Page 29 of Omega Alliance

A tracker? Fuck.

I should have thought of that before. But I was so focused on getting Sin out of the OA complex that I failed to plan for such a contingency.Mea culpa.

It’s alwaysmea culpa.Kieran may be the head of the pack, but as the provider I’m the one who’s really in charge, whether or not I want it that way. Sin’s escape hinged on me getting the techright, and her continued safety now depends on me being able to keep the OA off our trail.

“I just landed in Toronto," I say casually in case anyone is watching or listening. I glance around at the other passengers to see if anyone is paying a little too close attention to me, but come up short. “You're going to have to extract it on your own,” I tell Kieran after I visually secure the area.

"How?" he wants to know.

I hesitate for a moment, knowing I need to tell him enough to guide him but not so much that others could understand if they watched us now or listened to a recording later. “There’s an app on my phone. Deep Detect. Use that, then find something sharp, sterilize it, and move quickly." I hate that I'm not there, that unskilled hands will have to perform the minor operation on Sin, which will no doubt cause her far more pain than necessary.

But everything comes with a price, I suppose. Especially freedom.

Kieran ends the call, and I continue toward the baggage claim as if my heart isn’t now racing in place. Deep Detect is a scanner that can be programmed to detect various types of metal and plastics. It's meant for treasure-hunting but will serve our purpose just fine.

I curse my career success for forcing me to return to work in order to avoid suspicion. Eventually, I’ll have to leave it all behind. Toronto is too crowded. There is no place we can hide a well-known celebrity like Sin. But I need to make sure everything appears normal while the hunt for her is at its most intense. I've already risked a great deal by leaving the area at all, which means I couldn't wait another day to return to my normal routine. My day impacts too many others, which means my actions draw an intense amount of scrutiny. My department will wonder why I left. Innocently, maybe, but still the questions will come. And I have to answer them exactly right.

Mind you, I like Sin. I want her to be happy, but I wonder if the others didn't properly consider everything we’ll be giving up on her behalf.

We'll need to find a new home, one that is well-hidden from prying eyes. And we'll have to live off the land, shun all the benefits of society, including and especially technology. My life blood. Until now, it's been my primary purpose. To bring new advancements to the world and, in my small way, improve lives.

But just as technology has served to help us, it has also worked to trap us. The tracker is further proof of what I've long known in my heart.

We're the ones who built this strange, new world, which means we only have ourselves to blame.

Sin is an innocent caught in a web she couldn't have anticipated, but I? I am the spider who wove that web in the first place. And even if she forgives me one day, I don’t know that I can ever forgive myself.

SIN

"I need Jax's phone," Kieran tells me after he ends his brief call.

"I left it upstairs. In the bedroom. Nightstand drawer," I explain, standing frozen in place as he jogs up the stairs and returns a short while later with the necessary device.

He flicks his fingers across the screen until he finds what he needs, then lowers it and looks toward me, a flash of concern reflecting in his mossy green eyes. "Right. We'll start with the most obvious places first. Roll up your sleeves and hold out your arms."

I do as he says, and he waves the phone over me. A thatched red laser creeps across my skin as he searches. Levi already prepared me for this on our long hike back to the safe house, soI am ready for whatever pain comes next. Better my body hurt than my heart. And with the help of Pack Thorin, I finally feel as if I’m starting to heal in the most important place of all. Second by second. Inch by inch.

"Not there," Kieran grunts, then frowns. "Close your eyes."

I wait until he tells me to open them again.

"Not there, either."

"Check the tattoos," Dani suggests. "Maybe it's like a treasure map. X marks the spot and all that."

She places a hand on my shoulder from behind, startling me. "Which tattoo did you get first? We should check there."

I point to the dark Greek letter on my forearm, the Omega symbol.

"We already tried there," Kieran points out.

"This one hurt the most,” I say, pointing to the howling wolf over my breast. “In case that’s any indication.”

Kieran brings the laser to my chest but shakes his head.

"Do you mind taking off your shirt?" Dani asks softly.

I glance to Kieran and Levi, but their expressions remain staid. They need me to undress in order to help them remove a threat. This isn't sexual. I shouldn't be nervous, but I am. My body is already thrumming to an uncomfortable beat, thanks to Kieran’s nearness as he inspects me.

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