Chapter 23 Jo
twenty-three
Jo
The line goes dead.
“Fuck!” I drop the phone, burying my face in my hands. “What are we going to do?”
Strong hands rub my back. “You bought us time, that’s the important thing,” Sam murmurs reassuringly.
“We’ll make sure Addie is safe, Fireball,” Hayden adds, crossing his arms.
“You’re not giving him Brooks.” Declan’s hard tone snaps something inside me, and then I’m shooting to my feet, rushing at the alpha. Turnip jumps ship, landing on Hayden’s lap.
The nerve. The absolute fucking nerve of Declan Gallagher trying to tell me what I am or am not going to do when he wouldn’t even know about any of the shit going on if it weren’t for me.
“You don’t think I fuckin’ know that, you fuckin’ asshole!
?” My hands fly out, shoving him hard in the chest, and he’s caught off guard enough that he stumbles just a little bit.
“We asked you to wait! Why didn’t you wait?
!” This time my fist connects with his jaw, and as he rubs the skin, his eyes flash with something dangerous before I try to launch myself again.
Strong arms wrap around my waist, pulling me back. Kole.
“We needed to make a move, otherwise he could have revealed his own version of events at any moment! I did it for you!”
“And you just unilaterally decided to reveal his involvement with the missin’ omegas?” I snarl, struggling against Kole’s hold. “What happened to just revealin’ that he died? You changed the entire plan!”
“Calm, Lisichka,” my Russian giant tries to soothe me, but I’m still coming out of a five-day heat and my best friend’s life is on the line.
“I love you, Sugar Bear, but if you don’t let go right fuckin’ now, I’m puttin’ you on a sex ban.”
His arms release me quicker than anything I’ve seen, and I straighten myself before approaching Declan, who is staring at me warily.
Breathing out through my nose, I look up at him.
“You completely changed plans that we had agreed on without consultin’ me, when I am the one they affect the most. This is my decision to make, Dec, and if I have to give them Brooks to prevent Addie from bein’ sent back to Thornfield, I will, and the blame will rest solely on you. ”
He grits his teeth. “I was just trying to help—”
I hold up my hand. “I understand that, but you didn’t.”
Rationally, I understand that I was in heat, in no position to offer him an opinion on the matter, and that we were running low on time. It’s not fair for me to be as mad as I am, but this is Addie we’re talking about.
“I think…” West sidles up between the two of us, putting a hand on each of our shoulders, “We should focus on how we can get Adela to safety before the week is up. Anyone have any thoughts?”
“I think we wasted all of our hoodwinking on Xavier when we went after my dad.” Sam frowns, crossing his arms. “A pizza delivery truck isn’t going to get us out of this one.”
Hayden snorts. “Hoodwinking.”
Sam rolls his eyes. “Fuck off.”
“He’s right, though…” I sigh, taking a step back. “He knows we have tricks up our sleeves now.”
“Who sent Adela to Thornfield the first time?” Hayden frowns.
“Her daddy,” I growl, getting pissed off just thinking about it. Fathers are supposed to be loving and supportive. Despite all of my experiences being the contrary, I know this for a fact. My guys would all be perfect dads.
“I mean, she’s eighteen now, but since he was the one who originally checked her in, maybe he can check her out? Like…as soon as she gets there? They said Leslie is in charge now, right?” Hayden sounds so damn hopeful, and really, it is a good idea.
This might just work out.
The thought has my stomach untwisting from the knot it had jumbled into when my phone first rang.
“He might not be willing to help us,” Sam frowns, “especially since he was the one to send her there originally.”
I shrug. “He’ll probably get pretty compliant if I threaten to cut his dick off.”
Kole barks a laugh. “I do love it when you talk dirty.”
Declan glares at him. “I’m standing right here.”
“Aw, don’t worry,” Hayden grins, throwing an arm over my shoulders. “I’m sure the big guy loves it when you talk dirty too.”
My brother sighs, rolling his eyes before turning to me with an arched brow. “So? Do you have a name for her dad?”
I turn to West expectantly.
“Roland Olivier.”
Declan nods once. “I’ll pass it off to Aidan. Would her mom be of any help?”
West shakes his head. “Her mom left three years ago.”
My heart clenches. I didn’t know that.
“I can see if my parents know him,” he offers, shoving his hands in his pockets, “might be faster than waiting to see what Aidan can dig up.”
“You think that’s a good idea?” Declan frowns, crossing his arms. “I mean, I know Aidan said they don’t have any of the markers that other people in the BLU do, but regardless, they work for Xavier.
For all we know, they could tip him off the moment we reach out.
Adela would be back in Thornfield faster than we could blink. ”
“No,” West shakes his head, “I know my parents. They…they aren’t perfect by any means, but if they’re hosting Xavier it’s not of their own free will.”
“But how do you know that?” Sam sounds skeptical.
“I don’t,” West admits. “But like I said…I do know my parents. At the very least, they won’t be okay with sending a very pregnant teenager into an insane asylum for no reason.”
“If West thinks it’s safe to ask, then I trust him.” I reach over, placing my hand on his arm.
He smiles at me, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he places a hand over mine. Then, he lets out a small chuckle. “Besides, I would have heard from them by now about how I embarrassed them if Xavier told them anything.”
“I’ll still have Aidan working on it, and we’ll see who comes back with information first.” Declan sighs, running a hand through his hair. “Look, Jo, I’m sorry. I thought I was doing right by you.”
It’s hard to stay mad at him, even if he did make a pile of shit larger than an elephant turd. “I’m sorry I punched you. I thought you were bein’ a dick.”
“Ha.” He rubs the spot on his jaw where a bruise is starting to bloom. “Yeah. I was. I deserved it. I should have talked to you first. I didn’t think about him trying to use Adela against you.”
“That’s alright, Dec,” I grin, elbowing his side. “We can’t all be pretty and smart.”
Declan rolls his eyes again, lightly elbowing me back. “Fuck off.”
Sam puts an arm around my shoulders, kissing my forehead.
For the first time, Declan seems to notice the brand new bond marks on my neck. “Holy shit! Congratulations on bonding!”
“Took ya long enough to notice.” I grin, feeling the happiness of my mates through our bonds.
“Aidan mentioned that West had a bite when he came by before, but it completely slipped my mind.” He turns to my guys. “Looks like we’re officially family. I guess she could have done worse.”
“I don’t know about that.” A voice comes from behind us, and Rory is there, leaning against the wall as he glares at my guys.
I snap my fingers. “No, Rory. Don’t look at them like that.”
Rory huffs, pushing away from the wall as he approaches. “We need to talk.”
I cross my arms, frowning. “What? No, ‘how was your heat, Jo?’ no, ‘I hope you don’t feel too much like dog shit, Jo’?”
Rory ignores my snark. “Mabel isn’t asking for help.”
His words send my gut sinking. “Help with what?”
“I stopped sleeping in her bed, just like you made me, but she’s having night terrors and she’s not asking for help.”
“Helaena and Maeve don’t hear her?” It’s a big house, sure. But if they’re as bad as Rory said, they should still be able to hear them.
“They did the first few nights, but then they suggested she talk to the doctor. Now, instead of sleeping in her bed, she’s built a nest in the bathtub and tries to soundproof the doors so nobody can hear her.
” His voice is so pained, and the thought of Mabel locking herself up so she won’t disturb others has my gut turning.
“I’ll talk to her.” I say, nodding once. “She’ll listen to me.”
“I fucking hope so,” Rory mutters, messing with the bun on the back of his head.
“How are you going to do that without giving everything away?” Dec sounds skeptical.
“Don’t you worry about that,” I wave him off, “I can’t divulge an omega’s secrets.”