“Cameras don’t show us anything. I assume that the perp found one of the only blind spots in the surveillance at Flame,” he sighs before shaking his head and whispering to himself, “An issue I will be rectifying immediately.”
Looking down at Valley, I raise a single eyebrow.
“Are you sure you are ready to see everything this life entails?”
I should have known that my girl was as stubborn as an ox. The look on her face when I dared to question her decision to follow along with us on this journey was enough for me to learn that I will never be questioning her again.
I just had to make sure that she knew that if all of this was too much for her to deal with, that she didn’t have to come along with us. That she had an out.
I don’t think there would have been a single complaint between Olis, Conall and I if she wanted to stay behind.
Seeing a dead body, especially someone that has been brutally murdered turns even the hardest of soldiers into blubbering messes.
I know that mine and Conall’s first dead body still haunts the both of us. Not hard when it was our mother.
Nudging the nose of my SUV into the alley behind Flame, the four of us climb out of the car.
Automatically, I go on high alert as I take in my surroundings. While it is mostly unheard of for the murderer to stick around the scene of a crime, I wouldn’t dare put it past this one.
As we make our way further into the alleyway, I close in on where Valley walks between us. Bringing her here is a risk and I refuse to gamble with her safety.
I come to a stop in front of one of our higher ranking soldiers—Koby—who is standing guard of the body.
He nods at me, Conall and Olis before pausing on Valley briefly before giving her a nod of his head. Returning his attention back to me, he steps aside so I am able to see the body for myself.
There is no need to exchange words. It is near impossible to miss what has happened.
An Omega with the lingering scent of lavender lies haphazardly on the concrete. Her skirt has been hitched up to her waist to reveal bloody lace that is only barely covering her vagina. Her skirt has been slashed to pieces by what I am assuming is a knife, judging by the cuts in the material. Similar slashes cover her torso with the words ‘mine’ gouged through her midsection.
Her brown hair is matted with blood that has begun to dry. Bruises cover her throat, face, arms and legs. The worst are at her hips.
Rage boils inside of me as I stare down at the woman who would be somewhere in her mid-twenties.
I jolt as I feel a body brush past me. I watch as Valentina slowly drops down next to the deceased Omega.
With a grace that I know not a lot would be able to possess in a situation like this, she carefully pulls her skirt down, giving the Omega back some of her modesty.
Olis steps up beside me, shrugging himself out of his jacket before handing it to Valley. She smiles up at him, the look somehow brightening a situation so fucking dark and brutal.
Just like she did with the skirt, she covers the Omega’s torso hiding the worst of her wounds.
For a moment, Valley stays still beside the woman. Whispered words too low for me to hear is the only sound in the quiet alley. Eventually she steps back to the three of us, her back coming flush with my chest. Snaking my hand around her waist, I hold her to me tightly as I say a silent prayer for the deceased.
Footsteps sound behind us. Without hesitation, I pull Valentina behind me, my weapon already out as I point it at the newcomer.
“Didn’t realize you fancied yourself a fresh new 9mm sized hole in your chest, Jaiden,” Conall snarks, tucking his gun back into the back of his pants.
Jaiden just laughs, closing the distance between us, “You know me, man. I like to live my life on the wild side occasionally.”
I shake my head as the Alpha comes to stand in front of me.
It has been a bit of an adjustment getting used to working alongside a government organization. After Kennedy was taken, we were contacted by Jaiden, an investigator and undercover agent from Omega Protection Agency. Since then, we have been providing soldiers and intel that government agencies aren’t able to get their hands on for the more difficult jobs.
It has been refreshing being able to provide assistance for something more than what I have created with my pack. Knowing that what we have been doing alongside OPA has been saving lives—lives of Omegas—has been rewarding in a way I didn’t know I needed.
I shouldn’t be surprised to see Jaiden here yet the lack of communication on his behalf is a red flag I want answers for.
“What are you doing here?” I question as I finally tuck my glock into the back of my pants. Even though I agreed to work alongside the Alpha, that doesn’t mean that I trust him.
