Chapter 5
5
T he Rockfords move fast, and two days later, I head out with Cassian and Rico to meet them to plan their opporation.
We had chosen a neutral site this time, far from the high-and-mighty Rockford Manor where my people would be treated like outsiders.
The door to the meeting room clicks shut behind us as we stride inside, and I scan the faces around the table. Rockfords, every one of them.
Raphael snags my attention, and heat twists in my gut before I force myself to turn away. Aaiden stands at the head, spine straight, authority rolling off him in waves, setting my teeth on edge.
Sebastian’s here, joined by another Alpha I don’t recognize at first. Then the streak of silver at his temple jogs my memory. Ezra. He and Sebastian had been in a horrible car accident a decade ago, leaving Sebastian with scars on his face and Ezra with a patch of hair that lost all color.
Last I saw him, he was a gangly high schooler. He’s still too young to be here.
Then my gaze catches on the other Omega in the room. He’s a fiery redhead, young, and far too pretty for how close he stands to Raphael. The smug smile he tosses my way says he notices my displeasure.
“Please, take your seats.” Aaiden gestures to the three empty chairs at the table.
Reluctantly, I slide into the one across from Raphael, while Cassian and Rico take the seats on either side of me.
“Let’s get started.” Aaiden turns to his cousin. “Sebastian, run it down for us.”
Sebastian taps on a tablet. Maps and documents burst to life across the white surface of the table, bathing everyone’s faces in an eerie blue glow.
“Thanks to the intel we received, we’ve identified six primary targets.” Sebastian zooms in on red pinpoints. “Trafficking hubs, drug labs, and stash houses. Hitting them all in one night is critical to crippling their network.”
I lean forward, studying the intel. I fucking hate slave traders.
“Avery.” Aaiden’s voice snaps for my attention. “You will lead the raid here.” He gestures to a sprawling estate on the map. “Expect heavy security. Eliminate with extreme prejudice and extract any Omegas. Our most recent intel on this location identified five slaves, but more could have been acquired since then. They will be held either in the master bedroom or the basement.”
My trigger finger already itches, and I can practically smell the gunpowder. “Got it.”
Aaiden continues to detail the op as Sebastian pulls up more floor plans. I absorb the info like a machine, memorizing layouts, guard rotations, and entry points. But a piece of my awareness stays attuned to Raphael’s presence. Without looking, I feel him watching me, his stare an electric tingle on my skin.
Why is he even here? Everything I have on him says he hung up his gun to focus on his law practice. This is far from his boardroom of choice these days.
I risk a peek through my lashes. He leans back in his chair, pretending to be at ease, but I catch the telltale flex of his jaw, and the restless drum of his fingers.
Is he affected by my proximity? I sure as fuck hope so.
“Any questions?” Aaiden scans the table.
I shake my head, eager to move on to the main event and distance myself from Raphael’s unsettling presence as soon as possible.
“Okay, then we’ll move on to team assignments,” Aaiden says, and I frown.
What the hell is he talking about? I assign my people, not the Rockfords.
“Three teams, two hits each, back-to-back so they don’t have time to scatter,” Aaiden continues, ignoring my displeased expression.
“Damien and Ezra will be on team three and go after the drug manufacturer. We don’t expect much resistance beyond basic security. We’re looking for documentation, and then we’ll blow the place up.” He arches a brow at me. “Who will lead that team?”
Disliking the way he’s orchestrating things, I gesture to my third in command. “Rico. He’s my bomb technician. He can take down a building without fallout to the surrounding structures.”
“Excellent.” Aaiden’s green eyes flick from my third to Damien and the youngest of the Rockford clan. “Your second location will be a supplier located within a twenty-minute drive. If possible, rig the explosion to happen after you’ve breached your second location to avoid setting off any alarms.”
Under the table, Rico’s foot taps mine in question, and I dip my head in agreement. It’s how I would have sorted it, minus the Rockford additions. This is their party, though, so if they want to risk their necks, it’s no skin off my teeth. We’re just the hired help.
And if either of them gets in the way…casualties happen.
Across the table, Caleb leans forward, his chair creaking under his weight, his posture tight with anticipation. “I’ll be teaming up with Cassian for the second target.”
My head snaps toward him, surprise darting through me. Cassian is my right hand, my most loyal soldier. The idea of him running point with an outsider, with Caleb , sits uneasy with me. Especially since the two men have almost come to blows once already.
If this is some kind of underhanded way to remove the Alpha from my side…
Caleb meets my assessing stare head-on, a faint smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. He lifts one shoulder in a shrug. “Did you have someone else in mind to lead that team?”
An unspoken challenge underscores the mild question, the subtle implication that he doesn’t think I trust him. Which I don’t. But I had planned for Cassian to lead one of the teams before finding out the Rockfords planned to tag along.
“Cassian’s more than capable.” I hold Caleb’s stare. “And you won’t mind having Lena, my sniper, watching your backs.”
Caleb’s smirk widens, and his chin dips, conceding the point. For now.
As Aaiden moves on, detailing the two targets for team two, unease coils tighter in my gut. So far, both teams have at least one Rockford, and of those left in the room, only one has combat training.
“Sebastian and Milo will stay back to coordinate between the teams,” Aaiden continues, and the redheaded Omega raises his hand, manicured fingers fluttering.
When I turn toward Sebastian, I catch a flicker of apology in his expression, and that unease triples.
“As for team one,” Aaiden drones on. “Raphael will be working with Avery’s team.”
What. The. Fuck.
The sudden silence is broken only by the sharp, disbelieving scoff that tears from my throat. Every eye in the room settles on me, but all I can see is Raphael.
Raphael, with that infuriatingly calm expression, with those eyes that once promised me the world, now watching me like he’s waiting for me to combust.
Does he want a reaction? Fine. I’ll give him a fucking reaction.
I lean back in my chair, elbows on the armrests, open to the challenge as I pin him with a glare. If he thinks he can waltz back into my life, into my operation, like nothing happened… like he didn’t shatter every vow he ever made me…
My fingers dig into arms of the chair hard enough to leave indents.
Breathe, Avery. Fucking breathe.
But with every inhale, Raphael’s scent fills my lungs, flooding my senses with memories I’ve tried so hard to bury. Memories of stolen moments, of whispered confessions, of a future that never was.
No. I won’t let him do this to me. Not again.
I turn my head away, focusing instead on the map spread out on the table, on the mission I’m contractually obligated to see through.
In my line of work, only my word matters, and unlike some people, I won’t break my promises. And I sure as shit won’t take this machination to shove us back together without a fight.
“Aaiden. A word?” As I rise from my chair, the scrape of metal on concrete echoes like a gunshot in the tense stillness of the room.
Raphael’s stare lingers on me as I move away from the table, but I don’t acknowledge him. I can’t. Not when every fiber of my being screams at me to get the hell out of here, to put as much distance between us as possible.
I stalk toward the door, my boots tapping lightly, each step a bid to stay in control. To not let this—let him —unravel me.
Aaiden follows, his expression unreadable. He’s always been a master at keeping his emotions in check, at playing his cards close to his chest. It’s one of the things I respect about him, even as it frustrates the hell out of me.
We move out into the hallway, the door clicking shut behind us.
I whirl to face Aaiden, my jaw clenched so tight it aches. “What the hell are you thinking, putting Raphael on my team? After everything that’s happened?”
Aaiden keeps his calm mask in place. “He’s the best person for the job. You know that.”
“The best person? Are you fucking kidding me?” I shake my head in disbelief. “He’s a liability. A fucking lawyer .”
And a weakness I can’t afford.
“Look, I get it. You two have history.” Aaiden sighs, running a hand through his hair. “This isn’t about your relationship issues, though. It’s about taking down these bastards who hurt us.”
“Fine, but I don’t trust him.” I stab a finger back at the door. “Team me with Caleb.”
Aaiden’s brows shoot up. “Are you telling me to pair my brother with your current Alpha? That’s a blood bath waiting to happen.”
I open my mouth, then snap it closed. He’s not wrong. Those two on the same team, with bullets flying, is just asking for one of them to get caught in “friendly fire”, and only I get the privilege of ending Raphael’s life. “Then put me with Damien and Ezra.”
Aaiden sighs as if I’m being unreasonable. “The teams are set up to align with people’s skills. I need Damien guarding Ezra’s back while Sebastian walks him through how to access the intel on the company servers. They’re going on the least deadly of the missions. I need Caleb paired with someone who doesn’t care about killing a lot of people.”
“ I don’t care about killing a lot of people.”
He huffs with annoyance. “And I need you hitting the targets with slaves. Without Jade, you’re our only Omega trained for this kind of operation, and there are going to be some very scared and traumatized people who are afraid of Alphas at your locations. We can’t waste time trying to coax these people into trusting us. We need to hit hard and move fast. We won’t have time for earning trust.”
I draw in a deep, shuddering breath. Even if I hate it, his logic is sound.
“Fine,” I grit out. “But if Raphael fucks this up, if he puts any of my people in danger, it’s coming back on you.”
Aaiden’s expression turns grave. “Understood.”
We stand there for a moment, the silence stretching between us, and then Aaiden claps me on the shoulder. “For what it’s worth, he misses you.”
I shrug off his touch. “I don’t care.”
“If you say so.” He turns back to the door. “If that’s all, we have a meeting to finish.”
* * *
Two hours later, empty takeout containers cover the table, and the remnants of coffee sizzle on the hotplate in the corner of the room.
Cassian stands at a secondary table with Caleb and Milo, while Rico coordinates with Damien and Ezra in another room where Aaiden runs them through their plan. Which leaves me alone with Raphael and Sebastian.
“Run me through the coordination points one more time.” My throat tightens with restrained frustration. “I want to make sure we’ve got every detail nailed down before we head out.”
“Got it.” Sebastian’s fingers fly over the keyboard as he pulls up a series of maps and diagrams. “Your team will be split into three to cover all the entrances and exits. Team A will enter from the north.” He highlights the relevant points on the map. “Team B from the east, and Team C from the south.”
I study the maps, committing every detail to memory. Next to me, Raphael leans over the map, the heat of his body seeping into my skin through the layers of clothing that separate us. It’s distracting, but I force myself to focus.
The mission comes first. Everything else is just noise.
I nod my approval. “I’ll need copies of the maps and timelines for my team to memorize on the way. I don’t want any mistakes out there.”
Sebastian reaches for a stack of papers he has at the ready. I take a deep breath, trying to calm the adrenaline starting to surge through my veins.
I spare a glance at Raphael, taking in the hard set of his jaw and a fire burning in him that I doubt he’s felt in five years. For a moment, I allow myself to remember the man he used to be, the man I fell in love with.
But that man is gone now, replaced by a stranger wearing a familiar face. I can’t trust him. Not anymore. If Raphael thinks he’ll use this mission as a way back into my good graces, well then, he’s a fool for trusting me.
“Don’t slow me down,” I tell him. “Fall behind, and I’ll move on without you.”
He smirks with amusement. “Worried you won’t be able to handle me, baby?”
I scoff. “I think I already proved I’m more than capable. Or don’t you remember being on your knees begging me two days ago?”
He leans in, his breath caressing my ear. “I’d like to be on my knees for you again, but next time, you’ll be the one begging.”
My hand twitches toward my knife, but he catches it before I can decide if his audacity deserves a good stabbing.
He leans back and chucks me under the chin. “Don’t worry. I can still keep up with you.”
“Well, I’m so relieved to hear that,” I bite out, my words dripping venom. “Here I was, thinking I’d have to carry your sorry ass through this whole operation.”
Raphael’s smirk only widens. “You always did have a flair for the dramatic.”
Bristling, I decide that, yes, he needs to be stabbed. I force myself to take a deep, steadying breath, my nostrils flaring with the effort.
When I speak again, my voice comes out controlled. “Let me make one thing clear. If you’ve let your skills grow rusty, if you so much as hesitate for a split second, I’m not carrying you through this. I won’t risk my team, my family , for your sake.”
Raphael’s expression sobers, and a flicker of regret flashes across his face before that infuriating mask of calm composure replaces it. “I understand. I won’t let you down. Not again.”
I swallow hard, my throat tightening. I want to believe him, want to trust in the sincerity in his face. I just can’t. Not after everything that’s happened, everything he’s done.
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice…
I tear my gaze away from his, my jaw clenched so tight it aches. “We’ll see about that.”
The mission comes first. It always has. It always will.
And if it means working side-by-side with the man who broke my heart and left me to pick up the pieces, then so be it.
I’ve survived worse. I’ll survive this, too.