Chapter 21 West
twenty-one
West
“Good mornin’!” Jo’s chipper voice has me looking up from the journal I had been snooping through. According to Cian’s recordings, this safe house has been with the Gallagher family since Declan’s grandfather was the head of the Irish Mafia syndicate.
No wonder the amenities are so luxurious.
Even my father would be jealous of the marble shower with the waterfall head and the claw-foot tub.
While the rest of the house is no different than your standard log-cabin, the bathroom and kitchen are designed with high-quality appliances in mind, making it obvious it’s been modified to fit the Gallagher family needs.
Jo walks into the living room, Sam right behind her, looking unsure of what to do with himself.
Kole looks up from his spot on the couch, where he had been scribbling something on a piece of paper. "Good morning,” he answers, despite the fact that it’s three in the afternoon. “You seem better than you did yesterday, Lisichka.”
And damn, does she. She’s still a little dark under her eyes, and I can tell she’s lost a bit of weight, but we’ll remedy that shortly.
She still looks like heaven and sin rolled into one confusing ball of omega sensuality.
Her hair, which had been wet when she went to sleep, is semi-tamed on the top of her head in one of those messy buns.
Her large sleep shirt hangs off one shoulder, the freckled, bare skin begging to be kissed.
Black leggings cling to her shapely legs, and holy shit, I’ve never been more desperate in my life.
“A day and a half of sleep will do that,” I comment, closing the journal and standing. My feet move on their own, taking me towards the little omega who has turned my life upside-down in the best way.
I’m trying to play it cool, I really am. But after finding out she was in the Cathedral, and then moved to that underground lab, not knowing what they were doing to her? I’m itching to touch her. To make sure she’s okay. That she’s really safe.
Not sweeping her in my arms the moment I saw her embracing Hayden was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do.
Having her sleep on my shoulder on the drive here?
One of the best fucking experiences of my life.
Being helpless to do anything but wait as she slept off the last few days of abuse was more torture—I’m sure I was driving everyone crazy with how often I was checking up on her.
Completely oblivious to the turmoil inside me, Jo laughs lightly.
“That and havin’ brushed teeth.” She tilts her head in thought.
“I think havin’ Hayden close helped too.
Like even with the drug in my system, my body still reacts to the biological benefits of the bond.
” She looks up at me with her big green eyes as I venture a step closer, unable to help myself. “Where is the Fire Demon, anyway?”
“Outside,” Kole supplies as I hold Jo’s gaze. “He said that Turnip wanted to go for a walk.”
“Is that safe?” She frowns, glancing behind me at the Russian.
“As long as he stays close and doesn’t start any fires, it’ll be fine,” Sam answers from behind her, and after a beat adds, “You know what? I’m gonna go check on him.”
There’s a note of silence, and then Jo meets my eyes again. “West, I wanted to thank you.”
And I want to lay you down on the nearest flat surface and—
Wait. My brows furrow. “What for?”
She bites her bottom lip. Fuck, I wish that was me. “Well for one, savin’ Turnip. I know she’s ‘just a rat’—”
“She’s important to you,” I cut her off, not able to stop my hand from reaching out and cupping her cheek. “And whatever—whoever is important to you…is important to me.”
It had taken all of two seconds to decide that I was going to go after Turnip when I saw Jo trying to get to her. The five seconds after that were spent building the courage to run into open gunfire.
“Still.” She swallows, shaking her head.
Her cheeks pinken adorably. “You put yourself in danger—which I’m not happy with, by the way—for me, and you didn’t have to.
You didn’t have to do any of it. You’re not used to this life.
You’re a doctor, who was just doin’ his job and got dragged into my mess.
I just…I want you to know—” Jo grows frustrated with herself, her fists clenching at her sides before she grabs my shirt, pulls me down, and presses her lips against mine.
My restraint shatters.
Her kiss is like liquid fire pouring straight into my veins, and I don’t know if she quite realizes just what she does to me. Groaning into her mouth, I grip her face with both hands before moving one hand under her ass and hauling her against me.
She gasps, the sound making my cock throb even harder. Her tongue delves into my mouth, and I have to stop myself from carrying her back to the bedroom right this very second. I may not be an alpha, but all I can think about at this moment is my bone-deep need to claim this omega.
My omega.
My Siren.
My savior, and my eternal damnation.
“Doctor, I’m shocked!” Hayden’s voice shocks us apart, and when she looks into my eyes, her pupils are blown wide and her breathing is heavy. “Defiling your patient in such a way!”
I roll my eyes. Hard. “She’s not my patient.” Turning us to face the doorway, I see Hayden with a shit-eating grin on his face and Turnip on his shoulder. Behind him is Sam, who gives me a smirk.
“Not anymore,” Kole pipes up. “Why did you interrupt, Bratishka? It was getting good.” I should feel weird, or at least a little self-conscious about the knowledge that Kole was clearly watching us, but only a strange sense of pride fills my chest.
That’s right, I put that flushed look on her face.
Jo sighs in my arms, and then her stomach rumbles.
Fuck. Of course she’s hungry.
“Think you can stomach some real food?” I ask as I gently set her down. I thought I might feel more settled once I had her in my arms again, but now all I can think about is the sensation of her plush lips against mine.
“I’d love to,” she groans, rubbing her belly. “I feel like I haven’t eaten in a week.”
The alphas grumble in response at that, because really, she hasn’t eaten anything in almost a week.
“We’ll get you fed.” I can’t help but wrap my arms around her and pull her close to me. She returns my embrace, my heart melting into a little puddle of goo as her head rests on my chest.
If I were an alpha, I’d be purring.
Kole sighs, standing. “I’ll get the food started.” He claps a hand on my shoulder as he passes, and I look at him with surprise.
“Do we have stuff to make French Toast?” She asks into my shirt, and Kole turns around to look at her, his expression soft.
“I believe so, Little Fox. Your brother made sure we’d be properly supplied with all the food we could ever need.”
“I make some bomb-ass French Toast, if I do say so myself.” Hayden heads to the kitchen. “I fucking love breakfast for dinner.”
“It’s not dinner time yet.” Kole tsks.
“Breakfast for linner, then,” Hayden shoots back.
I’ve been surprised by his restraint since we got Jo back.
I thought for sure he’d take the first opportunity he could to mark her again, but it looks like Hayden is more mature than I thought, wanting to wait until Jo is at full strength.
Or, at least more than twenty-four hours.
Their bickering gets quieter as they disappear into the kitchen, and then it’s just me, Sam, and Jo. Sighing, I run my hand down her back. “I should probably let you go now, Siren.”
“Mmmm. You don’t have to.” She rubs her face against my chest in a way that would scent-mark me if she didn’t have the instinct dampener running through her veins. “But…I guess this would be a good opportunity to talk to the two of you.”
“About what?” Sam asks, coming up next to us.
“Just some questions I have to…fill in the gaps. With what happened between when I was taken to the Cathedral, and you guys comin’ to get me. How the hell you ended up with Declan.”
So the three of us sit down, and Sam and I tell her about how we went and confronted Leslie, then how Fuzzy came and got us to put us on the phone with Declan.
How her brother did everything he could to put his plan into action as quickly as possible so she could get out of there.
By the time we’re finished telling her about how Whitmore tried to take us down in the parking lot, Hayden and Kole are coming into the room, carrying plates of bacon and French toast.
Declan really did think of everything.
Hayden and Kole settle on the other couch, and we eat as we talk, pulling food from the plates on the coffee table while Turnip nibbles on a piece of bacon in the make-shift shelter I put together for her yesterday.
Who knew a cardboard box and some scraps of fabric would make the little rat feel so at home?
Turnip and I…well, we’ve bonded a bit over the last few days.
Then Jo starts talking and simmering rage makes its home in my veins as she details to us what her days in the Cathedral looked like.
Fuck. If Declan didn’t have Brooks already for questioning, I’d drive back to Thornfield right now and kill him myself.
As it stands, I notice all the guys also making a mental note on the names of the orderlies. Steve and Jones. And the alpha who tried to bite and bond her. Asher. I remember hearing his case on the news six years ago.
“I do not know when, Lisichka,” Kole vows, his eyes dark, “but their lives will end by one of our hands.”
“I know, Sugar Bear.” She reaches over and pats his arm. “They’ll get what’s comin’ to them, one way or another. I just…”
“What’s wrong, Fireball?” Hayden frowns.
“Mabel. She says she really did kill her pack, and this whole time…” She swallows roughly, looking down.
“I would never judge her. I, of all people, have no place to do that. But…I’m worried about her.
Outta the two of us, she was the one who actually wanted a pack, and now Dec says she won’t let any males near her.
What if I get what she always wanted, and she…
” She shakes her head, unable to finish her sentence.
“Siren.” She looks up at me when I grasp her hand.
“Mabel is going to have some trauma. I promise, as soon as we get this whole mess sorted, I will be completely at your disposal for her. But for now…she’s safe.
It won’t do anyone any good to sit and worry about it.
The best thing you can do for her right now is to stay safe so you can come home to her. ”
Jo releases a deep breath, nodding once. “I just feel guilty, ya know? Bein’ locked in with the four hottest men in the universe while she’s…alone and afraid.”
I try not to preen like a peacock.
“The other omegas will make her feel more at home,” Sam reminds her gently. “And, Declan said you’d talk to her tomorrow, remember?”
“You’re right.” She sighs, leaning back against the couch. “But I can’t stop thinkin’ about it. Somebody distract me.”
Nobody says anything for a second, and then Hayden speaks up. “I want to bring back the bond.”