14. Rigg
14
RIGG
I knew I was fucked. "Take us with you." Niles’s hands were curled protectively over the top of his rounded belly, and I knew there was no way I could leave him behind.
I dragged my hand through my hair, staring down the long highway toward our home. Our family. "Fine, but it's gonna be crazy. I’ll be working, gone a lot of the time, but you can stay with the other omegas. Alden said you and the kids are welcome. Grandpa Joel too, but I know he’ll want to be at home."
“Thank you, Rigg.” He leaned across the center console and threw his arms around my neck. “We won’t be in the way, and you won’t have to worry about us. And just as importantly, I won’t be worried about you by myself. I’ll have friends to support us.”
I nodded and briefly kissed the side of his head before Niles scooted back to his seat. It was clear that I was making the right choice. Maybe not the safest, but the right one. Niles needed a pack, and this wasn’t something he should have to do alone. “We’ll pack up the kids and head out there tonight. We’ll call it a camping trip.”
He shook his head and sighed. “They’re gonna be so excited to see other kids like them.”
* * *
Connor stood in the doorway with a little stuffed wolf, clutching it in one hand and pointing the other right at me. "Let’s go, Daddy Rigg. Our friends are waiting for us." He narrowed his eyes, like he was daring me to defy a three-year-old.
"If we stay up too late, we’ll miss breakfast tomorrow," Lily chimed in on her way to the car. “Let’s hurry so we can sleep fast and eat soon.”
I chuckled. “Did Grandpa Joel forget to feed you tonight?”
“No, but that was part of today’s food. I don’t want to miss tomorrow’s food.” These kids were too smart for their own good. “Are you ready yet?”
“Yeah, I’m ready.” I gave my grandpa a hug and thanked him for watching the kids. “Everyone in the car.”
Ever since learning that the labs were actually creating disposable soldiers and that our children might be the model they planned to use for mass production, I was particularly motivated to end this nightmare.
For us, for them, and for every other shifter or omega who could be hurt by them.
A few minutes later, we were back on the road, with the kids dozing off in their car seats and Niles shaking his leg to the music beside me. As much as my gut boiled at the thought of driving them into the belly of the beast, there were so many other shifters at River's Edge that they really would be safe there.
That was the only thing that would keep me focused while I took care of business.
There were also plenty of humans mixed into the population at River's Edge. That also brought me peace of mind. They would need more protection, so those left on pack lands would be fully secured.
“We’re gonna be okay, Rigg.” Niles held my hand as we drove into the unknown. “As long as we’re together, we’ll figure it out.”
Platitudes didn’t make me feel any better but having my family surrounding me did, so I just nodded and kissed the back of his hand. “Yeah, we’ll be fine. I’m sure of it.”
* * *
We drove into the center of River's Edge to a large house with kids and adults in various stages of arriving and leaving.
"What's that?" Lily pressed her nose against the window, and the excited words puffed into fog on the glass.
"The pack is setting up for an important meeting." I didn’t want to scare her, but I didn’t want to outright lie either.
"Thanks for coming, Rigg. Niles, it’s nice to meet you." Dax met us at the car when I came to a stop and stepped out. He was eager to get Niles and the children to a comfortable location. “I’d like to introduce you all to my omega Oscar and our young.”
We quickly did a round of intros before Oscar disappeared with Niles and the kids. The omegas were all setting up in one of the houses deeper in the woods. The weight that lifted off my shoulders knowing my family was safe while I focused on the enemy was tremendous.
“Thank you, Dax.” I turned to my new friend and slipped my hands into my pockets. “Not having to worry about them will help me stay focused.”
He smiled and clasped my shoulder. “I get it, buddy. We all get it. But we’re almost there. Things are moving fast, so by this time tomorrow, it could all be over.”
I didn’t let myself believe that was possible, but I didn’t argue with him. There was no place for negativity. I needed to believe I could take down the labs so I could actually do it.
Looking around at the groups of alphas gathering, I was impressed with the resources within the River's Edge pack. It seemed much bigger than I remembered. Not just bigger in size and community, but really well organized. Like a successful and functional corporate environment nestled deep in the woods.
They had allies scattered across the country, but this group felt powerful, and I was grateful I’d found them. The main command post for the whole mission was the house where I’d met with Alden previously. I went inside and greeted the army of alphas huddled around the table, all organizing teams, times, and locations.
They were working with the same single-mindedness I had to take down the labs once and for all.
The maps were of warehouses and abandoned military facilities that seemed to be the focus of the rescue efforts.
* * *
When that sick fuck at the bar had dropped his wallet, I had zero guilt snagging his ID. Jim Robinson was probably responsible for hundreds or maybe thousands of innocent lives being destroyed, so he deserved what was coming to him and everyone else who profited from hurting people like me and Niles…and Connor and Lily.
That ID helped me walk right into the real-time surveillance room at the convention center and connect to the network where they were already setting up for their big training. From there, finding locations, names, and schedules was easier than it should have been.
Every time I turned my back on a camera, I changed my face to someone who was supposed to be there. And every computer I passed was scanned and unlocked for the cloud team to do their part.
After that, it was a matter of rinse and repeat until every last one of the bastards was gone. There would be no survivors.