Chapter 24 #2
He’ll find out eventually, it’s not something we can or would want to hide forever, especially since my cousin already thinks I’m a bonded male, but until I know what’s going to happen with Nikolai and our pack, I’d rather it stay undiscovered for now.
That just leaves Leon and Styx to worry about, and they’re doing their own things so I won’t have to.
Not that they would get in between me and Row since this was basically their idea, but knowing the people I’d normally have to watch out for in a situation like this, the ones who would intervene on behalf of their omega once they saw me corner her, means I can hopefully get some answers without getting my ass beat by anyone except her.
I smile and shake my head as I jog toward the door.
It figures she’d be part of my pack.
Someone somewhere is getting a huge laugh over sending me two omegas who won’t ever hesitate to put me in my place, and I’d bet my entire life savings it’s my mother.
That’s how she was, right up until the end when she spit in my father’s face before he blew a hole in hers.
She was a fighter, she was tough, and she took no shit from anyone, regardless of the trouble it could cause.
There’s no doubt in my mind that if some divine being sent me a couple of feisty omegas, it was her.
I don’t know if I believe in that kind of thing, though. I just know if I did, my mother would have been the one to hand pick my mates in order to be sure they gave me hell for the rest of my life. And she’d do it with a smile on her face.
“Thanks, man,” I say to Draven as he lets me through, sidestepping the alpha with a nod.
Fucker makes my hackles raise for no goddamn reason.
He’s been nothing but decent to me since I started coming here so I’m not sure why I react that way to him.
Granted, I think he’s said maybe three words within my earshot over the last month or so, and he gives resting bitch face an entirely new meaning so I’m just assuming he’s being decent to me.
Draven could be planning my murder every time I set foot in the club for all I know.
It wouldn’t surprise me. His vibe is very murdery and I bet his aura matches.
The guy hasn’t given me a solid reason to feel that way, though.
He still makes me think something is off with him.
His size and overall demeanor definitely don’t help.
Draven could be Rune’s long lost brother or some shit.
I swear the Adder brothers attract nothing but the biggest, most unhinged looking alphas I’ve ever seen, and that’s after spending my entire thirty-three years in the Russian mob.
If I’m unsettled by him, that fucker is probably a closeted serial killer.
At least he seems to be on our side.
I clear the hallway and stop next to the stage, scanning the floor as the staff start getting ready to open the doors.
Cleaning tables, vacuuming, sanitizing the stage and cages. Security is checking the camera angles, making sure visibility is clear and where they need it to be. The teams are going over emergency exits and protocol, and making sure everyone knows where they’re going to be positioned tonight.
They do the same kind of thing when they close, cleaning included, but Cole is pretty obsessive about keeping everyone safe, and Ransom gives him free reign to make sure that happens any way possible. They have a good thing going and I’m sure it’s because of the way they do things.
I can appreciate that, especially now that I’m invested in a few of the people here. If this place was run similarly to the clubs and auctions I’ve had to regulate over the years, I’d be getting my pack out and burning the fucker to the ground before anyone had time to think about making changes.
I sweep the room again, looking for the fiery little blonde in a mask and once I see her head toward the coat check, I start running.
That’s a great place to talk to her.
It’s private and quiet, away from prying eyes or a member of Cole’s team that might mistake our conversation for something far more nefarious than what it is. If I can catch her while she’s in there, that is the perfect place to interrogate the little omega with pretty eyes and a solid right hook.
God, she smells good.
That shouldn’t be the first thought to cross my mind when I walk into the coat room but it is, and I’m sure part of it is because I can scent Niko on her.
It’s not just that, though. Her own scent, the fragrance that is unique to her alone, is strong, and it’s soothing in the same way that my mate’s is.
The eucalyptus is perfect against Niko’s lavender.
I quietly cross the room, careful not to startle Row but the second she scents me—I know she can based on the way she inhales sharply—the omega yanks a glock from the back of her jean shorts, spins while she takes off the safety, and has it aimed between my eyes before I could even open my mouth.
“You fucker,” she hisses as she lowers the gun, but not by much. “What are you doing here?”
“Looking for you.” I smirk as I move toward her, stopping when there’s no more than two feet of space separating us. “We need to talk.”
“I’m not apologizing for hitting you.”
“I don’t expect you to.”
Row lowers the gun and puts the safety on, but doesn’t tuck it back in her waistband. “I’m not letting you near Niko, either.”
I grit my teeth as my hands ball into fists, the alpha in me ready to go to war over my omega but I don’t.
She’s just protecting him because she loves him, and she knows I’ve hurt him deeper than I can probably understand.
Which is where I need to start this shit if I want Row to tell me anything about why they’re doing what they’re doing.
“I’m not here to see him. Not tonight.” She glares at me from behind her mask and my god, that is going to annoy the fuck out of me. “Can you take that off?”
“Yes, but I’m not going to.”
“Please?” I ask as I clench my jaw.
She is going to be a huge pain in my ass, I can already tell.
Sparrow looks at me a little skeptically, her brown eyes moving all over my face and just when I think she might agree to unmask for our conversation, she proves how big of a pain she’s going to really be. “Take off your patch.”
“What?”
“Your eye patch,” she says with a nod. “Take it off, and I’ll take off my mask.”
“Why?” Coming from literally anyone else, I’d probably lose my shit and cause some violence. I’m pissed, but not that pissed at her, and she should be grateful I’m struggling to stay mad at her.
Oh goody, another omega I can’t say no to.
She finally puts her gun away, tucking it into the top of her shorts, then crosses her arms against her chest. “Vulnerability, honey. Give me yours and I’ll give you mine. Even the playing field or the game is over before it starts.”
Will this omega drive me crazy until the day I die? Probably, but goddamn if it isn’t going to be a good time in between.
I can absolutely see why Nikolai fell for her.
Slowly, I raise my hands to show her what I’m doing, taking the edge of my patch between the thumb and index finger from my left before I lift it over my head.
I push my fingers back through my hair as I blink a few times, my bad eye struggling to adjust despite the low lighting then I hold the offending accessory out to her.
“Your turn, honey.”
With a brief nod, Row quickly snatches my patch then moves her fingers under hair and unties the back of her mask, removing it without a fight before loosely hooking both through her belt loop so the skeleton jaw and black leather is hanging off her hip.
Yeah, I knew she was a knockout.
Doesn’t matter to Niko, not really. Looks don’t mean anything to him until he has that emotional connection, so he fell for Row’s personality before he really saw how beautiful she is, and I understand how he did that based on two relatively hostile interactions.
But this female is gorgeous.
I bet she’s even prettier with her natural hair and eye color. Now that I can see her entire face, it’s obvious both of those are as fake as her name.
Which is why I rip that bandaid off, too. “I’m not going to keep calling you Sparrow.”
“Okay.”
“What should I call you?”
“Your Majesty is fine.” She arches a brow and crosses her arms again. “Madame Boss Omega? Mistress Who Has My Knot and Balls in a Vice? I could keep going but judging by the way the muscle in your jaw is ticking, I better leave it there for now.”
“How about we settle on Brat and call it good?”
Row fights a grin as she shrugs. “Whatever you want to call me for now is fine because you’re—”
“Going to have to earn your real name, right?” She nods. “Fine. I get it. I have a lot of work to do and you’re going to make sure I do it.” Another nod. “Glad we got that out of the way.”
“Would you like to explain why you’ve got me trapped in the coat room in a strip club, or would you rather wait for the girls to come in and find us first?
” Sparrow relaxes a bit and tilts her head, her hair falling in soft waves to one shoulder, and I can’t help but focus on the way the strands move.
They look soft.
Soft and thick, and like it was recently cut.
“Who are you and Nikolai hiding from?”
Well, there went that relaxed position Sparrow had.
She tensed up as soon as I asked that. Her back went ramrod straight, her arms fell to her sides, and her eyes widened the slightest bit before she tried to pretend what I asked didn’t faze her.
“Or should I ask, who are you hiding from?”
Row shakes her head. “It’s not like that.”
“No? You two are altering your appearance, using aliases, and living in an RV because you’re not running from anyone?” She gnaws her lower lip and I can practically smell the tension rolling off of her.
“It’s really not like that.”
Now I’m crossing my arms against my chest and raising the skeptical brow. “Then what’s it like? Enlighten me.”