Page 13 of Unhinged

CHAPTER TEN

GEARS

I’m still pissed. Not just pissed, but that slow-burn rage that simmers under your skin, making you feel like you might explode at any moment. How the hell did she get away? My own mother and sister, helping her slip right through our fingers, of all people.

I grind my teeth, replaying the last few hours in my head. Those bold, piercing eyes. She stared at me as if my authority meant nothing to her. No fear, no tears—just rage and defiance. It makes me sick how much I want her. She’s ours, damn it. Mine, Titus’, and Orion’s.

But she ran. After everything, she ran. And now, I’m stuck with the bitter truth—I broke one of the club’s top rules.

Never lay a hand on a woman. But is it really that simple?

I didn’t do it out of cruelty. It wasn’t random.

It was for the club, for the cause. I mean, hell, we need answers.

It wasn’t just about me or some primal need to control her.

We need to know who the Slayer is before he kills another of our interests.

The image of her tied to that chair flashes in my mind again.

The bruises on her arms, the way her head jerked back when Acid landed the first punch.

A sick part of me remembers how her lips parted, not in pain, but in sheer fury.

It made her even more attractive in that twisted moment.

I hate myself for feeling that. What kind of alpha am I?

I didn’t break her. None of us did. But we were close. I don’t know if that makes it worse or better.

“Raiden!” My mother’s voice cuts through my thoughts, yanking me back to the present. I blink, realizing I’ve been zoning out while she’s talking.

I glance at her. “Yeah?”

She’s standing there, arms crossed, that look of impatience she always gets when I’ve pushed her too far. “Are you even listening to me?” she snaps, her blue eyes narrowing in on me.

“I was thinking,” I mutter, rubbing the back of my neck. My head’s been spinning since the second she escaped.

“Well, hear me now,” she says, low and firm. “When your sister gets back here, you will not be a dick to her. Or so help me God, Raiden. There will be hell to pay. My spoon will look like a kiss on the cheek compared to what I’ll do if you hurt your sister.”

“I wouldn’t ever…” I start, but she cuts me off before I can finish.

“I mean with your words or your cold shoulder. You hear me?” She steps closer, eyes boring into mine like she’s daring me to argue with her.

“Yes, ma’am,” I reply, trying to keep my tone steady. Mom doesn’t fuck around when it comes to family, and I know better than to cross her.

“Good,” she says, softening just a bit. “I’m gonna go watch my soaps. You three need to go do whatever it is you do in that office of yours and find that girl. Make things right.”

“We will, Mom,” Arrow says, leaning in to give her a gentle peck on the cheek. Always the charmer. Always the good son.

Acid gives her a sharp nod. “I’ll fix it, Bettie,” he promises.

She tilts her head, and her gaze locks on me. Her lips purse, waiting for something. A response, a promise, hell, maybe even an apology. But I can’t give her what she wants. Not yet.

“I can’t make any promises, Mom,” I say, running a hand through my hair. “She’s not being honest, and our omega has to be honest with us. We need the truth.”

Mom rolls her eyes like I’ve just said the dumbest thing in the world.

“I bet all the women just line up to tell you their truths and secrets when you lock them in a basement and smack ’em around.

If your daddy did that to me, I would’ve gotten on my back sooner for him.

” The sarcasm drips from her as she speaks.

“Mom!” I groan, immediately regretting every second of this conversation as the mental image of my parents having sex crashes through my brain. I really didn’t need that.

She shrugs, unapologetic. “You’re grown enough to make the choice to hurt a female. You’re grown enough to know your parents fucked. Now, go on. You have an omega to beg for forgiveness from.”

I swallow hard, nodding. What else can I do? She’s right, in her own messed-up way. Mom always is. I sigh heavily and head toward my office where Acid and Arrow have already disappeared.

The walk through the clubhouse feels longer than usual.

The weight of what we’ve done presses down on me with every step.

We’ve crossed a line with her, and I don’t know if there’s a way back.

But we’re gonna find her because I need to know the truth.

I want to know if what Mom said is true.

That she… my omega… has murdered ten people that we know of.

Ten alphas, dead. All while working at a damn diner and raising a kid? That doesn’t add up.

But that’s the thing. Is she really single?

Or does she have someone we don’t know about?

I grit my teeth. We couldn’t even find her address when we started looking.

She’s been a ghost, slipping through our fingers every step of the way.

It was only by chance that my idiot brother figured out she works at that diner.

And now we know the make and model of her car.

But I’d bet my left nut she’s already stashed it somewhere by now or destroyed it.

We need to find her before she makes a run for it. I want answers. Real ones. Kismet or not, we’re owed that. I’ll apologize when I know she’s telling the truth. When I know she isn’t playing us for fools.

The door to my office creaks as I push it open. Acid and Arrow are already inside, sitting at the desk, maps and the laptop spread out before them. Acid looks up at me, his dark eyes almost black, always intense, like he’s on the verge of snapping.

“We’ve got a lead,” he says.

I raise an eyebrow, crossing the room to stand next to him. “A lead? How?”

“Turns out, according to the tax records for Ruby’s, there’s only a handful of employees that work at the diner,” Arrow chimes in, his honey-colored eyes gleaming with a mix of anger and determination.

“We ran the names through the DMV database and there’s only one who doesn’t bring up any information; Brydgett Hale. ”

Not having a huge trail leading back to her. Smart. She’s not just some helpless omega waitress, that’s for sure. Every move she makes is calculated, and that pisses me off even more. It’s like she’s playing us, keeping us chasing shadows while she stays two steps ahead.

“How the hell did she pull this off?” I mutter, mostly to myself. I’m not sure if I want to know the answer or not.

“She’s smart,” Acid says. “Smarter than we gave her credit for. And ruthless. Don’t forget that.”

I nod slowly, my mind spinning. Mom’s words echo in my head. “She’s got scars, boys. A woman like that, omega or not, will burn this world to the ground.”

Is she right? Is that what we’re dealing with?

An omega who’s been pushed so far that she’s capable of murder?

The thought sends a chill down my spine.

But if she’s telling the truth, if she really has killed ten alphas, then we’re not just dealing with a runaway omega.

We’re dealing with a killer. Our killer omega.

“How’s that a fucking lead then?” I spit through gritted teeth. I don’t have the patience to deal with this runaround right now.

“I looked up the plate number for her GTO. It came back to Ike Hale.” Acid smirks.

“Is there an address for this Ike?” I ask finally, breaking the silence. “We need to know where she’s been staying. If we don’t find her there, we’ll at least know more than we do now.”

Acid and Arrow both nod in agreement, standing from their chairs.

“Yeah, some shitty ass apartment building on the edge of town.” Arrows shuts the laptop and waits for my response.

“Let’s go check it out.”