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The man clears his throat again, and I can hear his feet shuffling as Syn’s steely gaze sears through him, making him uncomfortable. Ripley’s eyes are closed, and her breathing is even, telling me she’s managed to fall asleep on her feet. I can’t imagine how exhausted she is or what she’s been through the last two days.
“That should be fine. Just have her checked over with the medics and make sure to bring her to the station in the morning,” the man says before stalking off.
I breathe a sigh of relief, letting the tension fade away and relaxing against Ripley’s back, holding most of her weight up while Knight holds her the rest of the way up. We all stand there for several minutes in silence, enjoying the feeling of her in our presence. My instincts are urging me to get her home safely and into the nest, where I can protect her from anything. To lock her away with me and keep everyone out. I won’t keep everyone out, despite how badly I want to, but I am definitely locking her in the nest. Hope everyone is ready to stay put for the foreseeable future because, as of right now, I don’t want any of them out of my sight.
Kian sighs, pulling back. “We should let the paramedics look her over. With any luck, she’ll stay asleep until we get her home.”
I grumble, but don’t fight Knight when he nods and pulls her up to cradle her in his arms. We all step away, so he has room to move and follow him as he walks towards the ambulance that’s still here. Officers and other officials move about the sidewalk and front yard of the boarded-up house Victor had Ripley trapped in, doing Gods knows what to her. Several are walking in and out of the house, and I notice a sheet-covered stretcher off to the side being prepared to load into a coroner’s van. I can only assume it’s Victor lying under that sheet, and I realize I don’t feel an ounce of remorse.
Good riddance. I hope Ripley ripped his intestines out and fed them to him.
The house he’d holed up in is on an empty street full of dilapidated buildings and other houses. Most have windows boarded up, much like this one, and if I’m being completely honest, it’s a bit creepy. The entire street is like a ghost town. No wonder he chose this place. There’s no one around to hear the screams, to question what’s happening.
We were lucky Syn’s assistant found this place and that the cops listened when Syn called to tell them she was sure she knew where they were. I only wish we’d found this one first instead of hitting dead end after dead end in the beginning. We could have gotten here so much sooner if we’d just realized Victor was behind this. Who could have known that the alpha was so obsessed with Ripley after only a few chance encounters with her?
Knight sits down in the doors of the ambulance, not letting Ripley out of his hold, and a beta woman walks up to look her over. Ripley barely stirs, brows creasing when the woman tilts her neck back and forth. I growl at the sight of fingerprints bruised around her neck and clench my fists. There’s also a bruise on the left side of her face that looks similar to a handprint and a large bruise on her shoulder. I have to swallow down the rage that engulfs me at the sight of her injuries.
Nico is tense at my side, his own anger radiating out of him in waves as he looks her over, missing nothing. I have no idea how Knight and Syn are keeping so calm as he sits there talking back and forth with the medic as she tells him her opinions. She finally pulls her gloves off after finishing looking our girl over and stands up straight.
“She should be okay to go home, but she needs plenty of rest and no strenuous activity for a few weeks, at least. If she has intense neck pain, dizziness, or starts vomiting, I’d take her to the closest emergency department because she could have whiplash. I don’t feel any broken bones, so I’d say she’s just pretty bruised up and going to be sore for a few days. She’s incredibly lucky, and the omega she saved even luckier. The other one could be dead. She’s got a long road of recovery ahead of her, but thanks to your omega here, she’ll live and hopefully get a second chance at a new life,” the woman says before grabbing her bag and walking away.
We all stand there stunned for a minute at her words. Ripley not only saved herself but someone else, someone that could have been another case on Syn’s docket. I only wonder about the other omega for a few seconds before Knight stands up with Ripley cradled in his arms.
“Let’s get our omega home,” he says, heading straight for the Suburban parked haphazardly on the side of the road behind all the police cruisers.
We all follow them without a word and climb in behind him, Nico getting behind the wheel and Syn and I taking up each side of Knight so we can touch Ripley. Kian gets up front by Nico, and when we’re all settled, Nico backs up and works on getting us out of there.
I lay my head on Knight’s shoulder and look down at Ripley, sleeping peacefully in his arms. I grab her hand and hold it tight in my own, grounding myself. I don’t take my eyes from her the entire way home, too afraid that if I look away, she’ll disappear again, and that’s just not something I want to risk.
***
When we pull up to the house, Ripley’s parents are standing on the porch, anxiously waiting on us to see if we’ve brought their baby back home. Nico parks in front of the garage and cuts the engine. We all file out and then wait for Knight to slide out with our girl in tow. I can hear Valley sobbing in relief when she sees her daughter among us, and she and her mates scramble over to us. Ripley stirs, barely cracking her eyes open to see what all the commotion is and giving her mom a small grin when she sees her.
When she sees Damien, her eyes open a little wider.
“You give him hell, Little Bear?” he grunts out.
“You bet, Pops,” she tells him, her voice cracking.
Damien just nods, and then we’re surrounded by her parents as they try to hug her. Valley grips her daughter’s cheeks gently and smothers her face with kisses.
“Oh, my sweet baby. I’m so glad you’re home and safe. I’ve been so worried, and your dads have just been beside themselves, crying and boohooing all over the place! I told them you’re much tougher than they think, but they just couldn’t stop fretting like mother hens,” Valley jokes, making Ripley chuckle as her dads roll their eyes behind their omega’s back.
“I saw that!” she says loudly, not taking her eyes off Ripley, making all three men go rigid, and their eyes widen as they look at the back of her head.
Valley grins conspiratorially at her daughter and rubs her nose against Ripley’s before patting her cheek.
“Go get a shower and some rest, baby. We’ll talk tomorrow,” she tells her, stepping back.
It’s morning, but Ripley yawns and gives her mom a sleepy smile. Knight heads to the door, and we all follow in a single file line. Inside, we kick off our shoes and make our way upstairs to the nest while Ripley’s parents stay downstairs, giving us privacy. Nico, Syn, and Kian spread out when we enter the nest, gathering blankets and pillows and bringing them to the center of the room. I follow Knight into the bathroom, still unable to let Ripley out of my sight.
I hover in the doorway as he runs the bath water, getting it to the perfect temperature, and helps Ripley out of her clothes. She winces when she lifts her arms up for him to pull her dress off and leans against him for support while he slips her panties and bra off. Once she’s naked, he gently lowers her into the nearly full tub. She sighs in relief as the hot water touches her skin, sloshing over the swell of her breasts. Ripley leans her head back against the tub and closes her eyes with a peaceful smile on her lips, her knotted hair dipping into the water behind her.
Knight works to add some bath oils to the water to help relax her more, and soon the overpowering floral scent of lavender fills the bathroom. I hate it because I can’t smell her through it.
Ripley’s head falls to the side, and she opens her eyes to look at me. My throat bobs as I swallow, desperate to wrap myself around her until we become one. She lifts her hand out of the water and holds it out in my direction, beckoning me to her. I’m helpless to stop myself from practically sprinting to her side, making it to her in just a few long strides. I kneel on the floor at her side and cup her hand in mine as she places it against my cheek. My lower lip wobbles as I look at her through glassy eyes, letting her feel everything that’s been roiling inside of me for the last couple of days. The longing, fear, hopelessness, and anger. I let her feel it all, and then after that, I send the biggest shot of all-encompassing love down our bond, so she understands how much she means to me.
“I know,” she whispers to me, hazel eyes glimmering as she looks at me. “I’m here, and I’m safe. Everything is okay now.”
