Page 47 of The Omega Trials: Part Two

A jagged lump catches in my throat, and I can’t say anything,doanything but nod weakly. My mind is filled with the horrific images of the woman’s tortured body that was hung like a flag our first day here. The burns and cuts that littered her corpse and the agonizing, heart-breaking screams of the male prisoner she was killed to punish.

“Well, I’m glad we could have this conversation.” He chuckles heartlessly. “Now, do enjoy this beautiful, sunny day.” And with that, he turns on his heels and waltzes away, waving his hand for the Cyan alphas to follow.

I’m left feeling like I was doused with ice water. Even Ecker’s warm body holding me feels cold and sterile.

Bishop tries to comfort me. “They’re just trying to scare you—”

I interrupt him with the only thought that matters. “Can we go see her? Right now? Please.”

It feels surreal pulling up to my old apartment building in a town car owned by the Echelon with my three noble alphas.

Seeing the dilapidated siding, trash-strewn parking lot, and barred windows makes me question the reality I’ve been living in. One with a personal attendant, hired drivers, castle-like estates, and sprawling, manicured lawns.

Nerves eat up my insides. What will I say to her? How will I explain these men or where I’ve been? For all she knows, I’ve followed my mother’s footsteps, strung out on Lust Dust and working on my back to earn money for a man.

As soon as the car comes to a stop, I reach for the door handle, deciding stalling will only make things worse. Titus beats me to it, and I quickly withdraw my hand so I don’t hurt him.

“So, um . . .” He clears his throat awkwardly. “If she asks how Mr. Barnes is, just go with it.”

“What?” I ask, bewildered.

“Uh, Mr. Barnes is your, uh . . . employer.” Titus seems embarrassed as he looks at me through one cracked eye, face scrunched.

“Bro, what the hell are you talking about?” Ecker questions, and I’m comforted he’s as equally confused as I am.

“Okay, I sorta checked in on her a while back.”

“Who?My grandma?”I ask in disbelief.

“Yeah.” He tries to roll his eyes like it’s not a big deal. “It was after the Cyans hinted about something happening to her if they didn’t get answers on who you really were.”

“I thought you went to Opulence?” Bishop leans forward in his seat.

“I did. After.”

My mind is going a mile a minute trying to make sense of this. Nothing is adding up. “So who’s this Barnes?”

“Well, I needed to explain who I was and where you were, and I didn’t quite feel like saying I was a pimp so.” He trails off as if we should be able to piece it together from there.

We all look at him, dumbfounded. He acts all exasperated that he has to spell it out. “So, I told her your debt had been bought by a wealthy widower to serve as a nanny for his kids. I’m his valet.” He shrugs.

“And who are we supposed to be?” Ecker questions, still sounding just as befuddled as before.

“I don’t know,” Titus scoffs. “His pool boys or some shit.”

“Nice.” Ecker nods proudly with a chuckle. “I always thought I’d make a hot ass pool boy.”

My hand hovers above the door. I don’t know if I’ve ever knocked on this door. I’ve always had keys, as it wasourhome, not just hers. My chest squeezes. My home was always wherever she was.

I swallow past the lump in my throat and rap my knuckles on the wood. My heart races as we wait, and I pull up the neck of the hoodie I’m wearing to make sure my burn is covered. Luckily, the ice and alpha hormones I got right after the attack took most of the swelling down, and some strategically placed makeup by Penelope takes care of the light bruising.

I hear the familiar shuffle of her slippers on the other side of the door and emotion wells in my chest.

“I’m comin’, I’m comin’,” she hollers. My vision gets misty at the sound of her voice.

“I can’t do this.” I gasp, but Ecker stops me from turning around.

“You got this, baby girl.” He rubs my shoulder, and my heart trips as we listen to the lock disengaging.

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