Page 68 of The Beta: Part Three
“How long?” Corso is grim as he pulls his hair back.
“Didn't say, just told me to hurry.”
“Nathan's room. Where are the security feeds are. She'll feel better if she can see us. Maybe we can give her an earpiece or something and she can watch the screens and tell us what she sees,” Alex says. I've only seen Alex being truly serious a handful of times, and this is the first time I've actually seen him angry. When he came with Talia and Jasper to get us from the compound he mostly looked like he was having his own little party with that flamethrower; but the cold rage burning in him right now is far from that.
Devon nods. “Okay. Her and Jasper in Nathan's room. Some of us in the hallway. The rest outside. Do you think we have time to get any COTs here? Or maybe one of Elizabet's teams?”
I shrug and shake my head, “I don't know. I'm going to say call them in but don't count on them getting here in time. Seth mentioned Minos, and somebody named Cobb.”
“West coast Minos?” Trent asks.
“That's the only one I know of. You get Nathan going. I'll get Jasper and Talia.”
Jasper and Talia are already up, dressed, and armed when I walk into his room. Talia is loading her shotgun and Jasper is checking the plethora of handguns lined up on the desk. “If it wasn't such a shit situation that would be sexy.” Add a very pregnant woman dressed for battle and loading guns to my growing list of kinks.
“Who's coming? I'm so fucking tired of this shit. Every bond I have is so tight. How bad is it, Kaleb?” Talia lowers the shotgun to point at the floor and turns toward me.
“I don't know who's coming or how bad it will be. Seth called, losing his shit and told me to get you out of here.”
“I am not going any fucking where.” She plants her hands on her hips and glares at me.
“No, we're shutting you and Jasper up in Nathan's room so you can watch the screens. A couple of us are going to be in the manor and the rest will go outside to head anybody off.”
Talia's face wrinkles in a snarl. “That's stupid. Going outside is stupid.”
Jasper pins her with a look of his own. “Staying inside while they set the house on fire is even more stupid. Some of us will need to be outside. Probably Alex, Trent, Nathan, and Reid. Kaleb and Devon on the ground floor. Me and Corso outside Nathan's door.”
“You're going to be inside Nathan's room with Talia.” He can't possibly think he's going to be in this fight. I'm still not over the last fight he was in. Hot or not, Jasper fighting alongside us can't be an option.
“Fuck you, Kaleb. You're not shutting me in a room to keep safe when I can be better utilized. Besides, even if anybody got past all of you, you can bet your ass that they will absolutely not get through me and Corso. And then there's Talia and her armory to deal with.” Jasper's tucking guns and knives into clips and belts like he's serious.
“Jasper, we can't let you –“
He barks out a laugh and a sound starts in his chest. It isn't very loud, but it's one of the most eerie things I've heard in my life and chills crawl up my spine and across every inch of skin on my body. “Let. Let me. You're notlettingme do anything. I'm going to stand with my pack to protect our pregnant omega.Myvery pregnant mate. You'll lose this argument. The most I'll concede is being the last line of defense beside Corso. Talia will stay in Nathan's room and tell us every single thing she sees on the monitors. And she will not step a single toe across the threshold until one of us tells her it's safe to do it. Do you understand? If I have to make you do what I say I will. Even if you hate me for it, I will force you to let us keep you safe.” He's talking to me, but those last words were for Talia. I half expect her to argue. She normally would argue for the right to protect him, but she doesn't. She's staring at him with wide eyes and pressing her free hand over her stomach.
“Do you understand me, Talia?”
She nods.
“Let me hear it.”
“I'll stay in Nathan's room until you let me out. I don't like this, Jasper. What if you get hurt?”
He wraps his fingers around her arm and gives it a little tug. “Then I'll get hurt. Nobody will get past the guys that will be outside. And if they do, they have to deal with Trent and Nathan. If they manage that, there's no way they're getting around Corso to get to me, and both he and I will die before we let anybody get past us to you.” He reaches up to stroke his thumb across her cheek. Their roles have reversed so completely, it's jarring. “Knives. Handguns. Not the shotgun, your off balance right now and the kick might throw you into something. Nathan will fix you up with a headset. You'll help us that way. Be our eyes, cupcake. You'll see things that we can't. Okay?”
Talia agrees. “Okay. But I don't like it.”
“None of us like it,” I say. “Devon's head is going to explode when he finds out Jasper's going to be in the fight. Just make that awful noise again and he'll see things your way. Come on.”
This must be an alternate universe because Devon agrees that Corso and Jasper being the last line between Talia and whatever's coming is a good plan. He doesn't even question it. He just starts fitting Talia with a headset that's linked to the ear pieces we're all wearing. I think we all collectively feel like puking.
Chapter twenty-eight
Talia
I'm so fucking tired of people coming for Jasper, coming for me, and now coming for the babies that aren't even here yet. It's ridiculous. And tedious at this point. I'm tired of people attempting to kidnap us. It's becoming a little cliché. I'll sit here all night watching these screens and be happy if nothing happens, though. I want Seth to be wrong. I hope nobody comes for us. I hope the only thing I see tonight is the wind blowing the pine needles and leaves around and all this can be chalked up to a practice drill.
There's been nothing but trees and my own alphas on the monitors for over an hour when two SUV's pull down the driveway. They're not even trying to be stealthy. One stops halfway to the manor and a few people get out and disappear into the fields and woods, then it keeps moving toward the manor. Just so everyone knows, I let everyone know over the coms that four people are loose on the property and two vehicles approaching the manor. I get a series of confirmations, but Devon gives the order for everyone to stay put.
