Chapter 13 Sam
thirteen
Sam
"I'd be more careful if I were you, Ms. Harding." I don't know what possesses me to say it. She can clearly handle herself.
Her steps falter, and then I've caught up with the fiery little omega. "Don't go worryin' about me, Sammy." She blinks up innocently as her southern accent grows thick. "You know omegas can't get pregnant outside their heat. Plus, they got us all on that birth control shot, just in case."
I blanch. "That's not what I meant—" Her head falls back as she laughs at me, and I sigh, pinching my nose. "Come on, Trouble. Let's get you out of here."
She purses her lips but keeps walking. I have to admit, I can see why West is so enthralled with her. As well as Hayden, and to my complete surprise, Kole Vasiliev.
Josephine Harding.
Why does it keep coming back to her?
It can't be just because she's gorgeous. I mean, she is, obviously, but there's something else about her that forces me to pay…extra attention to her.
"How did you know where to find us?" she asks curiously, glancing up at me.
"When West asked me to find Hayden, I checked the security cameras.
When I saw you guys disappear down the hallway that leads to the door that says “DO NOT ENTER”, it wasn't hard to figure out what you guys were trying to do.
Though, I don't know why you had to go to a restricted wing and not one of the two private bedrooms available to you. "
Don't think about them fucking.
Don't think about them fucking.
She shoots me a wink. "A lady never reveals her secrets." Then she clears her throat, and looks almost nervous, which is an expression I've never seen on her face before. "Is this…somethin' you catch Hayden doin' often then?"
Ah.
It would probably be better for her to think that Hayden brings every willing female to this exact spot for a quick hookup.
Maybe she'd be so mad she'd steer clear of him, and I wouldn't be obligated to report the fraternization to Dr. Brooks.
Not that I ever do. They're already experimenting and pumping them full of gods-know-what, the least they should be allowed is a good fuck or two.
But…my alpha nature is urging me to soothe her omega.
"He comes here sometimes, but this is the first time I've found him…with anyone." At her questioning glance, I continue. "Normally he's looking for an accelerant or something to start a fire with."
A little smile pulls at her lips like she thinks that's just the cutest thing ever. Something tugs at my heart like…fuck, I don't know. I shouldn't care whether or not the omega thinks the pyro inmate is cute. Then she gives me a curious look. "What did you mean earlier?"
My head tilts as I look at her, and I can't help but notice the smattering of freckles covering her nose. "Mean about what?"
"A minute ago, you said I should be more careful. So if you weren't talkin' about the risk of little alpha babies, what were you talkin' about?"
"Just…" I sigh, wishing I had never said anything to begin with. We approach the door that leads out of the wing, and I run my hand through my hair. "Things…they aren't what they seem."
"That's not cryptic at all, Sammy-boy." She rolls her eyes.
"Sammy-boy?" I arch a brow, trying to hold back my smile. Something about her draws me to her. I don't know if it's those swirling green eyes, or the way she wrinkles that perfect nose, but there's something about her that pulls me in like a moth to flame.
She leans in like she's about to tell me a secret, and if I didn't know any better I'd think I scented a freshly baked apple pie, the aroma enough to make my mouth water. "Sounds a helluva lot better than 'Sammy-man,' don't ya think? That sounds too much like one of them comic book super heroes."
A snort leaves me, and I shake my head. "Definitely not a hero, Trouble."
"Well then it's a good thing I said Sammy-boy then, ain't it?"
"That just sounds like I'm the hero's sidekick."
Her tongue darts out to lick her bottom lip, and my eyes track the movement. Her breath hitches just enough that it snaps me out of whatever trance I had been under, and I shake my head, stepping away from the too-tempting omega.
"I get the feelin' you're no one's sidekick, Sammy-boy.
" Her voice has this breathless quality to it, and before I can try to hide the way her tone affects me—because hello, I'm playing the part of orderly here and this is a lethal omega who has killed thirteen alphas—the door flies open, and we're interrupted by none other than the sleazy fuck that is Arthur Banesworth.
I can't stand the way his eyes roam over her curvy figure, and apparently neither can she. "What, Banesworth?" She says in that honeyed voice that comes out when she's about to get vicious. "You didn't get a good enough look when I first got here?"
Why does that sentence make me want to reach out and snap his neck more than I usually do?
"You offering a second look, Little Omega?" He gives a grin, but there's no kindness in it. Sharp and cutting, nothing but ill intent in his eyes as he makes zero effort to hide his perusal of her body.
"Did you need something?" I try to keep the tone of my voice cordial, like I would with any other co-worker.
"Brooks wants to see the omega. See how she's doing." He doesn't even look at me. Jo's fingers twitch at her side, and I know she's probably going for whatever she stabbed Kole with yesterday. I know without a shadow of doubt that if the asshole lays a hand on her, she'll stab him.
If she stabs him, then she'll get sent to the Cathedral. Brooks can't let assaulting an orderly go unpunished.
She doesn't say anything, just holds his eye contact, as if daring him to touch her. His arm reaches out. "Come on, omega—" I act on instinct, snatching his wrist before it can reach her and twisting it behind his back, shoving him face-first into the wall.
"I'm sure Jo can find her way on her own, can't you, Trouble?" I glance at her shocked expression, pretending to not see the small kitchen blade she just slipped back into her pocket. Banesworth struggles against my hold, his face growing redder the harder I push against him.
She nods shakily, and without a word, disappears out the door and sprints down the hall like her ass is on fire.
Which begs the question…what the hell did this fucker do to her? "Let me go, you piece of shit," he spits.
I do as he asks, spinning him around to face me before winding my fist back and hitting him square in the jaw.
"What the fuck?" He grabs his jaw, his eyes wide as he stares at me. I don't blame him for being surprised. In fact, he's supposed to be. Everyone thinks I'm just the easygoing orderly with no backbone, who lets the patients get away with anything short of literal murder.
Nobody knows that I've known how to neutralize any threat thrown my way since I was eleven years old.
"You're going to stay away from her, Banesworth." My voice comes out a growl as I grab fistfuls of his scrub top.
"Or what?" He sneers, still rubbing his jaw. "And why? Are you fucking the whore?"
"I would never abuse my power like that, you sick fuck." My breathing feels labored as I try everything in my power to not rip his tongue out for speaking about my omega like that.
Fuck. The omega. Not my omega.
"If you so much as lay a single finger on her, Brooks is going to find out how you like to get a little…loose lipped at your Friday night poker games."
He pales considerably. "How do you—"
"It doesn't matter how I know, asswipe. The fact is, I do. Now. Stay. Away. From. Her." I punctuate each of my words with a little shake, and he glares at me, but eventually nods.
I drop him, before giving him a patronizing pat on the cheek. "Good. Now get the fuck out of here."
He wastes no time leaving me, and I sigh, running a hand over my face. Shit. I just showed my hand way earlier than I needed to. And for what?
The little omega who seems to have burrowed her way under my skin.
I shouldn't be doing this. The master keycard in my pocket feels like a lead weight as I approach the dorms. There's just something off about Josephine Harding.
She doesn't belong here.
The omega is a little psychotic, to be sure.
But…she didn't kill anyone who didn't deserve it.
All alphas, all men who had a connection in some way or another to illegal activities.
Every single one at one point or another had been on trial for some kind of abuse and then miraculously found innocent.
All except her father, of course. But I couldn't really blame her for killing the old man if her medical records from ages four to seventeen are anything to go by.
It's not any worse than some of my closest friends have done.
We do what we do to survive. And Jo? It's clear that she's had to do a lot to survive.
She wasn't at dinner tonight, which made me prickle with worry.
So much worry, that I looped the camera feed for long enough to sneak into her room to check on her. A risky move, but it's nearly two in the morning and she should be dead asleep by now.
Gods, if West knew what I was doing…well, first he'd rip me a new one for putting our mission in jeopardy, and then he'd be a jealous fuck because he's just as wrapped around her finger as I am.
Holding my breath, I swipe the keycard when I get to her door, and silently push it open. The last thing I need is for her to kill me before I make it a single step inside her room.
The lump under the covers doesn't move though, and I let out a silent sigh of relief before stepping in and shutting the door behind me. I'm immediately hit with the scent of apple pie and vanilla ice cream. It's like the fragrance has seeped into the very essence of the room.
Fuck, that smells good. But…I shouldn't be able to smell anything. The doc had been bragging about the new concoction for the omega that would neutralize her scent as well—something they don't bother doing for the alphas.
My steps are silent as I approach the bed, and it's only by the little moonlight showing through her barred window that I'm able to make out her features.
She looks like a completely different person, her face at peace as her hair fans out softly behind her.
The omega sleeps on her stomach, with one hand under her pillow, and I idly wonder if she has a knife stashed under there.
I would be surprised if she didn't.
I find myself sinking to my knees next to the bed, intently watching her face as she sleeps. My hand reaches out of its own accord, and brushes a piece of hair away. I freeze, realizing what I've done, but she doesn't stir, and shake my head at myself.
I need to get out of here. I wanted to make sure she was okay, and she is, clearly. Right as I straighten out, a little noise leaves her and she shifts slightly.
"Mmmm." Her face rubs against the pillow, but her eyes stay closed. My heart stops, and I freeze in place. "Sammy-boy," she moans, and holy fuck.
Her hips tilt like she's grinding against the mattress, and another low moan leaves her.
She's having…a sex dream? About me? This is…unprecedented.
As quickly and quietly as I can, I slip out of her room. I don't dare stop moving until I make it out of the dorms, where I lean against the wall, trying to catch my breath, willing my painfully hard cock to go down.
This omega…she'll either be the death of me, or exactly what I've been looking for.