Page 46 of Pack Owned
I take another turn, adding speed to pass up an SUV doing twenty in a fifty-mile-per-hour zone.
As soon as we collect payment from this Omega bounty, she’s out of our lives for good. Back to normal before she crashed into our home, upending everything. Except my stupid instincts insist there’s more to this broad than a paycheck.
I tell myself she’s better off with Nexus and not with us, no matter how fucking badly I want her.
My gut screams, ‘What if Nexus is wrong for her? What if it’s not what everyone says it is?’ Especially after what Liam told me about the Nexus guard nearly assaulting her.
What I fucking need are answers—the truth about what really goes on there and what happens to the Omegas they claim to protect.
If I have to give Kayla up, I need to at least know that she’s going to be happy, cherished. That I’m not making a goddamn mistake.
The farther I get from Kayla, the heavier this decision of turning her in weighs on me. We took the job and got the mark. My reputation’s built on never missing a target, even if she’s wormed her way under my skin. I haven’t told our boss at Pryce the truth—that we found one of those missing Omegas. Hesitating eats me up inside.
I’ve always trusted my gut, but now it’s screaming that Liam’s right. There’s something deeply off about this whole situation, but keeping this Omega would blow everything we’ve built.
I’m stuck in fucking limbo. Turn her in, let her go—both options leave me feeling like I swallowed a mouthful of gravel.
Ain’t no way I can deal with this blind.
Gotta know what Kayla knows, if anything, about that damn bus crash, those other Omegas, and Nexus. My heart screams that Kayla belongs with us, that she’s safer with us than any corporation, but what if I’m wrong, and she’d be happier without us?
That thought twists a knife in my chest.
Liam mentioned a black truck at the scene, doors open and nobody inside. Another bounty hunter trying to snag the others, or is there more to it? If someone is involved in traffickingOmegas, that would change everything and explain why we had those assholes shooting at us back at the cabin.
Questions swarm as I ride, eating up miles. I need to hear her story, to see if she knows anything that could blow a whole shady-fucking operation wide open. Need to learn what’s really going on before making any decisions about Kayla. Until then, she stays put.
Kayla
The scent of bacon nudges me out of sleep. I flip open my eyes to the sunlight pouring through a gap in the curtains. Wait. What time is it? 10”30 a.m.? What happened to the damn alarm? I bolt upright, flinging the covers back, a curse under my breath. A frantic pat locates the clock on the nightstand. My blood turns to ice. 4:30 p.m.? I set the alarm for p.m. instead of a.m.? Sneaking out now is a spectacularly bad idea.
My stomach, however, has different plans. It growls loudly at the smell of bacon. With a sigh, I shuffle out of bed, the oversized t-shirt I snagged from Dane clinging to me. A blush heats my cheeks that I slept in his shirt.
Bathroom.
Quickly, I brush my teeth and comb my hair until it looks presentable, then back to the bedroom. Dane’s shirt reminds me of Liam’s comment last night about not wearing any underwear.
I hustle to the laundry room, recalling that I fell asleep in Liam’s bed and didn’t grab the clothes from the dryer last night. There’s no one in here, and I close the door.
Quickly, I take Dane’s shirt off, toss it into one of the open washing machines, then pull on my clothes.
Maybe there’s still a way out. Maybe I can fake sick, plead a sudden stomach ache strong enough to deter Ryker from turning me in. The thought sends a fresh wave of anxiety crashing over me.
The sizzle of bacon overwhelms my senses the second I hit the bottom step. My stomach growls in response, a loud, embarrassing rumble I’m sure the whole mansion can hear.
I need to make my move and escape while everyone’s distracted. Quietly, I creep down the hallway. The front door is in sight when a noise behind me makes me freeze.
“And where do you think you’re going?” Dane has a spatula in his hand, and his arms are crossed over his chest.
I swallow hard against my tightening throat. “Um… I thought I’d go out for a walk… fresh air,” I lie. “Should be safe, right? You guys said you had security, and there’s a gate around the property.” Which I needed to figure out how to get past.
“Yeah, but I made breakfast. How about you eat first?” He lowers his arms, but there’s a tightness around his eyes. “Come on, the food’s going to get cold.”
Since I’m already busted and I am starving, I follow Dane into the kitchen.
He flips a mountain of bacon like a short-order cook on TV. Eggs sizzle merrily in a pan beside him, and the unmistakable scent of French toast hangs in the air, thick and sweet enough to practically knock me over.
He gives me a nod. “Rough night?”
