Chapter 5
Chapter
Five
ABBOTT
Gazing down at our giant cloud like couch as Cassidy and the two new omegas curl around her, I sigh. We only have this monstrosity for movie nights, but it’s as big as a king size bed, which makes it perfect for them to sleep.
I know what a scent match is supposed to feel like, since I’ve had people tell me about it.
I remember my biology courses just as well as Cassidy does.
Ansel also gave me a wide eyed “what the fuck” look when he held Winter and Cass that I know has nothing to do with where we found them.
Shiloh didn’t flinch when he went near the stepsiblings so I’m not sure if he had a chance to scent them, but that doesn’t matter.
Shi holds all his emotions close, waiting until it’s time to discuss them. It’s just his way. Our life is typically dangerous, despite the lull in the violence until now.
A beep on my phone alerts me that Riley is at the door, and I have to force myself away from the couch. The omegas are really malnourished, Cassidy is fucking high, and I have things to ask Riley before he sees them.
A part of me knew that Cassidy was going to these hug centers. I’m too conscious of our position in this city to not pay attention to where she goes. It’s not a trust issue at all. Cassidy is loyal, as are we to her. If she was an omega, we wouldn’t be looking for an omega at all.
The issue is that she needs that connection, as do many alphas who ride the edge between violence and tranquility.
Our house is within walking distance of downtown, on Jones Street, packed tightly next to other homes. You’d think criminals would prefer to live in the suburbs, but that’s never been in the cards for us. Cassidy enjoys being able to walk instead of drive, and the charm of Savannah calls to her.
It means we’re careful as we work, making sure no one except very close friends we trust know where we live.
All of us have tracking devices implanted under our skin in case we are ever taken, because often, seconds are the difference between life or death.
Our criminal activities are under fake names as well, allowing us to enjoy being one of the more influential packs in the city.
We are silent partners in some very successful restaurants and upscale clothing boutiques, which helps ensure Cassidy always has a good shopping experience.
May as well keep my girl happy, and it lines our pockets without too much effort on our part.
We’re happy to be the money people behind good people.
The house is set up in an interesting way, with a limited front yard, street parking, and a horizontal stair walk up to the entry door to help with the lack of space. Riley stands at the entrance as I greet him, looking curious as to why I called him.
“You said it was an emergency?” he asks.
“Yeah,” I sigh, closing the door behind him once he steps inside, leading him further into the foyer. “Do you know anything about the hug centers for omegas and alphas that are popping up in the city?”
“I can do you one better,” he says. “I’ve studied up on the phenomenon of touch for alphas, and it’s said that an omega’s physical attention is important for alphas so they won’t go feral.
I wrote a paper that ended up being published as well.
It makes sense that these businesses are filling the void for alphas that don’t have an omega in their packs. ”
And that’s why I haven’t given Cassidy grief about this. I’ve met feral alphas. Someone as incredible as Cass doesn’t deserve to have that happen to her because so many female omegas refuse to have another female in their pack.
It boggles my mind, because even some male omegas are threatened by Cassidy. While female alphas aren’t scarce, they’re also not as plentiful as male alphas, and there’s definitely a stigma at times around them.
She mentioned that we have been refusing to have sex with her, and it started as a joke, but continued for reasons that seem very dumb now. Cassidy needs physical touch and attention, and the puppy piles that we sleep in aren’t cutting it.
We’re so fucking stupid.
“How above board are most of these businesses, do you think?” I ask. “It seems as if it could be a new type sex club to me with very vulnerable people.”
“Stop beating around the bush,” Riley says, horrified. “I mentioned this in my paper while I was writing it to a professor, and he agreed that it could easily become a sex trafficking ring.”
“Cassidy has been going to hug programs between omegas and alphas for the past couple of months, and has never had any issues, until now,” I explain. “The business was called ‘The Hug Project. The omegas were drugged, malnourished, and I’m pretty sure they were bought in some way, Riley.”
“What did you do?” he asks.
“We murdered everyone there, rescued the omegas, and set that bitch on fire of course,” I say mildly with a shrug.
Riley’s jaw drops, but I’m fairly used to that.
“There were no other options. I also found out that the two omegas Cassidy was with today are my pack’s scent matches, and they’re in the living room sleeping with her. ”
“I think I’m dizzy,” he mutters. “Is Cassidy okay?”
“She’s high as fuck,” I say. “They pumped some kind of drug through the vents to loosen up the alphas. The company doesn’t advertise that their omegas are sex workers, but the drugs imply otherwise.
The front desk receptionist I murdered told me that Cassidy was getting her brains fucked out, and attempted to keep me from entering the room.
However, I knew it wasn’t true based on the broken texts I was receiving from Cass. ”
“Sounds like it was the last thing the receptionist did,” Riley grunts.
“Pretty much,” I reply. “Can you look the three of them over, please? I need a nutritional direction to run in for Bellamy and Winter as well. They’re so weak, they couldn’t walk out of the center. I’m concerned about muscle atrophy.”
“I can do all of that. Have you had a chance to talk to them about any of this?” he asks
“No. It’s a miracle they weren’t too scared to allow me to help. They’re very frightened, and only want to be near each other and Cassidy.”
Riley nods, following me into the living room with a bag at his side.
“I don’t want to freak them out,” he murmurs. “Will you wake up Cassidy to start with?”
Moving to where Cassidy lays between the omegas, I gently shake her shoulder until her eyes open.
“Riley is here, and he might need your help,” I explain.
“Hey, Riley,” she says sleepily, glancing at him. The omegas on either side of her immediately wake, sitting up with wild expressions on their faces.
Yay, trauma. It’s written all over them.
“It’s okay,” Cassidy says, pushing herself up into a sitting position. “You haven’t been eating properly, have you?”
“No,” Bellamy says, starting to cough.
I have bottles of water and fruit on hand, mostly because I didn’t want to feel completely useless. I had to bring the three of them in separately without anyone noticing. It wasn’t easy, and I’m pretty sure my older neighbor noticed when I carried Bellamy in since he was last.
Opening the bottle, I hand it to him, watching as his hand shakes.
“I’ll help,” Cass murmurs, doing just that. She urges him to take small sips, concern written all over her features. My girl has a deep empathy for others, and this is no different.
“I’m here to see if you’re physically alright,” Riley says. “I can see you’ve been through some things, so I can’t speak to your mental health. My name is Riley. Would it be possible for me to examine you?”
“Cassidy…” Bellamy whispers.
“I’ll leave, but she can stay,” I say.
It’s normal that he wouldn’t trust me as he’s spent no time with me, and he may have seen the dead bodies surrounding us as we left. Cassidy is special, and I’ve always said so. People are always more likely to be at ease with her.
It’s easier to remove myself from the equation for now.
Bellamy nods before crashing to the pillows and passing out as if his strings have been cut. Fuck, I wish there had been more time to torture the assholes that did this to them, but there wasn’t.
Winter, Bellamy, and Cass were more important than making a fucking statement. At least they’re all dead now.
“Bell!” Winter screams, making my skin feel as if it’s on fucking fire.
“It’s okay. He needs to rest, and I’ll get you all started on some IV fluids to feel better. You’ve been through some difficult things, right, Winter?” Riley asks soothingly.
She nods, tears trailing down her cheeks.
“You’ve been drugged?”
This looks like it may be a game of twenty questions, but Riley is used to this. Patting his shoulder, I force my feet to carry me out of my own damn living room.
Snatching up a chair, I sit outside where they can’t see me, my head spinning at the thought of having omegas.
Everything is changing at a rapid rate, and it’s going to take a lot to get them to a place where Winter and Bellamy are healthy. God, they’re going to need to detox from whatever shit they’re on too.
My phone buzzes in my pocket, and I pull it out because everyone answers to me. I expect regular updates from my people, even if I’m busy. If they need anything that needs an immediate reply, they’ll go to Shiloh or Ansel.
Greig
Hey, Boss. The building is burning beautifully. I also dropped a call to the fire department so it wouldn’t spread too much. There were cages in the back, the rooms off the main one had sex furniture, and I snagged all of their financial books and laptop. Should I bring this to Shiloh?
Shi will be able to track the money, and find out what the fuck was happening with that business. It’s incredible to me what people leave on their laptops, just lying around for others to find.
Me
Yes, please. Share with Ansel what you found in the building.
Greig