Chapter Two #2
“First, I’m taking you to my car so your scent will be contained and not draw in every alpha passing by. Then we’re going to figure out what to do to take care of you.”
If I was struggling to focus it had to be twice as hard for her, but she managed to dip her chin in acknowledgment.
I didn’t slow as I hit the sidewalk, carrying her towards the sleek, black SUV I drove.
The guys made fun of me sometimes for getting something so plain and utilitarian when most of them had some type of sports or luxury car, but the space inside it had come in handy more than once, and it drew less attention.
With the things I sometimes had to do, that was worth more than anything a flashy car had to offer.
Walking to the back door on the passenger side, I waved my foot under the running board before stepping back so the door could open.
I couldn’t count the number of times my hands had been full when I needed to get into my car, and the upgrade to have automatic openers was another reason I loved my SUV.
Leaning into the opening, I placed Paige on the seat. She looked dazed, blinking at me as she straightened, and she didn’t resist as I reached over her to buckle the seatbelt.
“Stay here. I need to take care of something, and then I’ll see to you.”
Tongue slipping between her lips to wet them, her nostrils flared, and more of the blue disappeared from her eyes, but she nodded.
I wanted that dazed look and mussed hair to be because of me.
I managed to shut the door before my groan escaped, but I had to adjust myself as I put my back to the vehicle before jogging back the way we’d come.
She wasn’t doing it intentionally, but she was killing me with her looks and scent, plus the little whimpers and whines she’d let out as I carried her.
Shaking away the thoughts of what I wanted to do to her, I let determination settle over me as I took the stairs three at a time back to the third floor.
Some might think I was taking it too far, but I didn’t like leaving loose ends, and without knowing the full story between Paige and the three alphas I’d taken down to free her, I wasn’t willing to leave things as they were.
They were still picking themselves up off the ground when I came down the walkway into view of their apartment.
The one with the dislocated shoulder had sat up and put his back to the wall, while the other tried to move the unconscious one into the apartment.
Whoever I’d heard on the stairwell must have thought it best to stay out of things since there was no one else around.
The two who were conscious flinched away when they noticed me, the one closest to the door bailing on the other two and slamming it between us. I didn’t stop the grin that split my face at his reaction, and the other trying to push himself up the wall to get away only fanned my ego further.
With a hand on his shoulder, I shoved him back down, his ass meeting the concrete with a pained grunt as my fingers dug into twisted muscle.
“Hey man, it’s over. You got her. There’s no need to—”
“Shut up.”
His gulp was audible as I plastered my hand over his mouth the way he had held Paige, except I let my grip tighten, making his skin blanche as my fingers dug in.
“Do you know her? Lying to me would be a mistake.”
He barely hesitated before shaking his head as much as I’d allow.
“Did you kidnap her?”
He tried to shake his head again, eyes wide, almost vibrating in my grip as he clutched his dislocated arm to his chest. He seemed on the verge of pissing himself, and while I usually relished that level of fear, I didn’t have time for games with Paige waiting in my car.
“You’re supposed to be an alpha. That means protecting the weaker dynamics, not preying on them. Do you want me to do to you what you were planning to do to her?”
His eyes widened further, his nostrils flaring as he desperately tried to suck air past my hand. I would never do what I threatened, but he didn’t know that.
The whimper that came from him when he shook his head again brought my grin back, and I used my grip on his face to pull him away from the wall, leaning down until my nose almost touched his.
“If I ever hear of you even speaking to another omega, I’ll remove the only part of you they’d be interested in. And if you even think about my omega again, I’ll make you and your buddies disappear. Slowly. Painfully. Understand?”
He tried to say something through my palm as I forced his head up and down in a nod, never releasing his gaze. I could still smell traces of Paige’s scent on him, and it made me want to rip his jaw off, but I forced myself to let go and straighten from my crouch.
“You should be more careful. Next time you fall down the stairs, you might not be lucky enough to make it through with only a dislocated shoulder.”
Scrambling backwards on his ass until he ran into the alpha still unconscious on the ground, he nodded vigorously.
“I understand,” came his hoarse whisper.
Chuckling, I turned to head back to my car, using thoughts of what it would smell like to get me past the door at the opposite end of the hall.