Page 71 of Omega on Fire

She takes a deep, shuddering breath. "Okay. I can do that."

"Good girl," I murmur, and I feel her lean into me at the praise. "We're going to find him, Charlotte. And when we do, Blaine is going to learn what happens when you fuck with what belongs to the Hudson pack."

Because that's what Charlotte is now. She's ours. And by extension, so is her friend.

I meet Moses' eyes across the room, and I know he's thinking the same thing. We've been merciful up until now. Playing the political game. Following rules.

That ends now.

I'm in the shooting range watching our girl run through clip after clip like a woman possessed, and fuck if it isn't the hottest thing I've ever seen. Her form is perfect—feet planted shoulder-width apart, elbows slightly bent, eyes laser-focused on her target. With each shot, the center of the paper silhouette disintegrates a little more.

She's been down here for three hours straight. At first, I thought she just needed to burn off some of that nervous energy, but it's become clear this is more than that. This is preparation for war.

When she pauses to reload for what must be the fifteenth time, Moses steps up behind her, adjusting her grip slightly with a gentle touch. She nods her thanks without taking her eyes off the target. I exchange glances with Beaux, who's leaning againstthe wall, his expression a mixture of admiration and arousal.

The range goes quiet as Charlotte unloads another perfect grouping into the chest of her paper victim. Every one of us knows exactly who she's imagining that target to be.

Beaux lets out a low whistle as she lowers the gun. "Shit, Trigger, we are going to have to give Harley here your call sign if she keeps handling that Glock like that." His voice drops an octave. "Fuck, Charlotte, this is not the time to make my dick hard."

Charlotte only offers him a small smile as she sets down the pistol and picks up the rifle with practiced ease. She checks the chamber, adjusts the stock against her shoulder, and settles into position with a familiarity that surprises me.

That's when I notice Josiah standing in the doorway, his expression unreadable as he watches our Omega handle weapons like she was born to it. When he realizes I've spotted him, he straightens immediately.

"Anything new?" I ask, knowing he wouldn't be here unless he had something.

"Yes. I think I may have a location." His words cut through the air like a bullet, and suddenly everyone in the room is at full attention.

Charlotte carefully places the rifle down and turns to face him, hope and fear warring in her expression.

Josiah steps fully into the room, tablet in hand. "I tracked the black non-descript van they shoved Brookes into through traffic cameras and found it in the meatpacking district." His fingers swipe across the screen, bringing up satellite images. "It appears Senator Blaine owns a warehouse there, through the Solomon Foundation. He's supposedly opening a shelter, but the building's been empty for years."

He zooms in on a grainy image. "From what I can pull up from the shitty security cameras around the building, there's been a lot of traffic in and out the past few days. Something is happening there and no one's paying attention or they're being paid to look away."

"What about Brookes' security detail?" I ask, already moving closer to look at the intel.

Josiah's jaw tightens. "From the information Beaux gave me earlier, one of Brookes' security team worked for Aegis, and that was the Senator's in. No red flags on her record, so it was easy for her to weasel her way into Brookes' security detail."

"So, you're saying the Senator had eyes on Brookes for a while?" Charlotte asks, her voice steady but her scent betraying her rising anxiety.

Moses steps up beside her, his presence solid and reassuring. "It makes sense. He was advocating for you to be found on social media. He's famous. He was determined to get you back, Charlotte." He places a hand on her shoulder. "As an Omega, I'm sure the powers that be weren't happy with the things he was saying. He practically blamed the government for your abduction and said they weren't doing enough to find you and the other missing Omegas."

Josiah nods. "Yes, I agree. He wants to silence you and anyone associated with you. With you being rescued, it seems he's desperate."

I scan the intel, my mind already formulating entry points, extraction routes, contingencies. "You think they are holding Brookes there?" I need to be certain before we move.

"Yes. Definitely." Josiah's confidence is reassuring. "But this won't be easy. We can't make too much noise. Too many locals, including NYPD."

Beaux pushes off the wall, his eyes darkening with that predatory gleam I know all too well. "Fuck that. You know we're like thieves in the night. We get in and out, kill them quietly and efficiently." The promise of violence in his voice would be disturbing if I didn't share the sentiment completely.

Charlotte's gaze is fixed and determined. "All Icare about is getting Brookes out of there and away from Senator Blaine." There's something haunted in her eyes, and I know she's thinking about her own captivity. "If they take him anywhere else, who knows what they will do to him."

I step into the center of our circle, assuming the position of leadership that comes as naturally as breathing. "Then we scout out the place, and if he's there, we move in and we retrieve him."

Charlotte's voice is steel when she adds, "Then we put an end to all of this."

The conviction in her words sends a chill down my spine. She's not talking about just rescuing Brookes. She's talking about ending the entire fucking operation, starting with Senator Blaine.

And for the first time since I've known her, I see the warrior beneath the activist. The woman who walked through hell and came out the other side, not broken but forged into something stronger.

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