Page 8 of The Mafia's Omega Queen

She’s proven that time and time again with all the shit that’s been thrown at her. Never once did she give up or break down in tears because something bad happened. Even when the compound was attacked a few weeks ago, she was right there with us, taking down the infiltrators. Her very aura screams alpha even though she’s an omega. I should have seen it sooner.

The ringing of my cell phone pulls me away from my thoughts and the horrid video, and I pick it up, grimacing as Thane Storm’s name flashes across the screen. It’s time for my daily dose of ass-reaming from Haylee’s father.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Storm. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“You know damn well why I’m calling, boy.” I grimace, hating when he calls me boy, but I know better than to spout off at the mouth. Especially to him. “Any update on my daughter?”

Leaning back in my chair, I kick my legs up onto the top of my desk. “No update as of yet. But before you say anything, we do have somewhat of a lead.”

“Well? Don’t keep me in fucking suspense.”

Shit. He’s fucking even more pissed off today than he was yesterday. “After digging into Bianca’s logs, it turns out she’s been conversing heavily with Lionel Kilroy. Texts, calls, video chats, all of it. I’ve got Arden diving in further to find out their connection.”

Colorful swearing followed by a deep, menacing growl—one dangerous enough to send a shiver down my spine—reaches my ears through the phone. Quickly switching the phone over to speaker, I set it down on my desk and sit back as Thane yells at anyone around him. It’s situations like this that I’m glad we’re on the other side of the U.S. from him.

Big A was one scary motherfucker, and I thought I had taken over that role when he died, but being in the presence of the Thane Storm, I see that I am wrong on all accounts. After the many times I’ve spoken to him over the last two weeks, I know where my princess gets her attitude from.

Ugh. She’s not mine. Not yet, anyway. But hopefully, she will be one day.

I have a lot to prove, not only to Haylee but also to my brothers. My family. The family I pushed away for my own selfish reasons.

“Boy, you fucking listening?” Thane barks through the phone, startling me from my down spiral of all the shit I need to fix in my life.

“Yeah, sorry. So what’s the plan?” I pull my laptop closer and pop it open, ready to do what needs to be done to remove this threat from our lives. It’s not just my life or his life that hangs in a precarious balance. It’s both of ours and our families. And nothing will stop either one of us from destroying them before they destroy us.

“I’ve got my whole team working on finding anything we can about Lionel’s whereabouts. We need you to do the same. But in this situation, we’re going to have to come together to eliminate the problem. If he’s there, we will come to you, and we need to know that you’ll jump and get here if he’s sequestered away somewhere here.”

That’s a no-brainer. If we can end the tirade of this man and his cronies, I’d hop on a plane right this moment if it meant Haylee would be safe from any repercussions.

“You have my word, Thane. We are at your disposal. Just keep me in the loop, and we’ll be off the ground within two hours if the case needs be.”

“Good. We may turn you into a respectful mate for my daughter yet.”

All the blood drains from my face, and my hands start to shake as I stare aimlessly at the frozen video of Bianca stabbing Haylee. “H–how do you know about that?”

Thane’s loud guffaw booms through my office. “It’s not that hard to figure out. You wouldn’t be doing any of this if it weren’t because of my daughter. Plus general deductions, boy. Everyone else in your pack is one of her fated mates, so why wouldn’t you be too.” He mutters something to someone in the room with him, then continues. “Plus, we’ve already spoken to Arden and Hunter, along with keeping in constant contact with Gavin. My question to you is, how are you feeling knowing they are all ready to come here?”

That’s a really good fucking question. One I’ve been mulling over since they each told me they were leaving. Truth be told, it fucking hurts. It was supposed to be us, the Andoneli family, against the world, but at some point, I ran away from that, and it was only me for myself—yet another thing I need to fix.

“Honestly, not good,” I murmur, running my hands through my hair and tugging at the ends. “I really fucked up, and I know that.”

A sigh comes over the phone, and all the background noise disappears on his end. “I have an idea if you’re open to hearing it.”

My heart perks up at the thought that he may have a way to fix all of my wrongs. “I’m all ears.”

“Here’s what I’m thinking…”

* * *

After spending time mulling over the ideas Thane presented me, I find myself heading down the hallway toward Haylee’s room. All is quiet in the house, as it’s been since Haylee was injured. We haven’t been able to trust any of our guys, so we’ve preferred to keep them outside of the building. Too many times, they’ve let me down, and while Haylee is vulnerable, we can’t take the chance of it happening again.

A soft murmuring emanates from Haylee and Gavin’s room as I get closer. The door is wide open, sunlight infiltrating every corner as it beams in from the agape window. Leaning against the doorframe, I spy Andre sitting in his favorite chair pulled up next to Haylee’s bedside, a book open on his lap as he reads to her.

The sight is surprising. I never thought for a minute that the guys would actually leave her side all at the same time. It hasn’t been the case for the past two weeks. At least one of them has stayed with her at all times. And how would I know that? If anyone asks, I’ll deny it with my last breath, but I tend to sneak in here at night after everyone’s asleep and check on Haylee myself. They haven’t been giving me updates on her, and I haven’t asked because I know they wouldn’t tell me. I don’t even deserve the right to ask after everything I’ve done.

But for those few minutes when I come here, at least I can see for myself that she’s still alive. And every day her heart still beats, it gives me hope that I can try to repair the damage done to our bond, or lack thereof.

“Shit,” Andre hisses, jumping up from his chair, earning a chuckle from me. Andre isn’t the type to curse, even when I was little, I don’t remember a time when he used cuss words no matter what was going on. “I’m so sorry, sir. I completely lost track of time, and I’m sure you’re starving. Let me run down and get you something,” he rambles, his eyes pointed to the floor, ashamed.

---