“You could have told me the barn was off-limits,” Jesse says, and I wince.
A text would fix this whole thing. A simple text, and I didn’t reach for my phone, always convinced I can do it all.
“He would have to tell us that he needed to call Carver because he gives us a better price, and he can’t afford anything else.” Derrick crosses his arms in front of his chest. It’s not a question but rather a statement I can’t deny, so I don’t.
“I should have told you Carver was coming.”
“What happened after?” Jesse asks.
How can I even start explaining this mess?
“He accused me of giving money to someone in exchange for Veda,” I say, surprising them both. “Apparently, there’s a traffic ring of Omegas, and when he realized what she was… That’s what he assumed.”
“What the fuck? Are we the only ones who don’t know some Omegas are still out there?” Jesse shakes his head. “Did he believe you when you told him no?”
“I hope so.” The whole conversation goes through my head, and I’m not sure what to think. “I was shocked to say the least, so I hope he could see that. The last thing we need is his pack over here trying to rescue her.”
“So we need to worry about packs trying to scent-match with herandkidnapping her? What the fuck else?” Derrick growls.
“We’re going to have to tell her soon,” Jesse says as his eyes find her window. “It’s not right that she stays in the dark about who she is.”
“Do you think it’s time to put on her what she is and how much danger she’s in?”
“I was against it when we were just delivering her to scent-match with the hungriest pack,” Derrick grits. “But it’s different now. She’s in danger.”
“I can protect her,” I say, far too fast.
Derrick chuckles. It’s not a nice laugh but rather rough and full of sarcasm. “It doesn’t surprise me that you want to hide it all and handle this yourself. It’s what you fucking do, and I took it for too long because I’m not part of your pack, and I thought you didn’t want to clue me in. But this is fucking bullshit, Major.”
Is he not part of my pack? Of course he fucking is! My eyes go to Jesse, and he looks just as stunned as I am, but before we can investigate, Derrick is swearing loudly, his frustration reaching a new level.
“Something is going on with that girl, Major, and she doesn’t need your bullshit right now.”
“I will apologize for today. I was fucked up, and when she mentioned going to Willow Ridge, I lost my mind. Fuck, I just want to protect her.”
“Well, do a better job than this.” He pokes me right in the chest. “Jesse and I can take your shit, but it’s not fair to ask her to do it.”
The shame of being schooled by my younger brother burns inside my chest, but I take it as it is. I don’t divert or brush it aside. He’s right. I’m dealing with this all wrong, and it’s on me and only me to make it better. The tension stretches between us, and I look at my little brother, wondering where I went so wrong that he doesn’t think he’s in my pack.
“I’ll go tomorrow morning down to Willow Ridge and grab everything for Veda,” Jesse offers. “By the time she’s awake, I can have it all ready, and there will be no need for her to go. But at some point, we’ll have to tell her what is happening. She’s not our prisoner.”
“It’s clear we can’t ask St. James anything.” I sigh. “I need time to think.”
What if he’s part of the trafficking ring? I can’t fucking start to think what I’d do with that fucker if he’s out there buying girls and making them suffer.
“I know what you’re thinking, but I don’t think that’s it,” Jesse says. “Her mom is Brazilian and left her in the care of her grammie, Veda says she didn’t want to be a mom, so she went back home. I think St. James is an asshole, but he’s her grandfather. I could be wrong. You won’t catch me putting my hand on fire for that man.”
“I heard whispers about South America.” I disregarded them all because I thought it was impossible that they had Omegas when we didn’t. It felt like a worldwide phenomenon, and all the rumors were rooted in desperation. Now that I have a half-Brazilian Omega in my home, things don’t sound like a fairy tale anymore.
“Shit, me too.”
Derrick curses, his head hanging back as he takes a breath. “I met this other bronco rider a few years ago. A Brazilian guy and I knew he was an Alpha. He never confirmed, but one day he was talking about his wife and told me she complained about the long travel between tournaments even though the rest of them are back home. At the time, I thought he convinced a Beta to take the pack. He was charming enough to do it. I fucking hated his guts because his time was better than mine,andhe had a wife.”
He chuckles almost too loudly, but there’s no movement in the house, so I don’t worry much.
“Everything is making sense now, and I’m an idiot for just being jealous instead of asking more questions.”
“It’s okay. There was no way for us to know.”
