Chapter 12
CHAPTER TWELVE
Vinnie’s Study, Hades Estate, The Alpha Underworld
M y heart is beating at an alarming rate. My pulse is racing.
The stink of an entire territory of enemy Alphas, combined with beer and bike oil makes me gag.
I’ve managed to go my entire life without descending into the nightmarish Hades Estate until tonight.
I creep to the narrow door that leads to Vinnie’s study through the dark corridor.
It’s eerily silent. I haven’t come across a single guard.
River’s drugged drinks must have been effective.
I glance over my shoulder at Laurent, who is slinking behind me with his hands casually shoved in his pockets, as if we’re on a high society social visit.
Except, Vinnie is more likely lurking somewhere for us with a gun and not tea.
My male Omega is the most badass member of my pack.
Since Feral is my Alpha, I have no idea how that happened.
When Laurent raises his eyebrow at me, I take a deep breath and press my palm to the cold wood.
I hope that Laurent is right and Vinnie is so cocky that he doesn’t bother with high tech security like alarms.
I haven’t seen any cameras, and there weren’t codes to break into the main entrance of the Hades estate.
Vinnie is an old-fashioned Alpha.
He’s also an arrogant psychopath who doesn’t believe that anyone would be brave enough to break into his territory.
Or stupid enough.
Of course, that’s entirely what Laurent’s play is relying on everyone believing, especially Dad.
Hell, I hope that this bold move is enough to impress Dad.
I wince, as the door creaks.
Then I push through into the study.
Spotlights that illuminate the back courtyard in the darkness shine through the large window at the back of Vinnie’s study.
The room is larger than I’m expecting. It’s also a chaotic mess.
The study is rough and rugged like the rest of the estate.
Murals of racing motorcycles are sprayed in graffiti across the black walls. The scuffed, wooden floor is strewn with files, piles of papers, and motorcycle parts.
An ancient computer sits on a rickety desk underneath the window at the back of the room, beside a legion of dirty coffee mugs.
I wrinkle my nose.
“This man is as good at tidying as he is at being a Head Alpha, it appears.” Laurent steals past me, heading toward the desk.
I close the door behind me and follow my Omega in crime.
Is it strange how right it feels to be in a dark Omega duo like this?
Laurent looks professional, serious, and nothing like the sweet Omega that he pretends to be around Alphas like my Dad, as he settles in the leather office chair behind the desk.
He switches on the computer.
Then he slips a thumb drive out of his pocket, sliding it into the computer, before his fingers begin to type faster than I can follow.
Wow, he’s like a magician.
How many more tricks does he have?
My heart is still beating too fast, but I’m mesmerized by Laurent’s skill.
Are we really going to pull this off?
Can we do this?
My chest is tight.
If we’re caught, what would Vinnie do to us?
No one knows that we’re here.
Vinnie could kill Laurent and me.
But we knew that risk. We both agreed to it.
River used his keys to allow us out, however, breaking the Battle pack rule.
If we don’t discover useful info and pull this off, and Vinnie simply finds out what we’ve done and tells Dad, then River will be screwed.
Dad will know that River is the one who opened the cage.
The one who drugged the guards.
The one who stole the thumb drive from Lionzio’s office for us.
What the hell will Dad do to River?
He could whip, imprison, or throw him into the pits for entertainment.
I take a deep breath.
I can’t imagine any of that happening to the Beta who has brought the sunshine into my life for years.
This plan has to work.
Has to.
I’m shaking, intently watching the closed study door.
I can hear my own heartbeat in my ears. “How much longer?”
Laurent doesn’t look away from the screen. “A couple of minutes.”
Every second feels like an eternity.
To my terror, the door suddenly creaks open.
My eyes widen.
Shit, shit, shit.
Someone else is coming into the study.
I crouch into a fighting stance in front of the desk in order to shield Laurent, but it’s too late to hide.
Not that there is anywhere to hide in here, unless we tried to dive under the desk together.
Yet the desk would probably collapse on top of us.
Laurent doesn’t even stop working.
I blink, when the man enters stealthily, closing the door behind him, as if he shouldn’t be in here either.
He doesn’t immediately notice us, since his back is turned. His shoulders are stiff with tension.
He’s an Alpha who is dressed all in white with silver hair like a ghost in the dark.
A ghost who smells like vanilla bourbon.
Harbinger.
Laurent’s fingers falter, before he takes a deep breath.
He flicks his cool gaze over Harbinger. Then he returns his focus to the screen. His fingers never stop flying over the keys.
Why the hell is Harbinger here? I’m going to kick his ass, if he’s trying to stop us.
My lips pull back in a snarl. I ball my hands into fists.
Harbinger appears to be so nervous that he doesn’t realize he’s not alone for a moment longer.
Then he takes a deep breath, before he twirls around.
We stare at each in shock.
“What are you doing here?” We both whisper at the same time.
How wide Harbinger’s eyes are would be comical, if I wasn’t so scared.
Harbinger glances over his shoulder at the closed door in panic, before stalking toward me. He peers around me at Laurent like he can’t help himself.
Harbinger’s pheromones wash over me, stronger than before.
Surprisingly, they’re not angry but soothing.
What’s he trying to do?
“I live here,” Harbinger hisses. “This is my pack.”
I deliberately block his view of Laurent. “Bullshit. This is Vinnie’s private study. And it’s nighttime.”
Harbinger leans closer, playing with a strand of my hair. “And yet you’re here, little Kitty. Alone.”
“What am I? The ghost of classy flirting?” Laurent drawls.
I bite my lip to stop myself laughing.
Probably, hysterically.
Harbinger’s lips quirk. “Another kitty with claws.”
“Call me that again, and I’ll bite you.” Laurent sounds more dangerous than Harbinger does.
“Maybe later.” Harbinger narrows his green eyes. “But right now, both of you need to get the hell out of here.”
I square my shoulders. “You get out.”
It takes every part of my strength to fight against a direct order from an Alpha.
Harbinger isn’t my Alpha, however, and although it’s surprising, he’s not using an Alpha Command against me.
So far, that makes this villain a better man than Dad or Vinnie.
Still, low bar.
Also, so far, because he clearly has his own secret, undercover scheme going on here, he doesn’t appear willing to report us to his Head Alpha.
Is it because he shouldn’t be in here as much as we shouldn’t?
He can’t threaten us because then we’ll simply reveal him.
Isn’t this mutually assured destruction?
Or is Vinnie Harbinger’s enemy as well?
Because I can work with that.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend…
Harbinger opens and then closes his mouth like for the first time he has no response.
He didn’t expect an Omega to stand up to him like that.
This time, I play with his hair .
Hell, it’s just as silky as it looks.
What would it feel like to wind it around my hand and hold him by it, as I kissed the wicked curve of his lips?
I shake that thought away.
“You’re not meant to be here anymore than we are, are you?” I love the way that Harbinger’s eyes flash with frustration. Got him. “What kind of naughtiness are you up to?”
I slide my hand to his tie, running my fingers up and down it, trying not to show how much his scent is making me shiver.
When I’m close to Harbinger, the spark between us is strong enough to set me aflame.
Can he feel it too?
I only need to distract Harbinger for a couple more minutes, before Laurent will be finished downloading what he needs, then I can leave anyway.
“Can you not call it naughtiness ? You’re damaging my fragile Alpha ego.” Harbinger snatches his tie away from me and smooths it.
As he does, I wince, noticing his swollen wrist.
“So, did Vinnie talk to you?” I blurt.
I hate that Harbinger was in trouble with his Head Alpha because he protected my Beta.
Harbinger’s gaze becomes frosty. “Are you sorry that you couldn’t watch?”
“I’m worried about you. Are you injured?” When I start to pat Harbinger down, he dances out of the way.
“Whoa, I know that you can’t wait to get your hands on my hot body, Kit, but at least buy me drinks first.” Harbinger glances worriedly at the door again, tightening his tie.
“Do you sleep in a full suit?” I ask. “Impressive commitment to fashion.”
“Surprisingly, Vinnie isn’t the type to care about providing pajamas to his fighters.”
“How many times were you struck with the Discipline Strap that’s hanging on the wall over there?” Laurent nods at a thick, heavy strap, which is hanging on a rusty nail on the far wall. I pale, not having noticed the strap. “That’s Vinnie’s favorite method, isn’t it?”
Harbinger crosses his arms. “Don’t give away all a guy’s secrets. Where’s the mystery?”
For the first time, I begin to understand Harbinger.
His banter and charm is part of how he fights. It’s a wall to protect himself, keeping everyone at a safe distance.
It’s easier to judge him on his actions.
Yet I’m conflicted.
Is Harbinger an enemy? Or only someone who has found themselves caught fighting for my enemies?
What does Harbinger want in Vinnie’s study? He’s taking just as large a risk as Laurent and I am.
“I’m waiting,” Laurent taps his foot.
Vinnie stares at Laurent and then me like I can tell him why an Omega is giving him orders.
He’ll have to get used to it with Laurent.
Harbinger slips his hand into the pocket of his jacket. “If I tell you, will you add my thumb drive to yours?”
He tosses a second thumb drive to Laurent, who catches it.
Laurent arches his brow. “Why do you want the info on this computer?”
“Why do you?”
“I asked first.”
Harbinger licks his lips. “Firstly, I received two hundred strikes from the Discipline Strap, which is nothing for a strong Alpha like me.”
I gasp.
How the hell is Harbinger still walking?
“Don’t pretend.” Laurent’s gaze is too knowing. “It’s not about the pain anyway. It’s the humiliation that hurts.”
Before I can stop him, Harbinger fluidly leaps past me and over the desk.
I knew that Laurent’s backtalk was going to get his own ass beaten sooner rather than later now that he was in the Underworld.
Laurent freezes.
Harbinger, however, only kneels next to Laurent. “Can I offer to lay the heads of every asshole who made you know that at your feet?”
I step toward the two men in order to protect Laurent.
But then, I notice that both men are staring at each other and taking deep breaths, as if they’re intoxicated.
Shit, are they scent matches?
This has just got a whole lot more complicated.
Laurent’s eyes are glassy. “You old romantic.”
“Would you prefer their cocks? Balls? Or their…?”
“Tempting as a list of bloody body parts delivered to me would be, the Alphaholes who hurt me like that are in prison.” Laurent gives a sharp smile. “I put them there myself.”
Harbinger pushes himself to his feet, giving an equally sharp smile; these men are trouble together. “I was wrong about you. You’re not a kitten. You’re a wolf like I am.”
“I’m Rook,” Laurent replies, firmly. Then he glances at me. “One more minute and we’re done. We’ll be gone before the drugged guards wake up.”
I let out a relieved breath.
One more minute to go…
“Rook.” Harbinger nods like he’s assessing the name. “What about the assholes in the Hades pack who beat you?”
“That’s why we’re here tonight,” I reply.
Harbinger’s expression becomes tight. “Why don’t you leave that to me? Are you trying to take revenge? Escape? This is too dangerous, Kitten. Trust me.”
“Why should I?” I lean on the messy desk. “You haven’t even been honest about why you’re here. What are you trying to find?”
Harbinger shakes his head, stubbornly. “You’re Don Battles’ daughter.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means why should I trust you ? Don Battle runs this whole nightmarish carnival of death. And you have Omegas like Rook as your prizes.”
I open my mouth to furiously answer, before I stop myself.
I hadn’t thought about it from Harbinger’s point of view.
He has a point.
Dad is the boss, and I’m his possible heir. I could be the cruelest and most dishonest woman in this place.
I’m paired with Feral, who is considered a monstrous Alpha. Everybody fears him.
Harbinger and I are from rival packs who have fought each other.
There’s nothing that I can say.
“You should trust her because she’s nothing like her dad,” Laurent quietly replies, surprising me by slipping Harbinger’s thumb drive in next to ours. “She has helped and protected me. She even cares whether you’re hurt. She’s brave. How many Omegas do you know who’d risk their lives like we are tonight?”
Harbinger lounges on the desk, cocking his head to assess me. “I don’t know any as crazy as you two.”
“Thank you.” I tilt up my chin.
Harbingers huffs out a laugh. “Okay, take what you want. Then get out of here. I’m only looking for one thing.”
Laurent side-eyes him. “The code for the exit.”
“Bingo.” Harbinger blinks. “Smart, Rook.”
Laurent grabs Harbinger’s jacket sleeve gently and pushes it back to reveal his bruised wrist. “It doesn’t take the greatest detective to work out that you want to escape.”
Harbinger snatches his wrist back. “Don’t you?”
“My game is smarter than that.”
“Aren’t you chained at night?” I ask.
Harbinger reddens. “Vinnie chains me to the end of his bed. But I begged him that I needed to piss. He was half asleep but he unchained me. He was snoring again, before I was out of the room.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Panic rushes through me. “Vinnie’s awake? This is your great plan?”
Harbinger shrugs.
Laurent is as pale as I am.
“But how long is it going to be before he realizes that you’re taking too long? What if he notices that you didn’t go to the bathroom? What if he was only pretending to be asleep to trick you? What if…?”
When the door slams open, I jump.
“What if Vinnie is here right now and has caught you all?” Vinnie sneers.