57. Chapter Fifty-Six

Chapter Fifty-Six

Lana

O ne short lunch break with our mates and seven more conversations with brainwashed Omegas later, and I’m ready to pass out for the rest of the afternoon. Unfortunately, there’s still work to do, and it’s every bit as important as telling those Omegas what happened to them.

“That I.T. guy better not take days to get back to me,” I mutter as I send him another chase up message. That’s the trouble with not having someone who can deal with technical stuff on site.

We’re completely at the mercy of an outsider’s schedule.

“He’ll get back to you. The academy pays too well for anyone to ignore a call from this place.”

Brooke’s probably right.

It’s hard to be relaxed while I know there are eight Omegas in the building who are freaking out about what was done to them, and so far, all we’ve been able to do is set up the kitchen to go to their suites to get their meal orders at set times, and station two guards Pete’s company was able to provide at short notice in a couple of corridors.

We’ve done everything we can.

It doesn’t feel like enough.

“Any chance my old suite is still free?” Brooke asks.

I blink at her. “Uh … You want to see it?”

She laughs. “Actually, I was thinking we should stay for the night. Since Damian confirmed he’ll be here tomorrow, I might as well stick around for that.”

“Your suite is still empty. I made sure the bed was put back, and it’s been cleaned. The fridge could probably use a restock, but you can have the key for it.” I get up and go to my desk, unlocking the drawer full of keys and picking out the right set for Brooke.

She gets up and takes it from me. “This is awesome. Kellan can see where I was trapped waiting for him for all those years.”

“I’m sorry he never got through sooner. He tried so damn hard.”

“I know,” she says. “You were a good friend to him, like you’ve always been to me. We’re lucky we met you, Lana. Whatever happens, I hope you choose to stay in my life. I’d like to stay in yours.”

“I’d like that, too,” I admit.

“Good,” she says. “I’ll swing by the kitchen and grab some snacks for the room since the fridge is empty. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Night, Brooke.”

“Night, Lana.”

I move over to the sofa and sink down into it.

I’m tired enough to doze off right there.

My eyes start to close, and then the door opens.

I push back up, stifling a yawn.

Pete walks over to me. “Looks like you’re ready for bed.”

It sounds like a sexy offer, and I really wish I was up for one of those.

I give him a smile. “I’m tired, for sure. Are you my bodyguard for the night or did Owen kick you off that job again?”

“Actually, I got the chance to speak to the rest of my pack while you were in here talking to the brainwashing victims. Shadow’s currently cooking us all dinner in our suite. I think that’s where you should spend the night. That way you’ve got the full protection of all of us at once.”

Oh my God. All of them at once?

I can feel myself waking up at the thought of that.

My cheeks burn with heat imagining what might happen in that suite.

He holds a hand out to me. “You look like you need help to get up. Do you want me to carry you?”

I take his hand and use it to haul myself to my feet.

“I can walk.”

For now, at least.

Who knows if I’ll be able to after I’m with all of them at once?

Pete smirks as if he knows what I’m thinking.

He should, since he’s the one who put those words in my head.

“I’m guessing you told them about us?”

“You think I could keep my mouth shut about it?”

I laugh. “Well, when you put it that way, not really.”

“Exactly. They know. And they’re all on board.”

“Even Owen?” I ask. “I know how he feels about Cressidan City, and Goldcrest …”

“He had a change of heart.”

“Just like that?”

He shrugs. “Give a guy the right motivation, and he can move mountains.”

I lead him out of the office, stopping to turn out the lights.

It’s a little after five p.m. and I’m more than ready to be done with work for the day.

Remembering to lock up, I also remember to turn the reception computer off.

Erika took her new clothes to her room, after she made me put it in writing that she would have a job to come back to whenever it was safe for her to return.

Meanwhile, I’ll be back to leaving the answering machine on and checking the calls once or twice a day. The thought of that makes me groan.

“You okay?” Pete asks as he holds the medical wing door open for me.

“I’m down a receptionist,” I remind him. “And my workload is crazy. It’s not ideal.”

“We’ll find someone to help out,” he tells me. “Don’t worry about it.”

Coming from anyone else, that would sound like a brush off.

Because it’s Pete, I can’t help but wonder who I’m going to end up with behind that desk.

Any warm body has got to be better than nothing.

I lead him along the corridor and up the stairs.

It’s dark upstairs, but it’s not pitch black.

Someone might have opened the blinds on the window at the end of the hallway.

“I should probably clean up for dinner,” I tell Pete.

“If you’re going to your room, I’m coming with you,” he warns me.

It’s a condition I can live with. I was already willing to let him see my room last night.

There’s no reason to say no to having him accompany me now.

Especially not after everything we did in my office this morning.

We start down the corridor, keeping to the left.

I bring my keys out, but when we get there, the door is already open.

Pete puts his arm around me and pulls me back.

I stare at him in shock.

Someone unlocked my door.

What the hell?

Pete slowly mouths, “Stay here.”

He doesn’t look away from my face until I nod in agreement.

I wrap my arms around my body, and I move a little closer to the wall with the window.

Pete pushes the door open slowly. It doesn’t make a sound.

“Who are you, and what are you doing in here?” he barks loudly as he steps into the unlit room.

The girlish shriek that starts before he finishes his question makes me jump, and shiver.

“I’m just doing the laundry!” A familiar voice protests. “I forgot to come back for it this morning.”

“Nice try,” Pete says. “This isn’t your room.”

I step into the room behind him, shining the light from my phone forward. I see Marianne standing by the side of the dresser, laundry bag in her hands.

She looks shaken, and it’s not hard to tell why.

“Pete, it’s just Marianne. She’s one of the kitchen staff. They deal with the laundry as well as the food orders.”

He sighs, his tense posture relaxing. “Oh. You didn’t tell me they have room keys.”

“I forgot about that,” I admit. “Sorry, Marianne. We didn’t mean to scare you. You can go.”

The young girl nods. “That’s okay. I shouldn’t be here this late. I forgot about the laundry this morning and I didn’t want you to have to wait an extra day to have these back.”

“No problem,” I reply, tapping Pete on the shoulder to get him to move out of the room with me.

The space is tight, and I don’t want Marianne to have to squeeze past us.

Especially not after we just scared the life out of her in the dark.

“I can always wait. Anytime you forget. I don’t mind,” I let her know as she steps out of the room with the bag.

She nods. “I’m so sorry. Things were hectic earlier and there were extra laundry bags on this floor. I forgot to come back up to get yours. It won’t happen again.”

The poor girl seems completely mortified.

“It’s okay. Honestly,” I tell her. “Don’t give it another thought.”

She smiles. “Thanks, Ms. Cole. Things are so much nicer around here than they used to be.”

She leaves with the laundry bag, and I look at Pete in the dark.

He’s frowning after her as she leaves.

“If someone’s trying to hurt me, it’s not the girl who does my laundry.”

“Hm,” he murmurs. “She didn’t seem a little strange to you?”

“We just gave her the fright of her life. She might have peed a little. You’d seem strange too if you’d been in her place.” I step back into the room. “I’m just going to change. You can wait out here for me.”

“Don’t take too long,” he warns me.

I smile as I close the door on him. “I’ll be lightning fast.”

Using my phone’s flashlight, I move over to the lamp and switch it on.

Then I leave the phone on top of the dresser while I attempt to pick out an outfit that looks a little nicer than my least flattering pants and the blouse Pete ripped buttons off this morning.

Only trouble is, my dresser’s full of work clothes.

I didn’t pack much casual or date-worthy items when I decided I’d stay on campus until I was caught up with the workload. I fish out a dark pair of jeans I brought to wear on the weekends.

At least those make my ass look good. It takes a while to find a top that’s kind of cute. The white cami with the gold trim could even be sexy if I don’t pair it with a cardigan.

Clothes picked out, I go into the bathroom and run the shower.

I smell like sex, and I’d rather feel a bit fresher if I’m about to have dinner with four men who might all want me to be theirs.

That thought is crazy.

I spent so damn long thinking I might never meet one guy, or girl, and now this?

I can’t wrap my head around it.

Maybe after dinner it’ll feel more real.

I can only hope.