Page 31 of Omega Tricked
“Crime?”
“Yeah, like thefts or murders.”
He bugged his eyes, looking horrified. “God, no.”
I laughed at his expression. “It’s not impossible. Wherever alphas and omegas mingle, there can be trouble.”
“We’ve never had a robbery or murder while I’ve been there.” He wrinkled his brow. “The worst thing that’s ever happened was an animal attack at the back gates. But that was a month ago.”
“An animal attack?”
He shivered. “Yeah.”
“What kind of animal?”
“No one knows,” he said quietly.
Uneasiness shifted through me. “Who was attacked?”
Before he could answer, a white van pulled up on the street in front of us.
“Oh, they were quicker than I thought.” Dylan stood, looking pleased.
An alpha with dark hair tinged with silver climbed from the passenger side and approached. He wore an olive-green uniform that had some sort of gold insignia on it. I didn’t recognize the uniform, but the alpha had a distinctly military air about him. He nodded at Dylan. “How are you, Dylan?”
“I’ve been better.” Dylan gave a dry laugh, but then he gestured toward the older alpha. “This is Charles Pederson, head of security.”
“Nice to meet you.” I held out my hand, but the older alpha didn’t take it. I shoved it in my pocket awkwardly.
“We don’t usually allow people into the compound without extensive screening.” His expression said he didn’t think they should let me in without that now. “But apparently you’re in trouble, so I’ve decided to allow you entrance.”
Bingo.
Dylan bumped my elbow with his. “Told you so. I knew they wouldn’t hang you out to dry.”
I smiled at him. “I appreciate it. It’s been a traumatic few days.”
“Hmmm. I’m sure it has been.” Charles eyed me without emotion. “Well, follow me.” He led us to the van, throwing open the side door for us. “Watch your head.”
I let Dylan go first, and then I followed, none too gracefully. Once seated, Dylan gave me a reassuring smile. I guess it was his turn to comfort me. I was excited that my plan had worked, but nervous about what came next. Yes, I was going to get inside, but then what? I wanted to ask Dylan more about the animal attack he’d mentioned, but now wasn’t the time.
Nobody spoke on the drive up into the mountains. Dylan’s head kept bobbing, as if he was falling asleep, and I stared out the window at the thick pines. I wasn’t much of an outdoorsman, preferring city life to roughing it. Hopefully they had indoor plumbing and running water inside the compound. God only knew what I was getting myself into, and all because Dad had run off and not told us what he was up to. A simple text telling us what his plans were would have been appreciated, but then, nobody told Dad what to do.
I didn’t miss him. I didn’t even feel guilty about that to be honest. I’d idolized him growing up, but when I entered my teens, we’d drifted apart. The brutality of his business began to bother me, and Dad changed. He’d been more fair and balanced when I was younger. As the years passed, he got harder and colder. He became consumed by grabbing all the power and money he could. No matter who it hurt. I couldn’t respect that. I too could be hard. Maybe even cruel. But everything I did had a reason. I wasn’t cruel simply to be cruel.
I glanced over at Dylan. His thick lashes made half-moons on his pale cheeks, and his breathing was steady. He was asleep. His head hung down in an awkward, probably uncomfortable position, especially considering how slender his neck was.
Poor kid.
I had to fight the urge to pull him over and let him rest his head on me. I clenched my jaw against that impulse. What was going on with me? I was old enough to be Dylan’s father, but I wasn’t his father. Now that we were safe, I’d expected these protective, nurturing impulses to fade away. But I still felt the need to shield Dylan. Maybe I was simply sleep deprived and not myself. This entire trip had been stressful. Trying to find Dad when the trail had gone completely cold wasn’t easy. There was a lot riding on this trip, and if I couldn’t find Dad, the pressure to take over for him was going to increase tenfold.
I watched Dylan some more, envying his ability to fall asleep in the van. I couldn’t relax. It didn’t help any that I kept catching suspicious looks from Charles in the rearview mirror. He definitely didn’t trust me.Good instincts, Charlie.Hopefully, once I was inside the compound, Charles would forget all about me. I certainly didn’t need him breathing down my neck.
The van continued to wind up and up into the steep mountains. The scent of pine was strong, and wild roses’ purple blooms poked through the greenery, greedily reaching for the sun. Just when I didn’t think I could take the endless winding another minute, the van slowed and turned onto a dirt road. Charles jumped out and opened a metal gate, and the driver steered the vehicle through. Charles climbed back in the van, and we continued on down the dusty road.
Dylan woke up, looking confused about where he was. I patted his leg, and he gave me a grateful smile. “I fell asleep?”
“You did. I envy you.”
