“Find what?” Owen asks.
Al leans across the table and whispers, “We’re looking for the blind spots so Zack can get his revenge. The bastard we’re hunting did you-know-what to his omega.” He makes a weird swinging gesture.
Owen chews on his lip for a moment before glancing up at one of the black domes. “I might be able to help with that. But I want you to have a word with my cellmate.” Traces of fear rise in his scent, so I guess he doesn’t like the person.
“I can do that and more.” Al chuckles and rubs two fingers together. “If you help us, I’ll put you on the official payroll, now that we have one.” He slaps my back. “You’ll have your revenge before you know it, Zack. Just hold it all in until then.”
Hold it in. Like I did in the small, bare cells when my head constantly ached and the cold seeped into my bones. Hold it, waiting for the moment the gate opens and I face my challenger.
A snarl ripples through me.
Chapter thirty
Red
Every newspaper and television station carries the breaking story. Although the titles vary, they all shout the same theme.
Biggest Haze Bust of the Decade. Hundreds of Raids Reveal River of Haze. Laversham’s Black Market Shame.And our personal favorite:World’s Not-So-Sexiest Man Illicit Haze User.The ticker tapes in the filming offices run hot with Bradley’s name and the details of his arrest.
We got all the news firsthand sitting around in the OCB for hours yesterday, but thankfully Leroy let us go in time for my afternoon shoot. We seem to be off the hook for whatever suspicions they might have held about us leaking news or being involved. It’s offensive to even think I’d stand in the way of the investigations, and I definitely had no interest in tipping Brad off, but I suppose I can’t fault the agents for being thorough.
Rickon scans the front-page article over my shoulder as we wait in Director Yun’s empty conference room for our emergency meeting to discuss the film’s future. “Do you think‘any publicity is good publicity’ still applies here?” my alpha murmurs.
I chuckle and tap my finger on the unflattering picture of a handcuffed Brad in front of his city-view mansion. “No, I really don’t think he can spin this in a good way.”
Rickon leaves his seat and crouches at my knees, taking my hands in his. “Saying he deserved it doesn’t even begin to cover how upset you must be.”
I sigh and sink into my chair. “You’re right. I guess mentally I knew people were using my haze. Why else would the bastards sell it, right?”
Rickon nods, empathy shining in his eyes.
I shrink down, hunching my shoulders forward. “But I was so far removed from that process I didn’t really consider it much. The way of getting the oil out is so disgusting, it’s hard to believe the end product could be usable, you know?”
My alpha drops his head into my lap and kisses the back of my hand. “Yeah, I get it.”
I glare at the newspaper. “But they don’t know how it’s produced. Or don’t care.”
“Ignorance is bliss,” he recites sadly, resting his cheek on my hands. I pull one free and stroke his silky bleached hair. He recently had the roots done, so the darker regrowth is gone, leaving him white and glowing like a light bulb. This alpha lights my path, for sure.
I tug the newspaper free and fold it in half, setting it on the dark-red conference table. “It kinda explains his fascination with me,” I say, stroking my nails through Rickon’s hair in long, slow sweeps. “He mentioned my scent several times, but I thought he was just coming on to me.”
“Well, he’ll have some big sweaty alphas coming onto him in prison soon.” He smirks and nuzzles into my hand.
“You think he’ll wind up in the same place as Zack?”
Rickon shrugs, his body skimming over my knees with the motion. “It’ll be months before he’s sentenced, and hopefully Zack will be out by then.”
Right. I forgot Zack got processed and denied bail faster than normal.
My alpha growls softly, and his brow furrows. “That’s assuming Brad doesn’t weasel out of the charges altogether.”
I frown. If the state fails to sentence him, I’ll ask Callisto to weigh in. Maybe press charges myself.
The conference room doors swing open, and the otherThe Omega Raceactors file in, calling greetings and murmuring to each other about the shocking news. Rickon rises and takes his seat, tucking his chair close beside mine. His closeness keeps the ghostly Red at bay as they gossip about raids. One of our crew getting arrested for haze possession sends ripples through the production team for sure, but probably none of them know the haze was mine.
All over the country, the people in that client folder were getting sexual release from my cruel captivity. I’m a living blood diamond, tortured for others’ pleasure.
My stomach turns.
