4. Three
Three
Jeremiah
The burner phone in my back pocket vibrates as I walk out to the old gray truck I’d bought from an older beta gentleman I met on my way out of the city after my showdown with Victor.
It wasn’t easy getting out of that one, but I’m nothing if not resourceful when it comes to life and death.
I pull the burner from my pocket, seeing an unknown caller ID flashing across the tiny screen when I flip it open. I answer just as it’s about to send the caller to voicemail, saying nothing as I hold the phone to my ear.
“Victor Travis is dead,” a tinny voice says quietly after several silent seconds, and my gut clenches.
It’s been over two months since I had to leave Cozette behind, and not a day has passed without her being on my mind. The worry I’ve felt over not being able to see her with my own eyes to know she’s okay has had me in a chokehold. I haven’t heard shit from my contacts since I left, and I hate nothing more than being left in the fucking dark.
I’ve felt like a coward since the day I disappeared, despite knowing there was nothing I could do at that moment. Victor was always a sly bastard, and he always made sure his visitors left their weapons at the door before conducting business. I could have taken the gun from him easily if Cozy hadn’t been right there, chained at his feet, staring up at me with wide, fearful cornflower blue eyes. When she shed a tear for me, that’s when I knew I’d have to leave and pray I’d make it back in time for her.
I’d do anything for Cozette, even if it meant turning my back on her to keep myself alive long enough to come up with a plan.
It never should have taken me this long, but the minute I disappeared from Victor’s sight, there was a price on my head. I’ve had to stay on the move to keep the bastards off my tail, but they’re never far behind me.
Until recently , I realize.
It’s been quiet for weeks since my run in with a particularly nasty alpha that Victor was well acquainted with. Fucker almost sliced my godsdamn ear off before I put a bullet between his eyes.
He should have known better than to bring a damn knife to a gunfight, I think, still pissed that he’d gotten that close to me.
“And the omega?” I grit out with my heart in my throat as I wait to hear if she’s alive and safe or worse… dead.
The person on the other end responds, and I deflate hearing that she’s alive, leaning against the driver’s side door of the truck. My forehead rests against the window as I close my eyes, giving myself a moment to let the relief I’m feeling wash over me before I regain my composure.
“Where is she?” I growl down the line, jerking the driver door open and slamming it behind me as I get in.
“She was at St. Catherine’s until today. She left with two omegas and a beta. I lost them after they left the hospital, though.”
My brow furrows as I try to think of who she could have possibly left with. As far as I’m aware, she doesn’t have any family left and I know for a fact she doesn’t have friends, thanks to Victor. Unless she’s made some since his death.
But who could she get close enough to in such a short time that she’d feel safe enough to leave with them after being discharged from the hospital?
I ask for descriptions and when I get them, my brows rise nearly to my hairline.
How the hell did Cozette meet the omega Victor had hired me to get for him?
I end the call and sit back in my seat, closing my eyes as I lean my head back against the headrest.
I’d had the chance to take the omega in that grocery store parking lot, but something stopped me. Told me to wait, to watch and see.
My conscience? If I even still have one after everything I’ve done.
And the next time I saw her, she was with another omega. Her omega according to everything I’d learned. It was then that I knew I couldn’t do it. Watching them together, though the dynamic was so different, made me think of what it would look like when I finally freed Cozette.
And then I thought about what I’d look like if someone took her from me. How far I’d be willing to go to find her and make sure no one ever made the mistake of taking her from me again.
I had the momentary thought that Cozette had made me soft, and maybe she has. And yet, after I had that thought, I wondered if it would be such a bad thing.
Cozette once told me she sees the man beneath the mask I wear. That she sees the good in me, despite my past crimes.
I’ve committed nearly every sin there is, and that omega still sees the boy I was before I became The Ghost. I’ll never be able to fully cleanse my soul from my wrongdoings, never not be tarnished by what I’ve done, but Cozette makes me want to try to scrub off every bit of filth I’ve accumulated just for her.
To be the alpha she deserves, and that deserves her.
If she can see something in me worth saving, something worth her love, then I want to preserve that. I want to fucking gift wrap it and give it to her to keep.
Victor is dead.
My eyes pop open and my lips curl upwards as I crank the truck and back out.
There’s nothing keeping me from her now.
Time to go home.
It takes over a week to find out exactly where she is when I make it back into the city, my usual contacts getting antsy the longer they made me wait. I can’t stand incompetence when it comes to something this important, though, so I ended up needing to call in the best damn hacker I’ve ever met. And the beta wasn’t too happy about it.
Probably because the last time she helped me, it’d been to save my ass, which almost ended up with her ass in a prison cell. But she didn’t, so I figured she’d gotten over that by now.
Apparently not, because she’d cussed me out well and good through my phone speaker when she finally called me back, her cajun accent getting more pronounced the louder she got. I’d had to pull the phone away from my ear when she’d started hollering down the line in Creole, promising to send her ancestors to rip me a new asshole or… something along those lines, though I only understood about every other word.
Eventually she gets me Cozy’s location, after charging me a hefty fucking fee that made a hell of a dent in my nest egg, but my omega is worth every penny and more, so I didn’t complain like I normally would have.
I switch out the truck for something quieter, opting for a small black SUV, and wait until it’s dark and everyone should be in bed before I make my way out to where she is. The roads are quiet—nearly empty at such a late hour—as I make my way out of the city and into the town where she’s staying. My gut clenches the closer I get to her, the anticipation of seeing her again making me feel out of control.
Parking far enough away and under tree cover, I leave the SUV and keep to the shadows as I make my way down the road until I reach the long driveway of the house, moving quietly and noting that the closest neighbor is probably a mile away if not more. When I’m close to the house—but far enough away that if anyone was to come out for any reason they won’t see me—I crouch and examine my surroundings.
Windows are the first thing that I notice. And not just a few. The entire front of the house seems to be completely covered in windows with no curtains on the lower level, meaning I can see nearly everything inside.
And the occupants inside can see everything outside.
But all seems quiet as I scan the area. The property itself is surrounded by trees, giving it a peaceful air to it. Something Cozette deserves after everything she’s endured.
But is she finally safe? Is she being taken care of?
These are the things I need to know to settle the alpha in me. Because not knowing anything about what’s happened, not knowing if she’s cared for and happy… It’s killing me.
Until her, I never cared about anyone but myself. I’ve always looked out for me and only me, damn the consequences and who I hurt along the way. But she makes me want to be better, to become the alpha she needs and deserves. I just haven’t quite figured out how the fuck to do that after so long.
All the lights in the house are off, except in one room, and my heart clenches in my chest as I wonder if that’s where she is. If that’s her room now.
I know I shouldn’t get too close. I know nothing about the property or if they have alarm systems in place, but the need to see Cozette with my own two eyes is greater than my concern about being caught. I’m confident in my skills, knowing I didn’t earn the moniker of The Ghost for no reason. And that’s what has me moving across the yard towards the light like a moth to a flame.
I bend to pick up a few pebbles along the way, and when I’m close enough, I toss the first one up, hitting the window with a soft clink . After a minute, there’s no movement, so I throw another, and when I see the shadow of someone, I move behind a nearby tree and wait.
My lungs seize when I catch sight of her, peering out with furrowed brows. She pushes the window open and pokes her head out, her eyes sweeping across the yard. When she sees nothing, she bites her lip before sighing and sitting on the open windowsill. Turning her face up to peer at the moon and stars, her features relax as she stares up at the night sky and takes a deep breath of the fresh air.
From where I’m standing behind the cover of the tree, I take her in, noting the subtle differences in her now.
Her hair is longer, her copper curls reaching well past her shoulders now and seeming to shine in the room’s light. I can tell that she’s gained weight—despite the oversized shirt she’s wearing to sleep in— and looking a hundred times healthier than she had when she was locked in Victor’s hideout, her face no longer gaunt and shadowed. There’s a certain calmness about her I can see even from where I’m hidden, her fears and worries forgotten about for the time being, and I begin to wonder if she’s thought about me at all since gaining her freedom back.
Does she miss me the way I miss her? Does she even want me, the alpha she grew close to during her imprisonment? Did I imagine the bond I felt growing between the two of us during our secret visits? If I come back into her life, will I set her back and be a reminder of every nightmare she had to live through?
I clench my fists at my sides, feeling conflicted suddenly.
If she’s doing better, if she’s safe and being cared for, do I really want to disrupt that? Do I want to bring her new world crumbling down when she’s finally getting to a good place in her life?
Physically, Cozette seems perfect. She looks healthy and content, something I’ve never been able to witness myself, and that eases some of the turmoil that’s plagued me since leaving her.
But how do I let her go?
There’s not much in life I’m certain about, but I’ve been confident that Cozette is the only omega—only person—for me since the moment I laid eyes on her. It was solidified the first time she looked at me fully with her sorrowful blue eyes. After secretly visiting her for weeks anytime Victor was away, I finally gained a little of her trust. After that, she captured the good that was left in me and stole it away for herself. I became reckless the longer she was chained to him, and watching her suffer drove me closer and closer to the edge of insanity, ready to risk it all if it saved her.
She’s been my sole reason for breathing for over a year, the thing that keeps me going and kept me coming back to Victor for any job he had for me, no matter the cost. Every glimpse of her, every word she’s ever spoken to me, every look she’s ever given me… It’s all imprinted on my heart and soul, tattooed on my brain.
How do I walk away for good when every cell in my being screams she’s mine?
Her tangy lemon bar scent that’s been ingrained in me since the very first time I scented it is carried to me on the breeze that blows by, and I inhale greedily, closing my eyes and nearly groaning out loud when I realize it’s no longer tainted by her fear and sadness. When I reopen my eyes and look back up at her, she’s frantically looking around until she stops on the tree I’m at with wide eyes, and I duck my head back, realizing she probably caught my scent on the breeze like I did hers.
“…Ghost?” I hear her whisper, her voice trembling despite how quiet she says it and I curse under my breath for staying for as long as I have, warring with myself on whether I should step out and let her see me.
“Jeremiah?” she calls out softly, slightly louder but still quiet enough not to alert anyone, and I can’t tell if I’m imagining it when she sounds almost hopeful, or if it’s wishful thinking.
Fuck it.
I’ve already broken every rule I’ve ever had for her. What’s one more?
I step out from behind the tree, just enough that she can see me, and look up at her with my hands shoved in my hoodie pocket to hide the fact that they’re shaking. She gasps and disappears from the open window almost immediately when she catches sight of me, and my chest feels like it’s going to cave in as disappointment takes root.
What did you expect? You’re a reminder of everything she had to endure…
I take a deep breath and prepare to make a quick escape before whoever she’s staying with comes out and catches me, but as I’m about to turn and disappear into the trees, I hear the front door quietly open and shut. Her quiet footsteps through the grass reach me before I look up and watch her run across the yard towards me. My shoulders tense and I just barely get my hands out of my pocket before she collides with me, wrapping her arms around my middle and stealing the breath from my lungs as she rubs her nose just below my chest thanks to her short stature.
The tension in me bleeds out instantly, and I bend to wrap my arms around her, squeezing her tight as I press my nose to the top of her head and inhale her sweet, tart, lemony scent, hoping it soaks into my hoodie so I can carry it with me for as long as possible. She shivers in my hold, and I close my eyes to savor the feeling of her in my arms after so long of dreaming what it would feel like.
“Hey, Dove. I’ve missed you,” I rumble softly, giving her the soft smile that’s reserved only for her when she pulls back slightly, looking up at me with watery eyes and a wobbly smile.
My thumb comes up gently to swipe the lone tear that falls from her lashes before it can make its descent down the apple of her freckled, plump cheek. Cupping that same cheek, I lower my head and press my forehead to hers, staring deep into her eyes. I let her see the regret that I’ve been tormented by since I left, let her see the worry and concern that’s eaten at me, and then I let her see how relieved I am to see her again, safe and healthy.
“You came back to me,” she whimpers, her lower lip poking out slightly as she tries not to cry, and fuck if she isn’t tugging at all my heartstrings right now.
I bring my other hand up to cup her other cheek, holding her face in my hands as I fight the urge to kiss her stupid like I’ve wanted to do since that first night I broke in and sat with her outside of the cage Victor liked to put her in as punishment or when he would leave.
“I will always come back to you, Cozette. No matter how far you are, no matter how long it takes me, no matter the obstacles in my path. There’s nothing that could keep me from finding you. Not even Death himself. Words can’t describe how sorry I am for not saving you, for leaving you with him.”
She bites her lip and brings her hands up to rest over my heart, closing her eyes when she feels it beating erratically through my hoodie. I quickly glance around, making sure we’re still alone and not being watched, and when I look back at her, she’s got a soft smile on her lips.
“Always so vigilant, my Ghost.”
She reaches down and clasps my hand in hers, tugging me behind her as she leads me around to the side of the house where there’s a small garden with a wooden bench overlooking the yard and side of the house. She sits, pulling me down with her, never letting go of my hand. Unconsciously, my thumb strokes across her knuckles, and for once, I let myself completely relax, if only for the moment. Nothing else matters but the omega sitting beside me.
“I don’t blame you for leaving, you know,” she says quietly after a few minutes of silence, looking out at the flowers surrounding us as the crickets sing into the night.
Her brows furrow as she looks down at our hands, thinking, and I say nothing, waiting patiently as she works through her thoughts. And when she finally speaks again, I can’t help but squeeze her hand tighter in mine to remind her I’m right here with her.
“I wanted you to leave, to stay alive. Needed you to. I was so afraid when I thought I was going to have to watch you die. You… I don’t know why I’m so drawn to you, Jeremiah.”
She glances up at me, chewing her bottom lip until I pull it away, so she doesn’t accidentally make herself bleed.
“I don’t understand a lot about myself, but something deep inside of me needs you. Why does it feel as easy as breathing for me to let you touch me—to trust you—when I’m still learning how to trust others, but alphas especially? That’s what I’ve asked myself since he’s been gone. I was… I was afraid that what I felt for you was because of my trauma and that I’d latched onto you because you were the first person to be kind to me after Victor brought me home with him. But since I’ve been here, I’ve been able to figure some things out. And one of those things is that you’d be important to me no matter when or how you came into my life. Am I crazy for thinking that?”
Her eyes glisten as she looks up at me anxiously, and I bring her hand up to my heart before pressing mine against hers. I close my eyes and my lips curl up slightly when I realize our hearts are beating in sync. When I look back into her eyes, I know that there’s nothing and nobody in this world that could ever get me to let her go again, unless she asked me to herself.
This omega was handpicked by the gods to deliver me to salvation, to save me from total destruction before it’s too late, and I was chosen for her to protect and serve her until my dying breath. To love her with everything I am and to show her what a real alpha/omega dynamic is like after what she was put through.
Omegas are the ones that hold all the power over their alphas, not the other way around. They’re the heart of any pack—of any alpha—and their needs, their wants, hold priority above all else. And an omega always has the final say in who they choose to be with. Who they allow to cherish and care for them. Who they choose to give their heart and trust over to.
Who they give their all to.
Victor didn’t understand that. Didn’t understand that you can’t force an omega to serve you when you should be serving them. Didn’t understand that you can’t build a bond on pain and fear. Didn’t understand that he couldn’t forcibly take from Cozette what was never his to begin with, no matter how much he tortured her or how tightly chained to him he kept her. He might have been able to force a bond on her, but that didn’t mean he’d ever get to experience the full effect of an omega’s love and devotion, not that I think he ever really wanted that. Alphas like Victor only know how to take what’s not theirs and abuse the thing that should be most precious to all alphas.
Victor would have killed her eventually, just like the many before her and the two that came through while she was bound to him, and the thought of the fate she could have met if he had lived any longer makes my blood run cold.
I don’t ever want to live in a world where Cozette doesn’t exist.
I failed to protect her in the beginning, but I won’t let anything—or anyone—stop me from being here for her now. To keep me from protecting her from anything or anyone that could hurt her ever again. Cozette won’t ever be forced to do anything she doesn’t want to do again if I have anything to say about it.
“You feel that, Dove?” I ask her quietly, watching as her breath hitches in her throat. “They beat together in synchrony because I was made for you as much as you were made for me. The gods took pieces of them and hid them away in us until we found each other to bring the pieces back together. Heart of my heart, soul bound from the first breath we ever took. Mine’s tarnished and dirty because of my past, and I wish I’d kept it clean for you, but if you’ll have it, it’s yours for eternity.”
She sniffles, her hand clenching in my shirt, and she tentatively pulls herself as close to me as she can get without being in my lap, letting go and grabbing my hand where it rests at her heart with both hands, holding it there.
“I think both of our hearts became a little damaged along the way before we found each other. Mine’s a little shattered, and there’s probably a few missing pieces, but… you’ll take care of what’s left of it, won’t you?”
Her voice is small—almost child-like—as she stares into my eyes nervously, my hand clenched tightly between hers as if she’s afraid I’ll leave again. With my free hand, I slot my fingers through her curls, gripping her hair with just enough pressure as I bring us nose to nose, her breath fanning across my lips. Her chest rises and falls quickly, her heart beating erratically against my palm. Briefly, I glance at her parted lips, fighting every instinct inside of me that begs me to kiss her because right now, she needs to know that she’s in control. I will gladly give her anything she asks of me, no matter the cost, but I will never take what she doesn’t freely give me.
“Your broken pieces don’t scare me, baby. I’ll find all the fragments that are missing, and put them back where they rightfully belong. I’ll make you whole again, if only you tell me to,” I whisper, our lips so close that I can almost taste her. “I don’t deserve it, but I can promise you I’ll cherish it with everything that I am because I’d rather walk through the pits of hell than ever risk breaking something so treasured.”
I’m never letting you go…