Page 54 of Omega Alliance

A siren blares from somewhere deep within the bowels of the complex. No, not a siren. A scream.

The woman beside me flinches and tilts her head. "It's Cindy," she whispers to me, and even though I've never heard this piercing cry before, I know she is right.

Both of my hands tighten into fists. I'm a thinker, not a fighter. And some way I need to get to our girl.

During the past two hours Sin's mother and I have gotten to know each other quite well. Her name is Tami, and at first she didn't want to speak to me because "they" would be watching our every move, hanging on our every word. But I wore her down with a purely logical argument. We've already been taken prisoner, what more can they really do to us?

And so Tami tells me everything. How the swift-talking, finely groomed men tricked her into their employ. How it wasn't so bad at first, but they kept her later and later each day, until at last they wouldn't let her go.

The feedback wasn't what the budding OA wanted from their test viewership. Tami was too old, and the fact that she was no longer a virgin made it hard for the packs to desire her. So they stole Sin—who was Cindy then—and waited for her to manifest so she could claim the role.

But Tami knew too much.

They couldn't let her go.

All this time, she's been here. A second prong of their twisted experiment. They had to keep Sin whole for the watchers, but the Alliance had no trouble mutilating Tami bit by bit.

She sits before me on the worktable, shaking and frail. Her hair is cut short, leaving only a pale blonde halo cropped close to her head. She tells me she can't walk, but her mind appears sharp as her eyes hungrily search the room.

"Cindy is in trouble. We have to help her," she insists, attempting to hop off the table but unable to lift her own weight enough to complete the motion.

I want to ask how she intends to help now, when they've both been stuck in this place for years. Tami can barely move of her own volition and yet she’s ready to fight if it means saving her daughter.

"I will find a way," I promise her, placing my hand on top of her cold fingers. "We're getting out of here. All of us. Including you."

twenty-five

LEVI

Ashrill scream rips through the air, and I duck for cover. When it's clear nobody is catapulting through the hall, I shift back into a low crouch and proceed.

The scream continues from somewhere deep inside the building, and something tells me I need to follow the sound.

Once again, I’m the inside man. By some miracle, Kieran and I managed to make it to the city without attracting the attention of the authorities. Their prize had been returned to them, and so I guess they weren't worried about a couple of rogue alphas speeding down the interstate.

We made good time, arriving before the helicopter even touched down. I used the noise and commotion of its landing to break a window and push my way inside. I waited for an alarm to flare in response, but there was nothing, which means unlike last time, they don't know I'm here.

Sure, the cameras will reveal my slinking around the complex soon enough, but for now I've managed to evade the metal detectors and security guards, which means I still have myphone for communication and my gun for anyone who tries to get in my way.

It's easier to navigate with the lights on, but I don't recognize anything from before. I've entered from a different location, and I don't have Jax or Dani in my ear to guide me.

There is no plan other than to get the girls and get out. I'm not known for thinking, but my wits will have to be quick if any of us are to survive this.

The screaming stops abruptly, and I wonder what's silenced it. I'm close now. I can feel it in my bones.

The lights flicker but don't go off.

Where are they? Where are the girls? And Jax if he's here?

And then as if my thoughts have summoned her, I find Sin slumped on the floor, curled in on herself and crying softly.

I run to her, and her eyes go wide.

"They have Dani," she sobs, even as I lift her into my arms.

"Shhh, shhh. You're safe now." Once again I tell her sweet lies to give her courage, and I hate myself for that even though it's necessary.

"Can't go without her," Sin bleats like a weak little lamb. I feel her pain. I do. But first I need to get her to safety, then I'll go back to find Dani.

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