54. Delilah
Chapter fifty-four
When I look in the mirror, I genuinely don’t recognize myself. Which I suppose is the point.
Siren pulled clothes out that were baggy on both of us, hiding the differences in our body shapes, especially once the tactical vest went on.
I’d braided my hair into a long singular plait that’s easily hidden under my hoodie, held in place with my very own balaclava.
It matches Siren’s perfectly, and standing side by side with them is almost uncanny.
“It’ll have to do,” Siren sighs, voice muffled slightly as they put on their helmet.
“As long as I don’t have to run anywhere, I’ll be fine,” I say, trying for a joke.
Siren snorts a laugh as they turn to look at me.
We’re almost eye to eye now, thanks to the boots and the wads of paper towels we’d shoved into them to help boost my height.
We’re quiet as they buckle a helmet onto my head.
It’s a little loose, but there’s nothing that can be done about that.
For a moment, our eyes connect, and my expression softens slightly.
I haven’t had much time to really consider how I’m going to address the elephant standing between us in the room, but I don’t think I’ll be able to avoid the topic once the mission is over.
For now, I look away and clear my throat, stepping back with a blush that’s hidden behind my mask.
“Alright you two. Time to vacate the premises so I can get to work,” Joker says, poking his head into the room.
I jump slightly, but nod, turning around and heading out of Siren’s room, the alpha following close behind me.
It takes me a minute to adjust to walking in the boots, but hopefully I don’t look too awkward to make it obvious that I’m not Siren.
I pause in the living room for a moment, looking around one last time.
I can’t believe how attached I’ve gotten to this place in such a short time.
But leaving is the only way to keep everyone safe.
Siren guides me out with a hand hovering close to my lower back, and I keep my head down as I take a steadying breath.
“Van’s just outside. Be quick,” they mutter, and I nod.
Siren opens the door and I adjust my posture before I dash down the front porch stairs, not looking around, not doing anything that could give me away to anyone watching.
The van is pulled up parallel to the front door, the side door wide open.
I duck inside and head to the back, curling up as best as I can in the mobile nest. It’s a little extra cushioned right now, as Joker managed to sneak a few pillows into it that didn’t fit into our allotted packing space.
Siren is in right after me, and Phantom closes the door, blocking us from being seen.
Looking around, I’m impressed by how much they managed to fit in here.
There are totes stacked and strapped down in empty spaces I didn’t see before, filling in every available nook and cranny.
There’s still enough space to move around, but just barely.
Phantom sits in the rear-facing jump seat, looking out through the heavily tinted window, watching the house.
I can only see his eyes, but I can picture the stern and serious set of his mouth and brow.
Cross is sitting in the driver’s seat, the engine idling while Bones waits with the passenger door open, head constantly scanning the area.
None of us are taking any chances right now. Not when there’s so much on the line.
“Still wish we could have done this at night,” Phantom grumbles softly to no one in particular.
“Better to get out before he can regroup,” Siren responds, turning to type something on their laptop.
“Someone is going to see the smoke, though. They could alert the fire department before it’s burned enough.”
I look up in alarm. “Burned?” I ask hoarsely.
I don’t need to see his mouth to know Phantom is smirking at me when he glances my way. “What else did you think Mav meant when he said ‘scorched earth’, baby doll?”
I sit back, nodding in acknowledgement. But I don’t get a chance to respond before Joker comes crashing through the front door, throwing open the sliding door and climbing inside to make his way back to the nesting area.
“Let’s move. The fuse should let us get at least down the driveway before it goes off,” Joker says, and I can hear the manic grin in his voice as he pulls me into his lap.
Phantom slams the door closed and Bones follows suit, buckling into the front passenger seat. Not a moment later, Cross has the van in drive and is peeling out across the lawn, heading for the gravel driveway.
“Did you get the barn too?” Bones asks, turning his head slightly.
“What do I look like a bloody amateur? Of course I got the barn,” Joker scoffs, nuzzling slightly against me.
“Just checking. Didn’t want—”
The ground shakes beneath us seconds before a massive “whoom” fills the air, knocking the van around slightly.
The back windows of the van are completely blacked out, so I can’t look behind to see what happened, but Siren pulls up a video feed on their laptop.
From the angle of the camera, it looks like it’s mounted around the license plate, like a backup camera.
But all I can see from the feed is a plume of black smoke rising from the roofs of the house and barn.
“Wow, that was faster than I thought,” Joker says excitedly.
“Jesus, Jokes. What did you do?” Cross says with a low whistle.
“I am so glad you asked, because it’s honestly ingenious. Have you ever seen those Jason Bourne movies?” Joker asks, practically vibrating in his seat with excitement.
“Those are movies, Joker, not instruction manuals,” Bones growls, but there’s an undertone of amusement that I don’t know I would have picked up if I hadn’t spent the last several weeks with him.
“Well obviously I wasn’t going to try to blow up the house with a toaster. The MythBusters proved that’s not possible,” Joker retorts, rolling his eyes.
I smother a giggle behind my hand, which earns me a purr and a nuzzle from the other omega.
“No, I mean, I used his idea about the gas lines. I disconnected the gas line and then lit a candle. It was just a matter of waiting for the house to have the right mix of air and gas and then…”
He mimics the sound of an explosion before laughing at his own antics.
The rest of us chuckle along but then go quiet for a while.
Siren is concentrating on their laptop, staring at a screen that looks like it’s full of radio frequencies, or something similar.
The van bounces slightly as we transition from the driveway to the road, Cross taking off toward the highway.
I let out a deep breath as we get farther and farther away from the house without incident.
I’m not entirely sure where we’re headed, or if Tyler will take the bait, but right now, it doesn’t really matter.
The pack is together, and I know that whatever comes next, we will face it and overcome it together.