Page 48 of Omega Alliance

Gone is the happy air that accompanied our last drive. Was that really only yesterday? We're all scared out of our minds now, and nobody knows what to say to alleviate the tension that hangs around us in a thick fog.

Kieran navigates our vehicle along a winding mountain road until a small outbuilding reveals itself, a larger structure waiting in the distance. A man uniformed in the Alliance's black and gray stands in the middle of the road directing traffic. Only there are no cars here except for ours. Which means all eyes will be on us.

I gulp down a fresh wave of nerves and beg my stomach to settle. Still, I'm so nervous I could puke and worry I might.

The guard motions for us to stop, and Kieran rolls down the window. From what I know, they police the traffic coming into Alliance's Alaskan territory much more tightly than the traffic going out—a fact Levi mentioned could aid us today.

God, I hope he's right about that.

The man frowns at his handheld tablet before squinting up at Kieran. "What brings you to Alaska? Were you here on OA business?"

"No, sir," Kieran mumbles, and his demeanor is so different I scarcely recognize him in those two words. "My mate wanted to see the mountains," he explains, gesturing toward me.

The guard hums a beat, glancing at me briefly before looking toward Levi and Dani in the back.

"And these two?" he asks Kieran.

"Friends along for the ride." Kieran smiles beside me, and my stomach does a somersault.

The guard looked right at me and didn't think to look a second time. He didn't recognize me. Maybe that means we can really do this after all, that we can cross and be free.

The man frowns and glances toward Levi in the back seat again before addressing Kieran. "Do the four of you have ID?"

"In our luggage."

Before even breaking me out of the OA complex, Jax had a false ID made for me, but Kieran insisted that it would be even better if we could avoid showing it all together.

"Should I grab those for you, sir?"

The guard stares at his tablet again and grunts. "That won't be necessary. Please pull ahead."

I hide a small smile as he directs us through. Was it really that easy? The guys were so worried, yet that whole encounter hardly took two minutes. They were among the worst two minutes of my life, but still, they're over now.

We pull up to the small building that is outfitted with an overhang and a gate, creating a small open-air tunnel. Kieran lets out a slow breath before stopping and waiting for the final go ahead.

A different man peers at us from the other side of a thick window, and for a moment I feel like I’m back in the OA'sglass box. My heart picks up speed, but I beg it to calm down lest my nervousness give us away. We've already passed the inspection. Everything now is just a formality. The workers here need to make sure they've checked all the boxes to satisfy the requirements of their paychecks. They don't know who we are, and they don't care.

I remind myself of that again and again, and the four of us watch as the man rises and steps out to greet us. "Headed to the Yukon?" he says conversationally.

"Just passing through on our way home, sir," Kieran answers casually, almost appearing bored with the whole thing. I know it's an act though. I'm also thankful he's the one starring in this exchange and not me.

This new man raises an eyebrow and peers at each of us turn by turn. "Where's home?"

"Toronto, sir." Kieran provides. I assume it's easier to stick as close to the truth as possible, but still this line of questioning makes me nervous.

He lets out a low whistle. "That's a mighty long drive."

"We love the open road, sir." Kieran is painfully polite when all I want to do is scream at him to press on the gas and send us hurtling through the thin barrier that separates us from freedom. That will get us nowhere very fast, though, and Kieran knows better.

The man offers a smile before leaning forward to glance around our vehicle and take in each of our faces. He smiles again as he straightens back to his full height and announces, "Thanks for answering my questions. The three of you are free to go."

I watch as the pulse in Kieran's neck thrums so hard, it looks as if his heart is trying to escape. Something's wrong.

He smiles pleasantly, but his voice holds a fresh tinge of worry. "Three? But there are four of us, sir."

The guard's smile is broad, condescending. "Ahh, but one of your party is wanted by the Alliance, so she'll be staying with me until they can come collect her."

He leans down again, his eyes searching. Now more than ever, I wish I could disappear, wish I could fade into the background. I've been caught, but they're letting the others go. At least they’ll be free. As for me? I'll fight like hell, and one day I'll get back to them. I know I will. I'm determined. I'm…

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