12. Silas
Chapter 12
Silas
“Where the hell is she?” I yell.
“She’s locked inside the building, but we can’t find her,” our head security says as I rush into Max’s office and stare at the screen, and see Ava diving underneath the last gate just as it crashed behind her.
“Find her!” Max screams at his security men as they dash around the island. They’ll get the message loud and clear through their earpieces.
He turns to me, anger curling his lip. A vein pulses in his temple.
“She keeps outwitting us.” His fists clenched at his sides. But despite his anger, there’s a glint of admiration in his eyes that the omega is bold.
“She’ll make her way to the boat.” I point to the vessel bobbing gently in the distance.
I slip my hands in my pockets, hating that her being so close unsettles me.
I’ve watched her body move so beautifully around Monaco for two days while she scoped out her victims, and it did something to me I don’t want to acknowledge.
Just knowing she’s so close in proximity to me makes my cock ache and my fists clench as they imagine grasping her delicate throat. I don’t know if I want to squeeze her neck with my knot buried deep inside her, or something else.
“My tracker still shows their boat in Ibiza,” Max says, interrupting my thoughts, narrowing his eyes.
I’m so pissed off with myself for letting her affect me like this. Hating my dick aches just watching her ass in her leggings.
I hate that my self-control is slipping, and I hate that she is the reason.
I close my eyes and shake it off.
“That’s a hired boat.” Seb thought we’d never know he used another boat. But I can find out everything. “Though, I have to admit it was a clever move doing the job two days earlier than expected.”
Max nods, a hint of begrudged respect in his expression. “She’s clever, I’ll give her that. But not clever enough.”
He flicks the remote and we watch as our helicopter takes off, carrying Max’s security team towards Seb’s boat. The rhythmic thump of the rotors fade as it disappears into the horizon.
“Do you think she’s really there?” Max asks, his eyes never leaving the helicopter.
“There’s nowhere else for her to go.” I shrug, trying to appear nonchalant despite the tension coiling in my gut. “If she’s not, we’ll find her. She can’t have gone far. She’ll either be hiding out on the island and swimming back to the boat once she thinks it’s safe.”
“That’s a long swim,” Max adds, watching the screen as the helicopter hovers over the boat.
Minutes tick by, feeling like hours. Finally, the crackle of the radio breaks the silence.
“Sir, we’ve boarded the vessel. And there’s no sign of the omega yet.”
Max snatches the radio from my hand. “Send a diver in the water and check around the boat.”
He hands me the radio back and strides away. “Keep searching. She has to be there.”
Max turns. His jaw clenched as he stares ahead. “Get me on that boat.”
I glare at him. “But she could be on the island.”
“Get me on that boat, now.”
“Prepare a boat to launch in two minutes,” I say into my radio as I follow Max from the house to the secret elevator that goes to the underground marina.
“Which one?” A voice returns.
“I want the most streamlined and fastest one in the marina,” I reply.
“Onto it.”
I follow Max, sliding my hand over the panel to open the elevator, and stride inside.
Max is tense as he steps inside with me.
His shoulders are stiff, and although his agitation is visible, I keep my face neutral. Years of training have taught me to mask my emotions, even as my mind races through contingencies.
“We’ll get her back.” I don’t tell him I have a vested interest in the omega being on this island and doing what he wants. He thinks I’m doing this because we’re a pack. I’m not.
She owes me, and she’s going to pay for her past mistakes.
“We better. I’ve spent years trying to find her and, at your insistence, I never had her kidnapped in Monaco.”
“One, that would’ve attracted too much attention. Do you think she would’ve remained silent? And two, she’s been kidnapped once in her life already. I don’t want to do that to her.”
“I need her, Silas.” Max nods curtly, moving towards the vessel. I admire him, and his perseverance, even if his impatience sometimes grates on me.
“You could make life easy and pick a willing omega,” I push.
He smiles. “She’s mine, and only she can give me what I need.”
I sigh.
“Let’s go,” he says, his voice hard with determination.
The boat roars to life, its low purr cutting through the salty air.
A secret panel which looks like a cliff face slides to one side and the sudden movement of the craft causes me to sit before I’m thrown out of the boat.
Max settles into the passenger seat as the boat rushes over the crashing waves, his knuckles white as he grips the armrest.
I can feel Max’s eyes boring into me. “How long?” he asks tersely. “How long has she been gone?”
“Fifteen minutes,” I respond, not looking away from Seb’s boat.
I know better than to offer nonsense or worse reassurances. Max didn’t become the man he was by tolerating incompetence or empty words.
As we pick up speed, slicing through the waves towards Seb’s distant vessel, I allow myself a small smile. The thrill of the chase never gets old, but it's more than that. Soon I’ll make Ava Darling pay for ruining my life.
As we approach the boat, I see Seb, restrained by two of our men. His face is a mix of defiance but also of worry.
We pull alongside, cutting the engine before I jump onto Seb’s boat, turning around to hold out my hand for Max to take.
“I can get myself out,” he grumbles. “I’m not a fucking beta.”
I ignore his slur at Seb, because honestly, right now it’s petty and redundant. “Where is she?” I growl as I stand in front of him.
Seb’s eyes widen as he recognizes me. A bitter laugh escapes his lips. “I should’ve known.”
I raise an eyebrow, my lips curling into a smirk. “What’s that supposed to mean, Seb?”
He struggles against his restraints, his face contorted with anger. “You set us up. It was a trap from the beginning.”
“Oh, Seb. You’re only figuring that out now? I thought you were smarter than that.” I can’t help but chuckle, my tone dripping with condescension. “But your contacts haven’t gotten back to you yet, have they? Shame everything you sent was intercepted. Your calls. Your emails. You should be smarter.”
“Fuck you!”
Max shoots me an admiring look, but I ignore it, reveling in Seb’s mounting frustration.
“You’re a fucking cocky bastard,” Seb spits out. “You think you’re so clever, but she’s smarter. You’ll not find her. You should have waited until she was back on the boat before you raided it.”
I cut him off, leaning in close. “I don’t think so, Seb. I know she needs to get back to Ibiza. And soon her body is going to change. She’s slowly going into her heat.” I smile. “And I know you love her. I also know that you’re going to tell us where she is.”
“Heat?” Seb’s face pales slightly, but he maintains his defiant glare.
I straighten up, my smirk widening. “Now, let’s try this again. Where. Is. She?”
I hate my cock stirs unexpectedly.
Seb spits at our feet. “Go to hell.”
Max steps forward, his voice dangerously low. “Listen carefully. Your little omega friend is in for a surprise. I’ll tell you what happened on the island. She got hit with a perfume, but not just any perfume.”
Seb’s eyes widen slightly, a flicker of fear crossing his face.
“It was an antidote,” Max continues to explain, enjoying the way Seb’s face pales. “To the vaccine her stepfather gave her. Her heat will come on strong, and soon.”
A smug smile plays on Max’s lips. “And it was mixed with my pheromones,”
“You did what?” Seb yells, lurching forward only to be held back by our men.
Max leans in close to Seb’s face. “She’ll be drawn to me, whether she likes it—or not. She’s an omega, Seb. You’re just a beta. When her heat hits, it’s going to be so powerful she’ll be desperate to be knotted.” Max smirks. “So here’s the deal: you help us find her, and we’ll let you stick around. After all, she might need a beta to help her through her heat. Or afterwards, when I have no need for her anymore.”
I don't know why Max says something he will never let happen. Not again.
I watch as Seb’s jaw clenches, the internal struggle clear on his face. He knows we have him cornered.
“Tick Tock,” I say, tapping my watch. “Every minute you waste, she gets closer to her heat. And who knows what might happen to an unmated omega in her heat out there.”
Seb’s shoulders slump in defeat. “Fine,” he growls. “I’ll help you find her. But I swear, if you hurt her …”
Max cuts him off. “Hurt her? Oh no, we’re going to take excellent care of her.”
“For her heat?” Seb hisses. “And then what?”
“For her heat and nine months.” Max smiles. “I only want one thing from her.”
“You fucking bastard.”
“I am,” Max responds. “We can make a deal. I am going to breed her. Afterwards, if you agree, you can keep her and the baby safe and when it’s born, you alone will be responsible for handing the baby to me.”
“Or else.”
I know Max won’t let Ava leave once she’s pregnant. I know this conversation is to pacify Seb. “You need to be quick with your decision. Leave it too late and another pack will take her through her heat and keep her. What would you prefer?”
Seb swallows. “I’ll do it.”
“Excellent choice,” Max says.The hunt is on, and Avaline Darling won’t be able to hide for long.