Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

CERENITY

I thought Tommy was going to kill me. I didn't realize he was so… high maintenance. His hair care may match mine, and a part of me wants to share some of my hair products. Can you imagine, sharing hair tips with a mafia boss alpha?

Ridiculous.

"I can practically hear you snickering to yourself, Sweetheart," Auggie murmurs as he squeezes my knee. While Tommy was showering, I changed into something more appropriate. Jeans now cover my legs, and I'm kind of sad I can't feel more of Auggie's warmth on my skin.

I also carefully applied makeup to hide the bruising underneath my eye and cheek, and I think it worked wonders. Occasionally, Auggie and my sparring have led to a glancing blow. He always feels like shit afterwards, but it's a reminder that I need to be faster to deflect. It makes me better, and keeps me alive. It's also taught me how to expertly apply makeup.

I don't want to scare anyone while we're out in public, or get stares. It's odd because sometimes I'll completely forget about the bruising until I see myself in a mirror, and other times I'm hyper aware of it.

"Huh?" I ask, flushing as I raise my gaze to meet his. I was staring off into space. Fuck, I need to stop daydreaming.

"Cere," he says, chuckling. "What's going on?"

"Ugh, why does the damn alpha have to look so good with blue hair?" I groan. "I really expected him to eat me or something."

"Cerenity," Augustine says, snorting. "Really? The only thing that man wants to eat is your sweet pussy. He was pissed off, but I watched him rein himself in for you."

"I noticed. He had fiery green pits of rage for eyes, but not once did he launch himself at me," I mutter. Covering my face with my hands as I hear myself, I groan. He's slowly growing on me, but I'll never admit it.

"Look at you," Auggie teases me. "Tommy made bad decisions in Chicago. I'm not saying you shouldn't put the fucker through his paces because I'm petty as fuck, but maybe we can admit that you like him."

"Nope," I grunt, dropping my hands from my face, hissing as I accidentally brush under my eye. "Just because he may be good for my hole doesn't mean he's good for my soul, Auggie."

Howling, Augustine continues to tease me as we pull into the parking lot of the club.

"Okay, we can only be here a maximum of two hours, Cere. I know you get sucked in while you're here, but we need to watch the time. Check the liquor, make sure the place is still standing, and call the insurance. Then we're out of here. You need a new car. I'm sure they're going to say your vehicle is only good for the scrap heap, baby."

"Ugh, I know you hated Little Blue, but I loved her." I pout at him. I should be scared or scarred from the accident, but sitting in a vehicle doesn't bother me. If it did, the six hour drive from Chicago would have really sucked.

I just don't know if being behind the wheel of a car will be any different. Maybe I will go with a bigger vehicle this time. Dammit.

"I know, baby, but she wasn't safe," Auggie reminds me as he puts the truck in park. "Test drive a few cars, find something that's you but won't give me a coronary every time you get into it, please."

Smirking because the man is a low key drama king, I nod and lean in to give him a kiss. Things are new for us, and the smile he gives me is the most beautiful sight, and makes me happy.

Unbuckling my seatbelt, I open the door and slide out, waiting for Auggie to lock up as we walk up to the club.

Things look the same, though I'm not sure what I was expecting. It feels as if I've been gone for longer than just a few days. Drifting through the club as I walk through it, I check everything we'll need for tomorrow night.

Augustine changes out the kegs, I see how our amounts of liquor are behind the bar, and then go to my office to check in with my staff.

They depend on me for normalcy, with some coming from traumatic situations, and it's been a bit rocky this week.

It takes a little longer than planned, and by the time I'm done, Augustine has called the insurance company for me and worked out the facts of the claim, because I got wrapped up in these calls.

There's a police report for the accident, even if it's bullshit because of Arthur's influence, but they did mark it as a hit and run at least.

Sighing, I give Augustine a tired smile as I call it.

"Alright, I'm done," I admit. "The employees were all worried, so that took way longer than I planned."

"We're only an hour past what I wanted," Auggie says with a grin, pulling me into a hug. "The insurance company is going to appraise the car tomorrow, but should agree it isn't salvageable. Ready to go test drive some cars?"

"Can we get food and caffeine first please?" I whine, wincing. I try not to do that, but this is Auggie. Breathing him in, I melt against him. This man is my home.

It could be because we've been friends for so long, but I warmed up to Gabriel quickly as well.

"Of course, beautiful. How do bagel sandwiches with your favorite iced caramel macchiato sound?" he asks, knowing it's one of my favorite combinations.

Shivering, I whimper with need, embarrassing myself. The entire office smells like cinnamon and apple pie, our desire mingling together. A part of me is excited I'm off my alpha pheromone blocker, because now I can enjoy this.

I thought I was protecting myself from finding out my mother's nightmare firsthand. Omegas will never really be safe the way the world is right now.

"Hmmm, I'll feed you my cock later if you're a very good girl for me," Auggie growls, making my fingers clutch at his shirt. His standard black top and jeans accentuates his muscles and his ass.

Fuck, I'm in so much trouble. We probably won't be home until hours from now.

"I want to be, but it's so hard," I groan, slowly dropping my hand down to his hardened cock and squeezing.

"You don't play fair, Cere," he mutters, his jaw gritting. "On your knees. You're about to find out what happens when you push me too far, Sweetheart."

"Oh no, whatever will I do?" I ask with a giggle as I drop to my knees for him. I shouldn't want to be in such a vulnerable position after the nightmare of a few days ago. My nightmares aren't about Arthur anyway.

My trauma lies elsewhere, and I'm not sure what that says about me. But this? It's new, exciting, and exactly where I want to be.

"Taking you over my knee is looking better and better, Sweetheart," he growls, his fingers sinking into my hair. "Show me what a good girl you can be and take my cock out."

Biting my lip as I gaze up at him, I open his jeans and pull out his heavy cock. Out of all of the days to go commando, he chooses today. Fuck, why is that so damn hot?

I've always thought he was attractive, but I kept telling myself I couldn't have him. Now? He's mine.

Squeezing my thighs together does nothing as slick destroys my panties and coats my thighs. Maybe jeans were a bad idea to wear today.

Stroking his cock, I kiss the crown before opening my mouth wide to suck on it. He's thick, but the way his green eyes gaze at me makes me feel incredibly powerful and worshiped. Sliding down further and further, I wait for a gag reflex to kick in, moaning around him as I find I don't have one.

"Fuck, your mouth is perfect," Auggie groans as his head drops back. I'm incredibly turned on by his noises, and when his knot touches my lips, I find myself sucking on it as well. "Cere, Goddamn. Keep doing that."

His hips rock almost unconsciously as I suck him off, his fingers tightening on my hair as he gets closer to release. I'm finding that I enjoy the sting of pain along my scalp, groaning as saliva runs down his cock as I bob up and down before dropping to his base.

"Cere!" he gasps. "Just… yes. More of that."

Auggie is losing his ability to speak, and if I didn't have my mouth filled with his cock, I'd laugh. Sucking hard instead, I work for the reward of his cum. I'm nothing if not a very dedicated omega. His roar makes me shudder as he begins to come, ropes of it hitting the back of my throat.

His chest is heaving as he pulls me up to stand, kissing me throughly.

"Have to make sure I get every drop," he murmurs before returning to my lips, his tongue swiping along mine as he sucks my soul from my body with his kiss.

Eyes wide as I look up at him, Auggie simply smirks as he fixes his pants, putting his cock away. I pout at him, because I wasn't done yet, and I haven't come yet.

"You were a brat before you fixed your attitude with my cum, so you'll get an orgasm tonight after we buy a car," he growls in my ear as he turns me toward the door and smacks my ass.

Gasping as I rub the cheek, he just chuckles as he walks with me out of the office and locks up.

"You're mean," I whine, playing up my brattiness with him. I've always been a little bratty, but I'm enjoying it even more now, even though my pussy is trying to clamp down on nothing.

He'll take care of us later. I know that Auggie keeps his promises, and maybe Gabriel will join us too.

Augustine wraps his hand lightly around my throat, tilting my face up with his thumb to kiss me.

"You love it," he reminds me with a soft smile. I love him, but the words get stuck, refusing to come out. Maybe I'll be able to say it next time. "Stop procrastinating, Sweetheart. As much as I would enjoy spreading you out on your desk and licking up every drop of slick from your pussy, we both have to wait."

"I can't believe you just said that," I sputter.

"Get used to it," he says, moving his hand to the base of my back to usher me forward. "I've loved you since the second I saw you. I have a lot of pent up dirty talk that's all for you. It's not fair only Gabriel has been subjected to it. Gotta spread the love."

He loves me… I'm lost in my head as I analyze every word and glance he's ever given me, realizing they meant something different than I thought. Gah, there was so much wasted time.

Not for the first time, I kick myself for thinking my special inhaler was the best way to protect myself.

"Cerenity?" a voice asks as we walk through the club.

Gasping, I turn toward the voice because no one was supposed to be here. Xavier is standing there with his keys in his hand, bemused as he watches us.

"Yeah," I answer, my heart still racing as I put my hand on my chest. "Holy shit, I was just leaving. I was double checking that we would be ready to open tomorrow. I know I wasn't gone long, but?—"

"You still needed to check," he says with a nod. I am nervous about tomorrow, though I'm unsure why. I had to touch every bottle, triple check my numbers, and it's yet another reason we're still here.

Neuroses suck. Few people actually pay attention to my quirks, but Xavier always has.

"Exactly," I sigh. "We should be all set for tomorrow then."

"We are. I spoke to the dancers, and they will be having a dress rehearsal tomorrow for you around seven-thirty before we open. They're nervous because they couldn't come in to rehearse together much before this, and want to make sure they're set," he explains.

As I talk with him, I smell his annoyed scent. I'm surprised, because he knows some of the circumstances I went through, and he seemed sympathetic on the phone when we spoke. However, now he smells like expired cheese, which isn't something I'd be able to tell before while using my alpha blocker nasal spray.

No one but Auggie knows I've been using it in my life. I would always use it at home, and he walked in on me when we first moved in together. To be fair, the door was wide open, not exactly the move of someone who wanted privacy.

It was my fault, but it's not something that I tell people. It's as if I'm just discovering what my nose can scent, since I've been taking them for so long, a sense that says a lot about people. God, it's as if I cut an important part of my body off, and I feel even more dumb right now. My mind is reeling, and I force myself to respond to Xavier.

I'm so surprised by his reaction. Auggie doesn't seem to notice anything amiss, so could it just be me?

Wincing, I nod. I know I didn't ask to get kidnapped, but it did unbalance a few things. I fucking hate pivoting, even though I do it often.

"I'll be here, but I know they're going to be wonderful," I tell him with a wink, surprising him. I'm in a good mood today despite his reaction now that I know the club is still standing and ready for tomorrow.

"Make sure to lock up, please?"

Taking a deep breath as he nods, I walk out of the club with Auggie, knowing he'll take care of the rest.

"Was it me, or was Xavier upset about something?" I whisper as we walk to his truck.

"You think? He checked in pretty regularly yesterday and today, but while I was in Chicago I couldn't be bothered to return calls. He may be upset that you're running on cylinders so soon after everything," Auggie says, thinking about the interaction.

"I'll try to pay more attention next time to see if I catch it."

Knowing he's not blowing me off, I nod as I climb into the vehicle.

"Caffeine me, baby!" I yell as he joins me in the cab. Rolling his eyes with a grin, he turns on the truck to get us going.

He loves me, I know because he told me so. Relaxing against the headrest as I prepare to people, I thank the universe for caffeine and Auggie in this moment.

GAbrIEL

I can't stop staring at Tommy's hair, my lips twitching as laughter threatens to bubble up. I wish I could say it looks terrible, but the bastard looks like some kind of Emo Viking right now. I meant it when I told Cerenity I'd help her, but this and the cling wrapped toilet was all her.

Diabolical tendencies are exactly what I want in my omega. I want to fear for my Goddamned life if I ever fuck up.

Leaning forward as I wait for my food at a restaurant Jasper found, I raise my brow.

"So what are you working on?" I ask him. I haven't seen either one of them much today, which can only mean they're up to something.

Jasper and Tommy work quickly, and if they thought nothing of jumping in their truck and following us all the way to Minneapolis, I wouldn't put it past them to find a way for them to stay near Cerenity.

"We need to clear it with Corbin, but we want to move the fighting ring to Minneapolis," Jasper says softly. We're off in a corner and there's a decent bit of background noise so we won't be overheard, but my eyes widen at the news.

I don't have any ties outside of them and my sister in Chicago. I don't know if she'll want to come live in Minneapolis, but it's worth talking to her about it. I've enjoyed having her live in the same city as me for a long time.

"Wow," I murmur, trying to imagine the logistics of it. "Would you relocate everyone here? What about your other… business interests?"

Tommy smirks at my words, shrugging. "I asked David to take them over. I want to expand in a different area further north of Illinois, because Corbin mentioned giving up the gun running business to me recently, so it won't be a conflict of interest," he explains. "He's doing really well in pharmaceuticals."

The euphemism makes me chuckle under my breath. I think that would honestly make sense though, and David is very capable. Again, I pay attention to what's happening in their businesses for my continued survival in this world, not because I have any weight or desire to be a part of it outside of fighting.

"So you'll move everything here. Does Cerenity know about this?" I ask.

Jasper gives me a dour look as he shakes his head. "We're trying not to overwhelm her, but there's a lot of moving parts to our lives. She has her club here and friends, one of them is my sister who is completely on board, I think, with her killing me in my sleep if I fuck up again," he says. "If this is going to work while we're courting her?—"

"When did you decide to court her, and does she know this?" I ask, amused. Jasper and Tommy move fast, and to anyone who doesn't understand how scent matches work, it would seem very sudden.

However, that's just the way things work for omegas. There's a pull to that person that's almost impossible to resist.

And when they do, life gets harder rather than easier.

"Fuck, I knew I forgot something," Tommy grumbles, rubbing his beard. "As Jasper said, my mind is running in circles to get this done. Without Cerenity, none of it matters, though, does it? She's with Augustine right now, so I'll have to try to catch her. Maybe a quiet dinner before she heads to the club if I can manage it."

"We should both tell her individually, so she knows we're serious," Jasper says quietly, nodding at the waitress as she comes to drop off plates.

She seems a bit off her game today as she struggles to gaze at each of us, while remembering who got what. I smirk as I switch my plate with Jasper's, enjoying the scarlet pops of color that rise in her cheeks before she runs off. Both men and women tend to run into poles when I run with the guys, so this isn't anything new.

I can enjoy the attention, even though I don't want any part of cashing in on it.

I ordered a club sandwich on rye with a salad, and the first bite is heavenly. Jasper and Tommy also dig into their food, and I can tell it's the first thing they're eating all day.

"Cerenity isn't someone you can buy flowers for and just expect her to fold," I remind them as we eat. "She may stab you instead as she's putting the flowers in water."

"Fuck if that isn't sexy as hell," Tommy rumbles with a smirk. "She's a problem solver, and I've never been harder than when she swung on me with a frying pan."

"Weird kink, but okay," I say with a snicker. Tommy simply rolls his eyes, shrugging as if he doesn't care what I think. I don't know what, if anything, may bother him, since he's always an impenetrable force.

"I have a few ideas about what I want to do, as long as she stops running," Jasper murmurs. "Nothing will change unless she decides we're worth fighting for."

"Maybe you need to show her you are," I counter. "You took an already shitty situation, and made it intentionally worse. As you can see by Tommy's hair and your experience in the bathroom, she's not one to forgive lightly."

"Nothing's worth doing if it's not difficult," Jasper says. "So are you on board for moving things over to Minnesota? It'll allow you to put down roots here, and you won't need to worry about commuting. People don't get a text for the location until a few hours before, so we'll simply send it a bit earlier, so people can travel in."

"I'm in. It's just…" Sighing, I stare down at my empty plate as I push it away. "I don't know how much longer I'll be able to fight."

"Are you thinking about retiring?" Tommy asks neutrally, as if it's not a surprise to him. Again, his damn poker face wouldn't tell me shit either way. Even Jasper merely grunts at me, eating a French fry as he listens.

Always being in training fucking sucks sometimes.

"Yeah," I admit. "I want to open a studio for mixed martial arts, teach people how to fight. I've also been thinking about possibly reaching out to Wren and Aisling to see if they'd want to offer self defense training to the omegas they help."

Jasper nods, impressed as he leans back. "Wren would love that. The Omega's Haven is going to be officially launching soon, but they need a brick and mortar space to both meet with people, as well as offer a place to stay if necessary," he explains.

"There's a lot to think about. I told her she may be better off gutting a building and revamping it the way she needs it to be."

"Maybe a warehouse?" I ask. "We drove past some I noticed, and I saw bus stops so people could get there. I know nothing about the area, though."

"Yep, that may work," he mutters, pulling out his phone and shooting off a text. "I will absolutely forget to tell her if I don't do it now. She says that Augustine sent her a list of places, but she didn't think of a warehouse. There's a couple on his list she won't rule out. Thank you."

"Anytime, I'm really impressed with the concept she's building," I say. "I'd like to offer the service pro bono if she doesn't have anyone she's working with yet."

"There are a lot of people who don't think she can pull it off," he grumbles. "This would make her day if you called her later about it. Here's her number."

My phone lights up on the table with her phone number, and I thank him.

"Alright, I don't know why I was so worried about telling you this," I say, blowing out a breath.

"We're really scary motherfuckers," Tommy deadpans with a small smile. "Look, we need someone to help train up new fighters, so if you're down to help with compensation, I'll call it good."

I know they'll lose a lot of money when I retire without someone ready to fill in, so I agree eagerly.

"This last fight is a good one, and you can easily walk away with the money you'll need to make your dream happen," Jasper says.

"That's what I was thinking. I figured I'd need to work a few more fights at least?—"

"Nah, we have a break after this one until we set up the next fight," Jasper explains. "It'll give you time to move, scout real estate, and continue to train newbies on the side. It's a lot less time consuming than actually fighting. We can get some new blood in."

This is all sounding better and better. Breaking out in a wide smile, I can feel myself relaxing. It'll take a lot of hard work, but I'm used to that. Here's to new dreams.

"My next hurtle is Corbin and making sure he doesn't have a problem with me moving our operations here," Tommy grunts, making a face.

Catching the waitress's eye, he asks for the bill. She's in motion, moving from table to table, but says she'll be right back with it. Something tells me I'm going to enjoy living full time in Minneapolis, being nearer to Augustine and Cerenity, and building something new.

Now I just have to pitch my idea to Wren and Aisling after Tommy has his meeting. I'm going to need to go for a run in order to deal with all of this nervous energy, but I'm really excited for the future.

TOMMY

My strengths lie in my ability to keep my cool when it matters most. People tend to underestimate me because I allow myself to lose my temper enough that people think I'm a wild card. I'm really not, but that's part of my point.

The only person who really knows me is Jasper, and as we pull into the parking garage at the warehouse, he gives me a sidelong glance as I put the truck into park.

"There's no reason for Corbin to deny us this," Jasper says softly. "We're even planning to give back to the community through Gabriel, for fuck's sake."

Yeah, we're both bastards enough to use Gabriel's plan if we need to. I doubt he'll mind if it helps us close the deal. It's rare that a mafia boss will move his base of operations, because we're creatures of habit.

However, alphas need to be where their omegas are. I can already feel myself getting twitchy because I haven't seen Cerenity in hours.

It's mystifying how a scent match works. At the foundation charity event, I kept catching glimpses of her as she moved through the room. She was confident, sexy, and gorgeous, but I was focused on other things. By the time I saw her again, the memory of her had faded a bit. I definitely felt very pulled to her, obsessed with finding out if fate was fucking with me.

God, she's fun though.

"Let's get on then," I murmur as I watch Corbin step into the garage with Shaw, Everest, and Ambrose. Pack Mohan is flanking their leader with tight nods as they stand there, ready for anything.

Getting out of the truck, I have to admit Jasper and I aren't much of a threat. While I have a gun at my back and my boot and Jas has a few weapons on his person, four against two still aren't great odds.

"Hey," I say as I shut the door and walk slowly toward them. "Thanks for meeting with us."

Jasper meets me step for step until we're standing in front of them and Corbin breaks into a wide smile.

"Why is Papa Smurf here instead of Tommy?" he teases me with a chuckle.

Snorting so loud I surprise myself, I shake my head. "Fuck, I keep forgetting it's blue," I gasp, leaning over as I laugh. "A pretty little omega with a sense of humor is torturing me."

"Oh, that sounds like a good story," Corbin says, a hint of the loss he had when his omega died reflected in his gaze as he jerks his head toward the door behind him.

The warehouse is empty as we walk through, a testament to how much he trusts us. There's a large wooden table in the center of the room, and Shaw grabs beers from the fridge as we sit down.

"We really just want to know why you called to meet. We're curious, and not at all here in an official capacity," Everest says with a grin, sitting backward in his chair.

"Yep, not even going to bother pretending otherwise, Bluey," Shaw says, his lips twitching. Wren has really helped this pack relax. They used to be such grumpy assholes.

"Alright then, get it out of your system," I tell them with a good natured grin as I take a pull from my beer.

Twenty minutes of roasting me has us all laughing, until Corbin finally rolls his eyes and puts up his hand.

"We all want to know why you're really here, so out with it," he says.

Nodding I explain. "Jasper and I have met our scent match, and her life is here. Her name is Cerenity Quinn. You all know her. We'd like to petition to move from Chicago to Minneapolis to build a life with her."

"Holy shit," Corbin mutters, clearly not expecting that.

"We found out she was their scent match, but the last we knew, he was holding her hostage," Ambrose says, effectively throwing us under the bus.

"We followed her home, like the mutts in the doghouse that we are," Jasper says wryly. "Personally, I don't want to commute six hours each way to court Cerenity, and it makes sense to move."

"She doesn't know this, but we're moving in next door to her apartment tomorrow," I tell them proudly. "I had the tenants evicted today. The leasing manager is an asshole."

Everest shakes his head, rolling in his lips. "Damn, talk about a really good stalking game. I'm kind of proud of you right now."

"She's working through some things, and so are we," I say. "I'm considering giving the drug business to David so he can run it in Chicago. This way, we don't have anything that overlaps."

"Yeah, so what will you do in Minneapolis?" Corbin asks. "Bored alphas aren't a good thing."

"Nah, we'd move the underground fights here, train new people up as well. There's a fight we're hosting in a few days, which means we'd debut the change then," I say. "We'd appreciate a lead on somewhere to rent or buy for this event, but after that I'd like to be able to find a permanent place."

"I figure it could be used as a place for the rougher side of town to come drink, kick back, and let loose," Jasper says. "It would be more than just fights, unless Minneapolis has something like that already?"

"No we don't, and as I said, bored alphas don't do well here. It would be a good outlet for some of the bullshit I keep having to clean up," Corbin grunts. "Anything else you're proposing?"

"My fighters would move here so there wouldn't be a commute, and I'd open a gym the way I had in Chicago to work out of. Gabriel, one of our fighters, is considering retiring. I like the kid's idea," I say.

Gabe will always be a kid to me, due to Jasper pulling him off the streets and giving him a purpose. Explaining Gabriel's vision takes a little time, and I notice Shaw nodding as I talk.

"So you're coming with a proposal to move, a business plan, and the possibility of volunteer work for The Omega's Haven," Corbin says, eyes wide. "Damn, I don't think I can say ‘no' to that, and I won't. You said you wanted to expand north, what would you want to do?"

"Sell guns," I rumble. "I don't think that's in your wheelhouse, right?"

"Nah, my brother made things too hot with his idiocy," he says with a sigh. "With all the shit he brought to my door, I decided I want a quieter life. My scent blockers help people, keeping the more dangerous items off the streets. We have other ways of income, but nothing you need to worry about."

Corbin protects businesses for a fee, and he's right, that's not something I'm interested in.

"Great, so can I call the movers and sell my house?" I joke. I'm not ready to do either quite yet, but it is one of my end goals.

"Welcome to the neighborhood," Corbin says, sticking out his hand to shake on it. "Don't fuck things up with Cerenity. I'm quite fond of the girl."

Shaw growls under his breath in warning, and I nod in agreement. I fucked up in how I went about things when I met her. I'm pretty positive Bluebell is going to put up a hell of a fight for her heart, but that's one argument I intend to win.

I can be quite persistent when I want to be.