My stomach soured at the thought. I had money graciously gifted to me by the ringleader; it was at least a few hundred dollars, enough to get a bus ticket and disappear before noon. Not ideal—I really liked being in the circus and the life I was making for myself—but I’d done it once.
I could do it again.
Thoughts whirling at a dizzying pace, I wiped at my tears with the backs of my hands, trying to come up with a plan. But I had nothing.
I was pinned in a corner like a feral animal, and my next move could be my last.
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
ARINA
This was stupid and dangerous, but I was doing it anyway.
I was meeting someone in the middle of the night, in Santa Fe Plaza, completely unarmed. But what choice did I have?
Someone had taken my suppressants.
Someone knew my secret, that I was an omega, and that truth terrified me more than potentially losing the drugs. I hadn’t felt so helpless or completely powerless since my father sold me to the Stone pack.
My fate was in their hands.
I tried to find comfort in the fact that whoever had taken my backpack hadn’t called the cops. That was the thinnest silver lining I could come up with, even though it didn’t mean much. They could very well be luring me into a trap, prepared to hand me off to a pack of alphas who paid a pretty penny.
A shiver danced up my spine, and I pulled my hood lower over my face. I’d opted for my hoodie and a pair of black leggings, despite the heat, hoping they’d help me blend in with the night and travel unnoticed.
I should have asked Daze to come with me; he could have at least stayed close by in case things went wrong. More wrong than they already had. If whoever took my backpack didn’t kill me or turn me into the cops, there was a chance that someone else might.
But I didn’t ask.
This was my problem, my burden to bear, and I couldn’t drag him into it. He had enough to worry about without my issues.
No, I had to do this alone.
Stomach turning, I crossed the narrow street.
The plaza was quiet and empty, all the storefronts surrounding it darkened for the night. I lingered near the corner of a building, scoping the scene, looking for movement near the obelisk in the middle of the square. There was none.
Damn.
Were they here already, lurking in the shadows, same as me? Were they late? Was it all a bluff?
I shifted my weight back and forth before creeping closer, debating my next move. I hated not having eyes on whoever I was meeting; the thought of them watching me from the darkness made me feel like prey. And maybe I was. Prey unknowingly walking into a predator’s claws.
Semi-knowingly.
I swallowed hard and pulled out the note they left from my hoodie pocket. My eyes scanned the message again, even though I’d memorized every detail.
If you want to protect your little secret, meet me in the plaza at midnight.
I hated not knowing exactly what time it was, but the clock on the bus had said ten ’til when I left. It had to be fucking close.
With a deep breath, I trudged across the road into the plaza and lingered near a decently thick tree trunk as I scoured the area. Searching for movement, any shift of shadows.
Still, there was none.
Swallowing my nerves, I moved toward the center of the open space, hiding in the shadows of the trees until I reached the last one. I had a clear, unobstructed view of the obelisk at the center of the plaza, and I strained to listen for any noise over the slam of my pulse in my ears.
The seconds dragged by, turning into minutes, with no sign of anyone, and doubt began eating at me.
