26. Trigger
CHAPTER 26
TRIGGER
I haven't slept this hard in years. I didn't have the greatest upbringing. Abusive parents who only cared for me when it benefitted them. As their only son to designate as an Alpha, they had plans for me, but like Moses, I too, chose the military route to escape familial obligations. Let's just say, it is the cause of a many sleepless nights, that and the shit I've seen overseas, my mind doesn't exactly shut down easily. But these past few days with Charlotte I've been sleeping like a goddamn baby. Which is why when her agonized scream tears through the penthouse I'm out of the bed in the nest with my gun in hand before I'm even fully conscious.
Beaux and Josiah are already in motion, both similarly armed and alert as we rush toward Charlotte's room. The door's already open, and we find her clutching her phone like it's a lifeline, her entire body trembling. Moses stands nearby wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist.
Of course, Moses beat us to her, always the quiet one with perfect timing. Sneaky fucker managed some alone time with our girl. Ours. God, I love the sound of that. I thought my pack was complete, but now it really feels that way. Which is why all I want to do is fix whatever has caused her so much pain.
Charlotte turns, eyes wide with shock as Moses absently helps her into a robe, he's pulled off her bed. We all stand around half-dressed but instantly alert and ready to react to whatever has happened. My Alpha instincts are screaming at me to eliminate whatever threat has her scent spiking with distress.
"What happened?" I demand, scanning the room for threats even though I know the danger isn't here.
Charlotte's voice cracks as she looks up at me. "Senator Blaine has Brookes." Her words hang in the air like a death sentence. She collapses on the edge of her bed and doubles over, head in her hands as she tries to breathe.
Joker rushes from the room without a word. I know my Beta well enough to know he's already in problem-solving mode .
"How the hell did he get to him?" I run a hand over my face, trying to process. "I thought Brookes had been assigned a security team of Betas?" I say to the room, my mind already calculating how many people I'll need to kill over this security breach. No, Brookes is not my responsibility, but he's important to Charlotte, therefore, some heads will fucking roll for sure.
Joker returns with clothes in tow for Moses, then sits on the floor at Charlotte's feet, laptop resting on his lap. His fingers fly across the keyboard with practiced precision.
"I'm tapping into Brookes' modeling agency computer database to get his shooting schedule," he explains, his eyes never leaving the screen. "From there I can find out where he was last seen and—got it. Yesterday Brookes was at a shoot for an ad campaign here in New York."
Charlotte's head snaps up. "I didn't know. I didn't even know he was here. I—I hadn't talked to him because of my heat." Her scent turns acrid with guilt. "Oh God. I'm a terrible friend."
"Charlotte you can't?—"
"Here we are." Joker points to his screen. "From the camera feeds in the venue it looks like Brookes was separated from his security detail by his makeup artist or someone posing as his makeup artist. The woman took Brookes to a side exit, and they snatched him before his team could register his disappearance."
"Fuck," Beaux says from the door, and I echo his sentiment because it's becoming clear that Senator Blaine has played us all.
"He had Brookes before the gala," I mutter, the realization hitting me like a freight train. "He had Brookes before he ever looked Charlotte in the eye. That entire conversation was a performance. Smoke and fucking mirrors while Brookes was already in chains"
"He was toying with me!" Charlotte shouts, anger flaring in her scent now, mixing with the fear and guilt. She stands suddenly, pacing the room like a caged animal. "That smug bastard knew exactly what he was doing. He had Brookes when he was threatening me that things wouldn't end the way I wanted. Ha, I guess he was right."
I move to her, grabbing her shoulders to steady her. "This is not your fault," I say, forcing her to look me in the eyes. "And we will get him back."
Moses steps closer, now dressed in the clothes Josiah brought him. "This is what we do, Charlotte," he says, his voice steady and sure. "Finding people, extracting them from dangerous situations. It's our specialty."
"We won't rest until we do," Beaux adds, his eyes darkening with the promise of violence. I recognize that look. It's the one that earned him his call sign. Motley. Because he's a fucking mess when he gets like this, but goddamn if he isn't effective.
Charlotte is beside herself, tears streaming down her face. "You don't understand. I’m all the family he has. We survived together. If anything happens to him—" She tries to breathe but panics instead, her chest heaving with rapid, shallow breaths.
I pull her against me, pressing her ear to my chest. "Match my breathing, Omega," I command, using my Alpha tone just enough to cut through her panic. "In and out. Slow and steady."
I feel her struggle to obey, her fingers digging into my bare skin as she tries to anchor herself.
"Joker, I need everything you can get on Brookes' security detail," I say over her head. "Names, backgrounds, who hired them, everything. Someone was compromised."
"Already on it," he responds, his fingers a blur on the keyboard.
"Beaux, get your ass dressed. I need you to contact our network. See who might have eyes on any unusual activity around the Senator. Especially any properties not in his name."
"Copy that," Beaux says, already moving toward the door.
"Moses," I continue, "call Dez. We might need additional manpower, and he owes us anyway."
Moses nods, pulling out his phone.
Charlotte pulls back just enough to look up at me, her eyes red-rimmed but more focused now. "What can I do?" she asks, and fuck if that doesn't make my chest tighten. Even in her fear she wants to help.
"You can start by staying calm. I need you to be focused and ready to go when the time comes. In the meantime, we train and prepare," I say, leading her to sit on the edge of the bed again. "Blaine took Brookes for a reason. He wants to silence you. You had him running scared the moment we found you, baby. So, you get ready to make him pay."
She takes a deep, shuddering breath. "Okay. I can do that."
"Good girl," I murmur, and I feel her lean into me at the praise. "We're going to find him, Charlotte. And when we do, Blaine is going to learn what happens when you fuck with what belongs to the Hudson pack. "
Because that's what Charlotte is now. She's ours. And by extension, so is her friend.
I meet Moses' eyes across the room, and I know he's thinking the same thing. We've been merciful up until now. Playing the political game. Following rules.
That ends now.
I'm in the shooting range watching our girl run through clip after clip like a woman possessed, and fuck if it isn't the hottest thing I've ever seen. Her form is perfect—feet planted shoulder-width apart, elbows slightly bent, eyes laser-focused on her target. With each shot, the center of the paper silhouette disintegrates a little more.
She's been down here for three hours straight. At first, I thought she just needed to burn off some of that nervous energy, but it's become clear this is more than that. This is preparation for war.
When she pauses to reload for what must be the fifteenth time, Moses steps up behind her, adjusting her grip slightly with a gentle touch. She nods her thanks without taking her eyes off the target. I exchange glances with Beaux, who's leaning against the wall, his expression a mixture of admiration and arousal.
The range goes quiet as Charlotte unloads another perfect grouping into the chest of her paper victim. Every one of us knows exactly who she's imagining that target to be.
Beaux lets out a low whistle as she lowers the gun. "Shit, Trigger, we are going to have to give Harley here your call sign if she keeps handling that Glock like that." His voice drops an octave. "Fuck, Charlotte, this is not the time to make my dick hard."
Charlotte only offers him a small smile as she sets down the pistol and picks up the rifle with practiced ease. She checks the chamber, adjusts the stock against her shoulder, and settles into position with a familiarity that surprises me.
That's when I notice Josiah standing in the doorway, his expression unreadable as he watches our Omega handle weapons like she was born to it. When he realizes I've spotted him, he straightens immediately.
"Anything new?" I ask, knowing he wouldn't be here unless he had something.
"Yes. I think I may have a location." His words cut through the air like a bullet, and suddenly everyone in the room is at full attention .
Charlotte carefully places the rifle down and turns to face him, hope and fear warring in her expression.
Josiah steps fully into the room, tablet in hand. "I tracked the black non-descript van they shoved Brookes into through traffic cameras and found it in the meatpacking district." His fingers swipe across the screen, bringing up satellite images. "It appears Senator Blaine owns a warehouse there, through the Solomon Foundation. He's supposedly opening a shelter, but the building's been empty for years."
He zooms in on a grainy image. "From what I can pull up from the shitty security cameras around the building, there's been a lot of traffic in and out the past few days. Something is happening there and no one's paying attention or they're being paid to look away."
"What about Brookes' security detail?" I ask, already moving closer to look at the intel.
Josiah's jaw tightens. "From the information Beaux gave me earlier, one of Brookes' security team worked for Aegis, and that was the Senator's in. No red flags on her record, so it was easy for her to weasel her way into Brookes' security detail."
"So, you're saying the Senator had eyes on Brookes for a while?" Charlotte asks, her voice steady but her scent betraying her rising anxiety .
Moses steps up beside her, his presence solid and reassuring. "It makes sense. He was advocating for you to be found on social media. He's famous. He was determined to get you back, Charlotte." He places a hand on her shoulder. "As an Omega, I'm sure the powers that be weren't happy with the things he was saying. He practically blamed the government for your abduction and said they weren't doing enough to find you and the other missing Omegas."
Josiah nods. "Yes, I agree. He wants to silence you and anyone associated with you. With you being rescued, it seems he's desperate."
I scan the intel, my mind already formulating entry points, extraction routes, contingencies. "You think they are holding Brookes there?" I need to be certain before we move.
"Yes. Definitely." Josiah's confidence is reassuring. "But this won't be easy. We can't make too much noise. Too many locals, including NYPD."
Beaux pushes off the wall, his eyes darkening with that predatory gleam I know all too well. "Fuck that. You know we're like thieves in the night. We get in and out, kill them quietly and efficiently." The promise of violence in his voice would be disturbing if I didn't share the sentiment completely.
Charlotte's gaze is fixed and determined. "All I care about is getting Brookes out of there and away from Senator Blaine." There's something haunted in her eyes, and I know she's thinking about her own captivity. "If they take him anywhere else, who knows what they will do to him."
I step into the center of our circle, assuming the position of leadership that comes as naturally as breathing. "Then we scout out the place, and if he's there, we move in and we retrieve him."
Charlotte's voice is steel when she adds, "Then we put an end to all of this."
The conviction in her words sends a chill down my spine. She's not talking about just rescuing Brookes. She's talking about ending the entire fucking operation, starting with Senator Blaine.
And for the first time since I've known her, I see the warrior beneath the activist. The woman who walked through hell and came out the other side, not broken but forged into something stronger.
Charlotte is pure fire, primed and ready to burn some shit down.