Chapter Twenty-Two
The scent of violence thrums in the air as I stalk towards the warehouse. It’s not the first time that one of the soldiers has called us, informing us of issues regarding one of our clubs or properties.
It is the first time that a dead body has been left at one though.
It makes something in me tick.
Not only is whoever this is playing a dangerous game by leaving dead bodies near our businesses, they also murdered an Omega.
Old traumas begin to rear their head at this new revelation. I refuse to allow them to surface though. Not when I need to get to find who has decided to fuck with us.
The front door of the warehouse slams open, banging against the wall behind it. I cringe slightly, not realizing the force behind my push and the fact that my girl just saw an anger from me I never wished she would.
I should have known it was only a matter of time before they were dragged into this world with us. I just didn’t expect it to be this quick.
I never would have been able to keep them away from it though. Business has always seemed to overflow into our personal lives. It's one of the reasons why our main residence is on the same property as our warehouse.
We could have lived in one of the other more inconspicuous houses or even in one of the apartments in the tower we own. But alas, city-living gives me hives. That and I refuse to allow Frankie to live in an apartment.
It is cruel to keep a breed like Frankie cooped up in an apartment. Dogs—especially border collies, need space to roam.
The statement ‘speak of the devil and he will appear’ runs true as the sound of nails hitting cement creep up behind us.
I don’t bother slowing my pace as I continue making my way towards my office. I make sure to take a bit more care with my office door, not feeling like having to organize its replacement just because I am feeling pissed off.
As I turn to sit down at my desk, my eyes widen as Valley’s ass walks in through the door.
What?
I shake my head, blinking my eyes open and closed a few times as I take in the scene before me.
Valentina is hung over my brother's shoulder, my twin looking like a grinning fool as he stops in front of my desk.
With a final slap on her ass, Cal slowly slides her down his body.
I roll my eyes as I patiently wait for him to place her down on the floor.
I know she would punch me if I was to rip her out of his arms but the feeling is way too strong. After having a sliver of her earlier, the need to have her again is overwhelming.
When my brother finally puts down our girl, I snort as she smacks him on the shoulder with each word she grits out.
“Fucking. Cave. Man. Mother. Fucker.”
After her miniature tantrum, she huffs before turning around to look at me.
“What do you need me to do?”
I stare at Valentina blankly, unable to utter a single word to the woman before me. If I wasn’t already falling for her, that would have solidified it for me.
It feels as though all of my fears disperse when it comes to my dolce ciliegra and our more nefarious side of the Syndicate.
The fact that she is here right now speaks volumes to the kind of person she is.
I am fucking obsessed.
Looking at my packmates, it seems as though they also feel the same way.
Coming back to myself, I look back at Valley who is looking at me patiently.
“For right now, I want you to just sit tight and listen in. If there is anything that you can pick out, I need you to let us know.”
She nods, crossing her arms over her chest. I turn to Olis, nodding slightly giving him the opportunity to fill us in on what else he knows.
“All the information I have is that there is a body near the dumpsters at the back of Flame. The body appears to be relatively fresh, around four hours old based on the rigor mortis that has begun to set in. The men have already cornered off the scene, waiting for us to give them further instructions.”
I nod again before turning towards Conall who is just locking his phone.
“Cameras don’t show us anything. I assume that the perp found one of the only blind spots in the surveillance at Flame,” he sighs before shaking his head and whispering to himself, “An issue I will be rectifying immediately.”
Looking down at Valley, I raise a single eyebrow.
“Are you sure you are ready to see everything this life entails?”
I should have known that my girl was as stubborn as an ox. The look on her face when I dared to question her decision to follow along with us on this journey was enough for me to learn that I will never be questioning her again.
I just had to make sure that she knew that if all of this was too much for her to deal with, that she didn’t have to come along with us. That she had an out.
I don’t think there would have been a single complaint between Olis, Conall and I if she wanted to stay behind.
Seeing a dead body, especially someone that has been brutally murdered turns even the hardest of soldiers into blubbering messes.
I know that mine and Conall’s first dead body still haunts the both of us. Not hard when it was our mother.
Nudging the nose of my SUV into the alley behind Flame, the four of us climb out of the car.
Automatically, I go on high alert as I take in my surroundings. While it is mostly unheard of for the murderer to stick around the scene of a crime, I wouldn’t dare put it past this one.
As we make our way further into the alleyway, I close in on where Valley walks between us. Bringing her here is a risk and I refuse to gamble with her safety.
I come to a stop in front of one of our higher ranking soldiers—Koby—who is standing guard of the body.
He nods at me, Conall and Olis before pausing on Valley briefly before giving her a nod of his head. Returning his attention back to me, he steps aside so I am able to see the body for myself.
There is no need to exchange words. It is near impossible to miss what has happened.
An Omega with the lingering scent of lavender lies haphazardly on the concrete.
Her skirt has been hitched up to her waist to reveal bloody lace that is only barely covering her vagina.
Her skirt has been slashed to pieces by what I am assuming is a knife, judging by the cuts in the material.
Similar slashes cover her torso with the words ‘mine’ gouged through her midsection.
Her brown hair is matted with blood that has begun to dry. Bruises cover her throat, face, arms and legs. The worst are at her hips.
Rage boils inside of me as I stare down at the woman who would be somewhere in her mid-twenties.
I jolt as I feel a body brush past me. I watch as Valentina slowly drops down next to the deceased Omega.
With a grace that I know not a lot would be able to possess in a situation like this, she carefully pulls her skirt down, giving the Omega back some of her modesty.
Olis steps up beside me, shrugging himself out of his jacket before handing it to Valley. She smiles up at him, the look somehow brightening a situation so fucking dark and brutal.
Just like she did with the skirt, she covers the Omega’s torso hiding the worst of her wounds.
For a moment, Valley stays still beside the woman.
Whispered words too low for me to hear is the only sound in the quiet alley.
Eventually she steps back to the three of us, her back coming flush with my chest. Snaking my hand around her waist, I hold her to me tightly as I say a silent prayer for the deceased.
Footsteps sound behind us. Without hesitation, I pull Valentina behind me, my weapon already out as I point it at the newcomer.
“Didn’t realize you fancied yourself a fresh new 9mm sized hole in your chest, Jaiden,” Conall snarks, tucking his gun back into the back of his pants.
Jaiden just laughs, closing the distance between us, “You know me, man. I like to live my life on the wild side occasionally.”
I shake my head as the Alpha comes to stand in front of me.
It has been a bit of an adjustment getting used to working alongside a government organization.
After Kennedy was taken, we were contacted by Jaiden, an investigator and undercover agent from Omega Protection Agency.
Since then, we have been providing soldiers and intel that government agencies aren’t able to get their hands on for the more difficult jobs.
It has been refreshing being able to provide assistance for something more than what I have created with my pack. Knowing that what we have been doing alongside OPA has been saving lives—lives of Omegas—has been rewarding in a way I didn’t know I needed.
I shouldn’t be surprised to see Jaiden here yet the lack of communication on his behalf is a red flag I want answers for.
“What are you doing here?” I question as I finally tuck my glock into the back of my pants. Even though I agreed to work alongside the Alpha, that doesn’t mean that I trust him.
Jaiden just chuckles quietly to himself, putting his hands in his pockets.
“I was tipped off that an incident involving an Omega occurred at your club, Vic. I had to come see it for myself. Especially when this isn’t the only body that has been dumped behind a club this week.”
I nod my head, remembering Olis informing me of what Jaiden had come to him about.
Seems as though the murderer is rearing their head again.
“Over the past few weeks, we have received word from law enforcement about murders. Normally we are informed of when an Omega passes away by causes that appear unnatural so we can follow it up. When the third body was found in similar conditions, we knew that we had to step in.”
Slowly, Jaiden bends down to assess the body closer. Pulling out a pair of gloves from his pocket, he pulls them on before returning his attention to the body.
With a careful hand, similar to that of Valley’s, he pulls back the jacket covering the Omega's torso. He doesn’t say anything, just nods and recovers the jagged words carved into her skin.
“Each of the Omegas murdered had the words ‘mine’ carved into their torsos. Each woman had been raped. Their throats, hips, legs and arms covered in bruises that only could have been given before they were killed.”
I bristle as I take in the information. Jaiden eventually looks up at me after remaining silent for a moment.
“This is the eleventh body we have found.”
I hear Valley gasp behind me. She latches onto my jacket at the confirmation of what I had feared.
That there is a murderer walking the streets of Vadena murdering innocent Omegas.
There is a fucking murderer on my turf.
Something that I refuse to stand for.
Because this? This means fucking war.