54. Red
Chapter fifty-four
Red
Sixty-six hours.
Heat fever ravages me for sixty-six hours—not counting the ones I cut corners with thanks to suppressants—keeping me hostage to a dark past that burrows into my mind with relentless destruction. And then, near dawn on the fourth day, it vanishes like a phantom.
I jolt awake, clear-headed but weak. The fever’s gone, but in its wake burns a single throbbing need. I wince as I sit up and take in the broken clock strewn across the floor and the stained cushions. Empty water bottles litter the room, twinkling under the downlights, and at some point, I hauled a bunch of books off the shelves. And fuck, the stench. Powerful omega haze combines with slick, sweat, vomit, and other bodily functions I don’t even want to think about.
Then my gaze falls on the hacked-off doorway. Callisto really sawed up his own house to accommodate me.
I need to overcome this, or next time I really might burn the apartment down.
Gingerly I roll to my feet, swaying as a wave of lightheadedness hits me. When I step forward, a protein bar skitters away from my foot, sliding across the floorboards. I can see one empty wrapper on the floor, but other than that, all I’ve had is water and some chocolate milk for three days.
I rest my hand on the door handle and suck in a deep breath as the lock clicks open.
Someone dragged a mattress downstairs. Callisto and Rickon lie there spooning, Callisto with one arm over my alpha’s hip, snoring heavily in the semi darkness. Or maybe they’re both my alphas now? That’s something Calli and I will need to discuss because one crazy heat doesn’t change the fact he rejected me.
Between them, these two men kept me company for every waking moment of my evil heat.
Spread around them is evidence of the vigil they’ve kept with me: towels, water bottles, extra blankets, wipes. Their discarded shoes jumble in a heap at the foot of their mattress. I whisper their names, but they’re so deeply asleep neither one stirs. Damn, they’re cute together. Let them sleep.
Love blossoms in my heart. To repay these men, I need to fix what’s wrong with me. And that starts with tracking down the alpha voice wailing inside my brain.
Without disturbing them, I tiptoe upstairs and quietly shower, and then pack myself a backpack. When I head back downstairs, Rickon’s turned over and nuzzled into his childhood love’s chest.
When I find a pen but not paper, I scribble a message on the wall behind the door, blow them a kiss, and silently let myself out, sucking on a yogurt pouch I found in the fridge. It’s dark and cold out, but Rickon’s favorite knitted sweater blocks most of the chill as I take the lonely subway.
Dawn rises while I’m underground, and the new day greets me as I emerge at the junction near the studio. I buy more breakfast to soothe my grumbly stomach at the twenty-four-hour station cafe; then I take my time walking the mile to the studio.
It’d be nice if I could soothe the grumbling voice in my head just as simply, but that’s not how life goes. My other alpha is out there somewhere, and they’re in trouble.
The morning staff wave sleepily to me as I head into the studio. After a week of table reads and fittings, I’m a familiar face around here. Familiar enough to let myself into the costume shed, as everyone calls it, and help myself to wardrobe outfits I might need where I’m going.
And where am I going?
A little place called Darinian City.
I pack my new clothes into a suitcase from the props shed and take a taxi to the airport. It’s amazing how a little flash of my Omega Center-issued ID and a swipe of my shiny new credit card—my own one, not Callisto’s—gets me loaded on a plane within an hour. Quite efficient, really. I lean my face against the window as we taxi out, butterflies flocking in my belly.
So many times I’ve watched people get on flights via the TV screen, but now I’m really doing it. Just like horse riding and acting in a movie. I’m living a real life now.
A stranger slides into the seat next to me and for a moment I wish I had woken Rickon and asked him to come. But I don’t really have the words to explain what I’m doing. And I don’t know how they’ll look at me after what we just went through.
But if I come back with a solution so I can promise it’ll be different next time, maybe we’ll have an actual future together.
I wiggle my toes in excitement as the plane trundles onto a network of landing strips. Out the window, lines with letters and numbers painted on the ground crawl by, like some foreign language with a meaning I can’t comprehend. Somehow the pilot knows which path to take and the engines roar.
We jerk forward and the airport buildings speed past the windows. The plane lurches and then the ground drops away. My fingers tighten in the armrests as pressure stings between my ears, one that’s different from my alphas’ buzzing. With a small whine, I clap my hands over my ears, trying to relieve the pressure.
“First time flying?” the man beside me asks.
I nod, wincing.
He offers me a pack of gum. “Try this. I hate the pressure change too, but chewing something will help your ears adjust.”
Gingerly I take a stick out and unwrap it. When I pop it in my mouth, the strong mint flavor burns my tongue a little, but the very first chew makes my ears unblock. I turn to him in surprise. “Wow, that does help, thanks.”
He grins.
I’d be happy to talk more, but I don’t want to miss the view out the window. I press my face back to the glass to peer out. Laversham’s as small as a jigsaw puzzle below us, the tall towers and suburban houses all the same from this angle. Even the giant Ommywood tower looks like a toy.
“What’s taking you to Darinian?” my seatmate asks over my shoulder. “Business or pleasure?”
“Something life-threatening,” I reply without thinking, watching the view turn into a patchwork quilt of green, brown, yellow, and blue. Somewhere below stands the mountain over the illegal hub that held me captive for more years than I can remember. At least that’s been dealt with. Although, as Callisto says, the perpetrators haven’t been brought to justice yet.
My answer makes the man stiffen. “Oh, I’m sorry.”
I flash the stranger a smile. “No need. How about you?”
“I run a transport company in Darinian. I came up this way to see family ’cause my sister just had a baby. Wanna see a picture?” He beams and I agree simply because he’s so enthusiastic. He shows me a woman in a hospital bed clutching a tiny, wrinkly infant wrapped in a pink blanket.
“Congratulations, uncle,” I murmur, reaching over to zoom in on the little one. The idea of babies is as foreign to me as the directions painted on the runway. I never had the luxury to dream about the things real families do—all I had was survival. Maybe the true beauty of being an actress will lie in playing all these life roles that were never an option before.
A reader may live a thousand lives, but an actress makes them real.
Time must run differently in the atmosphere, because it seems like we’ve just taken off and then the pilot announces we’re coming in to land at our destination. The guy, Lionel, offers me another stick of gum for the descent. He shuffles in his seat, casting glances at me like he’s nervous about something, but it takes him until we’re walking up the corridor in the airport to spit it out.
“Um, Red? Forgive me for prying, but if you need anything, well, it sounds like you’re going through something difficult.”
I stop walking and stare at him. Before meeting Rickon, I never knew anyone who would offer help without expecting something in return. Or taking whatever they wanted. Could it be possible for nice people to exist?
“You ever worked with the OCB?” I ask, more musing my thoughts out loud.
He nods. “Sure. Sometimes, if they get a bust that’s too big, they call us in.” He digs into his pocket for a wallet and offers me a business card. I read the details: Wired Logistics. You call, we haul. The slogan makes me chuckle and he flashes a toothy grin. “Yeah, my pack came up with that, mostly for kicks, but it stuck.”
“Thanks,” I say, waving the card to indicate what I mean. “I could use help finding my luggage, and then if you could put me in a taxi to the main Bureau here, I’d appreciate it.”
“I could give you a lift?” he offers.
I eye him up and down. He’s not an alpha, but I’m still on high alert, traces of heat lingering sluggishly in my system. “Thanks, but I’ll have to decline.”
He nods. “No problem. Baggage claim is this way. Feel free to call that number if you end up needing help.” His gaze slides my way. “With your life and death problem.”
I salute him with the card and tuck it into my bra, simply because I don’t want to go digging through my bags.
Half an hour later, I walk into the Darinian Omega Crimes Bureau. My skin crawls as I recall my last encounter with one of these places, but I pull myself together and remember my purpose.
The receptionist at the ground floor counter smiles warmly. “Hello. How can I help you?”
“I’m trying to get in touch with Rose. I think her alpha works here.”
“Rose who?”
I shrug. “Not sure.”
Crevasses form in her brow. “That’s not much to go on. What was it about?”
I glance around at the corporate-looking fixtures. Photos of the unfamiliar cityscape line the walls high up where no one can reach them. “I come from the same illegal center as her—the hub the OCB shut down in Laversham. The omega found here told them about it.”
Her eyes fly wide. “Oh my gosh, I know who you mean. Please wait a moment.”
I nod and lean on the counter as she dials her phone. Guess Rose is famous around here.
The admin lady smiles into her phone. “Hello, Agent Colt. Could you come to the front desk? I have a lady here who claims to know your omega.”
Colt. So he’s the man who claimed our O-4. I’ll wait until I see if she’s happy before I pass judgement.
The elevators ding open and a broad, ginger-haired alpha strides toward me. “Hi, I’m Agent Colt. How can I help?” He smells like a jar of orange marmalade.
I have to look up a foot to meet his eyes. “My name’s Red. Used to be O-11. I want to see Rose.”
He mouths the moniker as he blinks twice, and then nods. Looks like he’s quick on the uptake. “I’ll need to grab my things and let the boss know where I’m going.” He pauses and takes another look at me. “If you’re comfortable riding with me, I can take you to meet her, or, if you prefer, I can ask my beta partner to ride with us or drive you separately.”
Thoughtful too. I lean in and press my nose to his shoulder. Rose’s thick floral scent lingers all over him. He means what he says. “Okay,” I say simply. “I’ll be fine.”
After a quick ID check, I wait in the foyer, and Agent Colt races back within ten minutes and leads me into the parking lot underground. He opens the door for me, and I add another point to his score.
Colt clears his throat as he drives out of the car park, the light shifting as we emerge from underground. “The trafficking hub was raided a couple of months back.”
“Mm-hmm. That’s how they found me.” I trace my finger along the armrest. “The other omegas and I spoke with Rose not long after and she told us a bit of her story. That’s how I knew to come here.”
He slides a wary glance in my direction. “Does the Laversham Center know where you are?”
I snort. “I suppose you’re obligated to ask that. Yes, they do, and yes, I have a pack.” It’s just missing a member or two. I keep that tidbit to myself.
He lifts his fingers on the steering wheel as if in apology. “Sorry, but I was just surprised to find an omega from your situation traveling on her own.”
I lean my arm on the window frame and watch the city go past. The thick traffic appears the same as my city, but more cyclists use the road here. “I get it, but I’m a little different from O-4, I mean Rose, and the others.”
“I can see that.” He hums under his breath.
I can’t help shrinking away from him because inside a small space like this, his alpha presence is overwhelming. And the mixed scents on him burn my nose. I roll the window down for some relief and Colt turns on the radio, keeping it low, I think in an attempt to soothe me. His phone dings several times, and Colt smiles with each noise.
“How has Rose been?” I ask, looking for a way to distract myself.
“Good. She’s been with us for a couple of months now. It’s all still pretty new, but she’s brought us more joy than we could imagine.”
We pull into the driveway of a cute, red-brick suburban house. Agent Colt turns off the engine and swivels to face me. “Before we go inside, I need to warn you about something. We have two insane alphas in cages inside the house. Yellow lines are marked on the floor, and I must ask, please don’t cross the lines. Those men are dangerous and have killed and maimed before. If you do get too close to the lines, the other alpha inside or I will physically move you away. Understood?”
I whistle. “And Rose is safe in there?”
He smirks, and it’s a sexy, dangerous look. “Who do you think brought them home?”
His comment startles a laugh out of me. “Rose did? Shit, I need to hear this story.”
Colt grins and gets out of the car. “Come on, then. She’s so excited she’s been texting every five minutes to see how close we were. We have quite the family to introduce.”
I throw open the car door. This is turning into a real adventure and I can’t help feeling one step closer to where I need to be.