d probably never seen a woman, let alone an omega, act that way.
Santos turned to Trey with a serious expression. “This is worse than we thought. We should put them both in the reclamation chamber.”
“You think some drugs and stupid fucking creeds are going to change me? This cult is a goddamn joke, and I cannot wait to see this whole fucking place burn to the ground.”
I was mercilessly cut free and yanked to my feet. My body groaned in protest, but I didn’t fight them. I needed to get to Eliza, and I knew this was the only way that could happen.
