Page 54 of The Omega’s Nest

“Charges got dropped,” I tell him.

His smile is full of relief. “Oh, thank God. So, you can still be in the Air Force?”

Trust Addie to be happy over the one thing that works well for me in this scenario.

I nod, but I’m too depressed at the thought of leaving him to do much else.

“Hey,” Addie says. He drops the backpack and steps in front of me. “This is good news, right? I mean, we still need to keep a low profile because someone at the brothel might try and deal with this themselves, but you’re still going to get to fly. This is great news.”

And that makes me feel worse. I’ve got to leave him, and someone could be coming after him?

“I can’t leave you,” I tell him and haul him against my chest, tucking my face between his neck and shoulder, breathing in the heavenly scent of clean, fresh air underneath the smell of saltwater clinging to his skin.

His arms come around me and squeeze. “It’s only for six months at a time. And you get heat and rut leave, right? Everyone does. So you’ll probably come back at least once. And I’ll be okay, I can handle myself.”

“I know,” I mumble, but it’s not reassuring. I can’t even give him a place to live. And what if someone does come after him, and I’m on the other side of the world? My job is to protect him. In fact, that’s my only job.

“I have to quit,” I say and feel determined about it. I can’t leave him.

He wriggles out of my hold and glares up at me. “No, you’re not quitting. You’ve always wanted this and you almost lost it because of me. No, no fucking way.”

“Addie,” I say and grab him by the shoulders so he can’t get any further away. “I’ve always wanted you more. And I’m not leaving, I’m not risking it. What if something happens to you?”

He scoffs. And that’s not new—my sassy Addie is still in there. “I can take care of myself. I can. Please trust me. What I can’t handle is you ruining your life for me.”

“Don’t talk about it like that. Ruining my life?” I shake him. “Are you kidding? You are my life.”

He exhales, and I feel how much that lights him up down the bond—it’s a pulse of light in between the anger.

“We’ll get a mental link soon,” he says after a moment.

I nod and my stomach flutters. Because we will. To be in Addie’s head? It’s going to be fucking amazing.

“So, you’ll always feel me and hear me. And I promise, I promise, if something goes south, I will ask you to come back. And you will, right?”

Now I scoff. Does he even have to ask? “I’ll steal my own plane and fly back.”

“Right, well …” He smiles up at me wryly. “Maybe don’t do that. But I can keep myself safe until you get here if it comes to that, okay? But I don’t think it will, I really don’t.”

There’s a knowingness in his expression, and a calmness to his scent.

“What do you know?” I ask him.

“Let’s just say the person who owns that brothel would not want anyone to know about it.”

I tighten my hands. That means they could come after him, they could be looking for him right now so he doesn’t talk. I glance down at the tattoo on his hand—he’s branded with that place.

“That means, that means …”

He puts it together and shakes his head. “I don’t think so, not their style. So long as I ‘disappear,’ I think I’m safe.”

“Think? Think?!” I need more than he “thinks” he’s okay. I need to know he is okay.

“Yeah, I mean, I’ve met him. Well, I met the dad before he died, not the son—he’s never there. His uncle runs the place now, runs the whole company. Anyway, yeah, I’ve never, you know, with the alpha dad or the beta uncle …” He waves his hand.

I know my grip is punishing now, but I can’t help it—I’m probably never going to be okay with the thought of someone else touching him. My alpha could be slumbering and get a tiny whiff of that possibility and be awake and ready to go to war in a nanosecond.

“He, well, both of them, they prefer, umm, younger omegas.”