Page 25 of All In

The more I learn about what they do, the more intrigued I am.

I worked for Canton out of necessity, but I would enjoy working for Assurance Security. It would give me a job I’m genuinely proud to be able to tell my mom and sister about.

“Do you happen to have a phone I can use?” the little omega asks as I grab the door and scan inside.

“No, we use comms.” It’s a safety precaution to avoid having thirty cell phones all ping at the location of a crime.

“This is so embarrassing, but I’m really having a bathroom emergency,” she says, grabbing my arm.

“Uh.” I stick my head back out the door, glancing around the yard. “Everyone’s gone. I can help hold you up?—”

“I am not peeing outside,” she grumbles, pushing past me and into Andretti’s house.

“I need to do a sweep. There could be stragglers.” I move to grab her arm, but she bolts down the hallway.

“Then, I guess you better make sure you successfully take them out before they get us.” She makes it to the first door and pulls it open. “Dammit.”

My heart drops, but it’s just an empty laundry room. She turns, smacking into my arm that’s extended to hold the door open.

“Oops.” She ducks under and bolts. The next door is a home gym, but the one after that gains a squeal from her. “Oh, thank God!” She slides inside, trying to pull the door closed, but I pop my head in to look around. It’s safe enough, with only a toilet and sink. So, I tug the door shut and lean up against the wall.

She doesn’t seem especially traumatized, but I guess that could be a delayed response.

Or she could be masking.

Laken takes so long, I briefly debate knocking to see if she’s okay. Eventually, the toilet flushes and the sink turns on. It takes another minute or two before the door opens, and she looks much more vulnerable without the silver emergency blanket wrapped around her. I spot it on the floor, like she got tired of dealing with the crinkly thing.

Her face is cleaner than the last time I saw her, and her hair is tied up.

I squint, trying to figure out where she found a hair tie, but it’s clear she tied up her long locks using the length or something.

Her chin tilts in the air, showing off the wicked bruise on her jaw.

She blows her lips together and finally says, “I smell really bad.”

“Ehh, you don’t smell any worse than me,” I joke, lifting my arm. “I’m not sure if I forgot to double stroke the deodorant this morning, or what, but I’m ripe too.”

She smiles, shaking her head. “At least I’m not alone.”

No, she definitely is not.

Chapter Seven

Laken

We stop in the kitchen, and Tanner grabs a bottle of water from the fridge. “All right, come on over to the sink.”

That feels like a strangely specific instruction, and I frown.

“I’m so thirsty, I could probably drink that whole thing.” I leave out how I drank from the bathroom sink by shoving my face under the faucet. It’s why I had to tie up my hair; it was in the way.

“You shouldn’t drink much at first,” Tanner says, waving me over. “And if you do happen to get sick or choke, then you’ve got the sink right there.”

“Is that a possibility?” I walk over, stopping at his side.

Maybe I should admit that I already had more than a few sips in the bathroom.

“Dehydration is weird. If you drink too much all at once, then you could start puking.” He nods, cracking the bottle. “Here, I’ll help, so you don’t go too crazy.”

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