Chapter 23 #2
King put a hand on the small of Bianca’s back and Callum saw her shoulders loosen. Her rage was nearly as frightening as King’s, but Callum could see the torrent of emotions simmering beneath the surface. He was impressed by how well she was holding it all together.
“Are you hurt?” King asked her, his eyes never leaving Robert, who still held his hands up, frantically searching for an escape.
“No. I’m pissed,” Bianca snapped, and Callum almost laughed.
“Trouble?” King called.
Callum cleared his throat to reply, but his voice didn’t come out as clearly as he intended. It was more of a whisper-croak. Dante brushed his fingers over Callum’s neck, making him wince. His throat was sore and his skin tender to the touch. The alpha’s black eyes hardened again.
“He’s okay,” Dante answered in a gruff voice that belied his words. “Bruised though.”
King growled and Robert retreated another step.
Frank whimpered, still holding his bleeding head, eyes locked on the gun Dante had pointed at him.
Callum could see that there was a nasty gash on Frank’s cheek and that his left ear was a grotesque mess.
If the bullet had been an inch or two to the right, the son of a bitch would be dead.
Callum was certain Frank would be dead if Dante had wanted him to be.
In a move so fast Callum barely registered it, King advanced on Robert.
He shook out his huge arms as he lifted his fists with the perfect form of a professional boxer, before throwing two punches in quick succession.
The cracks that echoed when his fists collided with Robert’s face were almost as loud as the gunshot had been.
Robert staggered backward, nearly falling, but Daniel was suddenly there to catch him.
“It’s way too soon for you to lose consciousness, friend,” Daniel snarled, shoving Robert upright. For once, the big alpha wasn’t smiling. “We ain’t even got started yet.”
Callum gasped as Robert reached into his pocket and something metallic flashed in his hand. Before he could cry out, Daniel shoved Robert sideways, laughing as the other man slashed at him while trying to regain his balance.
“You don’t want to do that, dipshit,” Daniel warned, his smile more menacing than amused. “It ain’t gonna go well for you.”
Robert lunged clumsily, the knife clutched in his fist missing Daniel by several inches as he calmly sidestepped the attack. Callum gasped. He heard Dante sigh.
“Stop playing with your food, Van. You’re scaring Spider.” Dante sighed again. “Make sure fuckface isn’t hiding any more surprises.”
Daniel shrugged, expertly dodging another swipe from Robert before slapping him hard across the face with one of his huge mitts.
Robert staggered dazedly and Daniel grabbed his arm, bending it until he cried out and dropped the knife.
Daniel kept Robert’s arm folded awkwardly as he patted him down.
When he was satisfied, he spun Robert around to face King.
“All good?” King asked, casually stretching his neck side-to-side as though preparing for a workout.
Robert swayed on his feet, frantically shifting his attention between the men now flanking him.
He flinched at their every movement, obviously expecting another blow.
He covered his mouth with one hand, attempting to stem the tide of blood pouring from his nose.
Daniel and King talked around him as if he wasn’t even there.
Their calculated nonchalance only made it clearer that Robert and Frank were in grave danger.
Callum was glad. He hoped they were terrified. They’d touched his omega, threatened to sell her into sex slavery. He hoped they never knew another day without fear.
“Hotel is secured. I called it in to our guy at the precinct. He’ll send a black and white if that’s how we want to handle it but he’s on standby for now,” Daniel answered automatically, though Callum could see that he was studying the omegas carefully, likely checking for injuries.
His gaze lingered on Callum’s neck and his jaw clenched.
“And the Code Five Bravo?” King prompted.
Suddenly, a series of booms echoed nearby, making Callum jump.
Daniel winced apologetically. “Cover up in progress. The hotel guests are being treated to drinks and a fireworks display on the roof. One of them went off prematurely, which explains that loud bang everybody heard a bit ago. Everything is in place, and Pack Bonnycastle is waiting to be briefed. It’s your play, boss. ”
King nodded slowly, looking from the two omegas to the men who’d threatened them.
A chill spread through the air. Pack King, including Callum and Bianca, burned with icy rage.
Callum touched his neck again, clenching his teeth against a surge of anger at the memory of his helplessness.
His heart pounded in his chest and for a moment he thought he might be sick.
He swallowed hard, stifling a whine. Daniel, Dante, King, and Bianca growled in unison.
Robert yelped, his nasally tone confirming his nose was broken. “Listen, I just wanted to talk to her! I missed her is all and I maybe got a little mad that she didn’t want to see me but–”
Callum had never heard a person make a sound like the one Robert made when King interrupted his bullshit explanation with a sharp kick to the side of the shin that must’ve splintered the asshole’s tibia.
His leg bent at an unnatural angle and he collapsed.
Daniel caught him by the collar, unmoved by his screams of pain as he struggled to find his balance without putting weight on his injured leg.
“Unless you want me to break your knee next, I suggest you shut the fuck up,” King told him calmly. Robert shoved his fist in his mouth to stifle his continued whimpers as King turned to Dante. “Bring me the other one.”
“Get up,” Dante growled, motioning for Frank to join his packmate.
Frank spat at Dante’s feet. “Fuck you! I need a fucking doctor, you psychotic son of a b-”
This time, it was Bianca who seemed to move with inhuman speed. She flew across the garage and threw all her weight behind three quick punches. Frank’s head snapped back and he screamed.
“One, two, one! It’s her favorite combo,” Daniel said nonsensically, making Callum wonder if he might be concussed from the blow to the head, because he had no clue what that meant.
“You attacked my omega, you miserable twat!” Bianca snarled, punching Frank again, and driving her fist directly into his wounded cheek.
He howled in pain. “If you think I’m going to let you insult my alpha as well, then you’re even dumber than I thought you were.
And I already thought you were a fucking moron. ”
A memory tugged at Callum’s subconscious, and he suddenly found his voice. “He’s lying. There’s something in his pocket.”
Dante moved lightning quick, the butt of his pistol colliding with Frank’s face before Callum’s words finished echoing through the garage. A moment later, Dante tossed a knife aside, pocketing Frank’s phone and wallet as well. Bianca kicked the prone alpha in the gut, her face red with fury.
“You’re lucky you’re still breathing, you sick son of a bitch,” she hissed.
“Say the word and he won’t be,” Dante promised. “Neither of these motherfuckers have to walk out of here.”
Bianca paused for a long moment, emotions flashing across her face faster than Callum could read them.
She knew Dante meant what he said. He would kill for her without hesitation.
He would kill for them as he would’ve done for any of his mates.
Just as King and Daniel would. These men had hurt their omegas, had tried to take them and sell them into untold hells, and the alphas of Pack King would gladly execute them for their audacity.
They would kill these men and not lose a wink of sleep over it, and goddammit Callum liked that crazy shit. Maybe he was a little crazy himself.
He’d heard love did that to a person.
Bianca stepped toward Callum, her face full of anger and concern. He could feel it washing over him in oddly comforting waves. He hadn’t missed that she’d just openly called him her omega and Dante her alpha. It seemed they were done pretending this thing between them all was temporary.
“How’s your vision? Any dizziness or nausea?” she asked, reaching up to touch the close-cropped curls at the back of his head. It was sore, but Callum sighed, leaning into her touch. Bianca gave him a small smirk. “That was a hell of a sucker punch you took. Do you feel okay?”
“Better now,” Callum rasped, covering her hand with his. Bianca brushed her fingernails through his curls, sending a shiver across his skin.
“He hit you?” Dante hissed, stepping closer to Frank and leveling the gun at his head.
Frank choked on a scream. “Robert! Help!”
“Binks, please,” Robert begged.
King turned abruptly to uppercut Robert in the gut. Daniel let him fold this time, watching impassively as he fell to his knees and retched up bile. His ragged gasps echoed through the garage.
King crouched beside him, leaning close, and speaking in a terrifyingly emotionless voice. “If you ever speak to her again, I will rip out your fucking tongue and feed it to Frank. Unless I ask you a question, you don’t talk at all. That’s your last warning.”
Robert nodded rapidly, still gasping for breath. King stood and gestured to Dante, who grabbed Frank by the front of his shirt and yanked him up. Callum noticed that Dante kept his body between Frank and the omegas, even with the weapon trained on him and Frank so clearly subdued.
A feeling of safety settled in Callum’s chest, growing when Bianca took his hand and pulled him with her back to King’s side. King brushed a thumb over Callum’s cheek, as if he couldn’t resist the urge to touch him, just as he had Bianca. Callum leaned into it.