I squeeze my eyes shut, to try to stop the well of emotion. It’s mine… and his.
He buries one of his hands in my hair. The tug as he drags me from my hiding spot sends thrills down my body. I expected him to lose his shit, and he does, but not how I expected.
“Say you’re mine. Tell me I can have your other heats. Every one of them,” he growls, holding me back from his lips but close enough I can feel his breath as he speaks.
“Yours. Everything is yours.”
He grins, that deeply concealed ego of his pushing past his shields again until I whimper as he reinforces his claim with his presence bearing down on me. I submit in an instant, accepting how effortlessly he overpowers me.
“You won’t be able to deny me a thing, Quinn. Every secret inside you, I will hear. Every fear of yours, I will face. I’ve spent my whole life hiding, and I refuse to hide from you.”
My body sags in relief, but he’s not finished blowing my mind. “You’re fucking perfect. I will do whatever you want, but we do it my way.”
KADE
The door cracks open, and I’m nearly flattened by her scent. And by the dominance rolling off Aleksei.
“Roshka, Nalla.” He snarls something in Russian, but I have to step further away from the door if I want to stay on my feet.
The dogs prowl forward, slowly and menacingly. It freaks me out, how cold and vacant their eyes are.
“You.” Aleksei points at me. “Get more weapons, then go to her.”
He walks past me, his shirt hanging open, his belt undone. I don’t need to draw on the experience of being a detective to know she’s had her hands on him. Which cuts. I’m not ashamed by the jealousy that flares; all it does is confirm what I have always known—Quinn is my Omega.
I break into a jog back to my room, picking up the case Santiago provided. It’s nondescript but packed with enough ammunition to take down a small army, as well as give me a couple of choices of revolvers. Any law enforcement agent around the world would be the talk of the town if they were responsible for the bust that took this kind of hoard off the streets.
On my way towards Aleksei’s room, I detour to the sitting room, ready to load up my arms with drinks and food, but he stops me from entering.
“I have plenty in my suite.” His voice cracks under the strain of tension.
Despite my eagerness to go to her, I stop, ready to sort out whatever shit is bothering Aleksei.
“If it were up to me, I’d lock you outside that door,” he growls, pointing to the one we constructed. “Apparently, shemakes me look at things differently. And you are one of the things.”
The smile that breaks over my face isn’t a gloating one. Thankfully, the Alpha in Aleksei is reasonable enough to read it for what it is—joy.
I swallow my happiness down, moving past it because while there’s a time and space to celebrate, now is not it. Fucking Sergey could be minutes away from arriving back and demanding to see her.
“Can I help you with something? Save some time, perhaps?” I ask, careful to offer my question as a suggestion.
Aleksei is clearly on the edge of losing it, and I don’t want to add to the stress he’s already feeling. It’s evident he’s got a sweet spot for her, and given his role here, I’m sure he’s thought of pretty much everything regarding her safety.
His focus towards Santiago who continues pacing in the sitting room of Quinn’s suite as he talks on his mobile, doesn’t shift, and the energy pulsing off him isn’t friendly. “I thought he would be more eager, but he’s been on that call a long time. Perhaps I heard Quinn wrong?”
It’s in my DNA to placate the situation, and while I refuse to be weak in front of him, I’m not about to get riled up about being less obvious in my strength. “Aleksei.” I speak quietly and know he’s listening. “He hasn’t second-guessed you once. Give him the respect he deserves. Once he is done, I am sure he will explain.”
I turn, leaving him to his thoughts and Santiago to his call. Both are going to have to find a way to coexist if they want any of Quinn’s time. From the time we spent together, I know she has a very low tolerance for BS or the games people play.
SANTIAGO
Valentine finishes speaking, but his anger lingers. He’s livid andabout to start a war with the Russians. We probably will, but first, we need to establish where the children are being sourced and rescue the ones I saw earlier tonight.
The photos I took of the victims are being run through the database we have in the Trinity Alliance, searching for answers.
“Say again what was said.” Ronin’s talking immediately, demanding more of an explanation.
I wish I had more to tell him, but all I have is what Sergey said. I repeat it again for him. “Do you like what our Irish friends sent us? That was the first mention, and then he referred to a woman named Olga and a Catalina. They apparently handle parts of the process. He was vague, Ronin.”
