Chapter Thirty – Hayden
After swinging by my place, I stop by the warehouse and have a little meeting with Pax. He’s not the big boss, but he is my immediate supervisor, the one who gave me the job at the Bentley estate in the first place.
The moment I stroll into the warehouse, I spot Pax near a squad of Alabaster Security recruits, the ones still learning the ropes.
You know, the ones who need to polish up their hand-to-hand combat skills and their aim when it comes to guns.
They’re on the younger side, maybe twenty or twenty-two at the most, but in a few years, they’ll be more than competent.
It takes time to get good. Time and lots and lots of practice.
As I approach Pax near one of the large training matts on the ground, Pax dismisses the group for a break. They were paired off in twos, learning new takedown techniques. Covered in sweat as they are, they look like they’re grateful for the impromptu break.
Pax is your typical über, and he looks much like his brothers: light blond hair that he keeps short, piercing green eyes, and a scowl that could kill—although lately that scowl has lost some of its power, and I have to imagine that’s due to his new pack.
He was born an Alabaster, but no one can forget he’s now officially a Chase.
Oh, yeah, the rumor mill went wild when he finally settled down. Rourke never lets him hear the end of it.
“Well, well,” Pax says as he folds his arms over his chest. He wears the typical black ensemble that we all wear when we’re on the job or training.
I wear my normal clothes, since I plan on heading back to the Bentley estate after this.
“I was expecting a call, not an in-person meeting. I take it her heat went well, then?”
I can’t help but grin. “Yeah, it was… it was great.” The only thing that would have made it better would have been if I wasn’t alone with her during it, but bringing up Bradford right now, to Pax—whose omega and beta were the ones he kidnapped—would be a mistake.
Pax grunts. “Yeah, you look a bit different. This omega… what are you going to do about her? Make her yours officially? Records show she’s well over twenty-one, so technically she’s on her own. No one can force her into anything.”
Laws when it comes to omegas and their freedom are confusing and mixed. It really depends on the city you live in whether certain things are enforced.
“Yeah, I want to ask her.” Again, I don’t say that things are complicated when it comes to Kayla and Bradford, but with how often she asked about the latter during her heat, I can’t imagine she’d be okay in a pack without him.
Then again, how the hell could I bring up forming a pack with Bradford to Pax and everyone at Alabaster Security? They think he’s evil. They think he’s the devil for what he did, and while I do agree he shouldn’t have done any of that, I also know there’s more to him than anyone else here realizes.
Everyone makes mistakes. Some mistakes are just worse than others.
“I’m happy for you,” Pax says. “I know how strange it can be when you stumble upon the one when you’re not actively looking.” Such as it was with him and his omega, or so the rumor mill says: he was originally hired to be her bodyguard. It’s funny how things work out.
“I—” Before I can say anything else, a series of alerts rise in the air, and both Pax and I go for our phones. When I see what caused the alert, confusion sets in.
Pax, on the other hand, is not nearly as confused. “Bradford left the property. Looks like you need to suit up. We have an über to wrangle. You’ll ride with me. Hurry up.”
There’s nothing to argue about. I go to my locker and change in a flash. I grab my gun and holster it on my hip, and then I go to take one of my knives, too—just in case. You never know. As I slide that knife into a holster on the opposite side of my body, my phone rings.
I check my phone, see who it is, and hurry to find Pax near the door to the warehouse. He’s on the phone, I’m assuming with his brother or the local police, when I show him my screen. Only for a few seconds, and then I answer it and put him on speakerphone.
“Bradford,” I say, and Pax instantly quiets to listen in. “Everything all right?” I can’t imagine he’d leave the house for something stupid. No, something had to have happened, but what? Something involving Kayla, maybe? Shit. I don’t want to think about that.
“No,” Bradford says on the other line. “He has her. I’m on my way there now. You’re the only one I could call that might understand—”
Though he doesn’t say who it is, I can put it together. “Your father has Kayla? How?” I glance at Pax, and though his expression hasn’t outwardly changed much, I know my boss is aware this changes things.
“I don’t know. Maybe he called her and forced her.”
“How do you know he has her?”
“He called me and confessed it, said he was going to…” The way Bradford trails off, combined with the tone of his voice, leads me to believe his father said some very nasty, enraging things.
“Call the police. Call whoever the fuck you have to, but I’ll be damned if I don’t go there myself and stop him. ”
Again, I glance at Pax, and again, Pax is perturbed. “Is he holding her downtown?” I ask. If that’s the case, Pax and I will be closer to her; we could get to her first.
“I don’t think so. I’m going to his house.” As soon as those words are spoken on the other line, Pax takes a few steps back and says something into his call—possibly to get Bentley Sr.’s address so we could book it there.
“Bradford,” I start, but the alpha stops me.
“Don’t. Just… if I make it in time, promise me you’ll keep her safe after.” There’s such a weight to that sentence, like he’s ready to give it all up as long as it means Kayla will stay safe, not only from his father, but also from her brother and anything else the world might throw at her.
What else can I say? Nothing besides “I will, I promise.”
“Good,” Bradford says, his voice low, lower than I’ve ever heard it. More emotion, too. “Because one way or another, this ends today.” He doesn’t give me the chance to say anything in return. He just ends the call.
My heart pounds fast, so fast I can hear it in my own ears, and that leads to my blood running hot in the worst way.
I don’t think I’ve ever felt this anxious before, this nervous.
I’ve seen my fair share of shit at this job, but this whole thing strikes a lot closer to home than I’m comfortable with.
We might not make it in time. Not Bradford and not us.
We might be too late. The mere thought of losing Kayla before I can truly make her mine—before we have the chance of starting our lives together—fills me with an inescapable rage that’s so desperate I might not be in the best headspace for this job.
But I’d be damned if I let anyone else go with Pax.
Pax is by my side, taking charge: “Got the address. Let’s go.”
And so we go. We go and all the while, I hope. I have to hope. Without it, what else am I supposed to do? If there’s no hope, is any of this even worth it? For Kayla, for her future, I have to believe hope remains.
I’m coming, Kayla. I’m coming.