Nix shook his head, “No. What if I get searched?”
Zander rolled his eyes. “Get real, man, no one wears those wires that you stick to your body.”
Dax sighed, “I trust that Nix will be as careful as he can be under the circumstances. If it gets to be too dangerous, then we’ll pull him out of there. We’re armed and ready for combat if need be. We have more than enough ammo to take them down. We just need to make sure that the omegas are safe first before we go in guns blazing.”
Nix hastened to add, “I am positive.” He held Dax’s gaze, “I want to do this. I need to do this. Let me get Tre comfortable with me. Scope out the interior. We don’t want to go in blind. Right?”
Maddox shrugged. “Okay. I just hope you know what you’re doing,” he mumbled.
“I do,” Nix stated firmly.
Nix’s blood buzzed in his veins. He was ready to get in there, so he could find his relative and get him and the other omegas out of there.
Zander put his hand out, and Nix raised a brow but opened his palm. A tiny earbud was placed in there.
“Keep that on you, but don’t put it on unless you need to. When you double-tap it when it’s in, it’ll transmit. But make sure it’s after they’ve searched you.”
“Thank you,” Nix said as he closed his fist around it.
“Do you have your gun on you?” Dax asked as they stood at the van. Nix patted his holster, “Of course I do, but I’m not going to need it. At least not yet.” He spoke with confidence so he wouldn’t alarm the others. But the low level of fear was there. And he didn’t try to talk himself out of it. Fear kept you alive.
Dax nodded. “Okay then. We’re going to be at our stations. If you need anything, you signal by using the code word, and we’ll be there. Say it so I know you’ve not forgotten it.”
Nix shook his head. How could he forget? They’d only just agreed on it. Still, he did as Dax asked. “Porcupine.”
Maddox and Zander chuckled.
But Dax, serious as ever, ignored them. “If you feel even a little suspicious, don’t wait. You get out of there. Understood?”
“I understand. I’ll be fine,” Nix said reassuringly. Dax still looked like he wanted to pull the plug. Nix headed back into the woods and went to the spot where his teammates would be stationed. He looked around and decided to travel the path so that he wasn’t stepping out of the bushes. He took a deep breath and stepped into the open area where the omegas were. Several omegas looked in his direction, regarding him with caution. He was a stranger, and his sudden presence had clearly startled them.
For a second, he wondered why they didn’t try to escape until he saw what was around their neck. Barbaric fuckers had them wearing shock collars. Nix’s tiger wanted to rip out some throats, badly.
“Hands in the air!” The words came from behind him. Nix did as instructed and turned around slowly. A guard stood in front of him, gun raised. The omegas and pups that had been loitering outside all scattered to corners and back into the warehouse.
“Calm down, man. I’m here to speak to your boss. I have a proposal for him,” Nix said, trying to appease the guard. “I’m not here to harm anyone. You have my word.”
“Your word means nothing to me.” The man didn’t budge. He grabbed a walkie-talkie from his pocket and radioed someone. “Get me, Tre,” he said.
That was exactly who Nix needed, so as far as he was concerned, he was already on the right track. Nix looked around, but none of the omegas had stayed outside. He did notice the brawny alpha from before headed his way.
“Who are you?” the man asked.
“ I mean no harm here—not to you anyway,” he said with a leer. “The name is James. I understand you’re the man to talk to about the operation here. I think we can come to a mutually beneficial arrangement.”
He arched a brow in response. He glanced over to the security guard and then back to Nix like he was deciding if he wanted to trust Nix. Nix held his gaze, hoping that the other man would believe he wasn’t a threat to him and was only out to make a deal.
“Fine. I’ll talk to you. You can come with me to my office.”
Nix was happy to have an in and followed him to the warehouse. They went through the door, where several omegas stood cowering in a corner, scared to death of what Nix’s presence might mean for them. Probably what every alpha’s presence meant for them. He couldn’t even imagine. River came to mind, and all Phoenix’s protective instincts roared to life. All he wanted to do was grab each and every omega and make a run for it. Of course, he couldn’t, or someone would get hurt, so instead, he looked away. Facing the man before him and trying to do his best not to knock him out. Nix didn’t smile as he made eye contact; this was not that kind of meeting. He followed Tre into a dark and dingy room, the only light some sunlight that managed to seep through a window and the dull glow of a tiny desk lamp. Tre motioned for him to take a seat.
Nix did so and waited for Tre to join him at his desk. “Okay, my time is money, so you have five minutes to tell me why I shouldn’t put a bullet in you and give the wolves a nice snack. And go,” he said.
“Well, Tre—may I call you Tre?” Nix started.
“If you start by telling me how the fuck you know my name.” A gun cocked behind him, but Nix didn’t flinch.
“I believe we have a mutual acquaintance.”
