Page 74 of The Omega Verse

Kobi grunts, but I watch as Celine looks at her phone, then enters the code into the gate. The screen changes as she reaches the front door and pulls a set of keys from her pocket. My heart lurches again when I watch her slide one into the lock and waltz inside.

“That’s a copy of your house keys,” Finn says, his voice still calm and even, like he can sense my growing turmoil. “Have your paths crossed recently?”

The last week plays back through my mind and I bite my lip. “She came to see me at the bakery.”

I can feel Kobi stiffening beside me. “You didn’t mention it.”

“I’ve been trying to find the right moment.” I stare at my hands, cursing my timing. “I’m sorry. It wasn’t a very nice meeting.”

I quickly describe the threats she made, but when I mention the sleazy photographer, Finn grunts. “Could be the investigator. I’ll get you a picture so you can confirm. Was he with you the whole time?”

“No. It was rush hour, so I took Celine outside to talk. He could’ve gone around the back to my office and got my keys then.”

Kobi mutters under his breath and I pull a face, because that’s not the worst part. “The thing is, Celine gave me an ultimatum. She said she wouldn’t publish the slurs against Steven if River went as her date to the Hall of Fame.” I peek at him through my lashes, feeling sick that I’m telling him like this. “I should have mentioned it earlier, River. I just can’t stand the thought of her anywhere near you.”

He shakes his head, but he doesn’t look surprised. “Believe me, it’s the last thing I want too. But it’s nothing new, Cass. She’s been trying this shit for a long time.”

“But why? Is she really arrogant enough to think you’re going to suddenly develop feelings for her?”

He gives a bitter laugh. “Feelings aren’t Celine’s priority. She just wants to bite me and bond me, then toss me aside. It’s a power move.”

The growl that rips from my throat makes Finn smile, but he just taps the screen. “Let’s deal with that in a moment. I’m jumping forward to the actual theft, but I’ve watched the whole tape, and I guarantee this was the only thing she took.”

I nod, steeling myself as the screen shows Celine striding into Steven’s office. She doesn’t even hesitate; heading straight to the desk and opening the bottom drawer. I make an unhappy sound as she pulls the Air Jordans out and lifts the lockbox onto the desk. “Do you think she’s been here before?”

“No way,” River says with a growl of his own. He’s drifted over close enough to see the screen, and his eyes are dark with pain. “But she was around a lot at one time. I guess she saw him do it somewhere else and knew it was a pattern.”

I reach over to grab his hand, hating that he has to witness this bitch invading our home. My name is on the deed, but it’s just as much River’s place, and the possessive way she touches our things makes me want to claw her eyes out.

“Hey, what’s going on?” I look up as Silva comes in, his eyes narrowing on Finn before swinging my way. The charge that leaps between us is enough to make my heart take off racing and I rise to my feet, like we really are caught in a magnetic field. Whatever he sees in my face makes him curse and rush to my side. “Jesus, you okay, Cass?” He slides into the booth, trapping me between him and Kobi as he pulls me tight. As he bends to nuzzle his mating mark, I suck down his perfect amaretto scent. “Jesus, you’re shivering. What the hell, guys?”

“We’ll catch you up later,” Kobi says in his comforting rumble, “but in a nutshell, Celine broke in here, then went to Willow Beach and did the same there. Seems Steven used Visser Security for his setup, so Finn was able to catch it all on camera.”

“Jesus, the balls on that bitch,” Silva snarls, then grabs my hand and kisses my knuckles. Our bond vibrates between us, and I can feel the anger swelling inside him the longer I cling to him. “I swear, we should have dealt with her days ago.”

“Months ago,” I correct him, looking in River’s direction. “She’s taken more than enough from us. We have to get her out of our lives for good.”

“I’m happy to help with that,” Finn says, “but right now, we need to decide what you want to do about what she does next.”

I force myself to focus on the screen, watching as Celine slides the smallest key into the lockbox and flips the lid. She completely ignores the cash, taking a manila folder out of the bottom of the tray and flicking through the papers inside. Tucking the whole folder under her arm, she relocks the box and returns everything to the way it was. My teeth clench at the smug smile on her face as she waltzes out of my house.

“What did she take?”

Finn shuts off the screen and faces me. “We believe they’re original song lyrics.”

I expected a lot of things, but not that. “Really?”

“They’re handwritten, and there’s no signature, but they’re dated. And there’s a pattern.” I can tell by his tone that he’s trying to break this next part to me gently. “The dates are all a variation of your gate code.”

My birth date.

I can feel my guys tense on either side of me, but it’s River who breaks the silence. “You think Steven wrote Cass a birthday song?”

“One every birthday for close to a dozen years.”

My gaze flies to River. Something electric passes between us that goes beyond bites and bonds. Pain, hope, loss, wonder… Every emotion I’m feeling is written on his face, because this is like having Steven’s heart laid out on the table in front of us.

Silva shakes his head, clearly stunned. “Jesus. Original Stix Rain songs?” He rubs his head and I can feel his anger building again. “Then we need to get them the fuck back! Right now.”

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