Chapter Twelve
Adam
Abel’s hand on mine helps me slow my breathing. The thought of Sophie being cut up makes me feel like I’m going to vomit all over my shoes. My baby sister is about to die, and I’m sitting here in an abandoned church crying like a baby. Some Alpha.
I shouldn’t beat myself up. I have to wait for Becks to find the villa, and then I’m going to get Sophie back. I’ll spend the rest of my life making this up to her if she’ll let me. I’d understand if she hated me. It’s my fault we’re in this mess. If I’d found a way to get by without getting involved with the mob, she’d be safe at home right now.
Our apartment. I realize I’m going to have to deal with that soon enough. The goons completely wrecked the place when they took Sophie. And they didn’t just break stuff. I’m going to have to call in forensic cleaners to remove the animal blood and other secretions they smeared all over the walls and carpet. They really wanted to send a message. Thankfully, they only wanted to send a message to me so they left Sophie’s room alone. I was able to get in there and get all of her most valuable possessions out. I’ve got them stored here at the church for when I’ve got her back.
“Adam, please tell me everything. I can handle it. I swear,” Abel says as he lifts my chin to look in my eyes.
“Okay. The reason I came back here after my accident was that I’d worked for Vladimir in the past. It was when I was young. I got Sophie and me away from him and fled to California. But after my career as a stuntman ended, I needed money badly. I thought Vladimir had forgiven me, but it was a trap. He took Sophie hostage, and he’s holding her prisoner until I get Tom’s hard drive. I lied to you about why I was doing all this, and I’m sorry,” I say and hang my head in shame.
“Who is Sophie?”
“She’s my little sister. Our parents died when we were kids, and then our foster parents died by the time I was sixteen. The new family was horrible, so I took Sophie and ran.”
I tell him all of it. I explain about the garage, then working for Vlad because no one would hire me after the shop burned down, and then about running to California when I didn’t want to work for Vladimir anymore.
Abel listens as I tell him about Sophie’s heart condition and the story of what our life with the Morgans was like before they passed away. “They were the only real family I had besides Sophie. I lost them—we lost them—way too soon. Sophie doesn’t remember our biological mom and dad at all, and I barely remember them. In my mind, they were decent people, but I don’t know if that’s real memories or just the wishful thinking of a child.”
“And the Morgans passed when you were sixteen?” Abel asks softly.
“Yes; Mr. Morgan got pancreatic cancer. He died three weeks after being diagnosed. Mrs. Morgan said it’s good that Mr. Morgan went quickly. At least he had three weeks left to tell us goodbye. I wanted more time with him because he was the only father I ever had, but I’m glad he didn’t suffer for very long. The last few days were the worst, but nurses managed his pain as much as they could. He passed in his sleep one evening with all of us around him. Mrs. Morgan tried to stay strong for us, but she’d lost her best friend and love of her life. There had to have been a hundred people who were their foster children who showed up for the funeral. The Morgans had been taking in children for fifty years. They never had any kids of their own. Wait, I shouldn’t say that. They would both hate that. They never had any biological children, but they had a hundred kids. I had met quite a few of them in the eight years we lived with the Morgans, but they really came out of the woodwork for the funeral. So many of them had spread out all over the world. It was one of the most amazing things I’d ever seen. A few of them stuck around for several weeks after and helped out around the house.”
“But Mrs. Morgan didn’t make it?”
“She was a strong lady, but she wasn’t stronger than an aneurysm. For a long time, I thought she died of a broken heart. One day she went to sleep and didn’t wake up. It was like living in a nightmare, but now I just hold on to the good times. Mrs. Morgan didn’t die of a broken heart. She had survived fifty years of those being a foster mother for the Church. It was just a cruel coincidence. At least she didn’t have to live long without her husband. They’re together now.”
“Oh my,” Abel says and wipes a tear from my cheek.
“I don’t cry often, but the Morgans were my world when I was a scared little boy who’d lost his mom and dad. And the way they took care of Sophie, no one could have done better for my little sister. That’s why it was so horrible when the Church transferred our case to state foster care. The new foster parents were a nightmare, Abel. There wasn’t much they could do to me because, at sixteen, I was the size of a grown man, but Sophie was going to get hurt living in that place. I could tell the first day. So I took her and we ran.”
“That’s how you ended up working for Vladimir?”
“No, that’s the worst part. At first, I had a job working in an auto shop. The owner paid me in cash and I kept us under the radar. I provided for us. Even if it wasn’t entirely legal for him to pay me under the table, I was doing honest work. Then the place got torched. No one else would hire me, and that’s when I ended up working for Vladimir. Sophie ran out of medicine and I was desperate. Looking back now, I can see how wrong I was. I should have found another way. Getting involved with the mafia was the worst choice I’ve ever made,” I say and grind my back teeth.
“You did the best you could with what you had, Adam,” Abel says and smiles at me.
“But did I? Did I really do the best thing? Or, if I hadn’t panicked, would my sister be with us here instead of in Vladimir’s prison?”
“You did your best. You were just a kid too.”
“So you don’t hate me for lying to you?” I ask hopefully.
“No, Adam. You only lied because you wanted to make sure I would help you. What you did, you did for your sister. I can’t be mad at you for that,” he says and kisses me on the cheek gently.
I’m about to pull him into my arms when Becks shouts. “Topeka!”
“I think it’s Eureka,” Abel says and chuckles. It’s good to hear that laugh. The buoyancy in his voice makes me feel lighter too.
“Whateves, I found it. I found the villa!” she says and jumps up out of her chair.
“Where are you going?” Adam asks as he stands too.
“To pack, stupid. It’s only a few hours’ drive from here. We need to pack and haul ass,” Becks says and rushes past us.
“We’ll take my car. I’ll help you pack, Adam, and then we can swing by my place,” Abel says, and we follow Becks upstairs.
It only takes a few minutes for Becks and me to throw together an overnight bag and grab snacks from the kitchen. Abel speeds across town to his apartment, and once we’re inside, he tells Becks and me to grab more snacks and soda. Abel’s only in his room for a minute before he comes back out with his overnight bag.
“That was fast,” I say.
“It was already packed. I don’t know why I keep an overnight bag ready, but I do. I guess I’ve always hoped I’d need it.” After, he puts food in an automatic feeder and waterer for the cat.
Once we’re all back in the car, Abel puts the address in his GPS and we take off. It looks like it’s going to be about a three-hour drive. Well, it would be a three-hour drive if it wasn’t for a blown tire.
I’m not sure what we ran over, but it happened while I was driving. Fortunately, Abel has a spare and the tools in his trunk. I think it’s going to be an easy job when a state police car pulls up behind us.
“Good evening, officer,” Abel says when he stands up.
“Good evening, sir,” he says and tips his hat to him. “You guys look like you’ve got this under control, but I wanted to stop and make sure,” he says with a smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes.
“Everything is good. We’re just about done,” Abel says and smiles sweetly at him. I wonder how often he uses that gorgeous smile to get what he wants from Alphas. It certainly works for me. I realize right then that if he lets me into his life, I’m done for. There’s nothing I’ll ever be able to refuse him. I imagine our kids will be super spoiled as well. I’d never imagined having kids with another Omega, but when I look at Abel, I can see our children in his eyes.
“Excellent. I guess I’ll be on my way then.” I breathe a sigh of relief. “But before I go, you folks wouldn’t happen to have ID on you? Just need to check. Public safety and all. It’ll only take me a minute to run you through the system. I’d hate to let criminals slip through my fingers just because of a handsome face. Not that you folks are criminals,” he says and chuckles.
Abel pulls his wallet out of his pocket and hands it to him. I don’t think the cop sees Becks in the car, and she’s not making any moves to make herself known. Even if she did, Rebecca has proper ID and nothing to worry about. It’s me that’s screwed. All I have is a fake ID that will probably either bring up nothing on his computer or raise some sort of flag. If I get taken in, Becks and Abel can still get the hard drive from Tom’s villa, but who is going to deliver it to Vladimir? It doesn’t matter. I pull my wallet out of my pocket and hand him my fake driver’s license. No other course of action is coming to mind, and I don’t want to appear nervous.
The cop takes the ID and heads back to his car. I do the only thing I can think of. I finish changing the tire. I hear the cop’s car door open and close as I finish putting the bad tire and tools into the trunk. My heart starts to race and cold sweat runs down my back. I hold my breath when I hear his boots just behind where I’m standing.
“Have a good night, folks, and drive safely,” he says and I take the deepest, most cleansing breath I’ve ever taken.
Back in the car, Becks smiles at us from the backseat. “That was close,” she says and winks at me.
“Becks, you didn’t just hack into the state police servers while a cop was running me for warrants?” I ask her while trying to hide my smile.
“Maybe just a little.” Her wicked smile tells me everything I need to know. “You work with me because I’m the best; don’t forget it. Now let’s go.”