Page 51 of Dodging Bullets

Her silent, heartbreaking crying was like a stab to the chest with every single sob. Finally, she sucked in a shuddering breath. “I’ll do it. Nim is still there, and the kids who don’t know any better. The rest… I want Leader Malakai to die a horrendous death. Does that make me a bad person?

Rio reached over and gripped her hand. “It makes you human, Beautiful. And I’ll personally make sure that happens.” I knew that if they were going to bring down the Homestead, Rio and I would be right there with them.

I squeezed her thigh, leaning across Llew’s broad chest to kiss her. “I’ll make the call. Eat something and rehydrate.” I ran my nose over her cheek. “I’m sorry this ruined the day.”

She shook her head. “It’s not your fault. And the people who are at fault need to be punished.”

Yeah, there was my little fighter.

Toledo had rounded everyone up super quick, and less than two hours later, we were in a hotel bar on the outskirts of Charlotte. In the end, the whole Pack came, including August. We were a show of support, and maybe a show of force, in case shit went sideways. Given how upset Polly had been earlier, I doubted any of us could have just stayed home while she was out here, confronting her past.

I noted Toledo in the back corner, and beside him was a girl with mermaid-blue hair. I could also see the back of two male heads. I raised an eyebrow at Toledo; that was a lot of people to subject my Omega to.

When we neared, he reached out and shook my hand. “Max, it’s good to see you.”

I’d never seen him so… not snarky. He was obviously on his best behavior, but for who?

He indicated the woman beside him. “You know Jewel.”

I raised both eyebrows at the tiny little thing with the brightly colored hair in front of me. She was the hacker that some of the tech guys at the CIA jerked off to? Well, her work, anyway. Though if they’d seen her, probably to her visage as well.

I reached out and shook her hand. “Only professionally.”

Polly appeared beside me, her eyes taking in Toledo and Jewel. And then she went inhumanly still beside me. “Henry?”

The man to my left was young, around Polly’s age. He had a wide smile, eyes that were a little too far apart, but not enough that he looked like Sid the Sloth. It just kind of made him look sweet.

“Hey, Paloma. When they told me…” The guy shook his head. “I hoped it would be you.”

She stepped around me and when he stood, she wrapped her arms around him and cried. “They said you’d died. They said you got a fever, that you passed in the middle of the night, and by the time Nim or I got any answers, they showed us your grave.” She was sobbing again, and I resisted the urge to pull her back into my arms.

“I designated Alpha, and they kicked me out. Is Nim… Is she okay?”

“She was when I left.” Stepping back, Polly rubbed her eyes with the back of her sleeve. “Now? I don’t know.”

Henry stepped back and introduced the other man beside him. He was older, around my age or probably a little older. “This is Pieter. He has the safehouse where we go when they rescue us.”

The man in question reached out and shook my hand, then Polly’s. “It’s lovely to meet you, Paloma.”

She shook her head. “I go by Polly now.”

Henry looked over my shoulder, and I turned to see a big Alpha appear, his dark eyes taking in our group with almost military precision. “And that’s Kross. He’s our de facto leader.”

Polly turned, the polite smile on her face dropping and the color in her cheeks draining. Her scent soured, and suddenly, her Omega distress pheromones could have suffocated a horse. She shook her head wildly. “No!”

I didn’t ask questions. I just swung.

Twenty-Nine

Polly

Max landed several solid punches beforehegot out of the way. The Alpha from when I’d been sold by Leader Malakai. The one who’d barked at me to be calm. It was him. He washere.

Llew had me and August stuffed behind him, his big body a shield from the brawl that was occurring in front of us.

It was clear that the Alpha from that night had military training too. He stepped back, his hands raised. “Wait! Wait! I can explain.Please.”

But my Alphas weren’t listening.

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