15. Delilah
Chapter fifteen
Alarms blare into the night as Joker practically drags me away from the facility, the two of us surrounded on all sides by the masked men who “rescued” us.
If I’m being completely honest with myself, I’m not sure kidnapping really counts as rescue, but I’m not in a position to argue.
It gets me away from the torture disguised as therapy.
I’m winded quickly as Joker pulls me along with this group toward the shadows just outside the glow of the streetlights.
Blended almost perfectly is a black van, pulled just off the side of the road under the cover of some brush.
The group moves silently, two of them moving to the driver and front passenger seat while Joker pulls me to the back, along with Bones and the other massive alpha.
I catch myself as the van lurches backward and then forward again, pulling onto the road and driving away from the facility.
There are several long, painfully silent heartbeats where no one moves, or even seems to breathe.
I’m stuck in the middle of the tiny space, the only light coming from a bank of computers to one side.
But even in the soft blue light, I can still see the look of rage and undisguised disgust looking back at me from behind Bones’s mask.
“What the fuck is this?” he spits, not at me, but to Joker behind me.
A low growl fills the van and the other large alpha steps closer, needing to duck to avoid hitting his head. A gentle hand on my arm pulls me back, Joker tucking me against his side and holding me close.
“This is Delilah,” Joker says, half growling.
“I don’t fucking care what her name is, Joker. I want to know why the omega is in my van,” Bones snaps.
I whimper and tuck closer to Joker’s side. One of his hands comes up to hold my head against the crook of his arm. But to my surprise, the other alpha steps up and grabs the front of Bones’s tactical vest and pulls him around slightly with a harsh growl.
“Mind your fucking manners, Maverick, before I mind ‘em for ya,” he snarls, words painted with a deep southern accent.
The cabin of the van fills with alpha pheromones, making my knees weak and eyes water. After months of soft, docile omega scents, this much dominant alpha scent in the air makes me a little dizzy, and I lean heavily on Joker, turning my face to hide it in his shoulder.
I hear some shuffling and then I feel, more than see, a presence beside me. Tentatively, I look up to find Bones behind the other alpha, who’s looking down at me with kind, clear blue eyes.
“Hey, sweetheart. Name’s Phantom. I’m sorry we’ve been less than welcoming to ya,” he says, voice low and soothing.
I look at Phantom with one eye, but a low growl from behind him pulls my attention.
“We’re not welcoming her.”
Bones’s words hit me like a whip crack, and I shrink down, shaking slightly. I drop my eyes and try to stay quiet in Joker’s arms.
“Yes the fuck we are,” Joker snaps.
“Have either of you asked what the omega wants?” a male voice from the front of the van shouts.
There’s a long heartbeat of silence as the words sink in. Then both Bones and Phantom look at me expectantly, though one of those looks is significantly kinder than the other. I don’t know what to say, because I don’t know what I want, except I know I don’t want to go back to Love Wins.
Phantom lets out a sharp sigh, rubbing his masked face slightly. “D’ya got any family ya’d like help contactin’? Parents? Siblings?” he asks, slightly exasperated.
I shake my head mutely, and Joker nuzzles my temple.
“Of course she doesn’t. No one in that place has anyone who could come looking for them when they go missing,” the other omega explains, voice sympathetic as he rubs my back slightly.
“So you’ve brought home a stray? Just fucking great,” Bones bites out, a growl taking over his words.
“She’s a person, you fucking wanker. And she’s staying with me.” Joker raises his voice and holds me somehow even closer.
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” a new voice calls from the front of the van. Not male, but not really distinctly female either.
“Thank you, Siren. Finally someone with some common—”
“They just put out an APB for your girl, Jokes. We’ll be lucky to get out of the city before they set up road blocks,” the voice, Siren, calls back.
“Floor it, Cross. We’re getting out,” Bones snaps half turning to face the front.
The van sways as the engine roars, picking up significant speed now. Bones turns back around, his amber eyes locking onto mine, my whole body going cold and still. Two of his steps closes the distance, and his massive, gloved hand wraps around my upper arm, fingers touching easily.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Joker asks harshly.
I yelp as Bones yanks me, not acknowledging the question. Joker tries to hold on, but the alpha is stronger, and a loud, wordless bark has us both going limp for a moment. It’s just long enough for Bones to start dragging me toward the door.
“Hold up just a sec, B. Let’s be smart about this,” Phantom says, standing between Bones and the sliding side door with his hands raised.
Joker recovers before me, and lurches forward, grabbing my other arm and trying to pull me away from Bones. The hold on my arm tightens and I whimper, not that Bones acknowledges my pain.
“I’m dealing with the problem. Now move!” Bones snaps loudly, yanking me again as Joker tries to pull me back.
My arms ache in their sockets as Joker tries to pull me free, shouting and cursing up a storm.
His accent gets thicker, a sour honey note filling the air.
Fear. His fear sets off my instincts, and I start trembling, my knees going weak under me.
I look up with silent, pleading eyes, tears burning the edges of my vision.
“Maverick, we are going eighty on the highway. You are not going to throw someone out the side of the vehicle with us going this fast. It’ll kill her,” the male voice, Cross, says from the front, still trying to reason with the maniac practically breaking my arm from how hard he’s squeezing it.
“THEN SLOW DOWN!” Bones roars.
I whine and try to cower, closing my eyes. My chest heaves with panicked breaths and I try to pull away, not that I get anywhere. I don’t dare turn on him and try to fight, not when he’s looking at me like he’s waiting for an excuse to discipline me.
But then a new hand lands on my shoulder, warm even through the gloves. I look up and find Phantom nose to nose with Bones, a deep growl echoing from his massive chest. The cabin fills with the smell of sea salt, water, and seaweed, a stormy sea leveled at the other alpha beside me.
“Let her fucking GO. Before I make you.”
Bones’s fury tastes like a forest fire, all brimstone, ash, and destruction.
Phantom’s anger is quieter, but somehow all the more potent for it.
The thunderstorm that washes away the flames.
And in that moment, I see the flicker of something Bones’s eyes as he looks down at me.
The glance is too short for me to read it, but his grip loosens enough for Joker to finally pull me to the sealed back of the van.
I don’t look up as Joker guides me down into a gap between a shelving unit and the doors.
The little area is soft and comfortable with blankets and pillows, creating a small, mobile nesting area.
I curl up and accept the blanket the other omega offers, hiding under it completely as Joker sits down in front of me, guarding me from the alphas.
I put a hand to my mouth to muffle my soft sobs as I bury my face in my knees when I hug them to my chest. I try to stay quiet enough to not be heard over the roar of the engine, eventually crying myself into an exhausted unconsciousness.