Chapter Seven
Ches
I didn’t want to leave Grant in his room but there was no other choice. I couldn’t just stay with an alpha for the night because I’d had a hiccup in a guest’s room.
Maybe I was downplaying it too much.
It was a way to cope with the fact that I was almost raped or kidnapped or trafficked.
I shook my head and closed the door behind me to the room I shared with Alias.
“What’s the matter?” he asked, and I almost jumped out of my skin and into another dimension. I was already on edge but there was no way he could know that.
“You scared the fuck out of me.”
That earned me a chuckle. “You know we share a room, right? Did you expect someone else? Wait, really, are you okay?”
I slid down the door, letting the weight of the night’s events take their toll on me. “Something bad happened.”
“What is it?” Alias, good friend that he was, came and sat next to me. Thank goodness he didn’t try to touch me. I wouldn’t have been able to deal with that. I needed a shower. Even though they didn’t violate me sexually, I felt gross.
“One of the villas called for ice, and I went over to bring it to them.”
He rolled his eyes. “Even though they have ice in every spare corner of the villas and around them.”
“Right. I thought that too. I got the ice…” I realized I’d begun to shake as I told the story. My best friend noticed too. He got up and got a blanket from my bed and draped it over my shoulders. “Thank you.”
“Go on. You got the ice and…”
“I brought it to the room but when I arrived, the door was open. I figured the rich alpha wised up and remembered where the ice machines were and accidentally left it open. But here I was holding the bucket, and I didn’t want him to complain that I never answered the call.
So I called out. The room was dark and then someone said, come on in. ”
A few seconds before, I didn’t want to be touched but as I recalled the picture of that dark room in my mind, I was the one who reached out for his hand. He took it and squeezed. That meant everything.
“Take your time,” he said softly.
I took a few breaths before taking him through the rest.
“Thank goodness the alpha saved you,” he said, tears welling in his eyes.
He was worried for me, yes, but now, I was worried for all of the omegas who worked here.
At the same time, I didn’t want to rock this boat that I was so safe in so far, and putting up with some dangerous alphas was better than sleeping on the streets any day.
“Grant. Yes. His name was Grant. He brought me back to his room and let me use his bathroom. I used his soap.” I brought my hands up to smell them.
I hadn’t used the little bars of soap by the sink that the resort provided.
Instead, I’d opted for his body wash, still in his open hygiene bag.
Goddess, it smelled like him. Fresh and clean but an undertone of masculine musk.
I could drown myself in that scent and die a happy omega.
“That was kind of him. It could’ve gone so badly if he hadn’t showed up. You need some rest, and then we can go tell…”
“No. No, Alias, please.”
“What?” His eyes widened. If I was in his place, his reaction would be mine.
“I can’t risk this job. I don’t want to be taken off of villa duty. Those are the best tips.”
He released my hand. “Ches, this is serious. What if they try to do this to other omegas? What if they try to do it to you again or to me?”
“They won’t. Grant took care of them. They learned their lesson.”
He shook his head. “You can’t know that.”
He wasn’t wrong. “I’m begging you. Don’t tell anyone. If I see them again, I’ll tell management myself, but please keep this secret for me.”
“I don’t know. The owners need to know if there are traffickers or just assholes here. They don’t tolerate abuse.”
“I know, but just do this one thing for me. I’m begging you.”
Alias sighed. “You already begged. Okay. But if you see them, you have to tell someone.”
“I promise,” I said. “I will.”
Alias laughed. “Now you have to tell me. Was Grant as incredible as he sounds?”
I thought about it. He was so strong and handsome. Under different circumstances, I might’ve flirted with him. See where that went.
Too bad he saw me at my worst.
“He was right out of a romance novel.”