Page 15 of Broken Dreams

“Hey, baby. Morris said he dropped you off with the Kellys’. Everything okay?”Jed asks.

“They think they found Quinn,” she says immediately.

“Alright boys,”he says, already assuming that he’s on speaker. “How can we help?”

It’s amazing how connections and slow friendships happen when you’re focused on other things. Keeping Adira safe and helping her survive has been Duncan and my sole worry formonths. Somewhere along the way, Pack Dresmond started to grow on me.

Plates of pasta are slid onto the island, because we need to take care of Adira and her baby. There are so many things to take into consideration as we forge our own way to find Quinn.

I know she’s meant to be ours.

Forearms braced on the table, I glance at the crown that has the place of honor on my skin. For some reason, Adira leans over at the same time to put the phone down, and she gazes at the Roman numerals under the tattoo. Her eyes widen as she realizes while reading the numbers in her head, and her lips part in surprise.

I continue talking to Jed even as Duncan follows the direction of Adira’s thoughts, his arms moving around her to squeeze her tightly.

“Your birthday is also the date she disappeared,” he whispers in her ear. “Thank you for caring.”

I can tell Adira is struggling not to spiral as she processes that, but she manages to pull herself together as Jed agrees to help. The heat is happening in two weeks. We’ve pulled rescue missions in less time.

We can’t fuck this up.

QUINN

We’re moving locations today, and everything is packed up in white panel vans. It seems cliche in many ways that this is how we travel, and thoughts of kidnapped people trickle through my mind as I climb into one of the vans. I don’t know what city we’re in or where we’re headed next.

I vaguely remember that I grew up in Minnesota, but don’t know if my family is still there or not. It probably wouldn’t do any good even if I could get back there, since I don’t know who sold me to the sex traffickers that took me. I was brought right to Alpha Miles that night, and the rest was a foregone conclusion. There are so many unanswered questions about my life, it’s better not to think about it.

Holding back a sigh, I scoot into a seat toward the back, knowing the world will soon be coated in darkness, despite the early morning light. These vans don’t have any windows except the front windshield, and there’s a security panel separating the front of the van from the rest of us.

I know it’s so no one can signal for help or see us. It’s sad to know with such certainty that there are so many steps to ensure we’re never found. Guards stand watching as omegas wearing pajamas climb into the van, because we’re expected to sleep during the drive.

There will be setting up to do when we arrive, unpacking with the help of the guards, and then clients to see. It’s a revolving door of activity, meant to keep us compliant due to being so exhausted.

Linus manages to snag the spot next to me, and I glance at him gratefully. I sleep better when I’m able to use his shoulder as a pillow, the scent of dark molasses and tea settling me. These vans tend to smell metallic and stale, not to mention when you pack ten omegas into the back all of those scents can be overwhelming. Some of the girls use peppermint lotion under their nose to help block everything else out.

I would do the same, but as I am not allowed to have many possessions, and Bret doesn't allow others to share their things with me, I just deal with the smells. Bret will protect me to keep me alive, but despises me with the same breath.

I’m resilient, smart, and I have loyal clients who would miss me if I ended up dead. By the same token, it’s why I’ll never be sold to anyone else. It’s a very double edged sword that is fairly dangerous in this life. I’m not stupid, I know Christian Sanchez is enamored with Linus and I. I can read it in his demeanor and how he treats us, even in how he fucks us.

However, Bret is a selfish, greedy alpha and wants to continue to make big money off Linus and I. My heat alone in three short weeks is bringing in a shit ton of money. Fifty thousand dollars to be exact. The only reason I know that is because Alisa overheard him say that and repeated it.

The way she said it was in awe, but it’s simply disgusting. My mother used to talk to me about biology and the birds and the bees, if you would. Every conversation about the “sex talk” was about how alphas are meant to take care of their omega, and betas keep the balance in a pack.

She made relationships sound beautiful and respectful. Mom made me think about Duncan and Callum Kelly, hoping they’d wait for me to grow up and choose me.

God, I was so stupid back then. Naive and silly. I think that’s why the universe turned its back on me the day I was kidnapped. I didn’t deserve happiness.

The panel van’s sliding door closes behind the last omega, locking immediately afterward. There’s no way out as we put our seatbelts on, no hope. A guard is driving the van, and the beta who is in the passenger seat is armed.

Turning slightly in the darkness, I bury my face in Linus’ shoulder, breathing deeply and evenly. After all of this time, I still despise the darkness. Usually, I force myself to sleep as quickly as possible, but there are so many thoughts racing through my mind.

His arm wraps around my waist, trying to be discreet. The last thing either of us need is for someone to complain that we’rebeing inappropriate. Sex doesn’t happen for anyone unless Bret is getting paid for it. Even though we obviously aren’t having sex in the van and he’s offering me comfort, it’s not something that’s encouraged.

I can hear the engine turn over, making me close my eyes in resignation. Nothing is ever going to change. I’m going to live the same miserable day over and over with small slices of happiness until someone eventually kills me.

Alphas have no sense of control, at least not very often in my opinion. Ruts, sex haze, whatever it is that you call it make them lose their minds. This is when accidents happen, hands tighten too much around omega’s throats, and necks are snapped. Unless it’s discussed previously with Bret or there’s a murder kink buried in the alpha’s mind, everyone involved sweeps it under the rug and reparations are paid.

Christian has a tight fisted self discipline that I saw unravel the last time he was with me. I’m unsure if something is different or if I need to factor in the length of time between our last visit and the one before. Time is hard to track for me unless someone forces me to mark its passing. However, Alpha Sanchez definitely stayed away longer than normal.

---