Page 57 of Toxic Revenge, Part Two (Mafia Omegas #2)

TALIA

One month later

Wind buffeted us from behind, pushing us forward down the busy city street. Mercer’s arm wrapped around my shoulders as he made sure I stayed close to his side.

We were finally getting our date.

And I was finally getting off the estate.

My dads had been hesitant about this at first, trying to insist I needed more time to recover. I’d talked them out of that mindset.

My pain was almost nonexistent, now. Benjamin was a bad memory, but our fractured bond was no longer an open wound. It was a scar, mostly healed.

I had my three mates; the ones I’d chosen for myself. The ones my body had chosen too. My scent matched pack; my bondmates.

The rest of my recovery was going to be slow, working through the trauma, but I was past the worst of it. I could start living a normal life again, one step at a time.

“Where are we going?” I asked for the fifteenth time.

Mercer chuckled. “Fine, I’ll ruin the surprise. We’re almost there anyway. I’m taking you to dinner theatre. Good food and a great show. That’s what the reviews say.”

We stopped at a red light, people milling around us. There were other couples holding hands, families with kids, and singles looking like they just got off shift. The atmosphere was electric, infusing me with excitement.

“What kind of show is it?” I asked.

“Cabaret.”

The light changed, white walk symbol glowing on the opposite side of the street. We were swept up in the flow.

“I bet they’re going to have amazing outfits. I’ve seen a lot of ballet and some musical theatre, but never cabaret.”

Mira performed ballet on a regular basis, so I’d seen enough of that to last a lifetime. The art of it was beautiful, but the crowds tended to be stuffy—I was glad Mercer hadn’t opted for that type of show.

Cabaret would be more our vibe. A little chaotic, a lot of fun, and not at all stuffy or elitist.

“I’ve never been to a show like this either,” he admitted. “Concerts at bars, yeah. The occasional comedy show if it was combined with cheap drinks. Never a show where I was expected to dress up from my typical leather and ratty jeans.”

I laughed, giving him a once over. When he’d opened the car door for me outside the mansion dressed this way, I was surprised. He could clean up better than I’d thought.

Mercer was wearing a pair of dark jeans without a single rip in them, a burgundy long-sleeve button-up tucked in at the waist. The top few buttons were undone, baring just enough skin to tease me into wanting more.

He’d kept his hair and stubble as it was. I was glad, because it would be like looking at a stranger if he’d decided to shave or add gel to his hair.

“Next time, we’ll go somewhere that’s a leather and jeans kind of place,” I said. “I can get a leather jacket too.”

“No way. Why buy a leather jacket when you can just wear one of ours?”

Stealing one did sound like a much better idea, except for the fact that I would be horny all night wrapped in their scent. Then again, it was hard not to be aroused when they were taking me on cute dates. I’d have the problem regardless.

“I’ll get a cute leather bag to go with the jacket, then. So I’ll have something leather of my own.” I laughed.

Chuckling, he pointed across the street. “The cabaret is right there, but we’re early. Want to stroll down a little…”

He trailed off. I looked up at him. His jaw was clenched as he stared across the street, and when I followed his gaze I spotted an older man in a leather vest. The man’s face was pale, like he’d seen a ghost.

I clutched Mercer closer, leading him on. “Let’s stroll.”

The vest was a motorcycle club cut, but I could tell even from here that it didn’t have a patch sewn on. It probably had one a few weeks ago.

But the Alpha Chariots didn’t exist anymore.

Everyone knowingly involved in the production and distribution of the feral bullets had been dealt with by a combined effort from Brooks and my fathers. Mercer’s father was rotting in some basement prison somewhere, or already dead. Same with Willard, Benjamin’s father.

The rest of the club had been given a choice: disband or die.

I probed my bond with Mercer, trying to send him some calm.

As he’d gone through the shattering of the club he’d spent his life building up, our bond fresh and open, I’d realized how much guilt he truly felt.

So much guilt and shame. He’d tried to hide it from me, but that was impossible when I could feel him through the bond.

Those emotions were coming through again, so I knew the man we’d seen across the street had to be a former club member.

Someone Mercer had trusted and been betrayed by in the end.

He watched back over his shoulder. I made us turn a corner, heading down a quieter, more residential street. His silence extended until I stepped in front of him, my arms crossed over my chest. “They don’t deserve your guilt.”

He shrugged, avoiding eye contact. “I know. Let’s head back now, princess, and focus on the date.”

“You said we had time. Take a minute.”

I placed my palms on his chest, going up on my toes to kiss his cheek. His hands went down to land on my hips, and he finally made eye contact.

The loss reflected in his brown eyes was the same as the loss I felt from our bond.

“You’re allowed to be upset about what happened,” I whispered.

“I know. I’ve got better people around me now, though. A better future than dealing with those assholes who never saw me as a good leader. I want to move on,” he admitted.

“Not always that easy.”

I would know.

Memories of Benjamin came roaring back sometimes, shattering my peace. I’d gone out to the entryway in the rain once, and the headlights of a car coming up the drive had me collapsing to the ground in a heap of tears.

He wasn’t as gone as I wanted him to be, but I had my mates to help me through it all.

I wanted to help Mercer too, if he would let me.

“If only it was.” He sighed and took a few deep breaths. Then, he grabbed my hand and started leading me back the way we came. “We’ve got a show to see tonight, sweetheart, so I’ve spent enough time wallowing. Conrad is going to be devastated to know my date was better than his.”

I rolled my eyes. “How is yours better?”

“How is it not? He couldn’t leave the estate, so I have an advantage here.” Mercer smirked at me.

“I love all of the dates equally,” I insisted.

“Liar. Mine’s the best, but don’t worry.

I’m not going to slack off just because I got the best first date.

I’ll have to keep my position as the best, and Conrad gets competitive over this shit.

” He paused, then laughed. “Fuck, West does too. We’re going to be fighting over date days once you go back to work. ”

I roll my eyes. “I’ll only be working two days a week, and I bet you’ll be busy too. Isn’t Jurah putting you to work?”

I’d been off for so long it terrified me to go back, but I wanted to. I loved nursing, and a piece of me would be missing if I never worked at a hospital again.

Taking it slow was going to be important. The night of my unwanted bonding had started with a hospital shift. This time, I’d never have to see my mates being brought in with gunshot wounds—they’d be picking me up completely unharmed.

Here’s hoping, anyway. Jurah should know better than to give my pack jobs that put them directly in harm’s way.

He shrugged. “Never too busy to take you on the best dates.”

We turned the corner back onto the main street, and the former club member was gone. I wasn’t sure what the rumours were about my pack’s activities now that the Alpha Chariots had disbanded, but I doubted anyone wanted to mess with them.

In the end, Grave was missing, and Mercy was living with his new omega. It was obvious at a glance who’d come out on top.

They’d all supported Grave. The losing side.

We approached the cabaret entrance, and I pushed those thoughts to the side. Mafia and motorcycle club business was something I had to keep up with more now than I had before everything happened, but it still had no place whatsoever on my date.

“My feet hurt,” I complained as we stepped out of the theatre arm-in-arm. “Is James picking us up nearby?”

Mercer swept me up in his arms with a grunt, princess style. He carried me down the street, and I laughed as I held on to his neck.

“I told him to pick us up down there.” He nodded his head down one of the residential streets. “Had something I wanted to show you.”

The dark evening got darker as we left behind the neon signs and bright headlights. Above us, dim street lights illuminated the sidewalks. It got quiet quickly as we retreated from the entertainment district of Fayworth and entered the outskirts of Seamouth.

My family’s territory—our territory.

Where I was most at home, and now they were at home here too.

“I’m not seeing anything interesting yet,” I teased. “Unless you were talking about the landscaping.”

He scoffed. “This landscaping is nothing compared to your parents’ estate.”

He put me down as we walked up to a row of townhouses. They had small yards out front and a few steps leading up to brightly-coloured doors.

One of them had a ‘For Sale’ sign in front of it.

Mercer pointed at the sign, and my heart skipped in my chest. “I’m not sure how you feel about townhouses, but I like the community buildings this complex has.”

I chewed my bottom lip, tucking myself against his side. Was he suggesting what I thought he was?

“What about your house?” I asked.

“Already on the market. You can’t live there, so we can’t either.”

“So, you’re wanting me to…”

“Move in with us.” He kissed the side of my head, grabbing my hand and brushing his thumb across the ring he’d given me. My fathers’ guys had found my gifted jewellery and returned it to me after the incident.

I’d even let my pack keep the tracking devices in them.

“The Alfieri Estate is beautiful, but it’s not ours. I want a home that we create together, just for us.”

“Don’t act like this was all your idea.” Conrad’s voice came from behind us.

I spun around to find him leaning against the town car across the street. James was in the driver’s seat, and West slammed his door to stalk across the road.

“This would have been more romantic if you'd waited for us to say it as a group,” West grumbled.

Mercer snorted. “You’re late.”

“No, we aren’t.”

Conrad waited for a car to pass, then jogged over to us too. “We’re not late,” he confirmed.

“Fine, I might have been a little impatient,” Mercer conceded. “But it was a group effort. We want to buy a house and move you into it with us. Maybe this one.”

My mates huddled around me, each one explaining the part they’d played in setting up this surprise, like it really was a competition. I smiled to myself as I listened.

They cared about me more than I could have dreamed of—the bond laid it all bare. They might have been my second-chance scent matches, but they were always meant to be my forever.

THE END