Warren
I turnoff the highway and follow the unmarked road until the warehouse comes into view. The building is a low concrete sprawl sitting alone against the darkening sky. Evening settles in around it, the light thinning out quickly.
This place is pretty far from town, surrounded by trees and a few condemned buildings. It’s the perfect place to question someone.
I park near the side entrance and cut the engine. For a moment, I sit there with my hands on the wheel, feeling the heat of my anger coil tight in my chest. I picture Tansy’s face, how she flinched when her fear took hold. The way her eyes filled with tears and her breath stuttered when I kissed her.
That memory sharpens everything inside me into something clear and dangerous.
I step out of the car and shut the door softly. Tonight,I’m in jeans and a dark tee. Clothes I don’t mind burning afterward.
“Hey, Warren,” a voice cuts from my right.
I turn and find Finn leaning near the entrance. He looks exactly like I remember him. Tall. Fit. Dirty blond hair neatly styled. He’s wearing a tailored suit that probably costs more than my car, crisp and unwrinkled.
“Finn,” I greet him. “I thought you were taking some time off. Didn’t your omega have another kid?”
“She did,” he says with an easy smile. “But I had to come out here for some business that couldn’t wait.” He glances back at my car. “I was hoping I might see Cassian. I haven’t heard from him since he was shot.”
“He’s as good as new,” I tell the alpha. “He’s been focusing on bonding with our new omega.”
Finn’s brows lift, surprised. “New omega? Congratulations.” He steps forward and grips my hand, giving it a quick shake.
“Thanks,” I say, but my attention slides past him toward the warehouse. I rein it in and force myself to stay present.
Cass’s business relationships matter, and Finn is not someone to rush or disrespect.
Still, my fingers flex once at my side, restless, like my body already knows where it wants to be. I give him a brief nod, the universal signal that I appreciate the sentiment and am ready to move things along.
“Did you ever figure out why Caleb did it?” Finn asks, completely oblivious to how ready I am to end this conversation. “Was he working with someone else? Or was it personal?”
“No idea,” I say, letting out a sharp breath. “But the motive is always the same in our line of work.” I vaguely motion to the two of us. “Money. Wounded pride.Sometimes both. The important thing is that the asshole is dead.”
“Still,” Finn gives me a pointed look. “I’m sure it would have felt better if your pack had been the one to handle him.”
“You have no fucking idea,” I say, squeezing my fists tight. “At least the cops believed our cover story.”
“What’d you tell them?”
“Drive by,” I say, giving him the shortest version of the story I can muster. “They wrote it off pretty quickly. It happened in a bad area, so they didn’t spend much time looking into it.”
“That’s good.” Finn glances at his watch, his eyes widening slightly when he sees the time. “I’ve got to go.” He hooks a thumb back at the warehouse. “Jimmy is already set up in the back room.”
“Thanks for letting us use the place.” I reach out and shake his hand one more time.
“Anytime. Tell Cassian I said hello.” Then Finn heads off toward his car.
The second his back is turned, a sharp surge of anticipation hits me. Every cell in my body is focused, my pulse kicking harder, and my fingers flexing once at my side.
Everything narrows as I walk toward the door. The sounds around me fade. My jaw tightens. My shoulders set. Every muscle pulls in close, coiled and ready.
This motherfucker put his hands onmyomega.
He traumatized her, making her too frightened to even enjoy a simple kiss. And fuck knows how many other omegas he hurt, but it’ll never fucking happen again.
I shove open the door to the warehouse and step inside.
The air is heavy with the smell of rust and concrete, with a faint metallic tang underneath it all. The lightsoverhead buzz softly, casting a dull yellow glow over rows of stacked pallets and metal shelving.
