Instead, I keep moving. It’s going to take some time for me to get to the other side of the house. It’s such a heavily trafficked area, this is the only way to ensure I keep the element of surprise.
Everyone needs as much time as possible to get people out.
“Air duct,” Syrus says unhappily. “I realized she was above us when she helped give Lark eyes in the back of her head.”
I’m getting closer to busier areas of the mansion, which means I can’t reply to either of them. Instead, I try to send reassuring feelings down our bond. The best way to stay safe is to remain silent.
I’ve been in the ducts for about forty minutes. It’s hot, and I can feel sweat dripping down my face from the mask. Still, I keep moving. I need to finish this, and the only way to do that is to keep going.
Nothing else matters.
I can hear the girls whisper into their comms as they get each pod of omegas out of the mansion, and I feel a pang of excitement. They’re going to be free.
So far, there are no guards inside the house, just at main entry points, the front yard, and the woods behind the house.
I don’t want to get too excited, Gideon may have his personal guards with him.
“I’m going to get them to the vans, guys,”Emmett says. “Activity is gearing up for some reason. I think they’re realizing that they’re light on a few guards. Be careful.”
Fuck. They’re all out. I can barely breathe with the intense happiness I feel with that knowledge. No omegas will be bought tonight, or at least, none will be delivered.
People who aren’t buying tonight are chatting in the smoking room, and I wrinkle my nose as I pass it quickly from above. I don’t mind cigar smoke, but this is like a giant fucking cloud.
This is the time that people will build connections and make business deals. It’s fucking disgusting, but it makes sense to do business when they all share the same proclivities. Some people would say it’s no different than having a business meeting at a sex club, but I’d beg to differ.
Hopefully, the people at a sex club are there because they want to be. I’m not naive enough to think this is true of all clubs, but the hope and sentiment is there.
Moving past the stinky room, I pause at a library filled with men. I had thought originally that Gideon would meet in his office, but I can see that I’m wrong.
“A million dollars is asking an awful lot for Valentina,” a businessman grumbles, shifting in his seat.
“I don’t think it’s enough,” Gideon says with a shrug. “Let’s double it. I’ve fed, clothed, and ensured she sucks cock like a dream. The omegas at my estate are well trained, and know their place. Would you like to insult me again?”
I curl my nails into my palms to stay silent. Our courses at Henderson mansion did talk about this at length, though we were never forced to practice it. There were many demeaning and embarrassing parts to the training here.
Gideon’s Dolls had to be perfect in every way.
I have a small vent to look down at the room, and my eyes widen as I see a guard step forward to push the barrel of his machine gun against the businessman’s head. It appears as if I was right about Gideon keeping private security with him. I can see from here that the alpha in the chair is sweating profusely, and my heart slams within the confines of my chest.
From time to time, I’ve wondered how Gideon is able to extort these exorbitant amounts of money from the alphas who come here to buy from him.
How does he assert dominance over them? And why does everyone simply agree to send him so much money without rioting?
The answers to my question are his guards, however many may be in this room with him. I can’t see from my current hiding place, but I expect that the threat of being killed is a heady weapon.
“I’m sorry, Gideon,” he whispers. “You’re right. Two million isn’t even enough. How about three?”
“That sounds better,” Gideon coos, walking over to pull out his gun before hitting him with it.
My hand presses against my mouth to suppress any sounds I could possibly make, my eyes wide as saucers. It’s one thing to know he’s an awful human, and quite another to witness it.
My interactions with Gideon in person have been few and far between, but the man is a legend within these walls. Everyone whispers his name, and no one wants to piss him off.
“Transfer the money, Michael,” Gideon says. “Maybe I’ll let you live to fuck your prize.”
With trembling hands, the alpha picks up his phone and begins to do as Gideon says. Beside him, a man with a computer open watches the interaction, his lips curled in a callous smile.
Some people get off on the association to power, and I can tell this man is one of them.
