Page 185 of Broken Omega

The guard she’s focused on rolls his eyes. “Mrs. Sawyer is not to be disturbed for the next hour. Come back later. Maybe she’ll agree to see you then.”

“If I come back later, I’m coming with police officers, and she can explain to them personally why she prevented a request that was made in good faith using the academy’s standard practices. I’m sure they’ll be very interested in learning exactly what made her choose to break the law. Fingers crossed she wasn’t employing other shady practices which those cops will definitely look into while they’re out here. Like hiring men as guards who might not be in this country legally.”

The guard frowns at her. He turns to his friend, who shrugs.

Clearly, he’s trying to decide if it’s worse to disturb his boss, or potentially be sent back to wherever he came from. I can’t believe he even has to think about it. Marissa Sawyer must be a real piece of work.

“Wait there,” he tells her, backing away.

“If your friend disappears as a stalling tactic, neither of you are going to be happy with my reaction,” Tessa tells the other guard. She brings her cell phone out of her purse. “I have an outstanding relationship with C.C.P.D. They can be out here in a click of my fingers.”

“Good pick on the lawyer, by the way,” I tell Kellan.

“Actually, it was Lana’s idea,” Kellan says.

“I knew she’d be awesome,” Lana murmurs.

“Maybe pause the celebration until we’re inside?” Donnie asks, sounding a little worried.

River puts his arm around our Beta. I’m usually the pessimistic one out of the three of us, but our current situation is so far out of control that I’m not surprised it’s getting to our group’s ball of sunshine. This is the first time we’ve had to deal with a serious threat to one of our mates.

“We’re getting in,” River assures him. “It’s just going to take a few minutes.”

The guard comes back and nods. “Front entrance. Follow me.”

He moves before anyone can respond. His friend trips over his own feet to catch up to him.

I frown as we start to move, Alpha instinct telling me we’re missing something here.

“I knew Tessa would be awesome,” Lana murmurs, practically skipping along next to me.

I glance at Kellan as Lana catches up to the lawyer and her guards.

“You don’t think that was a little too easy?” I ask him.

“I don’t know,” he tells me. “But something feels off.”

Shit.I’m not just being paranoid if his instincts are telling him the same thing that mine are.

“What if River’s right?” he asks me. “If her father didn’t leave, then what is he still doing here?”

“Nothing good,” I mutter.

As if I wasn’t already itching to get my hands on that guy.

“I’m not giving Marissa five minutes once we get inside,” I mutter.

“We know where Brooke’s suite is. We should go straight there.”

BROOKE

My father makes his appearance about twenty minutes later, once Erika’s done making me look like Arranged Marriage Barbie. My makeup’s too soft and pink, and my hair’s been teased back into an updo that looks incredibly eighties, which is clearly an era Erika’s a little fixated on. I catch a glimpse in the mirror when I decide to attempt using the bathroom in the dress.

Ugh. I look all pink and white and fluffy. I feel like a marshmallow.

I resist the urge to scrape all the makeup off. Ruining Erika’s work won’t stop the wedding. It might only make my father angry at both of us. She doesn’t deserve to incur his wrath, and I’m not interested in earning it out of petty frustration. I’d much rather anger him by ruining the display he’s trying to make out of me with a wedding to one of the worst Alphas Goldcrest has ever seen.

He gives me a disdainful once-over as he closes the door.

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