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"Here you go, have a nice day," she says, handing me a big bag with the blanket folded up inside. Dress bag in one hand and blanket bag in another, I walk beside Ava toward the Italian restaurant again, keeping my eyes firmly ahead of me so as not to be tempted by the window displays again.
* * *
"Oh my Goddess," Ava groans dramatically, falling back in her seat and unbuttoning her jeans. She purposely pops her belly out farther than what it goes and rubs a small hand over it. "I don't think I'll eat again for a week." This time a tortured moan comes out of her. I laugh at her antics, though I'm feeling full to bursting, too. The portions at this small, family-owned restaurant are so big, I ate twice as much as I normally do and even have a full box of leftovers that I'm eating tomorrow for lunch.
The waitress comes by while Ava's stomach is on full display, earning her a bemused smile, not that Ava cares one bit. We pay the bill, grab our shopping bags that had their own seats, and head to the front door to leave. As we're nearing the door, something makes me look over to the corner of the dimly lit restaurant. Call it intuition or paranoia, but my gaze snags on a man eating alone at a small, round table tucked into a corner. His back is to the corner of the room, so he's facing the door, letting me get a good look at his face. My steps falter near the door because I recognize the kind-looking older gentleman. It's the guy that bumped into me on the street.
He's not looking in my direction, so I'm not sure if he sees me or not. But goosebumps break out across my skin, and it takes me a minute to realize my body is reacting to a perceived threat before my brain can even catch up. I've never seen this man before in the three months I've been in Chicago, and now, I've seen him twice in one day. At completely opposite parts of the city, no less. He glances up and locks eyes with me when I've just about decided to write him off as a stalker, but then his eyes pop open with what looks like genuine surprise, and my nerves settle almost immediately.Coincidences do happen,I tell myself. I probably have run into him before, but now that I've interacted with him, I recognize the man more when we cross paths. Like how pregnant women see babies everywhere when they find out they're expecting.
Yeah, that must be it.
So instead of freaking out, I give him a small wave and a soft smile and follow Ava out the door.
Fifteen
Jade
I'm on my laptop,emailing the Ellis' back about the newest version of the Passion Pack, and trying not to get frustrated at the time frame they've just mentioned.
Months.
The new drug won't be ready for months.Still in the testing phase,they'd said in their last email. As if I care about theirprotocols.With as much fucking money as we're paying for this damn drug, I expect to get it when I ask for it. We didn't have to wait at all for the first drug, it was already being produced and released to packs they'd deemed safe to sell it to. Which ended up being a lot of packs with criminals or old school alphas who think omegas should be seen and not heard. Of course a drug like this isn't available to just anyone. People are too sensitive to let this kind of thing go mass market. It's not like it's even harmful. Our pack was just tired of waiting around for an omega to pick us, so we made it happen ourselves. And we made her happy, too. We gave her everything she ever asked for; she wanted for nothing. Summer was on the verge of being homeless when I found and rescued her. So she needed a little push to accept us. It doesn't mean what we did is wrong.
No, whatshedid is wrong. Disappearing in the dead of night with our money. Like a coward. Because what? I hurt her feelings? She killed ourbaby,and I'm the one who was in the wrong? No. I barely even touched her. Not to fear, though. I'll get her back. Whisper words dripping in honey, and apologize like I actually mean it. Connor, Brody, and I—we're ready to go get her.
After months of looking, Joseph finally found her. He had to watch the security footage from every single bus station, train station, and airport, following her movements until he found where she settled. Chicago. A dump of a city but perfect for one omega to blend into a big crowd. She was smart, too, using cash at every corner, and she even hopped four different buses before landing in Chicago. Then after she made it, she didn't use her ID for anything. Not her apartment, job, or even phone bills.
No matter. We hired Joseph because he's the best private investigator money can buy. He came highly recommended by a pack in our circle of acquaintances. I will admit, I was starting to lose my patience with him after so many weeks of fruitless searching. Of waiting by the phone every evening to only be given news of dead end after dead end. But then we got a call this morning, telling us he found her, and all that anger and annoyance faded away into a smug sort of satisfaction. I transferred over a bonus almost immediately and asked him to keep a tail on her, under the guise of making sure she's okay, of course.
That's how we spun the story to him in the first place. Joseph, while an excellent PI, has a bit of a black and white moral compass, as we were warned before hiring him. He's a 'roots for the underdog, stops for abandoned puppies, damsel in distress savior,' type of guy. We couldn't tell him our omega ran away because she was too cowardly to stay after a little fight. Instead, we told him she was distressed after the loss of our child and has run away to grieve. Joseph believes he's saving a mourning omega from herself, delivering her back into the arms of a loving and gentle pack.
That's what he'll be doing once we get this damn drug from the Ellis' who are dragging their feet, that is. The old version of the drug has to be taken every day to remain effective. The Ellis' are creating a new cocktail that only has to be consumed once every heat cycle. So around every four months. It's more expensive because of it, but we did get tired of making Summer's smoothies or slipping it in to her dinners every day. This will be so much more convenient.
If we can ever get our hands on it. I send off my most recent email, giving a few veiled threats about reporting theirbusinessto the Omega Protection Services if we don't get it soon. I'm sure OPS is already on to what they're cooking but just can't nail them on it as the main supplier of the drug. It's starting to get a little buzz though, this drug, so we want as much of a supply as we can get, before they go underground to save themselves a possible life sentence.
Just as I hit send, my cell starts ringing, the sound loud and annoying in the quiet house. Face down on the counter beside my laptop, I don't see who it is right away. That annoyance fades fast when I see it's Joseph calling again. I clear my throat before answering, and try to shove all the overwhelming anger and annoyance into a small box, while I muster up the strength to play the persona he sees. "Joseph. Is she okay?" I ask in what I hope is a stressed and worried tone.
"She's fine, Miss Monroe. She's leaving dinner now with a friend," he starts, and I have to hold in the growl that wants to slip out. Probably some prick she's sleeping with. We all felt the lust that's been pouring through the bond in the past week or so. I should have guessed she'd move on. I'm only surprised it took her this long. Connor, Brody, and I got her back for it though. After feeling so much lust, we couldn't let her disrespect us like that again. So we all went out to a bar and found some beta girl to bring back. We fucked her as a pack, all night long, and then kicked her out before the sun came up. It wasn't anything but a release and a way to get back at Summer. I barely even felt better afterwards. Just vindicated because I knew she'd feel it. Shoving that emotion aside, I focus back on the call.
"That's good. Thank you. Were you calling for a reason then?" I say evenly, trying not to sound rude. But what the fuck is he calling for? To say she just ate dinner? We don't need hourly updates.
"Yes, I was wondering if you needed me here anymore. I've got her home and work addresses. She seems to be in good spirits, not in danger of self-harm as far as I can tell. I was hired to find her, which I've done. I would feel like I'm taking your money for no reason being here any longer." I want to roll my eyes. There's the fucking moral compass again. He's feeling bad about tailing her and is trying to get out of it. Why is everyone in my life so fucking weak?
"Yes," I say, trying to sound emphatic and desperate, "we want to be sure she's protected. We're trying to get everything on our end ready, and then we're headed that way to get her. Thank you for your concern, but we are more than happy to spend as much as possible to ensure she's safe. Money is no issue for us," I tell him, ready to get off the phone.
I can hear his resigned sigh on the other end. "Yes, ma'am. Thank you, I'll keep you updated."
"Thank you, Joseph," I say and then hang up.
A ping sounds from my laptop and the subject line, Beta Testing Almost Complete, snags my attention. The Ellis' sure took my last email to heart, because in the body of the email is one line.
Beta testing on the new cocktail will complete within the month. We sincerely apologize for the delay and hope you continue your business with us in the future.
I snort. "Yeah, continue to keep my mouth shut, more like." I can do a month though. I can be patient a little while longer.
But then I'm going to get my slutty omega back, and I'll teach her to never run away from me again. And she'll wish she never had.
Sixteen
