Page 21 of Omega's Vengeance

“Yeah.” I carefully lift one of the decoys off the ground. “We should probably get things set up.”

He stands. “I need to pee.”

“Okay, then do it.” I lay one of the decoys on the cot. I place it in a sitting up position. I think us sitting up, in fear for our lives, is something Carlo will believe. He wants us scared. He wants us dreading his return. Lying down sleeping will probably seem suspicious to him. I glance at Alessio because he’s still standing there looking uptight. “I thought you had to take a piss?”

“I do.” He bites his lower lip. “It’s just disgusting to urinate where we sleep.”

I straighten, studying him. “Funny how that thought never crossed your mind where I was concerned.”

Guilt shifts through his eyes, but he lifts his chin. “You were my prisoner, not my house guest.”

I squint at his snippy tone. “How about you figure out where to piss on your own?”

“I will.” He scowls. “I was simply curious how you handled the situation. Excuse me if I don’t love the idea of walking in piss.”

“I wouldn’t worry about that.” I move to get the other decoy. “We’re either going to be gone from this place, or dead in a few hours.”

He swallows loudly and heads toward the far corner of the room.

By the time he returns, I have both decoys staged. I have the smaller one on the cot, and one propped up, as if standing beside it. I pray this fools Carlo and his men just long enough for me and Alessio to do what we need to do.

Alessio eyes the decoy I have propped up standing. “What if that falls over as they’re coming toward it?”

“Hopefully they’ll think I just fainted with fear,” I say sardonically. He laughs, which surprises me. I meet his gaze. “Want to know the plan?”

“That would be nice.” He rubs his hands together, shivering.

I grab two of the fishing rods and hand one to him.

He takes it, fingering the broken tip. “I’d feel so much happier if this was sharp.”

“Beggars can’t be choosers.” I move toward the stairs. “When they first come down, their eyes will need to adjust to the dim light. My guess is Carlo will hang back and let his guys come down first.”

“What if he brings more men with him today than he had yesterday?”

“I don’t think he will. I think he wants as few as men to know he turned on you as possible. Just like you only brought that one yellow eyed alpha with you. Loose lips sink ships, right?”

“Right.” His lips thin. “I think those fuckers murdered my guy, Enzo.”

He actually sounds upset about that, which is surprising. Alessio doesn’t usually show a lot of emotion. “Were you close to him?”

He sighs. “I’d known him since we were both kids. He was loyal to our family.”

“I see.” He wants me to believe he only cares because Enzo was loyal. I’m not buying it. “Good men are hard to find.”

He nods and murmurs, “He said you saved his life once.”

“Did I?” Was that why he seemed so familiar to me?

“When my father took Nico. Roberto stabbed him. I guess you took him to the hospital.” Alessio grimaces. “And now he’s probably dead anyway.”

“That was him?” I ask.

“Apparently.”

“Maybe he’s alive,” I offer.

His mouth droops. “If he was alive, I think he’d have tried to help me by now.”

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