Page 52 of Claimed Omega

“We need to get out of here,” Shadow said firmly, grabbing my arm and pulling me close to him. Daniel rushed to collect a gun from the floor, his movements swift and efficient.

We raced out of the room, and my gut twisted with dread and fear. Aspen and Viper were my Alphas, men I loved, and the thought of them dying at the hands of our enemies would destroy me.

Tears stung my eyes. Axel was ruthless, and I was terrified that Aspen and Viper wouldn’t make it out alive. Would he torture them to get information? Or use them as leverage against us?

The fear and anxiety were almost too much. Tears ran down my face, and my stomach knotted. All I could do was hope Aspen and Viper would survive until we found a way to rescue them.

We raced down the stairs of the dilapidated building with barely any light around us when the sound of voices reached up from farther below.

Shadow snatched me by the arm, and together with Daniel, we rushed into the next open doorway, pressing our backs to the wall in a pitch-black room. Sweat slipped down my back, and trepidation thumped in my veins. Barely breathing, we waited as the thundering sound of footfalls racing upstairs approached, echoing loudly in the silence.

Please don’t find us, please.

As fast as they approached, they darted right past our location and kept going upstairs.

Following Shadow’s lead, we emerged from our hiding spot and continued on our way, moving as quickly and quietly as possible. We couldn’t afford to be caught.

By some miracle, we managed to make it out of the building undetected, slipping onto a back street into the morning sunlight. The nearby fence was lofty, and despite it being broken, it concealed us.

Shadow pointed to the street, away from the commotion of Dan’s funeral, and we darted, our footsteps pounding against the pavement as we tried to put as much distance as possible between us and the enemy.

Adrenaline coursing through my veins, my pulse on fire. My mind was consumed with worry for Aspen and Viper. What were they going through?

We emerged from around the corner, where there were a few cars on the road and an old couple strolling across the road. Shadow gripped my hand, moving us faster.

A black SUV swerved onto the street.

“Shit, they’ve found us,” I cried out, both Shadow and Daniel twisting around. They tensed, the air suddenly thick, and I couldn’t breathe.

We darted, Daniel dragging me by my other hand into the front yard of a nearby home we passed. My skin crawled that we’d be shot in the back.

The crunch of tires on the road grew louder.

Shadow and Daniel stopped abruptly, shoving me behind them. Both raised their guns, ready to shoot, when the car stopped alongside us. The passenger window rolled down, and my body shook. The sense of being trapped overwhelmed me.

A face came into view, a familiar square face, strong jawline, short brown hair, and the picture boy for someone in the army—Rusty, one of Shadow’s allies inside the Matteis mafia family. I wasn’t sure what to expect from him.

“Get in,” he barked, his voice urgent. “They’re all searching for you.”

Without hesitation, we scrambled into the back of the car, then Rusty drove off madly, speeding down the abandoned street. Just as we put distance between us and danger, Rusty’s phone rang. He answered it quickly, his expression grave. Then he hung up just as quickly and glanced over his shoulder at us.

“You all are fucking screwed,” he snarled, his voice low and urgent. “Axel demands you go to him by tomorrow before sundown, or he’ll kill your two men.”

Seventeen

TRINITY

Rusty parked his SUV in front of Daniel’s place, underneath a large tree that cast a shadow over the vehicle. Initially, no one spoke or moved, all keeping an eye on the street, scanning for any signs of movement. Shadow trusted Rusty enough to reveal our hideout location, but we didn’t have many allies to rely on, so our options were limited.

I sat between Shadow and Daniel, pressed in tight. They weren’t small guys, but it helped me keep my composure and resist bursting into tears over Aspen and Viper’s capture. Daniel had his hand wrapped around my shoulder, his touch soothing me, keeping me calm.

Each time I glanced over at him, I smiled, glad he was back, wishing we weren’t constantly running for our lives. Wishing we could just talk and laugh like we did when I first arrived at Shadow’s mansion.

Rusty turned around from the driver’s seat to face us, his lips pressed tightly together. He was just as panicked as us.

“I’ll make this quick because I have to get back to the funeral before anyone notices I’m gone,” he stated. “I agree with you, Shadow. Axel is planning to merge the Matteis and Shchavlev families, which will result in a lot of bloodshed, especially for those who oppose them. Axel is a fool if he thinks Arman Shchavlev will bow down to him or allow him to lead alongside him. We all know it, and huge massacres are coming for everyone in both families.” Rusty shook his head and exhaled deeply, fully aware Axel’s leadership would lead to disaster. “But he’s not going to change his mind.”

Just hearing my father’s name made the nerves in my neck twitch. I wanted nothing to do with him and feared we were about to be forced to confront him in order to deal with Axel.

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