Page 77 of Broken Dreams

“I’ll take them both,” I say, standing. I brought one of the panel vans we use for cargo, and there aren’t any chairs. The cage will be perfect in the back. “Cage too. I’ll keep them there until they’re ready to see clients.”

Clara’s eyes widen slightly before she remembers herself. It’s none of her business what I decide to do with them. Sometimes, I’ll buy an omega because I know she’ll be snuff fodder for my clients. Then, when they manage to kill her because they can’thelp themselves, I make them pay me reparations. I just enforce the rules of ‘you break it, you buy it.’ Rinse and repeat.

I fucking love my job.

“Eight hundred thousand for the pair of them, and I’ll throw in the cage for free,” she says.

Hiding my smile, I nod, pulling out my phone to wire her the money. I’m getting a hell of a deal for them, and I know it. She’s really shooting herself in the foot for not auctioning her omegas. The mob mentality is where the real money is.

“I’ll go wake someone up to put them on the trollies,” she says. “I’m also moving out of Chicago next week. I need to get out of here so I can begin my auctions again.”

Ha! I fucking called that one.

“Any ideas of where?” I ask. I don’t have an issue with the auctions, but I’ll miss being able to buy at a lower premium.

“Not yet, but when I’m settled I’ll have a reopening announcement sent out to avoid being found,” she says. “If I could find a way to do a floating auction, I would.”

My lips curl as I think. “If you bought good transport vehicles and marketed the auctions well, I think you’d be able to do it,” I tell her, making sure the transaction went through. “All set on my end. Let’s get this done so we can all catch some sleep.”

Something crosses over her eyes I can’t quite figure out before she nods and leaves to find the help she’ll need for transport. Deciding it’s none of my business, I glance over the rest of the inventory and decide I made the best choice.

They’re all gorgeous creatures, but the control I’ll be able to have over these omegas will be incredible.

As for Makayla, her and Linus’ freedom won’t last for long. I contacted her father with word of her escape. If she went back for any reason, he’ll find out for me and I’ll make my move.

Sometimes greed is bigger than familial love. Teenage angst is a bitch, but you can always sell your asshole teens and make a shit load of cash.

Barking out a laugh, I decide that I missed my calling for parental guide books. Pity.

I spend my time making plans for the omega siblings before me as I wait, eager to make up the money it’s costing me not to have my prime omegas. They’ll pay for escaping.

Just wait.

DUNCAN

My father is on my doorstep, glowering at me, while Linus and Quinn are safely ensconced in the new dance room I spent last night setting up. It only took two days for Dad to show up after receiving his text from Hudson. That must have taken some restraint.

She texted us the second he left the house to drive down here. She’s always been on our side for everything. Only Dad and the other mafia families have been pressuring us to find an omega, preferably female so we can start popping out some kids.

Omegas aren’t broodmares, and I refuse to treat Quinn as such. We haven’t even talked about it. This is too new. I’m not going to pressure her.

I warned Quinn and Linus not to come out unless they felt it was absolutely necessary until Dad was gone. I don’t trust that Hudson didn’t have something to do with his daughter’s disappearance, especially after Quinn looked conflicted when I asked her.

No one is to be trusted outside of my very small circle. Fuck, I don’t even trust my own father right now.

“Hello, Dad,” I say, brow raised. “Lovely for you to drop by unannounced. Won’t you come in?”

“Don’t be a smart ass,” he grumbles, coming inside.

The walls in the newly transformed dance room happen to be soundproof because Grandma Diedre has an interesting sex life. She merely gave me a wink when she made it very clear there were a few rooms that are soundproofed in the house.

The ballroom is a room that I don’t know what to do with, so I’ve left it alone. Our gardens and courtyards are gorgeous and well tended by gardeners we trust, but otherwise, we don’t have many people on property. We enjoy our privacy.

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” I drawl, closing the door behind him.

I have always butted heads with my father. He’s old fashioned in family life, while being willing to make calculated decisions in work that have served him well. Honestly, the older I get, the less I trust the man. It’s sad to find out the man who raised you is a weak-willed alpha.

It’s probably why I spend so much time doing the opposite of what he does. I want to give back to the world, while he looks for opportunities to take.