Page 38 of Toxic Revenge, Part Two (Mafia Omegas #2)

Chapter

Thirty-Four

TALIA

My fingers went limp, and I almost dropped the phone.

Benjamin.

I should have known it would be him when the display said it was an unknown number. I should have let the call go to voicemail instead of answering it and being forced to hear his voice again.

Conrad growled, low and dangerous, and I leaned forward to bury my face against his chest. The phone stayed pressed to my ear.

“Oh, is your boy toy angry?” Benjamin laughed. “Doesn’t he realize you’re mine, and I can call you whenever I want?”

His emotions toppled my barriers, battering me. I’d thought I would be strong enough to face him, but I wasn’t. Not when he brought up all the memories. Not when my emotions were so intense and so fresh.

I was furious, betrayed, sad, upset, disappointed. All at once. His void of dark, depraved feelings piled on, leaving me with a pot of negativity that threatened to boil over.

Tears streamed down my cheeks, and I whimpered.

Conrad held me tightly with one hand, trying to take the phone from me with the other.

I held on because as horrible as this was, I needed this. No therapy session could predict every bit of how I would respond when hearing Benjamin’s voice again, but this was the real deal. I’d learn how he would taunt me and how it would affect me.

Maybe I’d learn something about how to find him.

This was as safe as I would ever be, because Conrad was right here.

“I was expecting more cursing of my name, honestly,” Benjamin said. “This quiet whimpering is pathetic.”

“You’re a fucking monster.” I managed to choke out.

“Good job finally realizing it, babe. I didn’t expect to keep up the con for so long. It’s a shame you had to catch me with that bitch, or I would have had you fooled all the way down the aisle for our bonding ceremony.”

Looking back, that sickly sweet apple pie scent had saved my life.

She might be a bitch for stealing another woman’s alpha, but Benjamin was right. I would have followed him down the aisle still believing in a scent match’s unconditional true love; still believing in him . She’d done me a favour, and I hoped she’d gotten far away from that psychopath by now.

“What do you even want from me?” I asked.

Conrad rubbed circles onto my back, his lips pressed against the top of my head. His chest rumbled with an attempt at a purr—though it sounded half like a growl. I pressed closer, needing his touch to get me through this.

I needed to know what Benjamin wanted.

Did he call just to torment me?

Or did he need something that only I could give him? Was he intending to draw me out?

“Can’t I chat with my omega?”

“I’m not yours,” I snapped.

“That bite mark on your neck says differently. This bond between us speaks for itself.”

He pushed more of his emotions down the bond. He was gloating; he thought he’d won. I would never, ever let him.

“The bond means nothing when I don’t love you.”

“Yet, our lives are wound together. Forever. Don’t worry, I’ll let you keep your precious pack for now. But when I need you, Talia, they’ll have to go. Maybe I’ll kill them all. Maybe they’ll flee and leave you behind, saving their own lives and leaving you with nothing.”

“Never,” Conrad snarled. “If you want her, you’ll have to go through us.”

Benjamin laughed. “That won’t be difficult. Ah, well, I just wanted to check up on you. I’m glad you made it home alright, babe. Better keep enjoying those garden paths while you can.”

Conrad lifted me from the stone wall at those words. I clung to him with my free hand, legs wrapped around his waist, and looked around us.

How did he know exactly where we were right now?

Could it be a lucky guess, or did he have someone working for him here, on my family’s estate?

There was no one visible. Not a guard or a staff member. This area had camera coverage that the guards had access to; could he have someone in the security room right now?

Conrad carried me back down the path toward the house, my body bouncing against him as he maintained a brisk walk.

“Don’t check up on me again,” I said to Benjamin.

“You won’t be that lucky. Until next time, babe.”

With the parting threat, he hung up. My grip on my phone loosened and I almost dropped it, but Conrad took it from me. “Hold onto me with both hands, princess. I’m going to pick up the pace a little.”

“He’s not going to make a move right now,” I whispered. “He only said that to scare me.”

“I’m not taking a single fucking risk. We’re getting you back to your nest to tell everyone about this. See if Emilia can figure out where he called from. Your dads better do more background checks on their staff, since Benjamin knew exactly where we were on the property.”

I clung to him as he ranted. He was breathing hard from the pace and the extra weight, but it didn’t slow down the tirade.

I grabbed onto the fuzzy feelings it brought up to hear how protective he was. I needed something to help with the overwhelming darkness my bond gave me. My walls could be built back up, but I couldn’t do that until I could relax a bit.

For now there was only Conrad.

He barrelled past employees and guards, into the warmth of the house.

“Talia?” Odetta’s concerned voice rang out as he took the stairs two at a time.

Neither of us responded, but she would be able to smell the distress marring my scent. Quick footsteps retreated, and I bet she was off to get Lavinia.

My older sister would be able to help, but not yet. Right now, I needed my mates to remind me that no matter what Benjamin said…

I didn’t belong to him.