Page 34 of Retribution

Chapter Nine

Isolde

My body twitches as I wake up, and the only thing keeping me from falling is the rope wrapped around my waist.

“You’re going to be the death of me,” a voice growls, drawing my attention. “Fuck, please be careful.”

Yawning, I raise my hand to my mouth to stifle it as I gaze at none other than Oliver Carew.

“That’s why I tied the rope around my waist,” I murmur sleepily. The sun is just starting to peek over the horizon, and I’m hoping that the snow is finally going to give the world a rest.

“You climbed a tree to sleep in it,” he reminds me, as if I have memory issues. “Wouldn’t a bed inside, maybe next to me, be better?”

The last part makes me press my lips together, reminding me of how dry they are. I didn’t bring water this time, since the temperature dropped and I knew it would freeze. I’m not worried about dehydration, I’ll grab some at the store once I get going.

“I like climbing trees,” I tease him, my voice rough from sleep. “How did you find me?”

Oliver’s red curls are escaping from his black hat, and he’s wearing joggers with boots and a hoodie. It almost looks as if he threw on clothes to come outside in a hurry, which makes me even more curious now for his response.

“Maybe I’m just that good?” he asks, smirking as he takes a sip of his coffee. It’s in a thermos, and I don’t know how he managed to climb and carry his precious life saving drink. Although, it’s possible that I’m simply projecting. “Look over at the house, baby. You’re going to see a large window directly across from your tree. When I got up this morning, the sunlight practically lit your body up. It’s the only window that perfectly reflects your position. No one else knows you’re here, I threw on clothes, grabbed coffee and stomped outside.”

“You’re not a morning person, are you?” I tease him.

“I was up too late,” he sighs. “I was trying to see if I could find you, but came up empty on the facial recognition program I have. You’re hiding from me, Isolde. I don’t like it.”

“Too bad,” I shrug. “I need to do this my way.”

“Sneaking through the woods where there are guards that could blow your head off? You also managed to avoid all of those cameras as well,” Oliver grumbles.

“It just goes to show that the security here is subpar. Where were you and Alesso while Lucas’ guard was injecting a tracker into him?” I ask. “Clearly, all of this fancy shit doesn’t matter.”

“I…” Oliver looks as if he’s at a loss for words for a moment, and takes another sip of coffee as he gazes out into the large back yard. “Lucas is a grown adult, Isolde. Grant’s entire job description is to protect him, and he very recently failed to do that. The tracker is the best option to ensure continued job security.”

“Hmmph,” I snort. “If he pulls that shit again, it’ll ensure a signed invitation for me to shoot him. While I understand the reasons behind it, I’m still not very confident of the security here.”

“Is that why you’re in the tree?” Oliver asks.

He’s very persistent, isn’t he?

“I’m in the tree because it seemed like the best place to sleep, Oli.”

“You… Oli, huh? I’m not sure how I feel about that. Sleeping in a tree when, again, there are nice warm beds inside, feels like an odd life choice.”

“How else is a girl to test the security system? I’m not living here if it’s shit,” I complain. I still don’t know if I want to live here at all.

I have a perfectly good rental waiting for me. Checking my phone, I confirm that I still have time before I have to get going and glance back at Oliver with my brow raised.

“You are infuriating, Little Omega,” he says. “If you’re spying on us, just say that.”

“Observing while you don’t know that I am isn’t exactly spying.”

“Yes it is,” he laughs. “This is definitely a case of what came first: the chicken or the egg, Isolde. You managed to travel here without a single camera picking you up, and now you’re doing what? Gathering intel? For who?”

“Me,” I say simply. “It definitely isn’t for anyone else. I have a place to stay, it’s just not ready yet. I have to meet with my contact later this morning to make sure it’s a good fit. I don’t really know exactly why I’m here, except that it’s where my feet took me. Call it a fixation.”

I slept better than I have in a long time in this tree. That’s odd, isn’t it? My scent matches are in the house in front of me, and I wanted to be near them. I just don’t want to be containedby four walls. I need exits, the knowledge that I can leave without explanation.

I need options and safety. It doesn’t even matter that on a surface level I don’t believe they’ll hurt me. My instincts have lied to me in the past, so I’m playing devil’s advocate while still remaining close enough to the alphas that my soul screams are mine.