Page 3 of The Sterling Acquisition

“Oh, the suit wants privacy?” He grabbed the broken chain on his harness and shook it, making the metal links rattle. “Scared your buddies back home might hear about this shitshow?”

“Something like that.”

Leo nodded frantically, glancing between them. “Yes. Orion, if you’d just cooperate and get back inside—”

“Cooperate?” Orion’s laugh cut through the air, wild and a little manic as he dug his bare heels into the ground. “Like I cooperatedwhen I spent three hours picking your new locks? Like I cooperated when I made it halfway to the fucking perimeter before you caught me?”

Leo’s hands fluttered uselessly at his sides. “You escaped!”

“Damn right I did!” Orion bared his teeth behind the muzzle. “And I’ll do it again!”

The crowd was riveted. Someone had started selling what looked like roasted nuts. This was apparently better than television, and from the commentary, it sounded like Orion’s escape attempts were a regular source of entertainment.

Dante cleared his throat. “Mr. James, perhaps we could—”

“You know what?” Orion interrupted, his voice carrying that wild edge again. “Let’s give your corporate friend the real tour, Leo. Show him the locks I picked. Show him how far I got. Show him what a year of your bullshit gets you.”

The color drained from Leo’s face. “Orion—”

“Show him everything.” Orion’s grin was sharp and reckless. “Bet he’ll love it.”

Dante’s mission briefing mentioned that Leo was a rising star in SVI’s biological research division. Looking at the man now, bleeding, humiliated, and terrified of his own asset, Dante wondered if Gensyn’s intelligence was out of date.

Or if the bar for success in SVI territory was considerably lower than expected.

“Right,” Leo said, his voice cracking. “The apartment. Yes. Let’s... let’s go to the apartment.”

Two security guards wandered over from the building’s entrance, moving with the leisurely pace of people who’d seen this exact scenario play out dozens of times before. They looked more amused than concerned.

“Let me guess,” one of them called out, not bothering to pick up his pace. “Orion picked the locks again?”

“How far’d he get this time?” the other asked. “Farther than last week?”

Leo’s face somehow managed to get even redder. “Just... help me get him inside, okay?”

“Sure thing, Leo,” the first guard said with a grin. “Though it looks like the new suit has got better technique than you do.”

“I don’t need an escort,” Orion grumbled. “I know the way to my cage.”

The walk to the building was a parade of humiliation. The crowd followed for the first few yards, offering commentary and advice, before eventually dispersing back to their daily routines. Apparently, public asset management failures were common enough entertainment that the novelty wore off quickly.

Dante walked beside Leo, who was muttering apologies and explanations under his breath, but they fell on deaf ears. All Dante could focus on was how fucking good Orion smelled. At one point, Leo pulled out a tablet and quickly made several notations.

“The asset management issues are unfortunate,” Leo said, momentarily sounding like the researcher his file described. “But my vaccine work has yielded promising results. We’ve increased efficacy by 37% while reducing production costs. That’s what caught Gensyn’s attention, I believe.”

Then his gaze slid back to Orion, and the competent scientist vanished beneath waves of transparent anxiety.

Behind them, Orion moved in deliberate silence, but Dante could feel eyes burning into his back. He was being assessed. Cataloged. Mental notes taken and filed away for future use.

This Omega is smart. And dangerous. And utterly wasted on Leo James.

The lobby of the dormitory building was a testament to SVI’s philosophy of “functional ugliness.” Concrete floors, fluorescent lighting, and motivational posters that looked like they’d been designed by someone who heard about human psychology but never met a human being.

“Sterling-Vance Industries: Your Success Is Our Success!” proclaimed a banner featuring a smiling family that looked like they’d been assembled from spare corporate headshots.

Orion made a gagging sound. “Real inspiring, isn’t it?”

The elevator ride to the fourth floor was perhaps the most uncomfortable ninety seconds of Dante’s professional life. Leo fidgeted. Orion radiated fury like a space heater. And Dante found himself wondering what he had gotten himself into.