Chapter 24
ROMAN
The van rolls through the woods, and I’m struggling to draw breath into my lungs. My hands are fists at my sides, and I keep swallowing hard. Lucy’s in my head, the terror on her face, the falling tears that are shredding my heart to pieces.
We promised to be there for her, that we’d keep her safe, and now that she’s in danger, we’re gone. Fuck! That’s spiraling through my thoughts, and I won’t make peace with it.
A country song plays in the van, the guard drumming his fingers on the steering wheel, while Grayson and Wolf are sitting on the seats in front of me, right behind the driver. They’re silent as fuck, staring out the windows, both of them breathing heavily.
If we’d been relocated a month ago, I wouldn’t have given a shit. We had our sights on completing our program, no matter what, and it didn’t matter where. But now that Lucy’s our Omega, every damn thing changes.
Grayson suddenly digs through his open duffel bag at his feet, grumbling to himself about sawdust all through his things from his rushed packing.
He’s just as pissed as the rest of us because some dick reported us being at the lodge without a supervisor, and I’m convinced it’s related to the fallen tree and that stripper getting aggressive with Lucy.
Soon enough, the trees part ways and we emerge onto a main road, leading us right into town. Anxiety clings to my chest with a desperate urgency to jump out of this van and rush back to Lucy. My knees are bouncing, my fists tighter now on my thighs because this can’t be happening.
My mind is racing. There has to be a way out. If I’ve learned anything in life, it’s that if an opportunity doesn’t present itself, then you fucking carve your own path.
The van slows, and we turn into a gas station.
My head pops up as an idea forms. We pull up next to a pump, then the guard parks and turns his head toward us.
“I’m grabbing some gas and going in for a drink, as it’s a long drive.
I don’t need to tell you, but stay put ’cause you know how this works, and I ain’t in the mood to write up any report for misbehavior. ”
The guys just stare at him, while I lean forward in my seat. “Mind if Wolf joins you and grabs us some drinks for the long trip? Plus, he’s damn fussy about the way he makes his fancy coffee, so it’s best he’s left to his own devices.”
Wolf lifts his gaze to me with a raised eyebrow, clearly confused, but says nothing. Smart move.
“Sure, but no funny shit. I know you’re all out on good behavior, and you’ve been trusted. So let’s keep it that way.” He climbs out.
Wolf reaches for the door, when I grab his shoulder. “Keep him in there for as long as possible, looking away from the van.”
Wolf doesn’t glance back but nods, gets out, and shuts the door as the guard starts the pump.
Grayson twists toward me, his brows pulled together. “Okay, talk!”
“That sawdust in your bag—collect a huge handful. As soon as they’re inside the store, you sneak outside and slip it into the gas tank.”
Grayson stares at me for a long second, then chuckles. “Fuck, that’s a great idea. It’ll choke the fuel line and the van will die.”
I grin. “But we gotta be fast, okay? I’d do it, but it’s hard to get out of the back seat here.”
“Yeah, sure.” He laughs, leaning over and going through his bag.
“I’m the brains of this operation.”
“Normally, I’d tell you to fuck off, but I’ll give you this one,” Grayson says, followed by a thin laugh as he scoops sawdust from the corners of his bag.
I’m watching Wolf chatting with the guard, who finishes at the pump. The pair are now striding toward the store’s entrance, then they’re inside.
“Okay, now’s your chance. Go, go!” I smack the back of his seat in urgency with my palms.
Grayson has a fistful of sawdust, bits dusting onto the seat as he shuffles over to Wolf’s side. With his free hand, he hauls open the door, then slips out quickly. My sights are on the guys through the windows. They have their backs to us, studying the wall of refrigerated drinks.
Grayson’s near the pump, mostly concealed by the dispensers on the fuel island, so I lean forward past the seats in front of me and push the door shut in case the guard looks in our direction.
I stare at Grayson through the back window, calling out, “Hurry up!”
He gives me big eyes and glances back down, his shoulders doing small hops as he’s clearly attempting to funnel the dust down the metal pipe.
My gaze swings from the store to Grayson, pulse racing, teeth grinding. “Fuck, come on already,” I mutter to myself. In the store, Wolf’s gesturing at something in the fridges to the guard. Wolf can talk the ears off anyone, thank God.
Grayson suddenly rushes back to the van door, dusting off his hands, and yanks it open. My sights are on the store just as the guard starts to turn toward us.
“Jump in, fucking hurry.”
Grayson’s throwing himself in as I shove the door shut. A split second is all that passes when the guard glances our way for a few moments.
I flop back against my seat, relieved it’s done.
Grayson groans and pulls himself up. “I got as much as I could in there and kicked the rest under the van.”
“Maybe it needs another handful?” I suggest, gripping the back of his seat until my knuckles turn white.
Grayson grunts, lifting his gaze, and I follow his stare to where Wolf and the guard are emerging from the store. “Too late for more.”
“Hopefully it’s enough,” I say and sit back. “Fuck, it’d better be enough.”
Wolf climbs in, tosses Grayson and me our bottled drinks while holding on to his hot cup of coffee, then glares my way. The guard is in the driver’s seat.
“Got my favorite coffee,” Wolf declares sarcastically.
That’s when the guard chuckles. “Never seen a man love sprinkles in his coffee as much as you.”
I hold back a laugh, while Grayson loses his shit.
“Okay, let’s go,” the guard states, switching on the car, and the engine roars to life. He swerves us back onto the main road, cruising farther away from the lodge. And I’m sitting still, waiting and hoping our plan comes through.
We’re toward the end of town and still nothing. My nerves are chewing at my insides. Grayson glances back at me, looking as worried as I feel. Come on, work.
Still zilch, and I’m shifting in my seat, uncomfortable, pissed.
The van suddenly hitches, the engine stuttering.
I straighten in my seat, Wolf staring at both of us, sipping his coffee, clearly knowing something’s up.
The van bucks, and we all jostle against our seat belts. “What the fuck!” the guard snaps. The thud of him pumping his foot on the gas pedal sends us into a lurch. We speed up, then lose power, all while the engine groans, making strange cough-like sounds.
I’m sitting in the back, holding on and grinning. Fuck yeah! Break down, you piece of shit.
We’re losing power, then gaining it in waves.
“What the hell’s going on?” Wolf barks out, trying to steady his hot coffee. “Engine doesn’t sound good.”
The guard wrenches that wheel, grunting under his breath. He harshly pulls the van over onto the shoulder. That’s when the engine releases a long brrr sound and dies.
Grayson glances back with a smirk as the guard turns the engine on again, which grunts and sputters, then dies.
He sits there for a moment, just staring at it, and we’re silent as fuck in the back seats. I’m rather pleased with myself.
“Fuck!” He climbs out of the driver’s seat and slams the door shut, then opens the hood.
“Whatever you two did,” Wolf whispers, “I fucking love you for it.”
Pride swirls in my chest, but this is just the start. We need to reach our Omega next.
After a long pause, the guard reappears from under the hood, chest rising and falling with each hurried breath, his neck muscles tense and throbbing. He’s on the phone, pacing away from the van, one hand animated. Once he hangs up, he walks over to our side and yanks open the door.
“Change of plans, fellas. The van’s dead, and it’s going to take two hours to get a tow truck and roadside assistance. Plus, it’s getting late, so for tonight, we’re going to stay in town.”
“Okay,” Wolf states. “Then why not return to the lodge? Plenty of space for all of us.”
He’s shaking his head, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “I’ve been given instructions. We’re staying at the local motel we just passed a few blocks back. So grab your bags and let’s move,” he orders. “This town’s not done with you three yet, apparently.”
“I’m sure we’ll cope somehow,” Grayson adds sarcastically. We climb out with our duffel bags, and the late afternoon feels brighter as hope flares through my thoughts that we’ll see Lucy soon.
By the time we reach the motel, which has a line out the door, and get checked into our room, it’s two hours later.
The first thing Wolf does is jump on the phone in the room and dial Lucy, but it keeps going to voicemail.
We’re hoping she’s in the shower or fell asleep after the exhausting day, but we’ll keep trying.
The guard had to return to the van for the tow truck, and now we’re in the bar next door to the motel, enjoying a meal and drinks.
“So what the fuck are we going to do?” Grayson asks before taking a meaty bite of his burger.
I’m grazing on my fries as I devour my burger in seconds. Around us, the bar is dim and packed. Roman gulps down his beer, then digs into his meal. We’re starving, seeing as none of us have eaten since this morning.
“I don’t know,” I answer. “We’re in town, so we need a plan in case she doesn’t answer the phone.” I picture her being devastated, crying all alone, and I grind my back teeth at the image of her distraught.
“That’s easy,” Wolf states, smacking his lips. “Once the guard’s back and we settle in our room, we jump out those damn windows and catch a cab to the lodge. Hell, I’ll hike on foot if that’s what it takes.”