Page 35

Beck

The helicopter disappears into the distance, a black speck against the darkening sky, and with it goes everything that matters. I stand frozen in my own driveway, watching my Omega—my pack mate, my heart—being carried away by a monster, and for the first time in decades, I feel completely helpless.

“Beck.” Eli’s voice cuts through the roar of blood in my ears. He’s managed to get to his feet despite the zip ties, blood trickling from his split lip. “We need to move. Now.”

The practical words snap me back to reality. I pull out my phone, scrolling through contacts with hands that shake with barely contained rage. “I’m calling the FBI. This is kidnapping, clear as day. Federal crime, interstate—“

“Beck, no.” Rita’s voice stops me cold. She’s standing in the cottage doorway, her face pale but determined. “You can’t involve law enforcement.”

“The hell I can’t. They just took—“

“Blake has papers.” Her voice cracks on the words. “Legal documents claiming Emmie is mentally incompetent. Guardianship orders, psychiatric evaluations—all fake, but they’ll look genuine enough to muddy the waters legally. By the time the courts sort it out...”

She doesn’t need to finish.

By the time bureaucracy runs its course, Blake will have moved Emmie somewhere untouchable, probably out of the country. He’ll have what he wants from her, and she’ll be broken beyond repair. If she survives at all.

I send a message to another contact. A man I haven’t needed to use for a very long time. I hit send, pocket the phone and move to Eli, using my key to cut through his restraints. The moment his hands are free, he’s pulling out his own phone.

“Jude needs to know,” he says grimly. “And we need to figure out where Blake would take her.”

“I might know,” Rita says quietly. “There’s a compound in Montana. It’s remote, off the grid. He used to talk about it when he thought I wasn’t listening—his ‘retirement property.’ If he’s planning to...to keep her long-term...”

The thought makes my vision blur with fury. I’ve dealt with dangerous men my entire adult life, but Blake represents something beyond ordinary criminal behavior. He’s a monster.

My phone rings, the contact name making my blood freeze. Dmitri Volkov .

I asked for his help. I stare at the screen for a moment, knowing that answering this call will change everything. Dmitri doesn’t need to help anyone unless he wants something, and what he wants usually involves crossing lines I swore I’d never cross again. But for Emmie...

“Beck, don’t,” Eli says, reading my expression. “Whatever you’re thinking, there has to be another way.”

I answer the call. “Dmitri.”

“Beckett Silver.” The voice carries a slight Russian accent, cultured but carrying undertones of violence. “Your text. You have a problem. Helicopter, yes? Man takes what is yours?”

“That’s right.”

“And you need my help.” There’s amusement in his voice.

“I do. Name your price.”

“We’ve been friends for years. My price is twenty-five percent of your import business. And a fresh start between us as business partners.”

This deal would compromise everything I’ve built. But now...

“Find my Omega and kill her stepfather and I agree,” I say without hesitation.

“Beck,” Eli grabs my arm. “You don’t know what you’re agreeing to.”

I meet his eyes, seeing my desperation reflected there. “I know exactly what I’m doing. And I’d give far more to get her back.”

Dmitri’s laugh is genuinely pleased. “Good. Send me a photograph of the Omega and the man, any information you have. Location if possible. Consider the problem solved.”

“How quickly can you—“

“Is already in motion. I have a helicopter too, better than his. Faster.” His Russian accent gets more and more pronounced the more he talks. The line goes quiet for a moment. “Beck. A man who steals from your family will learn this is a mistake. You understand?”

I understand perfectly. When Dmitri’s people find Blake, there won’t be enough left to identify through dental records.

“I understand.”

“Good. I will bring your Omega home safely.”

“I want to go with you,” I tell him.

“That’s not a good idea.” The line goes dead, and I immediately start gathering the information Dmitri will need. Blake’s photo from Rita, who I doubt is really called that. But I’m trying to remember the tail number I glimpsed on his helicopter.

“Here.” Rita hands me intelligence about the Montana compound.

“Beck.” Eli’s voice is carefully controlled. “You made a deal with the Bratva.”

“I made a deal with someone who can get results faster than the legal system.”

“At what cost? You think Dmitri’s going to eliminate Blake and just walk away? You’ll owe him forever. Whatever he asks for next—“

“Then that’s what I’ll pay.” I turn to face him fully, letting him see the absolute conviction in my eyes. “You know better than most that it’s just money.”

His jaw tightens, but he doesn’t answer immediately. Because we both know the truth—when it comes to protecting the people we love, there are no lines we won’t cross.

“If we’re doing this,” he says finally, “we do it together. Like a pack.”

“I can’t risk your life, Eli—“

“She’s not just your Omega, Beck. She’s ours. All of ours.” His green eyes blaze with determination. “You want to make deals with dangerous men? Fine. But you don’t do it alone.”

The simple statement breaks something loose in my chest. I’ve been carrying the weight of responsibility for everyone in my family, making decisions in isolation because I thought it was my burden to bear. But Eli is right—he is our pack now, and Emmie’s safety is all our responsibility.

“Together,” I agree.

My phone buzzes with a message from Dmitri containing coordinates and a timeline. Whatever resources he’s mobilizing, they’re moving fast.

“Jude should know what’s happening,” Eli says, pulling out his own phone. “He’s probably losing his mind with worry.”

“Tell him to stay put. This is going to get ugly, and someone needs to be here when we bring her home.”

While Eli makes the call, I turn to Rita. “I need everything you can tell me about Blake’s operation. Financial assets, business contacts, properties—anything that might help us track him.”

She nods, her face set with grim determination. “He has accounts in three different countries, properties in Montana, Wyoming, and somewhere in South America. The compound in Montana is where he...” She swallows hard. “Where he planned to keep his children and Emmie until they came of age.”

“Security measures?”

“Armed guards, surveillance systems, probably attack dogs. He’s paranoid about law enforcement, but also about rival Alphas trying to steal his ‘investment.’” The disgust in her voice is palpable. “He thinks of Omegas as livestock, Beck. Valuable breeding stock to be protected and controlled.”

The words make my alpha snarl with protective fury. “How long would it take him to reach Montana?”

“He won’t be going by helicopter? It’s too far.”

“He’ll be flying to a private airstrip.”

Which means he’s getting close to having Emmie locked away in whatever hell he’s created. Every minute we waste is another minute she’s suffering, another minute she’s losing hope that we’ll find her.

My phone rings again—Dmitri, with an update. “We have the location confirmed. But it’s not the Montana compound, as you suspected. But Beck...” His voice grows serious. “Is more complicated than anticipated.”

“How complicated?”

“He’s hired mercenaries, private security. He has a professional operation. I need to hire more resources to penetrate.”

“Whatever it takes,” I say without hesitation.

“Good. We move in one hour. You want to be there?” The question hangs in the air, loaded with implications.

If I go with Dmitri’s team, there’s no pretending that this is just a rescue operation.

I’ll be directly involved in whatever violence follows, complicit in ways that can’t be undone.

But the alternative is sitting here helplessly while someone else fights for Emmie’s freedom.

“We’ll meet you at the airport,” I say.

“We?” Dmitri sounds amused. “Bringing your friends to the party?”

“My pack,” I correct. “We do this together.”

“Interesting. Very well. Airfield outside town, at hangar seven. One hour.” The line goes dead, and I look up to find Eli watching me with a mixture of respect and concern.

“Last chance to back out,” I tell him. “Once we get on that helicopter, there’s no going back. Whatever happens, we’ll all be complicit.”

“She chose us,” Eli says simply. “All of us. Now we choose her back.”

We do and tonight, I’m going to find out exactly what I’m capable of when everything I love is on the line. And God help anyone who gets in my way.