Page 18 of Bound By Pain
Once we are all clear, they set the charges off. As soon as the demolitionist motions for us to proceed, we enter the shattered doorway two at a time. Bullets fire our way, but the confusion, lingering smoke, and ringing in their ears make them have shit aim. I crouch beside Porter behind an upended table and lean around the edge to return fire.
With so many of the gang members crowded in this front room, we aren’t making progress on reaching the next area. Swearing, I search the room for Ridley. The bastard beside him lobs a smoke grenade into the crowd, creating the distraction we need to proceed. Porter calls out behind me when I slip my gas mask on, duck around the table, and move along the wall toward the back.
He and his team can catch up. I have an Omega to rescue.
Meeting Ridley at the door, we step into the next room. The long hallway tells me we will need to split up again. Silently, I take the first door on the right.
Room by room, I take out the Eternal members inside. At a junction halfway down the building, I find a staircase leading up to the second floor, and another down to a basement level we hadn’t known existed. Thermal imaging shows most of thebodies in the building gathered at the northern end, but there is no way to tell which floor they are on.
Swearing, I continue past both. Sweeping the floors one at a time is the best way to find the captives, Harrison, and Marcus. Skipping rooms with the assumption that another agent will check them is how we fuck up.
Most of the rooms on this level are empty and covered in thick layers of dust. My frustration grows as I get closer to the back of the building and stop encountering Eternal members. If there aren’t any guards here, it is likely the captives aren’t being held on this level.
Turning a corner, I freeze and slow my steps when I hear voices ahead.
“You heard Marcus. We destroy everything. No evidence left behind.”
“Think of what we could do with this much cash!” Another voice chimes in, higher-pitched than the first.
Approaching the open doorway, I aim my rifle around the corner. Two men stand inside the room, piling papers, pictures, and cash in an empty metal barrel. A canister of gasoline sits nearby. Squeezing the trigger, I take one out before quickly turning and hitting the other in the shoulder. He drops to the ground, screaming and scrambling to grab his weapon. They are too unprepared, focused on their task, and caught off guard when I arrive.
After I knock out the asshole who is still breathing, I secure his arms and legs so he can’t escape if he wakes back up. I also toss his weapon aside, far out of his reach. Glancing in the barrel, I find everything the FCDA will need to take down the Eternals, the Wexern compound, and the Senator funding them. I can’t just leave all of this behind, but I also don’t want to be stuck waiting here for another agent to show up. My priority is to find my Omega and get her the fuck out of this shithole.
Luckily, there is a large, empty tote buried beneath the trash in the corner. I stuff everything inside and secure the lid. Looping a piece of rope through the handles, I secure it to my back and move back into the hallway. Concrete walls run opposite the room I’m in, marking the back of the building.
Up or down? On which level are they housing their captives?
Circling back to the stairs, I run into three agents headed down from the second floor. After they confirm the top part of the building is empty, I pass them the tote to take to Porter. Two of them head to the back to grab the gang member I left behind, and the third retreats to the front entrance to meet up with the rest of our teams.
Swinging around the railing, I take the steps to the basement two at a time. This area is much more open than the other floors and is obviously newer. Thick metal doors set into concrete walls that run along the outer edges, separated by a wide hallway that runs down the middle.
A few yards down, a group of agents gathers around one door, speaking in hushed tones. I approach them wordlessly, asking what the problem is. Catalco is among them. He visibly relaxes when he sees me.
“Ferguson. We found Creed.”
“Good.”
He rubs a hand along the back of his neck and glances back at the closed door. “Not exactly. He’s in here with an unconscious Omega. Poor bastard is also nearly feral with rut. We can’t get far enough into the room to knock him out, let alone check on the Omega.”
If Creed is in rut, he won’t back down until his rut is sated, but if he is fighting to protect the Omega instead, there is more at play than Catalco realizes. The only thing that could stop a rutting Alpha is his Fate-matched mate being injured.
When I’d seen my friend last, I learned he had discovered his Fated connection. How fucked up would it be for him to find his mate in a fucking breeding ring?
“Let me in.”
Catalco nods. “If you can keep his attention for a minute, we can use a tranquilizer to knock him out.”
The door swings open, and I’m assaulted with the heavy, oppressive weight of Creed’s petrichor scent. It’s so overpowering, I can’t catch any hint of the Omega. As soon as the metal creaks, Creed’s head snaps my way. He’s naked and covered in cuts and bruises. The veins on his neck and arms are too pronounced to be safe. He needs to see a doctor.
I shove my hands into my pockets and step farther into the room, trying to appear casual despite his scent setting my instincts on edge. “I’ve been looking for you, jackass.”
He growls, low and threatening, and takes a heavy step toward me. His change in position gives me a glimpse of the Omega behind him, and my breath catches. Familiar curly hair, matted from the trauma she’s experienced, covers her face, but I would still recognize her anywhere.
That’smyOmega.
Holy fuck, is Bea his Fate-matched mate too?!
“Mine,” Creed roars, noticing where my attention has gone. He charges toward me, connecting with my body like a freight train. I wrap an arm under his neck and lock on, cutting off his airway. He thrashes, fist slamming into my side. I grunt in pain, but don’t let go. Catalco moves in then, silently creeping closer and plunging a dart into Creed’s bare ass. The pinch of pain doesn’t even register for my large, Alpha friend. He’s too lost in his instincts.
