Page 44

Chapter 44

Ava

When they show people going to jail and such in movies and on television they really don’t go through how all the booking process and minutiae work. It’s terrifying in how mundane it is. You feel like you’re just a number in the system. Like they’re trying to take away your personhood.

I’ve never been so scared in my life before. The officers are silent when they drive me to the jail, as if the moment they put me in the backseat I stopped being a human to them. When we get there, they don’t talk at me, they talk about me, over my head, like I can’t understand them or speak for myself.

A sob wells up in my throat and I swallow it down. I’m not going to panic in front of these people. I’m not. I refuse to be called a stereotypical ‘hysterical Omega’, as if it’s my designation or being a woman that makes me upset and not how they’re treating me.

“What’s she in for?” the officer at the front desk asks as she signs me in.

“Grand larceny.”

Grand larceny . It sounds oddly fancy for the crime I’m accused of committing—stealing a pitiful hundred thousand dollars. Okay, so that’s definitely not a pitiful amount of money. In fact it’s a life-changing amount for most people.

But I can remember what Marcus was like. He threw money around like it was nothing. I can’t say that he’s not smart, or accomplished, but he comes from money like Garrett does, and he was happy to brag about it and show it off while we were dating.

At the time, of course, I’d liked the idea of a man who could take care of me, after growing up poor and having parents who never took care of me at all in any way that mattered.

Now, though, I understand it was another way for him to wield power. Some people like having money because it allows them to spoil themselves. Other people like money because it means they can be lazy. But some men, like Marcus, like it because of what it can buy for them, the leverage it allows them to have.

They can rewrite the rules in their favor all the time.

If I’d actually stolen a hundred thousand dollars from him way back in the day, there’s no way that he would’ve noticed. The fact that he’s taken until now to ‘accuse’ me of this crime only reminds me of how fake it is.

I want to scream at these police officers booking me into this horrible place that if they would think about it for two seconds, they’d realize it doesn’t make any sense for Marcus to only come out with evidence and an accusation now.

Even if he couldn’t find me before, he still would’ve reported it stolen. The case would’ve been open all these years with no lead. He’s only opening it now with his so-called evidence because he wants to punish me.

And he knows that hurting me is not only the best way to cause me pain directly, but also the best way to hurt my Alphas. They wounded his pride when they got Tracy to confess and stormed into his office.

I wonder if his office is full of people gossiping now. If people there know the truth. Surely someone was eavesdropping. I doubt any of my men were subtle and polite about it. And gossip spreads like wildfire through an office.

Once he immediately went out and told them all he was withdrawing the watch from the market, they have to know that something’s up, and that my Alphas had something to do with Marcus’s change in plans.

He must feel humiliated right now.

It’s a small, cold comfort to me as I’m taken from the two officers who brought me in and I’m duly sorted into the jail system.

All of my personal effects are taken from me and I’m put in front of a desk where another officer writes a bunch of things down on a piece of paper, without looking at me even once. Then I’m taken to put on the classic orange outfit, and my fingerprints and all the rest are taken.

I’m not told anything about my bail, or how long I’ll be in here, but I am told that a public defense attorney will be appointed to my case, and that I can speak with them tomorrow.

That doesn’t give me much comfort.

I spend the night in a chilly cell with a bunch of other women. This isn’t a prison, so we don’t get the small rooms with the two-person bunk bed. Instead, we’re in one large cell with a bunch of cots and we have to make do.

Everyone here looks as miserable as I feel. I’m in a room with all Omegas, while the Alphas and Betas each get their own rooms. It’s theoretically to stop any fights from breaking out, but it just reminds me of all the ways that people look at me differently now that my status is known.

Being an Omega became something wonderful and special when I was with my Alphas. But now I feel scared about it again. I feel alone, and empty, and vulnerable.

There are a couple Omegas crying in one corner, and when I ask another woman about them, she shakes her head sadly. “They tried to run from the facility,” she says. “And stay unregistered. They were caught, obviously, so they’re here overnight until the ORD agents can come and get them in the morning.”

I want to tell these women about my experience, and how it turned out, but I know what they’ll say, because I know exactly what I would’ve said in their shoes a few months ago.

You just got lucky. What if I’m courted by a bunch of asshole Alphas? What if they bite me before I’m ready, and I’m stuck with them? What if my agent at the facility isn’t as good as yours?

There’s nothing I can do to make them feel better. All it does is make me grateful that I didn’t run. That Ethan found me and took care of me, brought me to the others, and that when the ORD agents came for me, I didn’t let the men try to fight for me while I ran for it.

I can’t even imagine how out of my mind with fear I would’ve been in jail for that. And I wouldn’t ever get to see my Alphas again. They wouldn’t be allowed to court me. They broke the law for me and I don’t think the ORD would see that as a good thing. I never would’ve gotten to be with them.

At least I had them, for a little while.

You still have them, I tell myself as I lie down in my cot to sleep. They’re going to get you out of here. They won’t abandon you.

My hope keeps me warm as I fall asleep.

The next day, sure enough, I get to see them in the afternoon. I’m taken to a room where I get to talk to them, similar to an interrogation room in movies. I’m glad it’s not one of those telephone rooms with the plexiglass. At least this way, I can touch them, even if the guards say we can’t do more than just hold hands.

All four of my Alphas stand when I enter the room, worry etched clear on their faces. Garrett growls when he takes in my outfit. I can see them straining not to rush across the room and hold me.

It makes me want to cry. All I want is to be enveloped in their arms, and I can’t. We have to keep our distance.

I sit down on the other end of the table, and my four Alphas sit. Ethan lurches his arm across the table and grabs my hand. He looks pale, with circles under his eyes. They all do.

“Please tell me you slept,” I plead with them.

“I mean, we can lie if that’ll help you feel better,” Ethan replies, trying for a joke. It doesn’t quite work.

I’ve never seen them all look so worried and upset before. My heart squeezes in my chest. It’s sweet that they love me so much, and that they’re so worried for me, but I want them to take care of themselves.

“Please.” I squeeze Ethan’s hand. “I’m not there to do it for you, so I need you to look after yourselves for me while I’m gone. You have to promise me that.”

“You won’t be gone long,” Dante insists. “We’re working with our lawyers. We’ll get you out of here and we’ll get the charges dropped.’

“Have they not set the bail yet?”

“Not yet. Rumor has it the judge is trying to decide if you’re scamming us too, so he’s hesitant to place you on bail. He thinks you might take our money and run next.”

“That’s ridiculous,” I blurt out, appalled.

“That’s what I said,” Garrett mutters.

“To be fair,” Caleb says, sighing heavily, “that’s exactly what a scheming thief would say if she was seducing us to get our money. And we know you won’t do that, ever, but this judge hasn’t met you.”

“He just has Marcus’s lies,” Ethan snarls.

“Do you think Marcus paid him off?” I ask. Ethan’s thumb strokes back and forth over my knuckles. It’s not nearly as much touch as I want, but even that little gesture helps to soothe me.

“We don’t know,” Dante says. “But we’re working on it.”

“Marcus has to know that these charges won’t stick,” Caleb explains. “The moment a proper attorney looks into this, they’re going to see all the holes in logic and that the evidence was fabricated.”

“We think he’s doing this just to humiliate you and distract us while he does something else, like maybe put a slightly modified version of the watch on the market,” Garrett says. “Or delay our launch of the watch so that even if he doesn’t win, we still lose.”

“You can’t let that happen.” I reach out and take his hand in both of mine, squeezing hard. “You can’t let your company suffer because of me. We can’t let him win like that. You have to launch the watch like you planned, even if I’m still in here.”

Dante smiles proudly. “That’s our girl.”

I smile softly back at him. “Really. I don’t want him to win. If you’re right and he’s just trying to hurt me, and you, then it’s just some… I don’t know.”

“Psychological warfare?” Ethan hazards.

I crack a smile. “Yeah. That. We can’t let him know that he’s getting to us. I know that… this isn’t fun for any of us. I can’t say I’m enjoying my time here. But I know that you’ll get me out. I know I’m innocent. And you know I’m innocent. We’ll make this work. But if we let the watch be delayed, or let him see how upset we are, then he wins. I can’t have that.”

Caleb takes my hand and raises it to his lips, kissing my knuckles. “I hope you know how brave you are, sweetheart.”

“I don’t feel very brave,” I admit.

“Doing this even though you’re scared is what makes you brave.”

“And you won’t be in here long, I promise,” Dante adds. “We’re going to have our lawyers talk to the judge tomorrow, and make sure that he gets you out of here. Even if that means paying a bail, we’ll pay whatever it takes.”

I try so hard to keep the tears in, but a few of them well up in my eyes anyway. I wipe them away quickly. The distress I see on the faces of my Alphas, knowing they want to hold me and nuzzle me but can’t, only makes me want to cry harder.

“I hate that you don’t smell like us anymore,” Caleb admits, his voice soft. “Usually I can smell all of us on you. It’s been getting stronger the past few days. And I can smell you on myself, and the others. But now…”

Garrett nods in agreement. I realize, with a horrible sick jolt, that they’re right. I don’t smell like my Alphas anymore. I smell like the stale air of the jail and the plain unscented soap that we use in the bathrooms.

“I’ll smell like you soon enough when I’m out,” I promise, even though my voice wavers. “Like you said, it’s going to be okay.”

They all nod solemnly.

“We’re going to be with you every step of the way,” Dante states. “You’re not alone in this, baby girl. We’re all here for you. We’re not going to stop until you’re back with us and you’re safe.”

“It’ll be sooner than you know it,” Ethan agrees.

“It doesn’t matter what we have to do,” Garrett adds quietly. “Even if that means a prison break.”

“Please tell me you’re joking,” I say, giggling.

“Only partly.” Garrett winks at me.

“You’re the strongest woman we know,” Caleb says. “You’ve already overcome so much. I know that you’re going to overcome this.”

I wish I could kiss him. I wish I could kiss all of them. I nod. “Thank you,” I tell them all. “You really don’t have to do this.”

“Of course we do.” Dante sounds incredulous. “You’re our Omega. We might not be officially mated to you yet, but you’re still ours. We know that. We’ll do anything for our Omega, like any good Alpha should.”

Someday I’m going to have to get it through their heads that while they see themselves as simply doing the basic, decent thing, in actuality they’re the most amazing men I’ve ever met. “You’re my Alphas,” I promise them. “I know that it might not say that on paper yet. Or on my neck.”

My neck, in fact, feels rather bare without their bites. I can’t quite believe that something I once feared and hated the idea of is now something I wish for. If I had their bite, then even if the guards took everything else from me, they couldn’t take that. It would still mark me as belonging to someone even in these stupid orange clothes.

“But I know what we are,” I conclude. “And I trust you.”

“I’m glad you do,” Ethan says. “We want to be worthy of your trust.”

There’s a rap at the door, and then it opens, a guard stepping in. I know what that means. Our time together is up.

I hold both of my hands out, and my Alphas grab on to them, holding on tightly. I squeeze as best I can. It’s a physical ache in my chest, the need to touch them more, but I hold myself back. I know it won’t do us any favors if I get in trouble for launching myself over the table to nuzzle them.

“Come on, you four,” the guard says, sounding weary.

Garrett shoots the man a glare, and I nearly do too. I suppose working in a place like this must drain you of your humanity, because how else do you sound so completely bored with the fact that five people are in agony over having to be separated? I don’t understand it, and I don’t want to.

I stand from the table, and clasp my hands in front of me, holding my own fingers tightly so that my Alphas won’t see them tremble as one by one, they file out of the room.

Then they’re gone again.

The guard returns a moment later. “May I use the restroom?” I ask.

He nods, and escorts me to the bathroom. I go inside, and immediately burst into tears.

I grip the sink hard and sob everything out, my knuckles white and my vision blurring. I don’t want anyone else to see me like this. I refuse to let them know how upset I am, these cold, unyielding, uncaring jailers.

When I’m finished, I wash my face and take a few deep breaths, staring at myself in the mirror. “You’ve got this,” I whisper to myself. “It’s okay. You’re brave. You can do this.”

I carry the memory of my Alphas’ scent and their touch with me throughout the day, trying to hold on to it as I sit in my cell, eat the flavorless dinner they set out for us, and finally tuck into bed to sleep.

Seeing my Alphas has made me a little more hopeful. I know that they’ll do anything to set me free. Marcus might have bought people off or temporarily convinced them of my guilt, but I know that he’s nothing against my mates. They’ll find a way.

Sure enough, when we’re woken up in the morning for breakfast, one of the guards stops me as I file out.

“Not you,” she says. “The charges against you were dropped. You’re free to go.”

I stare at her for a moment in shock, my jaw slack. I can’t have possibly heard her correctly. “What?”

The guard looks like she wants to roll her eyes. “I said that we’re taking you out of here. The charges against you were dropped. Come on.”

She sounds impatient. I’m sure she’s glad to be rid of me. I’m sure all the guards are. One more prisoner gone is one less person to keep track of for them.

I’m led down the hall through the maze of oppressive cinderblock until I’m back in the front office area. I’m put in front of a desk again with that same dispassionate man who fills out paperwork once more, without looking at me, just like last time.

Then I have to sign a bunch of paperwork myself at the front desk before I’m given my personal affects, which mostly just includes the clothes I was brought here in.

“May I change?” I ask, trying to keep my voice soft and meek. I hate asking for permission for something like this, but there’s still this weird, primal terror in me that suggests that if I do anything to upset them, if I ask for too much, they’ll change their minds and put me back in a cell.

The guard nods toward a bathroom at the other end of the room. Nobody accompanies me this time as I go and change. I’m no longer a prisoner, so they don’t care. Before, I couldn’t so much as wash my hands without a guard following me to make sure I didn’t do something like try to escape. Now they don’t even care enough to keep an eye on me.

It’s all very dehumanizing and scary. My skin itches for me to get out of here.

As I change, I feel more and more like myself, and it feels like my brain is coming back to life after being dormant, shutting down in self-defense. Like everything around me was dulled and my brain refused to process it all or take it in as a way to keep me from truly realizing how bad my situation was.

Now, though, as I finger-comb my hair and braid it to try to look somewhat presentable, I can’t help but wonder how this happened. My Alphas made it sound like it might take longer, but maybe they did something to truly intimidate Marcus. Maybe they presented the judge or others with their evidence of Marcus’s corporate sabotage and that was enough for them to doubt his case against me.

However it happened, I’m filled to the brim with relief. I knew that my mates would help me get out of here, even if I didn’t think it would be quite so soon.

I finish putting on my clothes and freshening up, double-checking myself in the mirror. I wish I looked nicer to meet my mates, but it still feels so good to be in my own clothes again, and to feel like myself. I can’t wait to take a nice hot shower or a bath when we get back, and to eat one of Dante’s home-cooked meals. I’m going to cuddle and nuzzle my mates shamelessly.

It’s crazy how life changes. Here I am, excited to see them and to get cuddles and be pampered, when once I would have shied away from something like that, sure that it couldn’t be real.

I exit the restroom and finish signing myself out, and then I’m told the door is that way, and suddenly, it’s like I don’t exist.

“Did anyone say they would be here to pick me up?” I ask the desk clerk.

He shrugs, eyes on his computer. “Probably. Go outside and check.”

For crying out loud. I roll my eyes but manage to bite my tongue so I don’t say anything rude. I don’t want to get in trouble when I’m so close to freedom.

I exit the building, blinking and squinting in the morning sunlight. I hadn’t realized how much I’d been inside and how dim it all was until now.

I walk farther down the large concrete area that’s used as a parking lot and driveway, squinting and searching for my Alphas. I don’t see Ethan’s sports car or Dante’s sensible luxury sedan.

Maybe they’re in a car I don’t —

My thoughts are cut off as a white van speeds up from seemingly out of nowhere and slams to a halt in front of me. The side door slides open and a pair of hands lunge for me.

I scream in surprise, caught off-guard. I’m not fast enough to jump back in time, and I’m hauled inside. I scream again, but a hand is over my mouth, and the door is kicked closed. I feel the van take off, and I scream through the hand, terror filling my veins like ice.

I’m shoved down to the floor of the van on my face, my arms yanked back even as I try to struggle and fight off my attacker. It’s dark in here and I can’t see anything, and whoever this is, they’re stronger than I am.

My wrists are grabbed, and then zip-ties are placed around them, forcing them together and biting painfully into my skin.

“Let me go!” I scream. “Get off me! Get off me! Let me go!”

The person grabs my hair, yanking painfully and craning my head up, bending close—and that’s when I smell it.

That horrible, off-putting scent. The one that I hadn’t smelled in years until I was out shopping with Dante. The one that’s burned into my brain whether I want it to be or not.

Marcus .

I stifle a whimper as he draws close, inhaling deeply.

“Mmm. I missed that sugary scent,” he growls.

He releases me, and my head falls hard back onto the floor of the van. I try to curl up, to protect my body a bit, trembling in fear.

“You and I have a lot to talk about,” Marcus tells me. “ Omega .”

My body shakes with uncontrollable fear. Marcus has me, and nobody knows that he took me, or where I am.

And I have no idea what he plans to do with me.