10. Nash
ten
Nash
“And we can just scent-match with them?”
Beau's eyes burn my profile as the questions keep rolling off his tongue. I don’t take my eyes off the security video I’m watching.
“She scent-matched with us.” I arch an eyebrow. “It’s not a guaranteed thing.”
He shifts in his place, rubbing his mouth with his fingers in thought. I can almost hear his thoughts racing. He’s a big guy, almost as tall as Hank with a burly appearance, but his voice is soft, full of hope. I sigh. I don’t have time for this right now.
Indigo is gone. She stole our truck, money from my wallet, and disappeared. I’m happy she got the good sense to take the money, but I know I didn’t have enough cash for everything she needs.
Time is ticking. My plans flew through the window the moment I realized she was gone. Now, I can’t wait for another pack to arrive, or sit down and try to reason with her. Every minute we are here talking, it’s a minute longer that she could be in danger.
My eyes barely blink as I watch the black-and-white video, fast-forwarding, trying to find her. I decided to start with the front desk camera. Maybe if I can determine the time she came by to steal the keys, I can make sense of her plan. Anything that gives me a clue on what she’s thinking.
“I assume it wasn’t going to happen since we have been in close quarters for the past four months.”
I nod, still not fully in this conversation. “They were unwell. An Omega can’t scent-match when she’s not cared for.”
The same questions running through his mind run through mine too.
My papaw’s pack are doctors, Grammie too.
When I took the post here, I made sure to call them with a bunch of questions about Omegas traumatized like them.
I knew someone was off when I could scent them but not nearly as strongly as an Omega should be.
My mother is a Beta, and it’s not like she doesn’t have her own scent, but when she’s in the same room as Grammie, an Omega, their designation becomes very obvious.
One of the things Papaw told me in no uncertain terms is that an Omega barely shows her abilities when she’s neglected.
There are many cases of Omegas living among Betas their whole life, never going into heat.
Neglected and without a pack to scent-match, Omegas are vulnerable.
My heart aches. I can’t think about this without getting worked up, especially now that I have my vulnerable Omega out there, all alone.
Not enough money, no ID or any document. How can she even—
“So let me get this straight—”
I can’t do this anymore. I raise my palm, stopping him in his tracks. “Beau, she’s out there on her own. I can’t talk about this.”
“Shit, sorry, Nash, I just—”
“There she is!”
Indigo’s small frame comes to the screen, trembling legs as she approaches the front desk.
By the time in the video, she did this during dinnertime.
Smart. She was at dinner, though. I remember her piling on food and taking extra apples to go.
Should I have noticed that she was stocking up to escape?
Fuck, maybe, but it didn’t cross my mind. To me, the girl was just hungry.
“Must have left when everyone was sleeping…” I say to myself, flicking through the cameras.
“I bet she left through the gap behind the pool.”
The remote drops from my hand as I turn to Beau. His eyes are still on the screen, ignoring my stare.
“Gap behind the pool?”
Beau shrugs. “There’s a small gap in the fence beside that old corridor connecting the pool to the kitchen. I saw it during my inspection. I didn’t think much of that because it’s a small fucking gap…” He shakes his head and turns to me. “But she’s small as fuck.”
She is. Fuck. Of course Indigo would know a way out without relying on the main exits. We guard them, making sure no one gets in and out without our notice, but Indigo knows how to avoid people.
“What angle?” I ask, picking up the remote. We have three cameras in the parking lot. Now that I know the rough time, if he can give me an angle, I won’t need to flick through this for hours.
“The one in the far end, facing the right side of reception.”
Before the words are even out of his mouth, I find the right feed and time, my eyes scanning every movement. I suck in a breath when I see her coming through a bush, answering my questions of why I had no idea the fence had a gap.
Even through the grainy video, I feel her fears in my soul.
She runs across the parking lot, trash bag in hand, and my heart breaks again.
For a moment she’s off frame, but I don’t bother looking for another angle.
I know she’s just hopping into the vehicle.
It takes just a minute, and the truck comes into view.
She looks extra small behind the wheel as she slowly moves to the highway and goes left.
My mouth is dry. I don’t say anything for a long time after the truck is gone. Not surprisingly, it’s Beau who breaks the silence.
“Take my truck,” he offers, knowing I don’t have a vehicle.
“I don’t want to leave you stranded.”
We never thought we were going to be this isolated.
Beau, just like me, thought we were coming here on our own, but we assumed the Alliance was going to give us constant support.
Boy, we were mistaken. There’s just one truck for each pack.
My Omega took mine, and I don’t want to leave them all without it. I’m going to have to figure out a way.
“Call Emilio.” he opens his wallet and hands me a card. “He’ll help.”
“Thanks, man.” I nod and take my phone out, already pressing the buttons to call whoever Emilio is. “Is he a Beta?” I ask as the phone rings in my ears.
“Yes, be cool.” Beau winks.
After one last look at the office, I leave Beau to it, praying he understands it’s all in our hands.
Not that I’ll stop funding it. God knows the Omegas depend on my family’s money to survive right now, and now Beau will learn that when he realizes food money comes from my pocket, not the Alliance.
I didn’t bother explaining that to him. There’s enough there to last them the week, and hopefully, I’ll be back by the time they need me.
Indigo might be afraid, but I know she’ll understand when I say we have to come back. They are her friends. She's worried as much as I am. With those thoughts, I get farther into the building when Emilio finally answers the phone.
A couple of hours later, we are packed and finally leaving the motel.
The weight of the responsibility we are leaving behind is not lost on me or my pack brothers.
I can see it on Hank’s grimace as we close the door and leave Beau and his pack alone.
I see it in Cassidy’s frown. God knows this job is the only thing he takes seriously.
We move in silence as we make our track to Emilio’s. Turns out Beau’s contact isn't a truck dealership, as I initially thought. I don’t honestly care. Anything that can help me bring Indigo back.
None of us say a word as we are greeted by the older man at the gates, his weathered leather hat tipping in greeting. I introduce myself, and he rushes us over to the barn. I told him on the phone this is an emergency.
“That’s a horse.”
Cassidy’s tone shows me what he thinks of our transportation option. I grew up around horses in Tennessee, and the same goes for both assholes here, so I didn’t think it was going to be a problem.
Hank doesn’t give a shit, much like me, and shrugs, hopping on one of the horses Emilio saddled for us.
“Let’s go, Cassidy.”
I follow his lead, not before turning to the older man. “Thank you for lending us the horses.”
“Any friends of Beau are friends of mine,” Emilio says with an easy smile. “Just make sure to stop for water.”
“Don’t worry.” I nod. “We’ll take care of them.”
Emilio doesn’t need more reassurances, it seems, and he steps out of our way and waits for us to start the journey.
It’s not ideal, of course it’s not, but every alternative would take too long.
Or waiting for the next pack to arrive, or trying to track down a dealership to buy or rent a car.
No. Any second waiting is torture. We need to go.
Cassidy grumbles under his breath but follows us away from the ranch and toward the highway. There’s no game plan here. All we know is the way she went and that peach perfume.