Page 28 of Terror

“I am.” It’s painful to admit I have swapped priorities. The original priority was finding the Betaren project people and ending the manufacturing, thereby ending the distribution. Now, my priority is all the ways I’m gonna breed my Omega.

“News?” Sotay asks.

I crack my neck. “Give it to me.”

He’s quiet for a bit, then says, “The register data has been wiped.”

Huh.“The Omega register?”

“Yeah.”

“So they took it.”

“Mm-hm. We got nothing. All those years, all those Omegas. We have to start back from the marked homes.”

“The Collectors memorize the names,” I say.

Sotay widens his eyes. “All the names?”

“Mm-hm. One of the things you have to store as a Collector. Names, addresses, and a social security number, if possible. We split up the data by an assigned unit and area, then update in our heads as we go. Anything else?”

“We never should’ve shared that database with the mayor.”

Something cold takes up residence in my chest. I hop out of the pool. “Tell me.”

Sotay scrubs his jaw. “A family came to the Stronghold today. Asked for you. I said I’d help them in your stead. They said their daughter was hospitalized for poisoning, and they need money to cover the expenses.”

“Raven's secretary can handle this. Not that we’re running a charity or something.”

He shakes his head. “Their daughter got the same batch of pills we found in the baggy your Omega dropped.”

“Spit it out,” I bark.

“Last night, the girl died of poisoning.”

“She overdosed on scent suppressants?” I frown. “A suicide?”

“Don’t know.”

“Serpent’s fucking balls.” I run a hand over my head, glance at the girls, and march over to them. I swing open the den’s door and lock eyes with Leah, then extend my hand. “The list of invites.”

Leah takes one look at my middle, then drops her eyes.

Tabby also looks away. “You’re naked,” she says.

“Oh, I’m sorry to offend your sensitivities.” From the chair, I grab a pillow, sit my naked ass down, cover my dick, and throw one leg over the other like a girl. “Is this better? Less offensive? Perhaps a magic pill will take care of it, and you’ll no longer need to be aroused around me.”

Tabby crosses her arms. “I’ve detoxed, and you don’t have to be a dick.”

“The list,” I rattle. “On three. One. Two. I mean it, Leah.”

Tabby runs off.

“Hey! Where are you going?” I get up, ready to hunt her down.

“To get the list, dickhead!”

“Knothead,” I correct. “Dickheads are Betas.” Aiming a glare at the Omega before me, I sit back down. Leah pretends I’m not there and sips water, watching the singing birds on the apple tree behind me.

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