Page 5 of Nothing is Free

“Last night.” She closes her eyes, face scrunched in pain and continues. “The guy in the video. When we lived in Chicago, there were times when I felt a presence. Like we were being watched.” She shrugs. “Honestly, Avion, I always thought it was my father keeping tabs on me. . .or my”—she gestures over her shoulders—“guys. . .but. . .what if it was him?” She wraps her arms around herself and hangs her head. “I don’t know why I feel like this is my fault somehow. Maybe it was too soon to have the gala after everything withFaith and my own attempted abduction.” She shudders, physically trembling as she hugs herself tighter.

“Mouse, don’t. This is not on you.” Lox closes the distance and wraps his arms around her from behind, pulling her back into his chest. Knight comes around to the other side of her and I move out of the way giving them room to sandwich her. I look over their shoulders and see a heartbroken look on Vic’s face as he closes his eyes briefly, it has me clearing my throat. The love and care they show her makes my heart clench in my chest and it is hard to witness right now. It’s all too much, Mercy’s own sweet peach scent turns the room bitter and sour, making her Alphas tighten their hold on her. The entire area feels suffocating. What I wouldn’t give for this all to be a bad dream. I just want to wake up with both Freeya and Omari safe in my arms. I want yesterday morning. . .if I knew then what I know now, she would have never left the penthouse.

“Why don’t we join the others in the dining room and Dez can update us on any new developments,” I say, my voice clipped, as I skirt around the group and head towards my brother. I am fighting my instincts with so many Alphas in my pack’s house. My Omega is falling apart upstairs, and my Beta is missing. I don’t know where the strength is coming from but. . . ‘fake it til you make it,’ as Freeya likes to say.J’ai besoin de toi, Mon Chéri.I need you, my darling.

“We’ll be right behind you,” Knight calls out behind me as I maneuver my way around the couches toward a waiting Vic. His eyes are tired and he’s still wearing the suit he had on last night; I know he’s been up with Omari. The white tips of his black hair flop in his face, his golden-brown skin pale.

“Mari?” I ask, keeping my voice down. He blows out his breath and looks up toward the stairs to the second floor. Brushing his disheveled hair out of his face, his gray eyes arefull of anguish, he shakes his head. I honestly don’t know why I asked, I guess it’s out of habit. I can feel Omari’s emotion like a sledgehammer to the gut.

“He won’t leave his nest. Cariñas scent is strongest there.” The sound of voices from the dining room has me moving as he continues. “We have to find her. He is struggling, Avion. None of us know what being away from his true mate will do to him. Especially?—”

“I know,” I say. I don’t need to think about what their separation is doing to him. I can both feel and smell it. A once in a lifetime pairing, if something happens to her it will destroy him and in turn destroy us all.

“Avion, this is bigger than just finding her though, she?—”

“I know, Vic!” I shout and immediately regret my raised voice. I straighten my already straightened jacket and rotate my shoulders; the audible crack makes me sigh at the temporary relief.

I place my hand on Vic’s shoulders. “I’m sorry,” I say, and he nods in acceptance. If we didn’t have company, I am sure he would have more to say but he just gestures toward the growing crowd of guests sitting around the dining table waiting for us.

“We are all on edge. A lot is at stake here, Avi, so I will let you verbally punch me as much as you like. I can take it.” He winks but there is a lack of playfulness in his gaze. His lips turn up in a barely there smile as he walks past me to find a seat at the table.

Dez looks up, eyes bloodshot, forehead creased in concern. He’s wearing his all-black combat gear, ready to take off at a second’s notice. I know he blames himself. I know he didn’t sleep, none of us did, but he won’t rest until Freeya is back. His eyes track Vic’s movements until he falls into quiet conversation with Mercy’s other mates, Nate andTrey. Then he turns his worried gaze to me. I’m hoping to convey that all is well and shrug him off as Mercy, Knight, and Lox pass me to find their own seats.

Dez’s second in command, Quincy, leans over my brother’s shoulder, both of them tower over his pack mate Malcolm, Dez’s IT wiz, as he types furiously at the keys. Beckett, another one of Dez’s Alpha team members, and Quincy’s other pack mate, pulls out a chair for Faith, Mercy’s older sister. Her brown skin is ashen, eyes wide, she covers her nose briefly with the back of her hand, clearly on edge and just as affected by Omari’s scent as her sister. Beckett hovers over her protectively, pushing her chair forward once she’s seated and places his hand on her shoulder. I observe her reaction. Those light brown eyes shoot up, warm, almost loving, she reaches up and brushes her fingers over his. A simple, yet still intimate show of affection.Interesting. I know that Quincy and his pack were responsible for her rescue, and they’ve been glued to her side since she woke in the hospital months ago. There’s no point in questioning why she’s with them, with everything going on, I know they won’t let her out of their sight.

With the room full, I silently make my way around the table, nodding in greeting as I pass by those who are already seated. I’m so anxious right now, sitting will only make it worse. I choose to stand, holding up the wall behind Vic’s seat in direct sight of Dez at the opposite end of the room.

Rising to his full height, Dez, followed by Quincy, steps away from Malcolm, whose focus remains on the various laptops in front of him. The soft murmurs of conversation die down as we all give him our full attention.

“I wish we were all gathered for any reason other than this.” He visibly swallows, his voice rough from a lack of sleep. He runs his hands down his face. “We’ve beenfollowing traffic cams in and around Frankfort. Malcolm managed to find and track the black unmarked SUV for two states until we lost our eyes.”

“That’s something, right?” Trey asks, taking off his glasses and rubbing his tired eyes. I guess Mercy kept her mates up as well. We are all a mess this morning. Mercy sniffs, eyes watering with tears, Nate pulls her out of her chair and into his lap. I look away, the need to go and comfort Omari is riding me hard. Our own Omega needs us.

“Yes and no,” Dez replies in frustration. “We have a direction. But we are not dealing with an amateur here. This was a well-planned and well-orchestrated kidnapping. This guy is practically a ghost. How he managed to get past my security is still a mystery, but we will figure it out. From what Mercy has already told me and from his previous messages, he’s been following Freeya for a long time. Years. He knew her before she arrived in Chicago so we will start there. I don’t want to get her family?—”

“They don’t care. Free hasn’t spoken to her parents since they threw her out. It’s a dead end,” Mercy says, her voice muffled against Nate’s chest. He wraps his arms tighter around her and I watch as her mates gravitate to her. Knight and Lox get up and walk around the table to stand behind Nate’s seat, and Trey scoots his chair closer. My throat constricts and I reach out and touch Vic’s shoulder to comfort him and myself.

“So, you want to find out who he was before,” Faith whispers, making us all turn our attention to her. She curls in on herself with all our eyes on her, but Beckett presses his hand to her shoulder once more and I watch her pull strength from him. She straightens and looks at Dez. “She must have meant something to him from before she presented. Maybe a friend or?—”

“Free was promised to a pack of Alphas before she presented,” Mercy pipes up, wiping away her tears and glances across the table at her older sister.

“Malcolm,” Dez calls for his IT tech and the man barely looks up from the computer screen in acknowledgement. “Consider where Freeya is originally from, generate a list of prominent families in the area. Possible eligible Alphas from six years ago. . .that could work.” Dez rubs his chin, lost in thought for a moment. But before he can say anything further Malcolm looks up from his laptop, his bright smile is manic. He whistles with a look of triumph in his eyes.

“First, I want you to tell me you love me and then maybe we can discuss a raise.” He looks over his shoulders at Quincy and winks. “I can do you one better,” he says turning the laptop around to show Dez what he found. From where I am standing, I can’t get a glimpse of the screen, so I move closer and watch as Dez’s brow climb to his hairline in surprise.

“You can have whatever the fuck you want, Malcolm.” Dez doesn’t smile very often, but when he does, it lights up his entire face. I suck in a breath that I didn’t know I was holding. Oxygen fills my lungs, flowing through me with sweet relief at the sight. This has to be good news, right? He rubs the exhaustion from his eyes and looks at me then Vic.

“He’s not a ghost. He’s just a man. Damyn Harrington.” Dez smiles but it’s the smile of a predator eager and ready to hunt down its prey. “If we know a name, he can’t hide. We might not have a location yet, but we will find him and her,” he says with a certainty that makes my heart pound in my chest in anticipation.

“Oh, thank God.” Mercy sobs again, covering her mouth and burying her face in Nate’s chest again.

“How long?” Vic finally speaks, his voice gruff, but heclears his throat to push past his emotion. “How long until we find her?” he asks as he stands from the table. I know exactly where he’s going, it’s exactly where I want to be, with our Omega. Mon Cœur. My heart.

Knowing exactly why he’s asking, Dez deflates a bit, the excitement from Malcolm’s discovery is only a stepping stone to our ultimate endgame. He sighs, eyes never leaving Vic’s. “A few days.”

“Knowing who her captor is, is crucial,” Quincy speaks up when Dez remains quiet saying nothing further. “Not going to lie, it could take us longer, but we won’t rest until we get Freeya back.” He pats Dez on the shoulder, pulling his boss and friend out of the temporary trance he was in. The hard truth is like a slap in the face, but I knew it wouldn’t be easy. If that was the case, Freeya would be home or on her way back to us by now.

“So, days could turn into weeks?” Faith gasps. “But the baby?—”

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