Page 53 of Savage Trap

I nod, relieved we’ve come to the same conclusion. “Rory and Cam will come with me and Lincoln will stay and work logistics from here. You’ll be safe, but you can keep tabs on us as well.”

Kelly sighs and tucks his face into my neck, but our angel grabs my chin, her tiger eyes aflame. “Good. And after you’ve punished that asshole for attacking my dad, we can watch you burn that fucking place to ash.”

Elvi

I sit shoulder-to-shoulder with Link as we watch our pack head to the Crouch Estate on his bank of computer screens. It’s four a.m., the perfect time for an ambush, according to Arben. They took my dad’s jet as soon as they’d made their plans, landing at a small airfield not far from the estate. They’re all wearing full tactical gear, including headsets that transmit video and audio right back to Link’s computer. It’s as close as I can get to them without physically being there, but I’m still shaking inside. What Arben told me about fated mates has left me with a hollow feeling in my gut. Not because I feel any less loved by my pack, but because I know that their feelings for me could one day get them killed.

It also explains why Arben made such a meal out of punishing me for The Feral Den.

Something I try to put out of my head with Link’s shoulder pressed to mine. We still haven’t talked about that messy conversation we had before he stormed out of the suite. But if he’s tangled up in this fated mates business – and he has to be, at least through his bond with Kelly – then it’s no wonder he doesn’t know whether to kiss me or spank my reckless ass raw.

There you go thinking those thoughts again…

“Is the plan to kill him or capture him?”

Link blinks, like he’d forgotten I was there. “Capture, if possible. We all want to put him in the ground, but he’s the London Alpha right now. We can possibly ransom him for a dose of your dad’s antidote.”

I nod weakly and wrap my hands around the second cup of coffee that’s gone cold in an hour. My tongue tastes like cardboard, and I’m just about to go and hunt down some sheqerpare when their car pulls to a halt in the woods at the back of the estate. Link has already been over the whole property with a thermal drone, and it appears as quiet and deserted as a grave. But low fog is making things harder, and since the infrared camera can’t see through concrete floors, we don’t know if Prior’s even on site.

The only way to know for certain is to search the manor, room by room.

“It’s okay, Elvi,” Link says quietly at my side. “You don’t have to watch if you don’t want to.”

Kelly has already retreated to the bedroom and Nate is in the security room, going through the feeds to see if he’s missed anything.

“No, I need to know they’re okay. I’d lose my mind if I couldn’t see them.” When he glances at my fingers drumming on the desk, I give a weak laugh. “My nails are already toast.”

To my surprise, he takes my hand and turns it over, rubbing his thumb across my palm. An unexpected shiver skips down my spine, and I try to force a teasing note into my voice. “Are you finally making good on my promised massage?”

“That’s Cam’s thing,” he says dismissively, his eyes on my hand. “If I had you alone, I wouldn’t be fucking around with hot rocks or whatever the hell he does.”

I catch my breath at the burst of heat his words conjure, but then he’s laying my hand back on the desk and checking his screen. I feel the moment slipping away, which has to be the reason I blurt out, “We should go on a date.” He cocks a brow at me, those dark eyes sliding my way. “Like you and Kelly did in Chicago, I mean. We should do something like that.”

To my surprise, the tips of Link’s ears go red. “Uh, yeah. Something like that would be good.” He clears his throat and fiddles with his keyboard. “Although, I’m just as happy hanging out here, in case you thought I was gonna be a high-maintenance date.”

I gape at him. A date and a joke! With Link of all people!

I’m trying to think of a reply when the screen shimmers and I realize they’re on the move. I hold my breath as they step through the fringe of trees and into the forecourt of the manor house. The fog is so thick it’s like watching them swim through soup, but I remember the place only too well. It has elegant bones, like it was once a grand, historical house. But that was before Crouch turned it into a fortress with gun turrets on the roof and bars on the windows. But the real ugliness is under the manor, in the basement where he kept Kelly and an unknown number of other omegas as prisoners.

I shiver as Cam’s face looms out of the fog, his eyes hard. He and Arben are obviously having a conversation through the bondlink, because they peel away with Rory in step next to them.

“They’re heading to the basement,” Link tells me, and we watch them walk quickly around the corner of the building.

“That’s the same door I used to get Kelly out,” I murmur, trying not to bite my nails as Rory drops to a knee and starts fiddling with the lock. I cringe at every sound coming through the comms and blow out an anxious breath. “I don’t know how you do this. Sitting here, but not jumping in if something goes wrong.” I catch him staring at the side of my face and force myself to meet his eyes. “I wanted to say I’m sorry about The Feral Den. It was stupid of me to go rushing in there. I should have let you do your job.”

Apologizing doesn’t come easily to either of us, but I think I see something soften in his eyes. “Just check in next time. If not with me, then with someone who can tell me you’re okay.”

I bite my lip, because we both know what I really need to do. If I was mated to Link and we shared a bond, we could connect any time we needed to. But that’s not something we can talk about now with half our pack on a dangerous mission, so I just nod and turn back to the screen.

The next few minutes are both tedious and nerve-wracking, and I have a new respect for Link’s ability to remain calm. I jump at every shadow, and the temptation to ask questions has me biting the edge of my tongue. We agreed to keep bond chatter to a minimum to avoid distractions, but I need updates. Is there any sign of Phillip Prior? Are they checking all their blind spots before entering each room? Do they still promise to torch the hellhole when they’re finished?

But I go completely still when they enter the basement. They take the stairs single file and I relive every moment of creeping down there during the Fall Ball. I was drawn by Kelly’s scent, but the rest of the place smelled like scorched sugar, the unmistakable sign of terrified omegas. It seems like it takes our mates an hour to reach the bottom and as their cameras pan around the stark room, I’m suddenly glad I’m not there to experience it all over again.

“The cells look the same?” Link asks in a low voice as we watch the guys start to search them. I nod, because there’s not much to see except for bare cots and a hole in the ground. The doors, though, are reinforced titanium, and I fight a shiver. Link must feel it, because he murmurs, “Kelly said one of the worst things was hearing a cell open somewhere. Because he didn’t know if someone was being sold, or if someone new was being brought in.”

Anger curls through me as I remember how I found him; bleeding, beaten, and about to be raped by a guard. No doubt he heard - and felt - a lot worse stuff than opening doors, but my eyes narrow, and I straighten my spine. “Then we make sure he never has to hear that shit again.”

Link gives me a hard nod, and we sit in silence as the guys complete their search of the basement. When they’re certain no omegas have been through recently, they head back upstairs. There’s nothing much to see until they come to the doors of the ballroom and push inside. Link’s fingers start to fly over the keyboard while I stare at the strange sight on the screen.

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