Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
Shaw
T his place is worse than I thought it would be, and I fully expected it to be akin to hell on earth.
“Bloody fucking great timing, that is,” the man with white hair says, grimacing as he spots Leo and me.
The urge to rip his head from his shoulders is strong. After all, he spent what felt like hours this morning taunting us as he fucked Saylor in front of the glass separating our cells.
I spent a while wondering if she put him up to it to punish us for disappearing when she went into heat all those years ago. Seeing her eyes widen and her lips form an O assures me she had no idea that we made it into the facility.
The man turns to Saylor once more, and she wraps her arms around his lower back. They look way too comfortable for the amount of time they’ve known each other.
An obnoxiously loud buzzer rings through the air as lights flash around the court.
The guards are essentially useless in this place.
They don’t even roam the block.
Oh, they supervise all right.
They just do it from above, staying on the metal platform that weaves through the block. They watch and occasionally bark orders, but outside of when they dropped us into our room, they keep themselves at a safe distance.
And seeing the carnage that occurs when an alpha goes rabid, I’m not sure I blame them… The majority of these assholes should have been put down long ago.
They pose nothing but a risk to society.
I’m torn on what to think about the big fucker.
The other inmates called him Valor. Before Leo and I even knew what was happening, several of the women were yelling for him to come to the aid of the woman whose capture started all of this.
Leo and I made it to the bathroom first, and it was only pure luck that we knew the way. It was the first thing we did when they released us from our cell. I needed a hot shower and the chance to relieve some of the built-up stress.
Valor may have stepped in to teach those wanna-be rapist assholes a lesson, which would normally be a point in the don’t hate column.
However, he was also the first to take Saylor up against the glass in the cell they were trapped in. It seemed consensual, and his reaction to the men in the shower earlier leads me to believe he’s not someone who puts up with that kind of bullshit.
My emotions are still all over the place.
I’ve had more than a few daydreams about ripping his spine out through the hole I’d like to form in his chest cavity. Preferably from a distance, using something with a scope.
I’m no stranger to hand-to-hand combat, and I’m fine with getting up close and personal, but he’s a big bastard. He has to have at least three or four inches in height and close to fifty pounds of pure muscle mass on me. I’ve kept myself alive because I know my limits, and I’m not afraid to call it if I need to take another route to get to my destination.
Going up against him one-on-one wouldn’t be the smartest course of action, but I could pick him off from a small distance and the same outcome would be achieved.
“Anyone still on the court in sixty seconds will spend the next twenty-four hours in the hole,” one of the guards yells. “Maybe longer if I’m feeling generous.” Another takes over in German, and the first switches to Russian, repeating his warning.
The blond man with Saylor glances frantically between her and Valor. Pandemonium ensues as everyone pushing and shoving to get a front-row view of the fight turns to hightail it back into the building.
“I can’t leave you. He wouldn’t want me to.” The man with Saylor wraps his arms around her lower back to protect her from the crush of people.
“I’ll be fine with Leo and Shaw. I need to speak to them about what happens next, anyway.” Saylor looks like she’s about to burst into tears, and it makes my chest tight. “You have to go to him, Omen. You said he won’t remember anything when he snaps out of the fog…”
“He won’t, and he’ll spend however long he’s trapped in there losing his shite and wondering what happened when he blacked out.” Omen glances back to the brawl still playing out and turns to Saylor. “He’ll pop back to consciousness and convince himself he’s locked away because he hurt you.”
“I’ll be okay. I’ll hunker down. It’s only a day.” She stretches up, giving him a quick kiss. “I can make it a day without you guys.”
“You won’t leave without us?” he asks, his Irish accent extra thick.
“Not a chance.” Her eyes sparkle with tears as she stares up at him, completely oblivious to the chaos unfolding around them.
He studies her face in return, and my stomach bubbles uncomfortably.
This is going to be a problem.
They’re way too attached, and it makes me feel like I’m intruding on what’s meant to be a private moment.
“You know the first rule of the facility.” He quirks a blond brow. “Everyone lies.”
“Not me. Not to you. Not about this.” She steps back, releasing him. “Hurry, and make sure he knows he’s sinking his teeth in as soon as he gets back.”
My fists clench.
That is abso-fucking-lutely not happening.
“Ten, nine, eight…” The guard continues counting down.
“I fucking hate this,” he hisses, kissing her cheek. He gets close to her ear and whispers something I can’t make out before he spins around to appraise me and Leo. “She’s been having heat spikes since they flushed the suppressants from her system. You don’t want to know the things I’m capable of when I need to be. Keep her safe.”
Did he think that little pep talk was necessary?
Because it wasn’t.
Not at fucking all.
Saylor whimpers, watching him jog off to join the fray.
“Anyone left on the court is getting tranqed,” another guard bellows.
The omega’s cheeks are wet with tears as she steps over, grabbing my hand. It twists in my hold as she spins around and stretches out the other for Leo. “Come on. They’re not kidding. We need to get somewhere where we can talk.”
I never quite managed to forget how much I missed her, but I thought I was giving her a chance at the kind of life she deserved. The opportunity to find a pack her own age. Men without blood on their hands, who could settle down and live a white-picket-fence life.
Saylor drags the two of us along with purpose.
I’m not sure what state I expected to find her in, but she doesn’t seem to be crumbling.
Maybe that will come later?
No one would blame her if she needed a solid breakdown, but goddamn, I hope she’s okay—that nothing happened to her that she can’t come back from.
I don’t care why MI6 or the CIA or any of those intelligence agencies are interested in this place. They only seem to act when it’s in their best interests, anyway. I’m lucky because the government no longer owns my ass.
Our boss sent me and Leo here on a mission to find and bond Saylor to get her out of this hellhole.
That’s our directive.
I intend to be successful, but if this place is responsible for any lasting emotional damage…
Well, I don’t really give a fuck who else’s mission I might fuck up. I will burn this place to the ground on the way out if it comes down to it.
* * *
Saylor ignores everyone in the cafeteria, even as quite a few heads swivel her way. She guides us to the racks of food and nods. “I’m sure you’re hungry. You can take your masks off in here. It’s one of the designated areas, but I’m not staying. I’m too angry.” She goes to one of the massive refrigerators near the end of the hot bar and begins grabbing bagged lunches. “We can take these back to our room.”
The door slams loudly, and she moves to the drink case next to it.
Leo and I stand frozen.
I’m not sure what to do.
I ache to pull her into my chest, question her about what’s happened to her these last few days, and assure her that everything will be fine, but she’s barely looked at either of us.
It was always going to be an uphill battle to regain her trust, but she doesn’t even seem all that excited that we’re here to get her out.
Leo steps over, taking several of the bottled drinks from her arms. He also makes sure to collect a few packaged snacks from the display at the end of the food line.
I turn back, appraising the crowd and making sure no one gets any bright ideas about trying to touch Saylor.
She glances at the two of us and says, “Come on.”
We follow her out of the cafeteria and down the winding hallways. She stares up every few doors and eventually comes to a stop in front of the room next to the one we were given. Her shoulders shake as she lets out a heavy breath, and she rips open the door, heading inside.
Saylor drops her armful of food on the small table and glances around like she’s not sure what to do next.
She turns toward us as Leo puts down everything he carried in. “I didn’t think he would actually get a message out, but I guess he did.” She crosses her arms over her chest. She’s in a long white T-shirt and sweats, but they clearly aren’t sized for her. “Thank you for coming. I hoped Shadow Security would send someone, but in no way did I expect it to be you. Why don’t you guys eat?” She gestures to the table, then hikes a thumb toward one of the loft beds. “I just need like five minutes to nest and cry. After that, I’ll get myself together, and we can make a plan.”
My mouth goes dry.
She’s just as beautiful as I remember, but the softness and openness that made her so vibrant are gone. Maybe she’s just really unhappy to see me and Leo, but fucking hell, I hate the shell she seems to have built around herself.
“Really, I mean it. Thank you for coming for me. I’m sure you’re getting a nice payday, but I still appreciate?—”
“We’re not getting paid shit to be here,” I growl, taking a step forward. Everything in me wants to pull her to my chest and never let go. “We heard you were missing and got on the first flight.”
Leo grabs my arm, tugging me out of the way. “You’re safe now, sweetheart. We’re not going to let anything bad happen to you.” He moves to hug Saylor, but she steps back.
My heart fucking drops.
“Like I said, I appreciate it.” She offers a tight smile. “It would be a whole lot easier to believe you if you hadn’t disappeared without a word. I mean, you couldn’t even muster up a phone call for a quick goodbye.” Her head shakes. “It doesn’t matter. My senses are buzzing, and I know I’m about three seconds away from a meltdown. I don’t want to say anything I don’t mean, so I’ll be taking a minute to myself.” She spins around and makes her way to the ladder before haphazardly kicking her shoes off and climbing up.
* * *
There’s no way I’ll be able to eat.
That alpha’s scent is everywhere, and my instincts view it as a looming threat.
I won’t be sleeping in either of the two beds that the room boasts, but the wall between the door to exit the room and the bathroom only has one small dresser and a trash can on it. We briefly discuss dragging over the pull-out sofa from the room we started in, but Saylor throws a pillow at my back while we’re talking.
She’s majorly overstimulated, which we’ve seen on occasion over the years. Back then, I would have sat with her to help her breathe through the anxiety and worked on grounding exercises. Now I’m afraid one wrong move will have her permanently kicking us out of the cell. Us standing around talking is only going to make her more stressed out.
Leo and I head into the hallway and hover just outside the room Saylor brought us to.
It’s fucking crazy seeing guards doing their rounds above our heads with only a metal grate floor separating us. They don’t even spare a cursory glance, and once the man’s boots get farther down the hallway, Leo gives me a look.
We’ve been partners for a lot of years, and I still don’t know what the fuck that face means.
“She didn’t seem happy to see us,” Leo mutters, running his hands through his short brown curls. “Hell, I’d even settle for relieved.”
That part didn’t go over my head, but I really fucking hate that he’s right. “We knew it was going to be an uphill battle.”
“Yeah, but I wasn’t expecting her to look at us like we’re strangers. We lived together for two and a half years.” His head shakes, and his gaze moves to his boots. “Do you think there’s a chance she didn’t get the birthday card we sent when she turned eighteen?”
“No fucking idea, but even if she did…” My teeth grind together so violently, my jaw clicks. “It doesn’t seem like much when I look at it from her point of view.”
“Those guys are going to be a problem. I could tell just by the way she looked at the blond. Omen? Seriously, what kind of name is that, anyway?” Leo scoffs, kicking his boot against the carpet.
It really is a ridiculous name.
“I don’t know, but the harder we push her to keep her distance, the more we’ll push her right into their arms.” Why does it feel like I’m about to crack a motherfucking tooth? Probably because I am. “They’re using her for a way out. We just need to let her see that for herself.”
Leo frowns, scratching his jaw. “How do we accomplish that without them bonding? Saylor has a lot more to lose than they do.”
My whole body shrugs.
I don’t know, exactly.
I haven’t made it that far, but I guess we break out if it comes to it. It’ll be the only way to get them out too without being released due to bonding.
If we can get them on the outside…they won’t need Saylor. I’m sure they’ll see themselves out in no time flat.