Oliver tried to make himself even smaller, burrowing his body into the wall and wishing he could disappear into it.
“I’m not, Anton. I swear.” Oliver's voice was a quivering mess, and he hoped that didn’t make him sound guilty. It was to be expected, right?
Anton’s eyes were on him for a long moment, and Oliver could feel the sweat trailing down his back. He was holding his breath and didn't let release it until Anton finally nodded and turned around.
His gaze landed on Cybil, and he walked towards her. “You’re coming with me,” Anton said as he grabbed onto Cybil’s hand and pulled her after him.
“Please. Don’t do this,” she cried. They could all hear the tears in her voice. “Please, I'm begging you.”
“Oh, shut up,” Anton snarled.
Cybil clawed at his hand, but it didn't budge. She began to scream, “You won’t get away with this. I promise you won't.”
“I already have, and there’s nothing you can do about it,” Anton replied, his voice smug. Ollie heard the taunt in his voice, when he said, “I have the perfect match for you.” Anton's laughter echoed throughout the room as he left, slamming the door.
Oliver stared straight ahead, the sound of his heart racing the only thing he could hear. None of them said a word. Sophie, Shawn, and Marco turned on their mattresses so they were lying down facing the wall. The room was eerily quiet, the only sound their respective breathing. All Ollie’s talk about bravery had left him the moment Anton walked in, and as much as he wanted to do something about it, terror paralyzed him.
Maybe this wasn’t one of those times you could save yourself. They needed help,lotsof help.
The door opened, and Anton walked back into the room. He had Jax by the elbow and unceremoniously dumped him on the ground. Jax whimpered, and Oliver looked up and saw his bloody face. It felt like someone had reached in and squeezed his chest. Anton simply spun around and walked out of the door.
Oliver looked over at Jax, taking in his friend, and he felt tears run down his cheeks. The omega was badly beaten and still on the ground, not even trying to move towards his mattress.
He stood up and went over to Jax, putting his arms around him and helping him to his feet. Ollie led Jax over to his own mattress and gently helped him down before lying next to him and wrapping his arms around him.
He held Jax as he cried, feeling helpless and utterly useless.
“Ollie is right.” Shawn’s voice broke the silence. Oliver twisted his neck and saw Shawn had walked over and was standing looking down at him and Jax, his hands on his waist as he nodded. “You’re right,” he said. “We have to do something... but how?”
“That’s the question that I don’t really have the answer to,” Oliver admitted sadly. “But I'm sure we can figure it out together. I don't know about you, but I don't want to wind up like Devon, no one knowing if we’re dead or alive.”
Everyone nodded in agreement with that. They had to do something before it was too late.
Chapter Three
Ronin
“That was fucking amazing!” Ronin couldn't help the excitement in his voice as they pulled back into the parking lot of the bar after having caught the creep and handed him over to state law enforcement. “You guys do that every night?”
Zander chuckled. “On slow nights. This was a simple one... bail jumpers are no challenge. Plus, these jobs pay for the ones that are not so easy...”
“Mmm, like that asshole last month that stole his kid from his ex-wife and left her a note saying she would never see her son again.” Nix’s face was tight with rage at the memory.
“Calm down, big guy. I don't think she has anything to worry about again. You made sure of that with the number of pins they had to put in the bastard’s leg when you were done.” Zander patted Nix on the back in what was supposed to be a soothing manner.
“Well, I had a blast,” Ronin said. He couldn’t help but sigh wistfully when they pulled into the parking spot beside his car. Ronin looked down at his watch. It was well past the time he could even think of calling to apologize for missing his meeting. And even though he felt bad for skipping out, he couldn’t regret choosing to go with his buddies—he’d had more fun the past few hours than he'd had in months.
“You’re not going to make the meeting now. I’m sure the Alpha you were going to meet is long gone.” Maddox put an arm around his neck in a mock headlock. “Come back in and have a few more drinks with us. I’m not taking no for an answer.”
Maddox was right. The Alpha would have given up on him showing up ages ago. Ro felt a little bad for not even sending a text... but not enough to regret going. Ronin could already hear the ass chewing he would get from Rick when he found out that he was a no-show... if he hadn't already.
Well, if he was going to get in shit, he might as well take it all the way. “You’re right. Let’s finish the night off right.”
They headed back into the bar with Zander leading the way. They even managed to snag the same table they had been at earlier in the evening. Ro would swear Robbie had been waiting for them to come back because he made a beeline for their table to get their orders. “Glad to see you’re back,” he smiled widely, mostly at Zander. “What can I get you all?”
They all ordered beers and two large platters of wings for the table, alongside some trashcan-loaded fries—one of the perks of being a shifter was their fast metabolism. Robbie took their orders and hurried from the table, leaving them alone to get back into the conversation.
“You did well out there, Ronin,” Nix said. “Ever think of jumping over to our team?”
