“Important business?” I ask him as soon as he puts his phone away.
He ignores my question, coming at me with his own. “Why were you not here with her?”
“I don’t answer to you.” Turning my back on him, I open the door of the van and climb inside.
SANTIAGO
He puts his back to me, and I wonder for the millionth time what would happen if I killed him, here and now.
I could have a believable reason rehearsed before he hit the ground.
One minute, I think maybe I could trust him, and the next, the hairs on the back of my neck are standing in warning.
This Russian, as well as every other Russian I have met, is certifiably fucking insane, but I know I’m missing something. An Alpha of Aleksei’s strength holding a position of authority as second-in-command means he’s intelligent or ruthless, probably both.
Perhaps if my focus wasn’t torn, I’d be able to see the trees for the forest, but meeting my scent-matched Omega and denying our connection while trying to arrange safe passage for a mysterious Omega, basically still a child, who recently showed up at one of our safe houses here, and managing Ronin fucking O’Connor all at the same time is leaving me blind by distraction and overthinking everything.
The child is so fucking random and unexpected. The call I got from my contact, a woman by the name of Cat, had me arranging transport, necessary funds, and people I trusted. But that is what the core, the heart, of Trinity Alliance is about—rescuing children and Omegas. It’s that simple. Black and white. It’s everything that happens after that consumes.
Practically speaking, once we find a child or Omega and successfully manage their extraction, it is only the first step in a long and complicated process. No expense is spared in their recovery, and we have success stories across the globe.
Children and Omegas should be safe, which is a whole other issue. An abductee being saved needs to be investigated. It’s a long, slow process, where you must work backward to establish where they initially came from. Sadly, not every child or Omega abducted has a family mourning for them at home.
The process for figuring out anything about the young female that we got out of Russia recently has only just started.
Throw in that the Irish are in complete disarray with Paddy O’Connor, Ronin’s own father, being gunned down, along with his mother, and my focus is shredded.
Which is normal, to a degree. But this is the first time I have been caught in a Trinity rescue after meeting Quinn. And that is where the issue lies because my heart is cleaved in two. I need and want to continue the cause with Trinity, but I also know meeting my match means I can’t be in two places at once. Quinn will always be my compass point. Until she says otherwise.
Ronin wants vengeance and already has a list of people who will no doubt pay for wronging him and his family. Confounding a fucking terrible moment in the history of The Irish is the involvement of the Russians. They came from seemingly nowhere and attacked the O’Connors at Sunday mass, which is as fucking distasteful as it is disgraceful.
All I need is a name, and I will track down the animal responsible. I’ll courier the heart of the person who pulled the trigger to Ronin, and I know it will help in his healing. Our call just now, brief but intense, was to discuss how close he is to sending me what I need.
Taking Aleksei out simply because I don’t like the way he looks at Quinn, is not the person I am. Not today, anyway.
I join him near the van, ready to lift everything we need to keep Quinn safe upstairs and on her side of the house. We don’t speak, and despite there being obvious tension between us, we’re both too dominant to bow to the other.
I finally break the silence with a question a guard probably shouldn’t ask. “What will happen once she is married to him?”
He doesn’t turn around, so I can’t interpret his expression, but his shoulders move as if pulled back by tension.
“How so?”
I scoff. “Let’s start with this door, since it’s what we’re doing. Is it necessary if the wedding is tomorrow?”
“Sergey Petrov is an important man in our world. He is prominent. His success is growing. Security throughout all his homes will have to be upgraded.”
“And?”
“Quinn will not sleep in his suite; it is not safe for him. He will call for her, she will perform her marital duty, and after, she will return to her suite.”
Red rage hazes my vision, and I take a step towards his back.
He senses me, spinning around and lunging for me. Instantly, we are circling each other like great whites in the ocean, spurred on by an instinctual need for blood. His face is pale for a heartbeat before it matches the color of my anger.
“Get a fucking grip,mudak. He will disrespect her every chance he gets. Don’t get yourself killed now because you don’t like me telling the truth.”
“You’re being a stupid cunt, protecting him, then. How do you live with yourself?”
