Fuck.
For Alison’s part, she didn’t panic. Somehow, she kept calm, her eyes locked on Geoffrey’s, giving off that same submissive sense she had since he’d arrived.
“She’ll draw plenty of buyers,” Geoffrey said, voice soft as he turned her head. “I don’t think we’ve had someone like her before, at least not for a very long time.”
Trent wanted nothing more than to knock his hand away, but she hadn’t used her safe word, hadn’t showna sign of needing him to step in. It meant doing so would be about him, and he wouldn’t risk the case—or her friend—over his jealousy.
Geoffrey narrowed his eyes, as if trying to figure her out. After a moment, he shook his head and released her. “Everything looks good. I don’t have any reason to believe there will be a problem. Expect to be contacted on the day of the auction with the time and place. Have her ready to go, because you’ll only have around two hours to arrive.” He rose to his feet, and Trent did the same.
He could have stayed with Alison, but he wanted to make sure the son of a bitch left. He might not have been able to break his jaw right then, but at least he could make damn sure that he was gone.
They walked to the door, the bodyguards going along as well, flanking Geoffrey. At the door, he turned, moving his gaze past them as though he was still looking to catch a glimpse of Alison. “You know, maybe after this is all over, we could talk.”
“I thought this was the last auction for a while.” Daniel held the door open.
“It is. However, I have plenty of contacts who I believe are looking for what you can provide. While it is too dangerous to continue the way we have, perhaps the business doesn’t have to end entirely. I could work as a middleman, connecting you with buyers, still taking a cut, and we remove much of the risk that an open auction has.”
Daniel nodded, as though the idea had merit. “We’re just starting out in this area. We have long wait lists, usually, but I never turn down a good connection opportunity.”
“It’s rare I find people who understand omegas the way we do. The half-brained scouts we normally have see omegas as punching bags. I don’t care for it, but it’s reality. You? I believe you get it.”
“I’m in it for the money,” Daniel said, as though he didn’t want to commit to anything.
Geoffrey lifted an eyebrow. “Perhaps, but you can’t pretend you don’t see the truth. Omegas need alphas to be happy. Theyneedwhat we provide. Without that structure in their lives, they fail to achieve anything worthwhile to society. Sure, they might complain, they might fight it, but they’re like dogs who don’t want to be housebroken. Once we force them, they’re happier for it.” His gaze moved past the alphas, and there was something almost nostalgic there. “I had a mate, many years ago. When I saw her in an auction, I knew she was for me. It was back at the start of the business.”
“What happened to her?” Trent questioned.
“She died. A fire broke out in our home and it claimed her life and that of my young daughter. Losing one’s mate leaves a wound, and it is one that has never healed. Still, it taught me how much weneedomegas, and how much they need us. Not everyone understands what I do, why I do it, but I think back to my mate and I know I’m not wrong. She might never have looked twice at me had I met her any other way, but because I forced her to accept me, to accept her role, she had many happy years in her proper place. Omegas are a treasure, and all treasures worth anything should always be protected, no matter whether they want that or not.”
The words hit Trent like a sledgehammer. Between his story about his mate and those haunting words, it all came together.
Geoffrey, the man running the slavery ring they were after, was Alison’s father.
Chapter Nineteen
Kyle took Alison’s wrist and pulled her to her feet. She moved without fighting, but he could tell she was miles away.
There was no reason to yell at her right then, to question why she hadn’t explained everything, why she hadn’t told them the truth about her father.
The haunted look in her eyes said it all. He wrapped an arm around her and escorted her outside, to the private patio. Fresh air would do her good, and she always seemed to relax when she breathed in the scent of the honeysuckles that grew along the lattice fencing.
He sat on the swing, then pulled her into his lap. The fact that she went without complaint said she was as shaken up by the night as they were.
She trembled, so he rubbed his hands along her arms, over her bare side.
Trent came up with a mug. He pressed it into Alison’s hands, cupping them around it. Steam escapedthe top, and he lifted the drink to her lips so she could sip.
Chocolate.The scent was unmistakable.
She could probably use the heat and sugar
Not that they were ignoring the topic. They’d have a conversation, but her wellbeing mattered most right then.
She drank the hot chocolate slowly, sipping at it while Daniel and Trent pulled up seats.
Her barely clothed body wasn’t something he could fully ignore, and he wished he could do other things to relax her as well. She’d made it clear enough with Daniel that she was not interested until her period ended, which meant he’d have to just grin and bear it with what she inspired in him.
After a good half an hour had drifted by, when she stopped trembling and had finished the hot chocolate—though she still pretended to drink—Daniel was the first to speak. “Did you know it would be him?”
