Chapter Fourteen
“We can grab something to eat at the diner on the way out.” Roman shifted his limited supply of clothing around in the suitcase, doing some quick mental math.
If there were a place in town where they might find some more clothes, it would be a good idea to hit it up before they left.
The fewer stops they made, the less likely they were to run into any trouble on the way to New Jersey.
They could meet up with the Mambas to ask them for a better variety of weapons because guns would not do the pain Roman wanted to inflict any justice.
They would have to go straight through Oregon, making sure not to creep back into Washington to keep the Ultima from crossing that state line.
The cops might be on the lookout for the plates now.
Taking the Ultima at all was a risk, especially if the investigation widened, but Roman would push it until they had to pick up a new vehicle.
Having to ditch the Ultima and pick up another car would be simple.
He would keep his eyes peeled for any suspicious police activity while he eyed a car they might snatch.
That would also let them avoid being pulled over with multiple fake IDs in the car; he should choose one and hide the others.
At least he didn’t have to worry about a credit card giving him away.
Thank the Goddess, most places still accepted cash. Credit cards left a paper trail.
Sidian sat on the padded trunk, fidgeting with the sleeves of his jacket.
He had on a long-sleeved, dark purple shirt that matched his eyes, paired with black jeans.
Pretty little thing; for a moment, the methodical planning slipped away in lieu of appreciation, and Roman imagined dragging his mate back into the nest and making him fall apart under his mouth all over again.
Sidian’s eyes snapped up to his. “Insatiable fucker, aren’t you?”
“You do that to me.” Roman cupped Sidian’s cheek, and his alpha thrilled when Sidian nuzzled into his touch with no hesitation, his eyelashes fluttering. “I can keep my knot under control, though. I promise.”
Sidian snorted up at him. “That, I don’t doubt. Hell of a lot sexier than a guy who’s on the edge of losing control.”
“I care little for the alphas who are like that.” If he could, Roman would kill them.
Sharp teeth nipped at the palm of his hand. “That’s why we’re mates, isn’t it? Because you’re the only alpha in the world who suits me like I need you to.”
“All I want to do is please you.” He pulled his hand away before he made a mistake, but the glowing grin he earned, sharp white canines exposed, was well worth it.
He zipped his suitcase shut and picked it up, and Sidian shouldered the leather bag.
The drawstring bags were out in the car, still filled with Sidian’s clothing from the center and Roman’s clothing from the mission.
Until he could find somewhere safe to dump them, they were staying right where they were.
Only took one curious person and one call to the police to blow everything wide open, and Roman had no desire to be considered a fugitive from the law.
The Vipers operated illegally. They didn’t have a choice.
Ouroboros’s money protected them mostly, giving them ample resources and paying off police and judges as need be.
The original founder of the organization had set up a sting and handed the law so much evidence about an omega trafficking ring they chose to look the other way, building the foundational precedent for the status Ouroboros had now.
But it would only take one moron to fuck it all up, and Roman did not intend to be that moron.
“We’re going to hit Main Street after breakfast,” he said, and Sidian bobbed his head in understanding.
“You see anything you think you need, let me know, but try not to grab too much so we can still travel light. If it’s not something we can fit into one bag, I’d prefer to leave it for now and spoil you with it later. ”
The corner of Sidian’s mouth twitches. “You seem like you make spoiling money.”
“First thing on the list is a big, cozy nest for you to laze around in all day.” Somewhere permanent, somewhere real, somewhere Sidian could load it up with all the pillows and blankets he could ever want.
Sidian leaned up on his toes, pecking Roman on the lips. “Long as I have you, I’ll have just about everything I could need.”
They checked out at the desk and loaded the car back up, though the nerves in Roman’s stomach wouldn’t be soothed until they were on the road.
While taking back roads came with certain risks—easy to be chased, easy to be cornered, and even if the Ultima was an off-road vehicle, the trees couldn’t be driven through—the reward outweighed the risks.
It would be so much harder for them to draw attention to themselves if they were out where no one was looking, and small-town police were rarely called in to work larger cases.
That was how it had to go until they were back with the Vipers. Once they made it to the Pit, Roman could finally breathe easy.
Fable waved to them from the counter while Sidian shot toward the table from yesterday, settling down in the booth with a relieved sigh.
Though he’d only been with Roman for a couple of nights now, he looked so much better.
His color was back, his eyes were glowing, and the dark circles were slowly fading away.
I can take care of him. I knew I could do it.
“Nice to see you two again this morning,” Fable said as she sidled up next to the table, notepad in hand. “Tell me what I can get for you this fine morning.”
“What my dog had yesterday,” Sidian said, nudging Roman’s foot under the table. “Double all the meat, though. I’m starving to death.”
Fable let out a nervous little giggle, only relaxing when she saw Roman didn’t even respond to the supposed jab, and scribbled down the order. “What to drink? We have decaf if you want it, but it’s pretty nasty, like you’d expect it to be.”
“Orange juice today sounds just perfect.” Sidian fluttered his lashes at Roman, and his chest tightened. He felt like a stupid fucking teenage boy all over again. “And what do you want for breakfast, Roe?”
“Pancakes sound nice today.” Something filling and heavy; he would need the energy while they were on the road. “And a side of sausage links, if you don’t mind, with black coffee.”
“Coming right up.” Fable turned and half-skipped back to the counter, and Roman wondered for a moment if she had a mate of her own somewhere.
She was sweet. He hoped someone treated her right.
“The one thing that I keep thinking about is something you mentioned last night,” Sidian said, and Roman blinked at him, stirred from his thoughts. “You said you’d leave the Vipers if I wanted you to. I’m not saying I do, but are you sure you’d be fine with doing that if I asked?”
What kind of question even was that? “I care more about your happiness than I do their mission. It was good to help, but…” But Sidian was more important. It was selfish, in a way, but Roman did not care. He would always put Sidian first. “But I would choose you, over and over.”
Sidian glanced around the diner before leaning across the table. “What, like… Is all the stuff you get up to? People talk, obviously, but everyone talks. I don’t think anybody knows shit.”
Sidian was right; talk meant nothing. Most alphas and omegas heard rumors about Ouroboros growing up because they remained a persistent thorn in the side of the beta-led government.
Most of the large-scale attacks on government facilities or buildings were attributed to them, though becoming a Viper meant discovering that half of those were blamed on Ouroboros for the sake of bad press.
Some of that blame was to allow the police to avoid the fact that they couldn’t find the culprits they were searching for.
And to this day, the police still refuse to admit when Ouroboros assisted in an investigation. Not that they ever asked for help, but every so often, goals aligned.
“Ouroboros is an organization run by a group of very elite alphas, omegas, and one epsilon. And that’s the boss.” Roman watched Sidian’s eyes widen. “Jagger is my captain, and he answers to the boss. In order to even be around alphas, Devereaux has to wear a gas mask.”
Sidian whistled and leaned back in his seat, his eyes wide with intrigue. “Guess it’s a good thing I’m an omega in case I ever meet him.”
The edges of Roman’s vision flickered crimson for just a moment.
Calm down right now. “The boss himself is harmless, at least to omegas. He runs the Vipers. Each leader hand-selects their teams and trains them. There are five more Vipers besides myself and the captain, and I assure you they’d all be thrilled to meet you. ”
“Do they know about me?” There was a halting quality to Sidian’s voice, an uncertainty that made Roman’s stomach twist. “I mean, not that you had to tell them about me, but—”
Roman cut him off. “We aren’t a close group. We’re not a pack. But the boss knows your name, like I said.”
“Right. Cool.” Sidian dropped a hand to his stomach, then shoved both of them behind his thighs, nervous, it seemed. “So, the whole breeding center thing. That’s your MO?”
“The boss’s, but yes. The Vipers occupy ourselves with that program while the other branches handle something else. The Mambas, for instance, prefer to focus their time and effort on taking down trafficking rings. The Cobras concern themselves with political work.”
“That’s so much shit to get into at nineteen. Well.” Sidian smiled, though it didn’t reach his eyes. “I mean, not that what I got into was any better, I guess.”
Roman reached across the table, and Sidian gave him his hand, letting their fingers twine together. “You were worth it. I was trained to be the alpha I needed to be for you, and I’m grateful for it. I’ll always be grateful for it.”
Fable bustled over a moment later with their plates and drinks, and Sidian dug into his food with vigor once again.
Roman made a mental note to plan more stops for hot food, though he had every intention of hitting a gas station on the way out to load up on as many snacks as possible.
Anything healthy he could lay his hands on, as well as anything that would keep well.
Sidian needed to continue eating as much as he wanted to reach a healthy weight, after all. Roman had to take care of him.
Sidian knocked their ankles together beneath the table just as Roman finished up his second pancake. “I appreciate it. I suck at showing it, I know, but I do fucking… Appreciate everything. You. You’re a damned miracle to me, Roe.”
Roman’s chest tightened. “That means a lot to me.”
Sidian nodded, stabbing his fork into his eggs. “I’ll try to do a better job at showing it because you do so much for me already. It’s the least I can do for you in return.”
It was second nature to insist it wasn’t necessary. “I’d like that, but don’t feel pressured.”
“I won’t.” A small, sweet smile made his heart beat even faster. “Not by you.”
Roman shoved a bite of pancake into his mouth to keep from tearing up in front of the handful of people in the diner, as well as his mate.
When he’d first met Sidian, when the first burgeoning attraction to him began, Roman didn’t know how to express it.
But seeing Sidian that night during the infiltration, scared and scrawny and ready to kill to protect himself, made it so easy to be sweet to him, to give him the easy affection every omega in the world deserved.
And Roman would keep doing it. He would never stop.
He left Fable a healthy tip for her services, his mind returning to planning as soon as they exited the diner.
A handful of stops and then back on the road until the fatigue hit him and they had to stop for the night. As late as possible, as far as possible. They could do this.
With Sidian at his side, there would be no stopping him.