Page 92 of Verses and Blooms
The chief stayed behind, sending us off with one of his men. He gripped the guard’s shoulder.
“Kent, that girl right there comes back in one fucking piece. You understand me? Your life depends on it.”
“Yes, sir,” Kent said firmly.
Then we were off, driving toward the city that broke me.
The city was calm when we arrived. If it wasn’t for the flashing lights, it might have seemed peaceful.
Body bags littered the ground. Far too many to count. It looked like a war had torn through the streets, leaving blood and bodies in their wake.
We parked in front of a large church. The front door hung open, floodlights casting harsh shadows against the night. Ambulances were scattered outside as EMTs worked to patch up wounded soldiers.
“Oh, fuck no. Absolutely not,” Ares’s voice thundered as he ran forward, glaring at Rydell like he’d lost his mind. “Why is she here?”
“The chief asked me—” I started.
“He doesn’t make choices formypack,” the alpha growled, cutting me off. My cheeks burned. I hated the way he was talking to me now, like I wasn’t competent enough to make this type of decision.
I needed a pack who trusted me and my choices.
“I can talk for myself,” I snapped. “Last I checked, you’re my alpha,notmy guardian. The chief wanted me to talk to the girls and that’s what I plan to do.”
Ares’s chest rose and fell rapidly, his jaw tight. His voice was low, rough, full of adrenaline and exhaustion.
“Take me to them,” I said firmly, refusing to argue when there was work to do.
He didn’t like it, but he followed when Vance took the lead, ushering me inside. At least others thought I was capable.
An omega met us at the door. A man in tactical gear. His soft brown hair was slicked back, and despite the blood splatter on his uniform, he smiled.
“You must be the infamous Audrey.”
“And you must be Colt,” I said, finally putting a face to the name. We’d teased Cooke and Vance about him enough. “You’ve got quite the pack here. They even let you go on missions without fighting you every step of the way?” I added, side-eyeing Ares, who looked completely unrepentant.
“‘Let’ might be a stretch,” Cooke replied dryly.
“More like they don’t have a choice,” Colt said with a grin. “I usually don’t go on missions, but I’ve got a few specialties. One being security systems. They needed yours truly to reach the omegas and betas they had locked up in here.”
“How are they?” I asked, though I already knew the answer.
“Traumatized. Refusing to leave,” Colt said quietly.
“I’m sure they’re terrified he’s going to come after them,” I murmured. It was the same fear that lingered in the back of my mind since I was taken again. Only my pack could chase those away.
“Exactly.”
“Did they capture anyone alive? The men behind it all, I mean,” I asked. What I really meant was, did they find Seamus?
“So far, just mercenaries and guards,” Colt said. “It was oddly empty of any wardens or overseers. That’s why you’re in tactical gear. We don’t know if they’ll come back.”
“Or where they’re hiding,” Cooke added. “We’ve been surveying the church all day. No one’s left. They’re here somewhere. We just have to burn them out like the vermin they are.”
No wonder Ares was on edge about me coming. Not that he had to react the way he did.
The men stopped outside a heavy metal door with a biometric panel. I didn’t need to hear it beep out loud, I could already hear it in my mind.
When they opened the main door, the smell hit first. The seals around the door had kept it hidden from the outside, but the damp, grim air was all too familiar.
