Chapter 9
We had our Omega back.
There was no way we were giving her up. I didn’t care what the others said.
A two-year-old was definitely unexpected, but I could pivot.
Really unexpected.
I was the one who’d found Glade. I thought I’d known the deal.
My instincts were at war as I took the outer stairs to the basement of the huge High Roller building, gun tucked into my belt at the back. On one hand, someone had fucked my mate, so… a hunt. On the other there was a two-year-old, so… Well. With a kid involved, that seemed a little fucked up.
Could I just catch him and put him in a cage somewhere? Just in case we needed bio-dad for some reason.
Unless he was a deadbeat. Then it would be fine to gut him—right? Even Zed would be on board for that.
She’d told me her room number was right next to a back basement exit. It was still a bit of a pain to slip past security to the backdoor—it was a damn good thing they were preoccupied with Forbes tonight.
The Brotherhood members seemed to have mostly cleared out. If any were lingering here, they weren’t watching the back entrance of Glade’s place.
Only, when I opened the door with Glade’s key, I didn’t see any immediate signs of a two-year-old at all.
I peered around her room. It was a nice space, if small, with a punching bag hanging from the ceiling. Looked a bit like a dorm room, which meant they probably shared a common space.
No sign of a nest though. I shoved that back, focusing.
Shouldn’t there be signs of like… a small human in here?
But the bathroom looked normal. It was full of scattered makeup and far more bottles of soap than any human could sanely use, but no diapers or potty.
I frowned, upturning her bedding like a giggling kid was going to tumble out.
Where the fuck were we going to put a two-year-old in our warehouse? How big were they on average?
The lighting in our place was crap except we needed new curtains. No kid was going to sleep with all that. Maybe those big, old cupboards we didn’t use in the kitchen? A kid could fit in one of those, right? Like a wall-mounted bassinet or something… We’d have to lock it in case they rolled, but I could stuff it with extra blankets. Cut holes… Hmm… No. That was a nest.
I was thinking of Omegas. Or birds, maybe.
It’d be fine.
Glade would figure it out.
I drew myself up from peering under the bed to re-assess.
Where the hell was she keeping her kid?
Something was wrong. I got to my feet, examining the room again. I was good in a fight, not a baby hunt. Maybe Knight should have come.
Being in this amazing smelling home would definitely not help how close he was to a rut. The shoot-out had helped, but he needed a little more. Possibly, if I was a brat enough, I could be that little more.
As I glanced around again, I spotted a fluffy brown cat poking its head up from beneath the bed.
We stared at each other for a long moment before it padded over.
“Hi,” I said. “I’m looking for Lucy.” The cat rolled on its back and let out a meow. “Actually, I’m in a bit of a hurry?—”
Oh.
Oooohhhhh.
“Lucy?”
A… cat?
Oh, thank God.
No one had fucked my mate—and cats were cheaper, anyway.
I reached down to pick it up, but it straightened lightning fast and took a swipe at me.
Dammit.
I lunged, trying to grab it up, but for something so round, it was certainly fast, darting out of my way and diving back under the bed.
I ducked down to see a pair of white orbs reflecting back at me from the dark. I swiped for it, but it—she—backed up. I could upturn the bed but she was quick.
“Why are you being so difficult?” I sighed, sitting back and scratching my head before coming to the only rational solution. “Look. I’m sorry. Not personal. Really.”
I tugged the metal vial from my back pocket, pulled the top, then tossed it under the couch.
The gas was invisible and odourless, nothing a cat would be alert for.
I’d be fine. Had no effect on me, I laced a bit into my joints at least once a week now—though it had been more frequent when I’d started. I just got a bit of a high.
Grinning stupidly, I lowered my head. No more glowing orbs. Thank God it had worked. Though… come to think of it. After I’d dragged Lucy out, I poked her, trying to find a pulse, which proved difficult with so much fur. I breathed a sigh of relief as I heard a purr rumble to life in her chest.
Perfect.
Glade might have killed me.
She might have a bit of a kitty headache, but it was nothing compared to what would happen if the Brotherhood found her in Glade’s apartment.
I didn’t put cat cruelty past Ace at all.
I went back to her room to grab her gym bag and stuff it full of clothes—who knew how long she’d be staying, then I scooped Lucy back up in my arms and made for the sliding door.
I’d never had a pet, but she was kind of cute: caramel coloured, with an obscene amount of fluff, and a big bushy tail. And she was kind of big for a cat. That was a good thing. If I did have one, I preferred a pet big enough to hug.
Good call from Glade, really. Lucy would be a perfect addition to our family.
I know Zed and Knight were furious about what we’d just got tangled in, but I wasn’t. Our pack was tied to the Brotherhood. Couldn’t help it. The question wasn’t if Ace would come for us, it was when.
Zed might deny it, Knight might tell me not to waste my time worrying about shit that I wasn’t sure about, but that was the thing.
I was sure.
Knight cared all too much about me, but there were parts even he couldn’t reach. Parts that knew Ace would never truly leave Zed behind because Ace and I, we weren’t that different.
Two sides of the same coin. Same people, different paths.
I supposed I did have Knight to thank for that. Without him, I’d have never packed up. Without him, I might be as lonely as Ace.
Re-adjusting Lucy in my arm and readying my gun in my other, I hurried up the steps toward the new spot we’d parked, still grinning stupidly and trying to stay alert for watching eyes.
Come to think of it, I’d be even less lonely now and even further from Ace, because I had my girl back.