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“What we should have done a long time ago.”
The large TV mounted on the wall lit up, the screen a deep and calming blue. I almost immediately recognized the little icon in the middle of the screen.
“Oh shit,” I breathed. “You’re going to call Michelle Hughes.”
“You’re damn right I am,” Elizabeth snapped. “I want to see her face. I want to see the look in her eyes when I tell her I’m coming for her. That she and Robert Livingstone are not long for this world if they don’t stand down immediately. She needs to hear it from me. This is the end, one way or another. It’s time.”
“You know they won’t stop,” Ox said. “They might not even listen.”
And oh, how she smiled at him, feral and twisted. “I’m counting on it.”
Ox looked at all of us. I wondered what he saw. Fear? Resolve? Defeated acceptance? I was more scared than I could ever remember being, which was fucking ridiculous, given everything that had happened over the past few weeks. But there it was, clawing at my chest. It was getting harder to breathe, but Kelly was there, always Kelly, and he took my face in his hands, forcing me to look up into his eyes. “We can go,” he whispered. “You don’t have to be here for this. Just say the word and we’ll go.”
“Where?” I asked, and I hated the way my voice broke. “There’s nowhere we could go. Nowhere that they won’t find us.”
He sighed. “We’ll figure it out. Just… let’s go, okay? Come on.”
But I couldn’t. As much as everything in me was screaming to listen to him, to do exactly what he was saying, to run, run, run, I couldn’t. I was terrified, yes, and I wasn’t prepared to see Alpha Hughes again, but it was overridden by something primal and fierce, a sharp tug of packpackpack that was pouring off Ox. He was scared too, but it was such a small thing in the face of his pack. He was strong and powerful, and I thought maybe I loved him.
I thought maybe I loved them all.
And I said, “No.” I stepped away from Kelly. He dropped his hands, looking resigned. “No. If we do this, then we do it together.” I squared my shoulders, trying to look braver than I felt. “Those kids, Kelly. All those kids in Caswell. If what Shannon said is true, then I have to be here. I have to hear it from her myself. You don’t—you don’t know them like I do. These kids, they didn’t do anything. They don’t deserve this. They’re innocent. And if he’s using them, if they’re both using them, then someone needs to stop them.”
“Hoo boy,” Rico said. “I got chills, lobito. Actual chills. Goose bumps and everything. But let’s be clear on one thing. If you try any martyr bullshit, I swear to god I will shove my gun down your throat until it reaches your intestines and then I will pull the trigger. You get me?”
Carter snorted. “I don’t know if that’s anatomically possible—you know what? That look you’re giving me right now makes me realize that you would certainly try, so I’m just gonna let you have this moment.”
“Damn right,” Rico said. “I’m sick and tired of the fucking people in this pack who think that self-sacrifice is a legitimate way to go. We do this together or we don’t do this at all. And Ox, don’t you dare say a goddamn word, because you’re the worst. Don’t think we’ve forgotten about what you did with Richard Collins. You aren’t going to be able to so much as breathe without one of us noticing. You thought a hand through your stomach was bad? Try it again and see what I do to you.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything else,” Ox said mildly. “I’ve got the most aggravating pack in the entire world.”
“But you love us,” Chris said without artifice.
“Yes,” Ox said simply. “More than anything.”
“Maybe she won’t answer,” Tanner said, sounding as if that was a fantastic idea. “I’m under the impression that being a dictator hell-bent on wolfy domination is a lot of hard work.”
“Then we keep trying until we get ahold of her,” Elizabeth muttered as she glared down at the computer. “And if we can’t, then we show up on her doorstep. She’ll know we mean business one way or another. But I have a feeling that she knows this moment is coming.” She looked up at me. “Doesn’t she, Robbie?”
I couldn’t speak.
But that was answer enough.
“Be careful what you say to her,” Gordo said. “We don’t know who else is going to be listening in.” He was pale, his tattoos flickering. Mark pressed his nose against Gordo’s ear, breathing in slowly. “My father… he… if he’s there, he’ll hear everything.” He glanced at me. “And I don’t know how far his reach will extend. If he’ll be able to do anything to… you know.”
I felt terrible when Rico sucked in a breath and took a step away from me. But before I could say anything, Rico shook his head and moved toward me again. He looked me up and down before turning back to Gordo. “Chance we’ll take, bruja. He’s part of this. No one gets left behind. Not again.”
Gordo rolled his eyes. “I told you not to call me that, you ass. I just…. It doesn’t matter. You’re right. Be ready for anything. Don’t underestimate my father. Chances are he’ll be there, hearing every word.”
Elizabeth’s expression tightened. “I know. I want him to. Ready?”
No. I wasn’t. I didn’t know if any of us were. We were angry, and it was like a fire spreading between all of us, this burning rage, but it felt like it was growing too big too quickly. I didn’t know
how much longer we could control it, or if it would be snuffed out the moment all the air was gone.
“Hold on,” Ox said, and I exhaled explosively. If we were going to do this, I wanted to get it over with. We looked at Ox. “Chris, Tanner. I want you to leave.” They started to protest, but he held up his hand and they quieted. “I need you to do something for me. Get on your phones. Start calling around to all the packs we’ve sent Omegas to. See who answers. If anyone does, tell them to get to the safe houses we’ve set up. They know what to do if that call ever came. I need to know who else Livingstone got to. If it’s just Alpha Wells or if there are others.”
They nodded and headed for the door as they pulled out their phones. Rico stopped them both before they could leave and hugged each of them. After, they closed the door behind them.
