Chapter Eight
Jethro
I turned off the main roads as soon as I could, driving away from the border and through the countryside, before pulling off the road and through some trees.
Miles was sleeping when I opened up the compartment. I touched his forehead but his body was still cold. At I guess, they’d been keeping him hypothermic for a number of days. I rooted out the extra clothes I’d packed and dressed him. Then added my jacket back on top of them. The clothes were freshly washed and didn’t carry my scent the same way the jacket did. Lifting him into my arms, I put him in the front passenger seat next to me, securing a seatbelt around his lax frame.
As I got back into the car, I pulled out my phone and made a call. The plan from here on out got a little trickier. I couldn’t go back to my place because that was the first place they’d look once the South notified them they were missing an Omega and someone asked about recently active Alpha marks.
Blaise answered on the second ring.
“Hey, Jet. How’s it going?”
“Good. I was just wondering if we were still on to watch the game this afternoon.” Our chosen code for ‘Is the plan still a go?’.
“Sure thing. Usual place.”
We were going to Roman’s brother’s house. With any luck, it would buy us a few days to straighten things out.
“Great, see you then.”
I got back on the road, keeping one eye on Miles. He was in a deep sleep at first but slowly started to come out of it, mumbling under his breath and twisting around under the blanket I’d wrapped around him.
An hour later, on another quiet road, I pulled over, taking a bottle of water from the space between our seats.
“Miles, can you wake up? You need to drink something.”
I set my hand on his shoulder and he pushed away from me, curling up against the door.
“It’s okay. You’re safe. But I’m betting you’re thirsty.”
His blue eyes fluttered open and stared at me. I held out the bottle and he reached for it. I didn’t let go as he pulled it to his mouth, sucking down a few mouthfuls of the warm liquid.
As gently as I could, I extracted the bottle from his grip and replaced it between the seats. He watched it, and me, but didn’t comment.
“How do you feel?” I asked. But he simply closed his eyes and sank back against the seats, drawing the blanket closer.
Not ready to talk yet.
We were an hour from Roman’s brother’s house when the southern radio station I was listening to interrupted a song to bring a news story. It was a standard alert about an active Omega. It didn’t give details, it didn’t mention an escape from an Intake Center, and it certainly didn’t give Miles’ name. But I knew they were talking about us.
Half an hour later, Blaise called.
“Change of plans. Roman’s not feeling too hot.”
Shit, they’d tracked things as far as Roman already? They must have discovered Miles was missing literally minutes after we crossed the border.
“No worries. We’ll do it another time.”
“Sure thing. Cliff sends his love, said to remind you to return his hedge clippers first thing.”
I got the message, I got it loud and clear. Doing a U-turn, I headed back the way I’d come. The van would have been photographed as it crossed the border this morning. They’d be looking for it soon.
We stayed on the back roads until we reached Clippen farm. It was run by Blaise’s uncle.
“Jethro, haven’t seen you in months,” Ron greeted, wiping his hands clean on a rag before shaking my hand. “Who’s your friend?”
“That’s Miles. My Omega.”
His eyes widened. “Your Omega? No joke.”
I shook my head.
“He looks tuckered out.”
“Well, we didn’t have the easiest of meetings.”
Ron’s eyes got impossibly wider. “That Omega alert in the South anything to do with it?”
“Hard to say. But we could use some help.”
“Name it.”
Ten minutes later we were back on the road in a four-wheel drive, the van tucked out of sight in one of Ron’s sheds.
Miles had woken just long enough to transfer from one vehicle to the other and then he was asleep again.
Our destination was the other half of Blaise’s message. We didn’t know anyone called Cliff. But we did have a good friend called Heath. I’d have preferred not to bother him but desperate times and all that.
Heath came out to greet us. He must have heard the car. I got out, and he took it all in. Me, my arm, and Miles sleeping in the passenger seat.
“Sorry to drop in on you like this, Heath. I’ve run into some trouble.”
He looked past me to Miles.
“He yours?”
“Yeah.”
“The darling Omega of the South. What did you do, break him out?”
“Pretty much.”
Heath snorted.
“How’s Sophie? And the baby?” At that moment I couldn’t for the life of me remember what they’d called her.
“Sophie and Evie are doing fine. Tired, which you’d expect.” He rubbed a hand across his face. “I guess you’d better come in. But first, get the car into the garage. If they send a chopper or a drone, they’ll be less suspicious if they only see one vehicle.”
I did as he suggested and helped Miles out of the car. He was more awake now, taking an interest in his surroundings.
“Miles, this is Heath.”
Heath stepped forward to shake his hand but Miles recoiled, only my arm around him stopping him from bolting.
“Easy. He’s a friend.”
“Alpha.”
A word, finally.
“Yeah, and an Alpha. But you don’t need to worry about that.” I guessed, given the ménage of Alpha scents on him, that he mightn’t be too keen on the prospect of strange Alphas. He liked me well enough. At least, he wasn’t pushing me away right at that moment. But that was to be expected. He was mine after all.
“Come inside,” Heath said. “I’ll let Sophie know you’re here.”