Page 10 of Retribution

One of my bosses in the last two years has already learned the error of his ways. He’s dead now and his former empire has already been absorbed by other people.

Do…not…fuck…with me.

Returning to my food, I pick up my fork and cut a piece off from my omelet. Blowing on it before I wrap my lips around my fork, I moan as I pull off the bite and chew. The flavors of egg, cheese, and vegetables are perfectly balanced.

Now that I can choose what I want to eat, I find that being a vegetarian works for me. I have a kindred spirit for things that are forced to live in cages for slaughter, and I simply can’t bring myself to eat meat.

It doesn’t keep me from fully enjoying my food now though.

“Does everything taste good?” the waitress asks, pleased when I nod. “Perfect.”

I’m left alone to my own devices as I make my plan to drive to Bargersville, Indiana. The place sounds pretentious as hell, but it doesn’t appear that Lucas is hurting for money.

My plans exist in my head so I just look like someone who’s getting a jump on work during her lunch break. Granted, who would hire me other than those who already do, I don’t know. I definitely don’t fit the typical corporate model.

My legs are encased in leather pants, my long sleeved black shirt helps me to hold in body heat since I’ve had trouble gaining weight after so many years of being starved. I have few curves but my breasts managed to survive. My hair is healthier than it’s ever been, pulled back into a sleek ponytail once I sat down.

However, none of this is corporate material.

My coat is folded neatly beside me as I finish my food, and I drop the full amount for my meal as a tip for my waitress in cash. It’s getting busy, and I can see that the woman is being run off her feet. Packing up my things, I pull on my coat and prepare for the five hour drive.

“Do you need anything else? Can I get you a to-go cup of water?” the waitress asks, not yet seeing the tip I left her.

“I would love that, but only if you have the time for it,” I say, pulling my bag strap over my shoulder.

“I got it,” the owner says, quickly grabbing the cup and filling it with ice and water. “You be safe out there, Miss. It looks like it’s gonna snow.”

The sky is a pink color as I gaze out the window with a nod.

“It looks like it will,” I murmur. “Thank you, I’ll be careful.”

Taking the cup, I walk out the door to my car, my boots crunching on the ground. I swear, all it does in December is fucking snow in the Midwest. Do people take solo vacations?

Is that acceptable?

Muttering to myself, I begin the drive to give Lucas Reid the surprise of his life.

Turning the radio on to find a Kesha song post healing, I give myself a private concert as I sing along. My voice has come a long way, healing in its own way.

Screaming regularly can destroy vocal cords, and instead of a wrecked and broken voice, it’s a low contralto that I’m proud of. I’ve lost a lot during my captivity, but I’m learning to live with the changes.

As a free omega, my body is slowly finding a way to gain some curves, and my hair is brighter now that I’m in the sunlight more. I’m still scarred from my time with Ophelia on both the inside and out.

Maybe, one day, I’ll even grow to love them because it means I survived.

Maybe.

Chapter Four

Lucas

I’m late for a meeting. Walking quickly through the downtown rush of people, I hurry to get to the main office for Reid Pharmaceuticals. There’s a new medication that has spent months in clinical trials, and we finally have results.

I wanted to video conference from my home in Bargersville, but the board didn’t like that. So now here I am, rushing through Indianapolis to get to this meeting. They’ll wait for me, but that’s not the point.

My driver couldn’t drop me off because there’s some kind of accident near the office building, so I’m on foot. That’s not to say that I’m lazy, I’m not. I work out every day, spar several times a week, but the inconvenience of running in fancy shoes isn’t a good time while it’s snowing.

“Sir, you’re going to slip and fall on your ass,” my guard grunts, his strides matching mine.