Page 88 of Omega's Fever

“Does it matter?” I slip my phone back into my pocket. “You have what you need to bury Cobb Sewell. That’s what counts.”

She nods, looking pleased. She should. I just handed her thecase of a lifetime. “The marshals are ready for transport. All four of you in one vehicle. The safehouse is secure, but—”

“We’ll be careful.” I glance at Kellen, at the tension coiled in his shoulders. “We know what’s at stake.”

The ride to the safehouse happens in a blur. Penelope sits pressed against Damon, her hands protective over her belly. Kellen’s thigh presses against mine, solid and warm and reassuring. No one speaks. What’s left to say? We’ve rolled the dice. Now we wait to see if the gamble pays off.

The safehouse turns out to be an apartment building in a neighborhood that’s seen better days. Not quite rough, but far from the polished world of my downtown high-rise. The marshal—a beta woman with shrewd eyes—leads us up three flights of stairs to a corner unit.

“Home sweet home,” she says, unlocking three different deadbolts. “Kitchen’s stocked. Burner phones are on the counter. Don’t answer the door for anyone except me. We’ll check in every six hours.”

The apartment is... adequate. Beige walls, brown carpet, furniture that looks like it came from a discount warehouse. But the windows have bars, the door is reinforced steel, and that’s what matters.

“Locks are good,” Damon says immediately, testing each one. “But the fire escape access...”

And they’re off, the two alphas moving through the space like they’re clearing a combat zone. Checking sightlines from windows, testing alternate exits, checking every potential weakness. It’s fascinating and terrifying to watch them work in tandem.

“They’re going to be at this for a while,” Penelope says, sinking onto the couch with a soft groan. “Damon won’t settle until he’s mapped every possible entry point.”

I sit beside her, suddenly exhausted. The adrenaline that’sbeen carrying me crashes all at once.

“Bathroom’s clean,” Kellen announces, emerging from his security check. His eyes find mine immediately. “Kitchen too. No bugs that I can find.”

And just like that, he relaxes and settles next to me, and I’m immediately wrapped in his scent. Cedar and alpha and home. Even here, in this strange place, he smells like safety.

“Are you going to tell me how you got the evidence? I hope you didn’t ask your uncle. There’s no way he’d have handed it over.

“I called Kao. Told him everything—about Kenneth, about the vacation house, about what we needed. He didn’t even hesitate.”

Kellen’s jaw tightens. “You sent a civilian—”

“I sent my best friend. Someone I trust completely.” I touch his arm, feel the muscle coiled beneath. “He used his key to get into the office after hours. Spent all night with the industrial copier and scanner. Every document, every photo, every digital file—he copied it all. Uploaded everything to a secure cloud drive he set up.”

“That’s—” Kellen stops, runs a hand through his hair. “I don’t think your boss is going to like that.”

“She won’t know.” I hope. “He was careful, made it look like he was pulling an all-nighter on the merger. Just another overworked associate burning midnight oil.”

“Milo.” His voice drops, that dangerous rumble that makes my omega instincts sing. “You put him at risk. Kenneth—”

“Kenneth is done.” The words come out harder than I intend. “The moment Sutter verifies those documents, he’s finished. Cobb too. They can’t hurt anyone anymore.”

Damon appears from the back bedroom, a frown creasing his forehead. “Fire escape is a problem. Window locks are a joke, and there’s roof access from—”

A sound from outside cuts him off. Car doors slamming.Multiple vehicles.

Everything happens fast after that.

Kellen’s on his feet before I can blink, pulling me behind him. Damon’s already at the window, peering through the blinds.

“Three cars,” he reports, voice deadly calm. “Eight, maybe nine men. They’re not trying to hide.”

“Marshals?” Penelope asks, but we all know the answer.

“Call 911,” Kellen orders, his voice all alpha command. “Now.”

I fumble for the burner phone, fingers suddenly clumsy. Nine men. Cobb’s crew. How did they find us so fast?

“Fire escape,” Damon says. “Two coming up that way.”