Page 96 of One Way Out

Seeing her back to the vibrant, healthy version of herself helps alleviate a lot of my lingering stress.

She sits in my lap as we eat the burgers and fries we picked up on the way home, and I’m grateful to see her demolish all her fries and half of her burger.

“I’m stuffed,” she groans, dropping her takeout container on the coffee table and snuggling back against my chest.

“Me too.” I stretch a hand down, putting my box on the floor next to the arm of the couch. Once I’m done, I run my fingers over her stomach. “Are the cramps any better?”

She shrugs. “They’re manageable.”

“Manageable? Christ,” Omen scoffs. He sat on the floor to have access to the coffee table, and it highlights how badly we’re going to have to get our asses in gear to buy new furniture once we find a house. Even if we went shopping, this place doesn’t have the room to fit enough furniture for five people. “The spillover from the bond alone says they’re miserable.”

Saylor shrugs. “Cramps suck. At least they aren’t monthly anymore. Before a female omega presents, they come every month like a female beta would experience. Anyway, thinking about them only makes it worse. How was your meeting?”

Shaw takes over, filling them in on our conversation with her father. “I’m still not sold on letting Samantha off the hook.”

Our omega sighs. Her hurt floods the bond, and this time, it’s not physical discomfort. We’ve had this talk several times over the last few weeks, and I cut my eyes at Shaw.

He means well, but I don’t see Saylor changing her mind. Also, if she did want Samantha dead, that would be something we would need to tackle at least a few months down the line. If we did it now, we’d be the prime suspects.

“It’s complicated,” Saylor finally says. “I hate her. I want nothing to do with her. At the same time, she’s my little brothers’ mom. I personally don’t think the world would miss anything if she were dead, but they’re so young.” Her head shakes violently. “I know how much it hurt me to lose my mom. I won’t cause them that kind of agony.”

“We completely understand,” I assure her. It takes a little concentration, but with focus, my chest begins to vibrate with my purr. “It’s your decision. None of us wants to pressure you into making a choice you’ll regret.”

Saylor spins around, places her feet toward Valor on the other end of the couch, and rests her cheek against my chest. “That’s good because, while I love all of you, I don’t see my stance on this changing.”

“Sorry, princess,” Shaw says, shaking his head and staring at his boots. “I didn’t mean to upset you. I just hate knowing what she got away with.”

“Me too.” Valor grabs Saylor’s foot and begins to massage her arch. “But she’s got to live with knowing what she did for the rest of her life. And she understands what kind of work Shadow Security does. I bet she’ll be looking over her shoulder for quite a long time.”

Saylor snorts, running her fingers over my purring chest. “Now, that’s the kind of payback I can live with.”

Omen’s eyes meet Shaw’s and something passes between them.

I sigh.

I’m sure they’llmostlyhonor Saylor’s wishes, but I don’t think Mrs. Callahan is getting off completely free and clear.

Epilogue

Saylor

One Month Later

Our first trip as a family pack was to my school to pack up my dorm room. It had to be done pretty quickly before my father yanked my tuition, but come to find out, there’s always been a clause in my trust to pay for any type of my education. Ever since my mom died, my father has been submitting receipts to be paid back for all expenses related to my schooling.

And Samantha still had the audacity to talk to me like I was a drain on their family resources. They might have paid for my tuition up front, but the guarantor of the trust explained they were always paid back within three months of submitting the expenses.

On one hand, it’s hard to fathom, and on the other, it’s really not.

For my own sanity, I’ve decided to let all those hard feelings go. I want no part of any type of relationship with them, but I won’t carry around all this hate. It’s been draining me and disrupting my own happiness.

That’s why I have to tackle this one last thing.

Shaw stands next to me as I ring the doorbell at my father’s mansion. Even getting through the guards at the gate was a huge ordeal, but once I gather the mementos left from my mother, I won’t have to come back here again.

Samantha rips the door open, looking cold and elegant in a way I’ve never managed to pull off. “Ahh, yes, I heard the two of you bonded. How lovely. Not strange in the least.” She extends a lithe arm, gesturing into the entryway. “By the way, I recently stumbled upon a letter that belongs to you. I added it to your pile. Everything is stacked just here. There’s no need for you to roam the house.”

Oh yeah, I heard all about the letter Leo and Shaw sent for my eighteenth birthday—the one I never received.

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