Page 102 of Laurels and Liquor

Caleb’s SUV is parked haphazardly outside of the front doors to the Garden, the passenger door wide open and the seat soaked from the driving rain. I pull alongside, Lucas jumping out of the door the moment I put it in park, Mateo not far behind. As we’re climbing the steps leading up into the building, there’s a sharp crack, and I look around, confused. That was too short to be thunder, and I didn’t see any lightning. Another pop, and my gut drops to my knees. That’s not thunder.

“Lydia!” Mateo roars, charging inside.

The foyer is a mess of plastic sheets and scaffolding, but in the middle of it all are Seth and Rhett, fighting like their lives depend on it. We all stop dead and watch as Seth throws wild haymakers, Rhett dodging, but only barely. His movements are sluggish, and I can tell even from this distance how badly he’s shaking. What did Seth do to him?

Mateo surges forward, but Rhett snarls out a savage growl; not territorial, but a warning I feel in my bones. Even without the bond, the message is clear. Stay back. Leave. Run.

“He’s got drugs! Bond breakers! Find them!” he shouts, breaking Seth’s guard and pummeling his stomach with a short series of blows.

“Where?” Mateo asks, looking around.

“Dropped them. Get them,” Rhett snaps, hardly able to finish his sentence before he grunts with pain, Seth landing a body shot to his ribs.

Lucas moves first, pulling out his phone and turning on the flashlight as he starts scanning the area. There’s a new focus in his red-rimmed eyes, and his relief is palpable through my bond. I don’t allow myself that sort of comfort yet, not until we find Lydia.

I’m crawling on the floor, looking under tables and in between boxes and bins, trying to find any trace of these drugs, my mind racing. But a shout of triumph pulls my attention away, Mateo holding a vial up in the light. It’s similar to the one Hunter had in Savannah, and my heart slows a fraction. But then Seth breaks away from his fight with Rhett, charging toward Mateo like a bull toward a red flag. I don’t have time to shout a warning before they collide, Mateo collapsing sideways as the vial flies out of his hand in a graceful arc. I scramble to my feet, but Lucas beats me to it, and I see he’s got an empty syringe in one hand, along with the half full vial.

“Here!” I shout, motioning for Lucas as Seth gets to his feet, leaving a stunned Mateo in a heap.

Lucas hesitates, and I almost shout again, but then I see his plan. Seth is nearly foaming at the mouth, more feral animal than man, as he races in my beta’s direction. And Lucas, my smart, brave Lucas, makes sure Seth has fully committed to the maneuver before he lobs the vial toward me, taking the full impact of Seth’s tackle.

As the glass lands in my hands, I raise it above my head, ready to smash it into pieces, but then I pause. What if we need this? Could this be laced with something and the hospital will need it to run tests for an antidote? But my momentary hesitation costs me. Seth is back on his feet, and I can only stand there as he sprints toward me, murder in his eyes. But before he can reach me, Rhett and Mateo are there, tackling Seth from behind, all of them sprawling onto the ground. Rhett is breathing heavily, clutching his chest, and he can barely get to his hands and knees. Mateo is fighting with Seth again, but there’s something in the omega that I’ve never seen before. A strength that defies logic.

“Omega, stop!” I shout, putting the full force of my bark behind the command.

Seth freezes for a moment, giving Mateo enough time to gather himself and wipe the blood away from a corner of his mouth. Seth turns ever so slowly to look at me, and as our eyes connect, thunder booms overhead, echoing through the building. And then he rolls his neck, cracking it, and the tether I’d cast to hold him down snaps. I stagger sideways, and Seth grins at me, advancing a step. But then Lucas is there, a fierce war cry spilling from his throat as he tries to jump onto Seth’s back.

In one smooth motion, Seth grabs Lucas by the shirt and lifts him like he weighs nothing, holding him above the floor. Lucas kicks and writhes, trying to break free. I can only watch in horror as Seth winds up, throwing Luc ten feet away, into a pile of plastic paint buckets. I want to run to him, but I’m frozen in place by the inhuman stare coming from my former omega.

“Omega, no! Stop!” Mateo barks, and even I can feel the ripple of dominance in the air.

But Seth keeps staring at me, completely ignoring Mateo’s command. Rhett is back on his feet, if just barely, and tries to lunge at Seth. Faster than I thought humanly possible, Seth turns and punches Rhett square in the jaw, making the alpha drop, out cold.

“Alex,” Seth coos, the sing-song lilt to my name all the more sinister in his gravelly voice.

“No!” Mateo screams, rushing forward, fists raised.

Stepping back a few paces, I tuck the vial into my bra while Seth is distracted, for lack of a safer place to keep it right now. I move away, heading farther into the building where I can hear shouting. A voice, female, hysterical. Lydia.

“Look out!” Mateo screams.

I whip back around in time to see Seth releasing a pipe, launching it in Mateo’s direction, and mine. Mateo leaps out of the way, and for a heartbeat, I can only watch the metal bar wheeling through the air directly toward my face. Then instinct takes over, and I drop to the floor, knees protesting at the sudden landing. There’s a rush of wind as the pipe sails over my head, missing me by mere inches. I look up and let out a wordless cry as Mateo crumples to the floor, Seth standing over him with bloody fists.

My blood runs cold as Seth turns to me, his manic grin bloody. He spits a glob onto the floor, splattering Rhett and Lucas with the spray before stepping over them and advancing on me.

“What have you done?” I ask, getting to my feet again, mind whirring at the speed of sound. I need time. Need to find Lydia and Caleb.

“You’re gonna have to be more specific, sweetie. I’ve been a busy little bee,” Seth snarks, slowly advancing on me, flexing his fingers.

“Clearly. Did you at least get the name of the quack who botched your plastic surgery?” I taunt, glad my voice is steady for the moment.

“Don’t like it? I thought it made me look manly. No more soft edges,” he replies.

I dart around a pile of boxes, putting as many barriers between us as he tracks me around the room. The boys are still out for the count, and I don’t hear voices in the ballroom anymore. As Seth takes another step forward, something crunches under his foot, and I use the moment he looks down to rush farther into the lobby, closing in on the bottom of the stairs. I know I’m faster than him, so if it comes down to a chase, I can head upstairs. It’s a maze up there, and if I’m lucky, I might be able to lose him.

But my blood runs cold as Seth looks back up, his grin a vicious snarl.

“Where’s the vial, Alex?” Seth asks, too calm.

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