Page 192 of Sinful Like Us

Everyone is worn out. Emotionally. Mentally. But the mood is lighter, at least with the famous ones.

While Jane and her family are already in the cars, ready to move out, security crams in the foyer. We’ve been finishing a house-sweep for belongings, and tension is at a high between Omega and Epsilon.

Tony knows who I am.

He’s known for two weeks. And he’s been making off-handed comments about telling the Tri-Force that I pretended to be Banks.

I don’t doubt he’ll radio the Alpha lead the moment we land in Philly. He’s been working himself up to that point.

Tony leans on a wall beside an empty coat rack. He has a pompous grin. He thinks he has me cornered, and I can’t help but feelsorryfor him.

I thought nothing could hurt him—because he couldn’t see past his own inflated head. That his gold-shitting arrogance made him aninvincibletoolbag. But more than ever, I see through his annoying fucking bravado.

He’s just…sad.

And bitter.

Jealous. Always feeling like he has to prove that he’sbetterthan me—when here I am willingly admitting toeverymistake I’ve made. I’m a low bar for perfection.

Fucking over me and Banks won’t make him feel better tomorrow. Our family will give him hell for this, and he’ll never hear the end of it.

I glare at him from across the foyer and adjust the wire to my earpiece. I’m not cornered. I thought long and hard about what Akara said to me at the beginning of this trip.

“There’s always a way out. You don’t have to fall on a sword because it’s sitting in front of you, waiting. You put together the team that’s going to find the right exit. You sidelined me. That’s on you.”

This time, I tapped him in.

I asked for his help. And the takes-no-shit Omega lead is standing beside me, his eyes also locked on Tony.

A second later, O’Malley climbs down the staircase and throws his duffel near the front door.

“Ramella, O’Malley, I need a word with you both,” Akara says in a way that makes it clear this isn’t a request.

The Epsilon guards amble over, and the rest of Omega lingers in the foyer, eavesdropping.

O’Malley’s head is somewhere else because the first thing he says is, “I know everyone says I’m a shit driver, but I think I should at least be in a front passenger seat to navigate.”

“Sure, that’s fine.” Akara nods. “But we need to talk about what you two are planning to tell Price and Sinclair when we’re home.”

Tony extends an arm. “I’m not about to lie to my superiors. Sorry not sorry, but I have a good reputation with the old guard.”

Surprisingly, that’s a fucking understatement coming from Tony. The old guard treats him like Jesus Christ.

I understand that asking Tony and O’Malley to lie is asking them to break protocol.They won’t.I wouldn’t for them.

I deserve this.A punishment, a suspension—being fired, maybe, but I love her too much and I want to protect her too badly to accept that.

O’Malley looks from me to Akara. “I’d rather not rock the boat. It was fucked up, Thatcher, that youtold everyone the truth and then lied to me, Tony, and Will—but at this point, you’re still Jane’s boyfriend. I’m Beckett’s bodyguard. It’s a conflict of interest, so I’d consider keeping my mouth shut.”

“You’re not lying,” Akara says to them. “You’re just not going to say anything about this. Price and Sinclair won’t ask you straight out if a twin switch transpired. Keep quiet, and in return, I’ll make any transfers happen that you want.”

Tony rocks back with a laugh. “For real?”

“For real.”

My muscles contract. Akara is offeringpowerto Tony. I wouldn’t give him a socket wrench, and he’s handing him a fucking jackhammer.

“I want to be the Omega lead,” Tony says without pause.