On that point, they agreed. “If it meant your dad survived all that shit, would you take it back?”
“That’s a good question. I don’t know.” Roman shrugged and turned back to the road, foot pressing down on the gas pedal. “Because I don’t know if we would have found each other again. That alpha could have taken you and vanished halfway around the globe.”
Sidian thought they would have found each other again, but he was content to keep that to himself as he tilted his head back into the headrest, his eyes fluttering shut again. Maybe it was stupid to think of it like that, like it was just some twist of fate after all, but he would like to at least believe he and Roman would have found each other again. That their paths would have crossedelsewhere if not at the center, that Roman would have picked Sidian out of a crowd. He didn’t know if Roman could pull that off because damn, was he so much taller, but if their eyes met, then Sidian was certain it would happen.
It was some kind of progress to admit he’d pick Roman out of a crowd, too. Just too bad the doc wasn’t there to see him make it.
When Roman fished his phone out of his pocket midway through a turn, it was to toss the vibrating device into Sidian’s lap. “Answer that for me, will you? I don’t want to take my eyes off the road. Crazy turns out here.”
“Sure.” Sidian didn’t know whoMalwas supposed to be, but he answered the call. “Roman’s driving. What the fuck do you want?”
There was a pause on the other end of the line before a disbelieving little laugh tripped over someone’s lips.“Are you the omega spiriting him off to the middle of nowhere, then?”
“Who is it?” Roman asked, his eyes on the road.
“Someone named Mal,” Sidian replied, and Mal—whoever he was—made a hurt noise on the other end of the phone.
“I can’t believe he hasn’t already told you all about the group,”he said, pouting how Sidian had heard so many alphas pout before. It would almost be cute if it weren’t so fucking annoying.“I’m one of the Vipers. Thought I’d check in on the kid after the captain said he wouldn’t be back for a while.”
Roman raised his voice. “You wouldn’t call for that reason, Mal. What’s going on?”
“Fine, fine. Fuck me for trying to care about you.”Mal cleared his throat, his tone shifting to all business.“Pack Kincaid is outof state for the time being, but they should be back soon. Doing a job over in Manhattan. The Mambas had plans to infiltrate, but it looks like someone got wind of that and changed locations at the last second.”
Sidian’s mood soured at the words even though they weren’t anywhere near Jersey yet. It wasn’t like it mattered if Pack Kincaid were out of state when he and Roman weren’t even in state yet, but it still unsettled him. How long was it going to be before they figured out what had happened at the center? Were they going to care that Sidian had vanished with their second child? Were they going to come looking for him and the baby?
He wanted to believe he wasn’t significant enough for them to track down, but he knew better than to assume. That might just put him in more danger.
Roman squeezed his eyes shut for a brief second. “An auction, I’m assuming. Any idea who’s involved?”
“It’s not our area to know shit like that, and the Mambas don’t like sharing intel unless they have to, so be prepared to give them something to get what you want.”Mal heaved a put-upon sigh, and Sidian wondered how Ouroboros functioned if they were all supposed to be working together but did not like to share with each other.“Someone important, but rich enough to jump ship on location. Given how many omegas they have to transport, it’s not a small amount of money to burn through.”
Sidian’s mouth dried at the thought. “How do you know how many omegas they’re selling if these people don’t talk to you about shit like that?”
Mal didn’t answer him right away, and Sidian realized he wasn’t supposed to be listening to any of this. He wasn’t some fragile fucking doll who couldn’t handle the reality of the situation he was in, but he also wasn’t a trained assassin or whatever it was the Vipers were considered. Even though he was pretty sure he could blow someone’s brains out if given half thechance, he’d not been able to do anything to stop Pack Kincaid either of the two times he’d seen them.
Roman’s hand lit on his knee for one moment. “The Mambas don’t have to share those numbers with us. Those are spread through Ouroboros as a law so that we all understand the stakes of our failures.”
Mal cleared his throat.“It’s somewhere between twenty and fifty depending on how big the auction is, and this one was supposed to be big. Mambas might have gotten too close and spooked ‘em, though.”
“They’ve got a few who are careless,” Roman agreed, “but that’s fine. Thank you for letting us know. We’re making our way to New Jersey, but we need to take our time.” His hand returned to Sidian’s knee, fingers splaying over his thigh, and Sidian just let him. Maybe there were things Roman needed to seek comfort from, things Sidian would never know or understand.
Mal snorted.“Shit always gets back to the lowlife bottom feeders of the world. Take care of yourself, Kane, and let us know if you need anything else.”
The call ended, and Sidian looked up at Roman, not sure what to say. Twenty to fifty omegas at a time? Given how rare omegas were, the amount they’d have to capture to pull those kinds of numbers on even a semi-regular basis was nauseating. How many of them were mature? How many of them were just kids like Sidian was when his father slipped into his room for the first time, sold off for potential?
Roman rolled his tongue along the inside of his cheek. “I’m sorry. That’s the reality of our work. Breeding centers can’t be packed up and moved without a moment’s notice, but anything temporary can be.”
“Are they going to find a new auction location?” Sidian didn’t know why he was asking. He didn’t know why he cared.
Anyone would care. It’s basic fucking empathy.
“I can’t give you a definitive yes or no. I don’t know what they get up to. But if you want, you can ask the Mambas when we have to talk to them ourselves.” Roman lapsed into uneasy silence. That must be the best he could offer.
Sighing, Sidian reached over and punched his shoulder. “Sometimes I get so wrapped up in how fucked up my life is that I forget that results from the rest of the entire world also being this way. Sucks.”
“But it is over,” Roman said, and Sidian heard the steering wheel creak under his grip. “No more fucked up shit happens to you. Not on my watch. Once we deal with those assholes who hurt you, you can do whatever you want. I’ll make sure of it.”
He was sweet. Misguided though he was to think he could take on the entire world for Sidian, it was sweet of him to try.
