Chapter 31
Chapter Thirty-One
Rydell
Audrey seemed to have a problem with self-preservation. She’d gone to speak with the man who’d tormented her for years, learned information that would’ve rocked the foundation of most steady people.
Yet, here she was, ushering girls to safety and searching for the chief’s daughter like it was her job. Even thirty minutes later, we were still watching new groups of victims file past.
“I remember you,” a haunting voice said, startling Audrey. She spun around to face the omega.
She was a wraith of a girl. Her hair was so matted in the back it almost looked like an updo. Her features were sunken, and her eyes were the same shadowed hollows Audrey’s had been when she first arrived at ARC.
There was no recognition on Audrey’s face. That only infuriated the girl more. She had fire in her, I just wished it wasn’t directed at my omega.
“Figures you don’t recognize me,” the girl bit out with a scoff.
“What are you talking about? We’re here to help,” Audrey said, glancing at me for support.
I was two seconds from hauling the omega outside myself. We’d all been through shit, but you don’t blame the person trying to get you out of hell.
“Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten already.” Angry tears streamed down the girl’s cheeks now. “You promised me that Sam would be okay. Said no one would touch her. She wasn’t okay, was she?”
Audrey swallowed hard, and I squeezed her hand. Every bit of color drained from her face.
“I couldn’t have known,” she whispered. “Sam fought back, and I couldn’t stop them any more than you could have.”
“Then you shouldn’t have lied.” The girl’s voice cracked as she screamed. “Everyone in this place is a fucking liar.”
She shoved past, letting the flow of traffic pick back up behind her. Audrey cried silently at my side, and there was nothing I could do to make it better.
“She’s just upset because she lost someone else,” a small girl said, eyes sad. “There was a girl who was always really nice to us. She’s older than you. They said her time was up tonight, made her go to the auction. She took it the worst.”
“Did anybody ever call her caretaker?” Audrey asked, voice suddenly frantic.
“Yes—” she looked confused now but Audrey was already moving, racing through the halls. My legs were long enough to eat the distance, so I ran beside her instead of letting her go alone.
Alliance guards still clogged the corridors, but nobody tried to stop us. Our tactical gear probably helped.
She wound through the hallways with practiced ease, following the same path she’d taken earlier to reach the auction.
“Have you checked everywhere?” Audrey demanded of the first set of soldiers she reached. “The girls said we missed something.”
“There’s one final door. We think it’s his office but it has an electronic lock. We’re waiting on Colt to unlock it,” one answered.
“Where is he?”
“Right here, fighter. Give me a second,” Colt said as he strode up behind us, amused. Audrey didn’t spare him a glance, planting herself in front of the door.
Colt didn’t seem fazed as he crouched, pulling out a set of tools.
She watched closely, barely moving or breathing.
Colt pried off the handle so the wires were exposed underneath.
He swapped tools, digging around through the wires inside.
After a few moments, the scanner beeped angrily before powering down.
Audrey lurched forward, trying the handle, but it didn’t budge.
“Calm down, fighter,” Colt soothed. “We had to make sure it wouldn’t backfire or blow up, but I’m not quite done yet. Men like Seamus would rather detonate the entire place than let anyone find their secrets.”
He looked at me over his shoulder, then jerked his chin at the door. “Think you can give me a hand, big guy? I can wait for them to crack it, or you can help me now.”
“You want the lock off?” I clarified.
“Yes. I know what those dominant genes can do.” He stepped back, tugging Audrey with him.
My eyes narrowed the second his hand touched her, and I redirected that annoyance at the door. Her lack of reaction helped.
I gripped the base of the handle and pushed down, pouring everything into it. My muscles burned and protested, but I didn’t let up. It creaked, resisted, then clattered to the floor.
“Damn, that was kind of hot,” Audrey murmured, catching my hand and massaging the tight muscles, checking I hadn’t hurt myself. A crooked smile formed on my lips as I watched her fawn over me.
She met my strength with delicate touches. Something I never thought I’d have.
“Okay you two, this isn’t the place. Let’s see what’s inside,” Colt said, starting to push the door open.
“Don’t come in here! I’ll fight!”
Audrey’s eyes widened at the desperate scream from inside the room. She looked at me, then back at the door. “That’s her.”
“Who?” Colt asked.
“What’s the chief’s daughter’s name?” Audrey asked instead of answering. “I only knew her as the caretaker and can’t remember what the file said now.”
“Elizabeth,” Colt supplied.
“Elizabeth,” Audrey called toward the door, knocking, but not pushing the door open. “My name is Audrey. I’m friends with your father. He sent us to get you. It’s over. Seamus is in custody. Most of the guards are dead or detained, and the auction has been cleared.”
“My dad sent you?” came a shaky voice in response.
“He did,” I promised. “He’s been looking for you. It’s gone slower than he wanted, but he never gave up.”
A soft sob filtered through the door and Audrey nodded at me. I eased the door open and scanned the room.
It was a pompous office with dark wood furniture and a regal leather chair and matching couch. A cold, empty fireplace was surrounded by messy bookshelves. The art on the wall was some abstract piece that looked like angry paint splotches.
A small omega was tucked between a leather couch and the wall.
Audrey dropped to her knees in front of Elizabeth. She didn’t touch her, just leaned close.
“How?” Elizabeth asked, eyes flicking to Audrey’s chest where the marks were obscured. She knew exactly who Audrey was and what she’d survived. “How are you alive?”
“Spite and vengeance,” Audrey deadpanned. “We all survived in any way we could. All that matters is that you’re alive, so let’s keep it that way. Come on, your dad is waiting.”
“If he’s waiting, why didn’t he find me before now?”
“This place was well hidden. They didn’t dump her nearby. He had no way to find you,” I told her, as gently as I could. She was a skittish, cornered animal, and I didn’t want to spook her.
“Then how did you find me?” she demanded.
“Me,” Audrey admitted. “They let an alpha tear me apart then dumped me when they thought I was dead. I was left in a ditch to die. I wanted to watch this place burn, so I stayed alive long enough to do it. Finally remembered something that led us here.”
“What’s the point of all the resources the Alliance has if they couldn’t find me?”
“They tried, but like I said, these people were professionals. There was nothing he could have done differently. So… do you want to stay here angry and alone, or do you want to go see your dad?”
Elizabeth stared at Audrey for a long moment. “What’s he like now?” she whispered, tears slipping freely. “Is he… alone?”
“Sad,” Audrey said honestly. “He feels like he failed you. Sometimes, when you lose someone, people cope…badly.”
She hesitated but Elizabeth didn’t let it go. “Tell me.”
“They blamed him.”
“Mom did that a lot,” Elizabeth said flatly. “They fought about his job. He said his work was too important to give up. Then they took me. I didn’t let them break me for so long. Convinced myself he’d come. He just never did.”
“I’m sure he never expected this job to cost him so much,” Audrey said.
“Well, it did.” The pain in those words made my chest ache for her.
“Elizabeth!” the chief’s voice thundered through the building, echoing down the halls.
She flinched, then let Audrey help her to her feet and stepped toward the sound. The chief appeared at a dead run, boots pounding, desperation etched on his face.
“Elizabeth,” he choked out before he crushed her to him. “I’m so sorry. I’m so fucking sorry.”
I caught Audrey’s hand and led her out, giving them privacy to reconnect. Our job here was done.
“We did it,” Audrey whispered as we walked back toward the front.
“You did,” I said. “You did the right thing. Don’t let that girl’s words stick to you.”
She smiled sadly. “As much as I hated hearing them, she wasn’t wrong. I promised her that her sister would be fine. I didn’t want her to worry back then.”
“I don’t think there was any avoiding the worry. But you tried to do the right thing. That matters.”
“I’m tired,” was all Audrey said. “I’m ready to get back to ARC. I just wish we were heading home instead.”
“You just saved hundreds of lives and brought the chief’s daughter home. I have a feeling that’s going to be much easier now than we thought.”
When we reached the lobby, Ares was waiting… and he was livid.
“Where did you go? Why would you go without me?” he thundered. “You were supposed to wait.”
Audrey didn’t even spare him a glance as she kept walking.
“Why are you walking away from me?” he pushed, stepping closer.
I turned and stepped between them. “Back up, Ares.” My voice was flat and firm.
He scoffed like I was the one overreacting.
“You need to take a walk and chill the fuck out. She’s been through enough.
Audrey was strong enough to be here, and you’re hung up because you couldn’t see her the whole time.
You had a job to do. I kept her safe and I don’t need your permission to take her anywhere here.
You may have more access to the world than the rest of us, but you’re not the only voice that matters in this pack. ”
I left him there and followed Audrey outside to the vehicle Cooke was waving us toward.
The drive back to ARC was silent. When we arrived, I didn’t dread walking back into the building. I just wanted a shower to wash that place off me and to make sure Audrey was okay.