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“Ready?” I parked behind the other two cars in the drive, giving room for us to leave if we needed a quick exit.
“If he leads me away, trust me to handle it and go do your thing. That information is too important, and I would never let a situation escalate into something I couldn’t get you out of,” she said. Her eyes bore into mine. They were full of fire, and I knew this would be an argument neither of us would win.
“You expect me to let him take you off alone while I just go about my business?” I asked in disbelief.
She shrugged. “We’ll never get to start our lives if we don’t take risks, Hayes.”
“I’m not agreeing to anything. Anyway, it looks like someone knows we’re here,” I said, pointing to the front porch where the senator’s wife was smoking a cigarette. She put it out and glared at us before going back inside.
“And so it begins,” Bailey muttered, climbing out of the car. I didn’t offer her my arm, knowing I needed to keep appearances strictly professional, which I was growing increasingly tired of. I’d love nothing more than to kill the senator and end this for all of us, but dear old dad insisted we be patient.
“Ah, there you are,” Burke called out as he opened the door. “Crystal told me you were here.”
“Thank you for inviting us,” Bailey told him with a smile. “Sorry about bringing my bodyguard, but going out alone is still hard.” Her face crumpled, and he waved it off, ushering us in with a smile.
“Whatever you need to do, Bailey,” he insisted. “Corrine and Brandon are already here.”
He led us through the large foyer into a formal dining room. The table was set with a gorgeous emerald green cloth, accented by the silver plates and decorations. Art hung on the walls, and a large fireplace brought warmth to the room.
“Corrine, this is my miracle worker, Bailey,” Burke said in his booming voice. Everyone turned to greet us, and the woman in question actually smiled at Bailey.
“Ah, you get all the fun tasks. How many coffee runs have you gone on?” she teased as she came over, offering Bailey, then me, her hand to shake.
“None, actually,” Bailey answered. “Veronica handles those. I’m more of a calendar and event coordinator and paperwork expert.”
“Ouch. I think I’d take coffee runs,” Brandon joked. “You’ve done a brilliant job. I haven’t seen the polls jump back and forth so much in all my life.”
“I’ve learned a lot in this position. I’m glad that my work is making a difference,” Bailey said, always playing the humble and sweet omega.
“She’s modest, too?” Brandon said. “She’s a keeper. If you ever decide to stop working for this old man, come see me. My firm could use some new insight.”
Bailey laughed. “He’s already convinced me to follow him after the election, so I’m spoken for.” She gave the senator a big smile that he returned. Crystal cleared her throat behind us, and everyone turned her way.
“Sorry to interrupt this riveting conversation, but dinner is ready,” she said drily, taking her seat.
Brandon and Burke took the heads of the table while Bailey and I sat on the opposite side of a fuming Crystal. Honestly, I found it hard to feel bad for her. It was public knowledge that Burke had a type and was as unfaithful as they came. She was gorgeous in her own right, and she could take him for everything in a heartbeat. Why did she stay with him? It was hard to believe that it could be out of love, so her intentions had to be much less pure.
The entire meal was torture. The alphas controlled the conversation, while the rest of us barely interjected. It was like watching someone inflate their own ego in real time and about as fun as watching paint dry.
It wasn’t until Burke offered to show Brandon one of his new cars that we finally had an in. Crystal purposefully led Corrine away to leave us awkwardly alone.
“What do we do?” Bailey hissed at me the moment the voices faded away. “Go search?”
“We need to find the office and make note where it is so we can come back after. I’m not about to get caught doing this. Weston is waiting.”
“Of course he is,” she said, but anything else she might say was cut off by Brandon and Burke’s return.
“Did we abandon you?” Burke asked, wincing slightly. “My apologies.”
“I was just enjoying the warmth of the fire and letting all that amazing food settle,” Bailey reassured him.
“See, she’s never upset, just goes with the flow. More omegas should take note.” Burke chuckled. “I was grabbing lunch yesterday and witnessed a young pack fawning over their omega like she was royalty. It’s crazy that an alpha would stoop to that level! I’d have been laughed right out of school.”
“The world is always changing,” Brandon said with a shrug.
“They just need a firm hand. We’ve proven that for centuries. Omegas are bred to be submissive. They exist to grow an alpha's child and take our knots. There’s no place for them outside of our homes when they reach maturity.”
That was the moment I knew Bailey might snap. They were teetering into a full rant when the women came back in. This was her chance; everyone was accounted for.
