Chapter 2
Chapter
Two
Aries
“There you are,” David called out as I walked into the diner. His voice was a familiar smoker’s rasp that felt like home more than my trailer ever did.
The gray-haired alpha stood behind the grill flipping burgers. When he heard my footsteps he turned, then cursed.
“How the fuck am I going to have you up front looking like that?” he growled, though I knew the anger wasn’t directed at me. He’d never once raised his voice my way, just at my situation.
“Sorry, David. My designation hit. Mom didn’t take it well.”
Understatement.
“That woman is the fucking devil,” he added, yet another understatement. Even the devil wouldn’t want my mother.
He tried everything he could to back me up, even going as far as reporting her for neglect and abuse…
with pictures. But Mom had once again used her designation like a weapon, and they had given in.
It was disgusting. And not the first time someone tried to step in. I’d given up on that dream long ago.
“We’ve got dishes that need washing,” he said, shaking his head and hooking a thumb at the sink that was already piled high.
I knew he wished there was more he could do, but this was exactly what I needed from him. He gave me an escape.
I washed the dishes, avoiding eye contact with the other waitresses who were annoyed that I had to hide out again. David’s stern presence kept all of them from saying a word, and I appreciated him for it.
When the crowd started winding down and orders stopped coming in for a minute, David wandered back to me. I braced myself, knowing this conversation was unavoidable.
“You’ve gotta get out of there, girl.”
“Nikolai said he’d take me tonight,” I whispered back, finally meeting his eyes.
He nodded, looking relieved. I swear I was responsible for half the gray hairs on his head. “I’ll have your paycheck ready if you can man the grill for a minute.”
It wasn’t something he usually allowed. David wasn’t the type to let anyone run his shop for him.
I did as he asked, scraping off the remnants from the lunch rush and cleaning it for the next round of orders.
When he came back, he handed me an envelope.
“Is he picking you up from here today?”
“He is,” I confirmed, swallowing hard at the bulk of the envelope. Far more than one paycheck was in here.
David clocked my worry. “I’ve got a little bit more in there for you. You get somewhere safe. Today, you hang out as long as you need. Here’s my number, too. You call me if you run into trouble.”
“Thanks, David,” I croaked out as I took the paper from his hand.
I tucked the thick envelope into the front pocket of my jeans. The weight of it pressed against my thigh, a constant reminder of my impending escape.
Hope finally took hold, filling me up from the inside out. Just a few more hours, and I’d be free of this town forever. Truly, David was the only one I would miss. He was the closest thing I’d had to a parent all these years.
“I’m taking out the trash,” I called as I gathered up the kitchen garbage. My body protested the weight of it and I let out a low groan before swallowing it down and moving toward the door.
Once I was outside, I lifted the lid and tossed it in as quickly as I could to avoid the stench. When it was done, I leaned against the brick wall of the building, giving myself a moment to breathe.
It was the first time I’d gotten to truly breathe today. I've been so busy.
Footsteps had me standing straighter, turning around, expecting it to be Nikolai. My smile faltered as three large alphas came into view.
I turned, rushing back for the back door, but I wasn’t fast enough as they sprinted forward, closing in on me.
One of them snatched me, and I started screaming before a large hand slammed over my mouth.
“Don’t bother screaming, and don’t bother lying to us and telling us somebody’s coming. We heard you talking to that diner owner. It seems you’re just the kind of girl we’re looking for,” he rumbled in my ear, voice dripping with excitement.
My blood ran cold, the scream dying against his hand that was still locked over my mouth.
Desperation and fear had me fighting back, flailing my limbs and doing everything I could to escape. I couldn’t even feel the pain as I pushed back, though my vision was starting to blur.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “We’ll save you from the streets. This is a favor, really. A pretty, little omega like you would be a waste out here.”
I didn’t need saving. My alpha was already coming for me.
Who were these men?
Something sharp pricked into my neck before those questions could surface. Though, they wouldn’t have let me speak anyway.
Darkness quickly started closing in, my fight dying quickly as they held me tighter, finally letting go of my mouth. I sucked in a breath to scream but it died on my tongue.
They had won.
My last thought was of Nikolai before my mind gave into whatever they’d injected into my veins.