Page 7 of Worth Fighting For

“Problem?” he asked them.

Lowen shook his head. “No. We were just discussing which ports were our best shot to get what we needed. Trying to get to them all probably won’t happen.”

“It’s going to be a challenge to have so many Omegas on this ship in and out of the ports with no one either trying to wrest control from us while we’re docked,” Gulliver told them. “Or, and this is most likely what will occur, someone will follow us and try to attack.”

Coleson frowned as he considered that. “Why would they take that kind of chance? Wouldn’t it be easier on them to do it when we’ve dropped anchor?”

“Not if the ones attacking want to take all of us,” Driton called out. “The first group of Alphas that had kidnapped me were attacked about a month later while they were getting ready to sell us at port. The attackers won, but other Alphas took some Omegas while the two groups were fighting.”

That definitely hadn’t been something Coleson had considered. “Then we should hide most Omegas while we’re at the pier. That way, whoever might follow us won’t know how many we have onboard willing to fight them off.”

Lowen nodded. “I agree. But we also need to have enough on deck with guns to hopefully warn away anyone thinking we’re easy pickings, especially since we’d have no way to easily escape.”

“Do you know if anyone in your group knows how to captain a ship?” he asked Driton. “That way, we can at least have the ship ready to leave if we feel threatened.”

Driton shook his head. “It’s not something any of us ever discussed.” He lifted a shoulder half-heartedly. “Mostly we just cried and tried to comfort each other as best we could.”

Thankfully, Coleson had never been put in that situation, but he could imagine small talk wasn’t exactly something they considered when fighting to stay alive. “When will we reach the first port?” he asked Lowen and Gulliver.

“Tomorrow around noon is our best guess,” Gulliver told them as he pointed to a spot on the map. “The first one we’ll stop at is where the old Gavins Point Dam was. When it crumbled, some who stayed behind used the materials to create a dock for trading. In the beginning, no one had apparently lived there in case anyone tried to attack them. But my dad said over the years some had built homes close by in order to house whatever they were selling. Most don’t actually live there permanently, but are able to stay when they are there more than a night or two.”

“How often have you been there?” Coleson hoped it was often enough to gauge what type of reception they might get.

“Maybe a dozen.” Gulliver’s answer wasn’t exactly what he’d wanted to hear. “It was the furthest from where I grew up, so it wasn’t as often as some of the others, but it was the biggest, which might mean we’ll get lucky enough to find everything we need.”

That would be huge. Having to only make one stop before returning home would be worth risking it. “Did you get a sense that it was fairly safe?”

Gulliver snorted in derision. “Not for an Omega, that’s for certain. None of these places generally are. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of people, Alphas included, that don’t agree with buying and selling Omegas but unless they’re prepared to start an all-out war, they tend to turn a blind eye.”

It wasn’t exactly good, but since they had little choice if they were going to have enough materials for their solar and hydroelectric power, as well as parts for when Lowen’s tractors broke down, he was going to do his best to take it as a positive. At least it wasn’t as bad as what Ford had encountered in Memphis. He hoped.

“We really should have had Damon come with us.” It wasn’t the first time Coleson had thought it or said it for that matter. He glanced over at Tessin, who had claimed to have experience with boats but clearly had never been on anything more than a small motorboat, as he was intimidated by the bridge.

“As we already discussed, it wasn’t like we had a lot of choice. We need those other boats working. Not only will they allow us a way to escape if needed, but if anything happens to this ship we’d be stuck with no way of trading,” Gulliver reminded him as Lowen patiently went over everything with Tessin for the eighth time.

He would have suggested Gulliver stay behind, but he was the only one who’d been to the port before and they would need his expertise navigating it. Eighteen Omegas had been brought aboard and only one of them knew anything about ships and not well. They were a couple of hours out from the port, but had slowed down in order for Lowen to give Tessin a crash course on the bridge.

Four other Omegas would be up on deck with the Alpha doctor with guns at the ready. That left thirteen Omegas down in the hold.

“I just checked everyone out. There are two, Orjan and Basel, who won’t be able to make it topside to help if we’re attacked,” Renzo told him as he entered the bridge just then. “They have guns next to them if needed, but Orjan was just too malnourished and is barely able to sit, much less walk. And I believe Basel has a broken ankle, but without an x-ray, I can’t be certain. Either way, he can’t walk on it.”

That would still be sixteen Omegas who could fight if necessary. Their odds weren’t fantastic considering they were entering a port with what Gulliver guessed were a couple of hundred Alphas. Admittedly, they weren’t all working together, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t easily help each other out for the chance of getting their hands on the Omegas onboard.

“And they know to stay hidden the entire time we’re here?” That was something Coleson had stressed to them earlier when he’d explained their plan, but he needed to be certain they understood how important it was.

“They know,” the Alpha assured him. “And I’ll be here to make certain they stay put.”

He should have found that annoying for an Alpha to act like he was in charge because of his status, but the fact was, Coleson felt relieved he was there. And no, he wasn’t going to think about how handsome Renzo was. Or the fact that his dick had twitched in interest when he’d first walked in.

On edge, Coleson checked and triple checked that everything was ready for them by the time they’d reached the port. Lowen carried the clipboard with a list of their inventory. Gulliver was on the lookout for some of the more reputable Alphas he’d dealt with in the past while Coleson and Lowen kept their heads on a pivot to watch for any danger.

It wasn’t difficult to see. They’d barely stepped onto the dock when every hair on Coleson’s body stood straight up. The eyes that seemed to follow them were filled with either greed, or worse, lust. When he felt a shiver of revulsion go through him, Lowen placed a hand possessively on his shoulder. “Just keep walking.”

He appreciated Lowen trying to protect him, but it also bugged him that an Alpha was required to keep him safe. It wasn’t right that the other Alphas thought of Omegas as nothing but possessions for them to have. One day, he hoped that would change, but he doubted it would ever happen.

“Westland,” Gulliver called out, bringing Coleson back to the task at hand. “How are things going?”

“Gulliver?” The Alpha sounded shocked to see the Omega. Then again, considering he’d been kidnapped, it wasn’t that surprising. But he also pulled him in for a hug. “I heard from your father you’d been taken.”

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