Page 141 of Retribution

I’m unsure why I need so much muscle when I’m clearly unable to walk, much less fight.

“She screams so prettily, boys,” Ophelia says, pleased. “See if you can make her scream so loudly that I can hear in my new office. May I suggest options she’ll heal quickly from.”

“Does this mean we have to keep our dicks in our pants?” the one with dirty blonde hair asks as they walk behind Ophelia.

They’re carrying me between them.My legs are shaking and feel like jello from the myriad of things she’s already put me through. The sedative, freezing water, and trauma of it being shoved up into sensitive areas.

In her mind, I’m now completely clean, but it’s left me exhausted.

“No,” she drawls, winking at me. “I need her to be very well broken in before we give her a dose of forced heat. I’ve been working on a new formula and want her to be the first person to use it.”

I will burn this and all of her “formulas” down if it’s the last thing I do.While Lucas uses his mind for good, Ophelia asks herself how much suffering she can wield on the world.

Chapter Thirty

Alesso

It’s been twenty-four hours since Isolde was taken, and I’m not doing well. I don’t believe that any of us are. Leila is cranky, crying more than usual, and wants to be held by someone at all times.

She’s also hating the carrier and just squirms in Lucas or Grant’s arms.

“Allore, bambina,”I finally sigh, standing up to take Leila from Grant. “We’re going for a walk.”

“It’s freezing outside,” Lucas says, rubbing his eyes.

No one is sleeping well, not even Leila.

“Then we’ll have to make sure we’re very bundled up,” I shrug. “Shh, come,bambina.”

“I can try if your walk doesn’t work. I need a break from the screen time,” Oli yawns. “No one has any goddamned information. Jefferson City Auction doesn’t seem to have any upcoming auctions either.”

“They’re going to need to,” I grunt, rubbing Leila’s back. “Ophelia doesn’t have any money anymore. I drained the company accounts as well as hers.”

“I love when you’re evil,” Lucas says. “I hate waiting, and it’s worse now that Leila is teething.”

“Isn’t it a little early for that?” I ask, jaw dropping as I look down at her.

“Not really. We don’t have an exact age for her. She’s drooling more and gnawing on her little fists. Isolde brought her home almost a month ago. She could be between four and five months old for all we know and just small. We’re flying blind,” Lucas says.

“You sound more knowledgeable than you think,” Oli admits. “Fuck it, I’ll go with you, Alesso. My eyes are crossing. Sometimes if you walk away from the computer, shit will go down.”

“Is this a watched pot situation?” Grant asks.

“Pretty much,” Oli mutters, closing out of everything and shutting the laptop.

Getting up, he walks with me to change Leila’s diaper, and we all put on warmer clothing. Wrapping her in a blanket for extra warmth, we head outside.

“What can’t you tell me in front of the others?” I ask immediately, my boots crunching along the snow covered ground.

“Damn, am I that transparent?” he asks. “Maybe I just wanted to take a walk.”

“Doubtful,” I murmur.

Leila looks around as I support her head and back, quiet as we continue across the backyard.

“I’m going to need to dig deeper than before. There are head hunters on the dark web that deal in procuring and selling omegas,” he says. “It doesn’t matter to them if they’re in an auction house or not. They’ll find those omegas on the street and kidnap them for the ability to fulfill the order.”

“Disgusting,” I say. Oli cringes and I shake my head. “Just because this type of behavior exists, doesn’t mean you can’t use it for your own benefit to find Isolde. Don’t have a crisis of conscience.”