11. Finley
Finley
The night had finally come. We were all packed into the limo and on our way to the hotel where the party was being held.
Zander’s record label had a penthouse we were staying in during our time in the city, so we had more privacy.
This is why I needed Ayla at the hotel because she had all the supplies I would need for the job.
I could steal away, change, gather my weapons, and sneak out of the place none the wiser.
I’d made sure to get a room closer to the exit, so taking the stairs in and out wouldn’t be a problem.
Not to mention I didn’t need the hotel having that much footage of me in an elevator.
I smoothed my hands over my dress rhythmically as I went over the plan again in my head.
We’d go to the party and spend an hour or so rubbing elbows with people before I slipped out.
Once I was free, I’d meet up with Ayla, gather my things, and the mission would be a go.
It would be radio silent between all of us while out dealing with matters.
If something went wrong, I couldn’t risk them distracting me or tying them to these murders.
This was the first time I’d ever had to worry about the blowback from a job.
The Organization could never be traced back to, but my men absolutely could be tied to me.
A hand slipped into mine and I opened my eyes to look at Lane who was sitting next to me. “Sweetheart, it’s going to be alright. This is a solid plan and we’ve gone over every inch of it. I’m not sure how you could have any trouble.”
I leaned into him, needing his optimism and stability right now, as my wolf was freaking out at what was about to go down.
While being an omega didn’t stop me from doing things like this anymore, it didn’t mean there weren’t any side effects to it either.
My anxiety was higher than it had ever been before a job, but this was also the first time I had so much to lose.
I knew this was the best way to handle the situation, but my heart and my head were at odds.
“There isn’t another option, Lane,” I whispered, dropping my gaze to my hands. “This has to go right, or I won’t come back at all until it’s done.”
Lane removed his hand from mine and gripped my chin, forcing me to look him in the eyes.
“Don’t you ever say shit like that again, Finley,” he ordered.
“No matter what happens, we will survive this together as a pack and as a family. There will never be a moment where we let you walk away from us ever again. You promised, remember, so don’t make yourself a liar. ”
The weight of his alpha power was beating against me, so I knew he was trying to make it an order.
He wasn’t strong enough to force me to listen against my will, but I allowed the words to wash over me, letting his command stick.
“I hear you, alpha,” I answered, leaning forward until our foreheads touched. “I’ll keep my promise.”
“Good, because I don’t even want to tell you the hell that we will rain down on this world if we find you gone,” Lane said with a growl in his voice. “You belong to us, and we belong together, always no matter what.”
“She trying to pull some self-sacrificing bullshit again?” Zander demanded, from where he sat across from us.
Earlier in the day, we’d talked about if something went wrong at the party and I’d told them to blame me.
I’d forced them into helping me so I would take the fall and they could be free to return home as a manhunt started for me.
I’d tried to cover every situation and have a plan if everything failed, but none of them liked that suggestion at all.
“No, she’s not because she promised me she wouldn’t ever leave us again,” Elias interjected, the finality in his words making me shiver. If I broke that promise to him, there would be no chance of saving him from turning completely feral like he almost had after the loss of his family.
“Sangele meu, there will be many of my people near the areas you two are hitting tonight. They will keep an eye on the situation and only intercede if there is a problem. On top of that, I have them ensuring that any law enforcement is kept away from you as you take care of business,” Derven reminded me.
After we had our adventure getting clothes for the event, Derven and I went together to the law office that handled his affairs.
I quickly learned he owned the law firm and even had a private entrance so he could access the top office without ever letting the staff know he existed.
It led straight to an office he could use for personal reasons at any time.
From there, he called the man who was now in charge of his identity.
Chester Banks III was his name and he was delighted to meet Derven.
“It is such an honor, sir. It’s been about sixty years since you’ve reached out to us. My late grandfather told me so much about you,” he gushed as they shook hands. “Please, tell me anything you need and I will make it happen.”
Derven took the whole meeting graciously and made a list of everything he would need right away and other things to be looked into. He also made sure I was added to everything he owned or had the right to, meaning I had many documents to sign.
“Mr. Derven, will we need to be managing her information as we do yours?” Chester asked.
Ven looked at me with a questioning brow.
“What would you like to do, sangele meu? Do you have someone you trust to deal with matters such as this, or would you like to use my staff? Even as an elf, without being my Blood Bond, you would live to be seven hundred years old at least. It would be wise to ensure that matters are dealt with.”
“What all is involved in that?” I asked Chester.
“Give me one moment. I’m going to need the binder,” he said and scurried out the door, excitement oozing off him.
“I find they either get all the work or none of it depending on where I’m at in my life,” Derven commented as he reclined in his office chair. “Seems he will have all the privilege of informing his offspring that he got to set up the accounts for my wife.”
My head snapped to the side, looking at him with wide eyes. “I’m sorry, what did you just call me?”
“Wife?” Derven asked, flashing a fanged smile at me.
“Liked that, did you? Well, I figured Blood Bond, bond, or mate didn’t quite seem to fit what we are to each other.
Yes, that is what connected us originally, but you can’t tell me that our connection after that night in the office hasn’t taken a turn into something far more serious. ”
He wasn’t wrong. I’m not sure if whatever bond we had solidified itself between us once I let him truly drink from me, but something had changed.
Without even needing to use my magic, he was added to the bond I had already with the others when we woke up the next morning.
My ability to sense his emotions, thoughts and even knowledge of his hunger level was made clear to me.
It was odd, yet in a way, I was relieved to no longer doubt we were meant for each other, that it hadn’t been a mistake because I accidentally cut my finger.
“Just seems odd to me that you call me your wife when you haven’t even asked,” I murmured, letting my attention wander about the office.
“Hmm,” Derven hummed. “You make a valid point, sangele meu. Even if I’ve added you to all my earthly possessions, that doesn’t bind us together by human law, now does it?
It seems I will need to address that matter…
once I’ve spoken to the others, of course.
No need to rile things up when they are going so well. ”
Chester returned and we got down to business, ensuring he had all the knowledge of my assets.
Both men were amazed at my skills to hide my money and Chester decided he wouldn’t need to mess with many things.
Since I didn’t have many pieces of property other than the locations I used to hide my backup stashes, there wasn’t much that needed to be looked after.
Unlike the old days when Derven started this, banks and other such establishments understood that many of their patrons lived far longer lives, so unless we needed to wipe our slates clean, it just needed to be managed.
While we were at it, I ensured that Derven was added to all my main accounts, just to be sure everything was fair since the others were added when I was in Florida.
Now both of us were equally richer, and I was now both a queen and a princess if Derven ever decided to take up his title back in Romania beside his father.
As soon as we finished, we headed back to the penthouse to spend the evening going over the plan one more time.
As the limo pulled up to the hotel, I was pulled out of my daydreaming.
Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath letting the familiar detached persona I used for all my jobs.
We were trained early to develop a headspace where we no longer focused on anything else but the job before us.
Flicking my eyes open, all my men had exited the limo, and Zander stood by the door holding out a hand for me to take.
Reaching out, I laid my hand gently on his and maneuvered myself out of the limo, using all my supernatural abilities to appear as fluid and effortless as possible.