Within six hours, both people fall into the OCB nets.
We aren’t there to witness of course, but I wish I could, just to punch them both in the face. I’ll be sure to put them behind bars for life.
The night’s a blur of hospital emergency rooms and statements as Red and Rickon get checked out. Red’s strained a ligament in her shoulder, but the doctors are certain it’ll be fine in a week. Rickon’s first-degree burns get burn cream and patches to prevent infection.
I breathe a sigh of relief as I pay the bills and get my pack bundled into a car. Home’s never felt so attractive.
Red dozes in the car, exhausted from her ordeal, but even though her light snoring fills the car, I can’t stop myself checkingthe mirror at every intersection to make sure she’s there. She rests on Zack’s lap, the alpha refusing to release her. Can’t blame him at all.
Ricky stares out the window at the night lights, and I ache to know what he’s thinking. His mother died right in front of his eyes, and his dad’s facing life in prison, but since Ricky cried himself out earlier, he seems at peace.
When we get into the apartment, I set my keys on the bench and turn to Red. “You want to shower and go to bed?”
“I think not,” Red says haughtily. She lifts her shirt and points to her belly. “I’m so fucking hungry my stomach’s about to eat through my skin.”
I snort. “That would be a disaster for sure. Let’s find something to eat then.”
“Find everything then,” she says.
Rickon digs the yoghurt tub out of the fridge and taste tests to make sure it’s still good before he passes her a spoon. Red hops up on the kitchen table, and Zack joins her, refusing to be out of reach.
Our omega groans as she ladles strawberry yoghurt into her mouth. Suddenly she spasms and looks up, eyes wide. “Fuck, Calli. I forgot ’cause of the drama. How did your court case go?”
“No idea,” I reply. My heart sinks a little, but honestly I’d forgotten all about it in the face of losing Red.
She shakes her head. “What? I thought this was the big one.”
I shrug. “Yeah, it was, but I ran out as soon as I heard you got kidnapped.”
She freezes, spoon and yoghurt spilling from her hands in opposite directions. “You fucking did what?”
Her shock makes me laugh, and I circle the counter and lean over her to clasp her cheeks. “Red, I’m never making that mistake again. Nothing’s more important than my omega.”
“How could you just walk out of court? You’re a bloody idiot!” she splutters, but as she does, her bottom lip quivers and her eyes fill with moisture. My gorgeous, feisty omega who hates crying sheds a tear for her prodigal alpha, and that’s all the record-breaking I need.
Yeah, most likely we lost the case; the client might even choose to sue me and I might get charged with contempt of court for wasting the judge’s time, but even so I’d make the same choice every time.
Red shoots out her arm, catching me around the neck, and I tumble off balance. When I brace my hands either side of her, they skid in strawberry yoghurt and I pitch forward into her chest. I laugh, smothered by her blood and smoke-scented shirt.
“Hey,” Rickon says, voice full of mischief. “If I’m the crybaby and Calli’s the idiot, what’s Zack?”
I pull back so I can hear our omega’s answer.
She rolls her eyes. “Zack’s my tiger, of course.”
“Is tiger a dog?” Zack asks, narrowing his eyes.
“No,” Red says with a smirk
“Okay then,” he answers.
I force down a laugh, wondering how he’ll react when he learns about tigers.
“Maybe we should go to the zoo,” Ricky says slyly.
My heart skips a beat. “Do you mean that?”
He shrugs one shoulder and throws me a lopsided smile. “Yeah, I think so.” He stands there, pale but brave, and a partial groan slips through my throat.
