Chapter 6

Chapter Six

JASPER

I 'm inserting myself into Tommy's house and life, but I can't bring myself to care as I walk in the door with my overnight bag.

"The windows are all sealed, and the doors won't unlock unless it's by my fingerprint," he grunts as he locks the door behind him.

"So that means…"

"Tommy, you're a fucking bastard," Marie snarls as she gets up from the couch. "I can't get out of the house, and you damn well know it. This entire place is a fire hazard!"

My lips press together in amusement as I see Tommy's sister stalk over to us. Her long blonde hair is tangled from the exhausting night, her brilliant blue-green eyes are angry and tired.

As an omega, even her normally sweet scent of chamomile and honey smells burned as she snarls at us. Damn, Tommy has his work cut out with her.

Rolling his eyes, he appears bored as he gazes on her. "It's not my fault someone brought bullshit to my doorstep, Marie. You have nothing better to do, and you know that in the event of a fire, I'd get an alert on my phone to open the emergency doors," he says.

"I actually didn't know that, asshole," she mutters, folding her hands over her chest. "I'm not invited over enough." I watch them as if it's a drama on television, because they tend to fight like cats and dogs. Marie is single, often picking up extra shifts as often as possible and ignoring whenever her brother offers her money. She's too damn independent to let him help her.

"All I do know is that you're making me an accessory to kidnapping. Who the hell is the girl all beaten up in your bed and what sort of criminal activity are you dragging me into?" Marie asks with a huff, pushing her blonde hair over her shoulder.

The reminder that Cerenity is in his bed makes me irrationally angry. Tommy merely shrugs at me as if to say it was the only place to put her, but we both know that's a lie. There are eight bedrooms in this monstrosity of a house, and the next neighbor can't be seen from the fence. This place is obnoxiously safe.

"Don't look at me as if I did this to her, silly woman. You damn well know better than that. I found her in the dumpster at work," Tommy grunts. "It looks like she ran afoul of some people, and they decided to teach her a lesson. Someone threw her in with her arms tied behind her back to feed her to the rats. I don't think they expected her to live through it, or for anyone to be working late at the gym. Jas and I pulled her out. She was damn lucky we were there. We're looking into what happened."

Marie pales as she takes that in, and I know she has some idea as to what that means. She's a nurse, has no ties to Tommy's work outside of patching up his fighters on nights no one else can, but she's a very smart omega.

"Tommy," she gasps. "The girl is in for a rough road. She definitely has a concussion and she's been having nightmares on and off, though she hasn't woken up again to ask any questions. I had to sedate her once while you were gone when she got really violent. She's also very dehydrated."

A scream from the room upstairs makes our heads snap up, and Marie curses under her breath as she takes off running, her long hair streaming behind her. Tommy glances at me as he rushes after her, making me helpless to do anything but follow.

I shouldn't want to get closer, but there's something about the injured omega that keeps pulling me toward her.

I know the only thing it could biologically be, but I'm twenty-six-years-old and don't believe in fairytales or scent matches at this point. My sister was lucky enough to meet hers in the oddest of places, and while I'm not exactly happy that they're executioners for a mob boss, I can't exactly throw stones when one of my best friends is a mafia boss.

Sighing at how confusing my life is becoming, I walk up the stairs and into Tommy's room to see the little omega is tangled in the tubing of her IV and blankets. She's wearing one of Tommy's long black shirts, but it's so big that it balloons around her, making it feel as if she's drowning in it.

The little omega is trapped in her own nightmare, and all I want to do is pull her out of it. I just don't know if the real world is much better of a place for her right now.

"Shh, you're safe," Marie says, pinning her arms to the mattress to attempt to keep her from ripping out the needle from her arm.

"No," I bark when Cerenity mewls as if in pain and struggles harder. "Get the fucking IV out of her, but don't hold her down. We don't know what happened to her earlier tonight."

"Goddamnit, we're going to scar this poor girl," Tommy mutters. "Come on, Marie. Move your ass."

Marie glares at her brother as she attempts to pull the needle from Cerenity's arm as she struggles with her, when Tommy leans over the little omega and starts to purr for her. Breathing hard, Marie gets the needle free, and stands there watching her brother as if she's never seen him before.

Tommy is six-foot-four, thirty-eight-years-old, and a brick shit house of muscle. He's the last alpha you'd ever expect to purr for anyone. My heart pounds as I push away the omega's dark, blood-streaked, blue hair, watching as she begins to relax and her breaths even. There's no way Tommy's sister can sedate her again so close to having done so earlier in the night.

"What the fuck," Marie whispers. "What pod people have taken hold of you?"

Tommy takes a deep breath, grunting in annoyance when he can't smell anything but garbage and antiseptic. Frowning when I can't either, I shove my nose in the crook of her neck, shaking my head when I can't scent her.

"I can't explain it, but this girl is mine," Tommy rumbles. The omega whimpers in her sleep, so I find myself purring to keep her asleep as Tommy talks. Marie looks as if her poor brain is about to explode.

"She may damn well be Jasper's too, but I can't fucking smell her."

"I tried to clean her up as much as possible," Marie says in a small voice. Tommy's sharp emerald eyes cut to her as I continue to purr from deep in my chest. Cerenity is still twitching in her sleep, and I give Marie the full weight of my icy blue stare.

Shivering as if she's cold, she forces herself to take a deep breath as she focuses on disposing of the needle that's still in her hand.

"Tommy, there were dried male fluids on her body, blood, and teeth indentations," she says softly. I can tell that the medical professionalism that nurses hold tightly to when they're working is slipping, and standing in front of us is an omega facing one of her worst fears.

"Six, maybe seven bite marks on her breasts, stomach, sides. I cleaned them up with medicated wipes and put ointment on them to keep them from getting infected or scarring. You're probably smelling the wipes and ointment, and the clinging scent of garbage. This girl won't have to carry the scars of tonight on the outside if I can help it. I picked out so much glass out of her scalp and skin too. These people really had it out for her, and I'm worried this may not be the end of it."

"Did you run a rape kit yet?" Tommy barks, and Marie shakes her head.

"No. I can't do that without her permission," she says, swallowing hard. "Tommy, I can't. She's been through so much already. You can see the bruises for yourself. Do you really need to know? Tommy!"

Marie screams as her brother moves so fast I almost don't realize he's no longer seated on the mattress, until I see that he has his hand around his sister's throat and her feet are dangling over the ground.

Marie's back is pressed against the wall and she's hitting the fuck out of Tommy. God, these two are ridiculous, never changing. She may seem calm and meek, but she'll beat the hell out of her brother when he's being a dick the way he is now.

"You're going to run that test," he growls. Marie manages to knee him in the dick, making Tommy grunt as he squeezes her throat harder until she begins to choke from the lack of air.

He'll probably let her breathe before she passes out if she agrees to do what he wants in time. This isn't the first time they've had a knock down drag out fight.

Marie makes a choked sound, slapping her brother in the face, to which Tommy merely grins around the red splotch on his cheek.

"I need to know, Marie. Don't be a pain in the ass about this. I can't figure out how to help her if I don't know what I'm walking into. Please? It'll be easier to do it while she's unconscious. I'll even step out of the room while Jasper watches if it makes you feel better," he grunts.

Fuck, why is he dragging me into this? Marie glares at me as if I'm the enemy while Tommy explains. If he doesn't hurry, our nurse will pass out from lack of air.

"Someone needs to keep her calm. You can't medicate her again so soon after the last time, right?" he asks.

Marie shakes her head, her fingers digging into his hand to get him to let go.

"Good, so we're in agreement," he mutters, dropping her onto her ass as she gasps and coughs.

"You're an asshole," she wheezes, and I have to agree with her. "Fucking get out of the room while I do this, then. I have a kit in my bag here."

Struggling to regulate her breath, she watches as Tommy smirks as he leaves.

"You two haven't changed," I chuckle. "Always at each other's throats over something. What do you want me to do?"

"The first time you see her naked shouldn't be like this," she grumbles.

"She was naked in the dumpster," I remind her. At her glare, I sigh and stand from the bed. She's right, I was being a dick. "Okay, fine, what do you want me to do?"

"Face away and purr," she grunts as she moves to the bed with a kit wrapped in plastic from her bag. "And try to stop being an asshole."

"I'm pretty sure that's impossible," I mutter, turning my back as I start to purr.

My skin crawls as I hear Marie work, my heart stuttering when I hear Cerenity whimper in her sleep. My snarl makes the nurse gasp before she reprimands me and tells me to go back to being a calming source for Cerenity.

My mind goes wild with what she could be doing when Marie begins to talk.

"I'm just collecting evidence, Jasper. I'm not hurting her," she says soothingly. "Her anus is red as if there was something forced inside, but I don't see any semen. I also don't think a penis penetrated her. Her vagina also seems untouched. There's blood along this area, but I cleaned up a shallow cut on her thigh, so it could be from there. There's not enough damage for them to have forced themselves into her anus or vagina."

She's quiet as I hear her cover Cerenity back up and pack her supplies. I can't see, and my purr is quickly turning into a growl.

"You can turn around, Jasper," Marie says, exasperated. "I'm putting my collections away to drop off for processing at the hospital. I want to have the evidence processed in case she decides to press charges."

"We're going to kill the people responsible," I rumble as I turn. "I thought it was mostly done by one person, but to hear what they did, I see I'm wrong. They're not going to get away with an easy death."

"I typically suggest against violence," Marie begins as she packs everything away and gets ready to leave, "but I think I'll fully endorse your way. The people who did this to her are animals."

As she walks out of the room without a second glance, I have to admit that she has taken good care of Cerenity, and I have no idea what we're going to do with the girl in the bed. I'm still gazing at her with my mind wandering through multiple directions, when Tommy joins me.

"I let Marie go home," he says. "She left me banana bags filled with saline and meds for the girl. You should find a room to sleep in if you're staying, I'm fucking exhausted."

I start to ask if he's going to sleep in the bed with her when I watch him strip down to his boxers before pulling on a pair of joggers and folding his body into a lounge chair in the corner of the room.

It gives Cerenity room to sleep but gives Tommy time to get to her if needed.

Approving, I sigh as I walk out of his room to crash for the night in a guest bedroom across from him. I'm exhausted, but I need to check on something before I do. Tossing my bag on the bed, I pull out my phone to send out a text to Gabriel to make sure he'll be able to train in the next hour with the other fighters and I.

A sleepless night won't kill me, though I'll be chugging energy drinks to stay awake later today.

It may seem callous to some, but he still has a fight coming up, and there's a lot of money on the line.

Hey, you still running in the morning? Any issues?

Gabriel: None, Sir. I'll be there.

There's no explanation, though I was hoping for a little more. Gabriel is pretty tight lipped about his life, and I could tell there's something between him and Augustine. Are they in a relationship? Would Augustine do that to his scent match if he knew he had one?

I know life is complicated, and I'm making it more so by refusing to tell Augustine that Cerenity is here, but he's had her in his life for long enough. We deserve to find out if she's really ours too, because the pull Tommy and I have to her is too strong for her not to be.

GAbrIEL

I had to punch Augustine in the face to get him to stop freaking out so he'd sleep. Glancing over at the love of my life where he's sleeping fitfully, I sigh as I see the bruise blooming on his cheek.

Fuck, I really tried to pull back my strength on it too, but since I fight for a living, my body is a weapon.

I have a bad feeling about what's happening to Cerenity, and the way Tommy stonewalled Augustine and me. There's something they didn't want to tell us, even though they didn't have all of the necessary information.

I don't know what's happening in this crime family, but I know it's important to unravel some of it because it's hurting Augustine.

Cerenity and Augustine are eternally entangled together through their scent match, and destiny isn't really something I'm willing to fuck with. I know Auggie loves me too, even though we aren't mushy about it.

That's enough for me. I don't want to get jealous or push him away, because that didn't end well for either one of us two years ago. We didn't even speak to the other until he went to one of my fights and he came to speak to me in the locker room.

This is all so fucking messy.

Shaking my head, I leave Auggie sleeping in my bed as I change into a pair of running shorts, sweat wicking tank-top, socks, and shoes. I didn't sleep at all as my mind raced, especially after I got a text from Jasper. I think he was trying to remind me of where my loyalties lie, but not in the way he intended.

Jasper gave me a chance to get off the streets after my dad threw me out at eighteen when I presented as a beta. I'm the oldest son, and everyone expected me to be an alpha, just like him.

His last words to me were that at least if I was an omega I'd be worth something to sell. I walked out without a second glance, only speaking to my sister now, since my brothers think the same way my dad does.

None of that was the end of the world, because Augustine stayed by my side through it all. We met when we were fifteen at the beginning of high school when his family moved into our neighborhood, lost our virginities to each other at seventeen, and have languished between best friends and lovers for years. It's my fault that I kept pushing him away to find an omega that could give him the things he needs.

Augustine let me sleep on his couch when I got kicked out, helped me when I was down and out, and I'll never forget it. We lived together until he went to that dating mixer six years ago on a dare in Minneapolis, and everything changed.

My fights bring in good money, allow me to help my sister as needed, and squirrel away money for the day I walk away. I'm twenty-seven-years old, I won't be able to fight forever. I train hard for the big paydays, which is what my next fight is going to be. I haven't told Jasper yet, but it may be my last one.

I have enough money to open up a place of my own, somewhere kids can learn martial arts to defend themselves growing up. It's something parents who have congratulated me on my wins have mentioned a need for, and it would make me feel as if I'm contributing to the safety of the next generation.

I know damn well that Cerenity can take care of herself, but getting hit by a vehicle larger than you in an intersection is enough to put anyone out of commission.

Picking up my water from the kitchen and strapping my phone to my arm, I make sure I also have my AirPods before leaving the apartment and locking up. I left Augustine a spare key in case he wants to leave if he wakes up before I come back.

To be honest, I don't know what kind of mood he'll be in when he remembers I punched him.

Standing out front of my building, I turn on my music and begin to stretch. Jasper and the guys will run right past me in about fifteen minutes, which is when I'll join them. We do this routine every day, as the fighters Jasper trains all live in the same area. He'll park his vehicle at the end of the road where the first two fighters live, and slowly collect us all as they run.

It's also pretty effective as the pick up order also happens to run in line with who needs more endurance training.

As Jasper nods to me as they begin to run by, I join them at the end, letting the music carry me through the workout. There's one more fighter to pick up, and then we'll hit the park that winds through the city, with our trainer choosing different routes depending on level of difficulty.

About forty minutes into our run, it becomes apparent that Jasper wants to kill us. My breath is coming in tight spurts as I keep pace, refusing to drop back as we run harder up a hill that doesn't seem as if it should be here.

I can't hear anything Jasper is saying because my music is raging in my ears, but I've been running with him for so long that I don't need to. He uses hand gestures to show when we're changing directions.

The torture goes on until we lose a few people to puking, and I shake my head because while I'm holding on, I can't continue like this forever.

Thankfully, he stops in the middle of a large grassy area, and I bend over at the waist to carefully take gulps of air. If I try to drink anything right now, I know it'll come back up. Fuck me, he's such an asshole. Turning off my music, I close my eyes to center myself as I listen to him.

"Cool down, get some water, and then we're going to go through some more endurance exercises. Burpees will be your new best friend," Jasper says.

There's a series of groans, but the trainer I am now naming Satan's bestie holds up his hand.

"You know I'm pushing you because there's always the chance the person you fight next has an edge on you or advantage. Hold onto the feeling that you're dying, so you remember how you pushed through. That's how champions are made," he says. "I'll do these fuckers too so you can't complain too much."

There's mutters as they sip water and cool down a little before getting into position. I still can't stomach any liquids. The next hour is one of the worst experiences of my life, but I get through it by imagining Jasper's head on a pike.

Or hot pokers going up his ass. I also toward the end imagine using fun red hot brands of all of the different curse words running through my mind.

I guess I can be vindictive when I get going. I learn new things about myself every day.

As Jasper calls it, the sun is up in the sky, and I'm almost positive that Augustine is awake. Sighing, I prepare myself for the long walk home. Fuck me. I won't need to be at the gym until later, which is good because I need a shower and a damn nap.

"Yo, Martinez," Jasper barks as people begin to disperse. Double fuck me. "Moment of your time."

It's not a question because I don't have any choice but to stop.

"Sure," I say, walking over to him. "What's up?"

"Walk with me while we chat. I need to get my day moving," he says as if we haven't been killing ourselves already. My feet are in motion before I even think about it, mostly because I'm too tired to argue.

Between the late night and training session, I'm done.

"You're in great shape for the fights next week," Jasper says. A wrinkle develops in my forehead, because I thought I only had one fight. "Yeah, you heard me right. Maurice came to me asking to put you with one of his new guys. He's trying to up his rep, and thinks he can gain that if he wins in a fight with you in the ring."

It's not the first time this has happened, so I grunt in understanding. I'm too tired to do anything else.

"I would usually refuse him, but I know you can take him. I found some tape of his last fights if you want to watch them with me later? You look like you need sleep," Jasper says with a smirk. The asshole looks fresh as a daisy.

It's just not fair.

"Yeah, at the gym?" I ask him, brow raised.

"Nah, things are going to get a little hot there today. Tommy has some business to take care of. I'll text you when. You actually don't have training there until tomorrow," Jasper says.

"Yeah, alright," I mutter, taking a slow sip of water. My body is going to ache once I stop moving, and I can only hope I'm not walking into an argument at home. I would deserve it, though for having to hit Auggie to force him to sleep.

"So that guy is staying with you?" he asks. Fuck, he doesn't do small talk, so I force myself to focus, even as my body starts to shut down functions it doesn't think I need, like my brain.

"Yep, Augustine is staying with me until we find Cerenity," I grunt. I may as well lay down my line in the sand, because even though I don't know the omega well, she's even more important to Auggie than I am. My man needs to find her.

"You seem awfully sure she'll be found," Jasper says innocently.

I force myself not to fist my hand, because I am a weapon, and just like you wouldn't take the safety off a gun, I won't put myself in the position to take a swing unless I intend to. I have a lot of control over my body because of the responsibility this kind of power I carry in it.

"There's a lot of hell that will rain down if she's not," I say with a shrug. "I think Auggie is going to call your sister and her pack today to help with the search. She's important to more people than just us."

"Understood," he murmurs. "So… Auggie?"

"I've known Augustine for twelve years," I explain. "We met when we were fifteen in school, and stayed in touch despite living in different cities. He's been to my fights. I think Cerenity has been to a couple of them too, knowing how they're connected at the hip. You already know she watched me fight at Club Serene for the fundraiser. Is there an actual question in there?"

"He just seemed really worried about the omega. I didn't know if there was something more between you two. It would be awkward if he was in love with her or something," he says with a shrug.

Jasper is not only a dickhead, he's also fishing. "Are you homophobic, Jas?" I ask him, raising a brow. It's unusual to find alphas who are, since pack mates are oftentimes pulled together regardless of sexual orientation. The pull of an omega is so strong, when you find your match, male or female, doesn't matter.

Destiny and biology don't give a single fuck.

"What? Are you kidding me?" Jasper asks, jaw dropping.

"This conversation is leading in an odd direction, and I'm unsure how to take it," I tell him honestly. "Does it matter to you where I stick my dick?"

"No of course not, but what happens to you if he decides to drop your ass for her? An omega is always going to top being with a beta," Jasper says honestly. "Did you think it wouldn't? Oh that's cute."

"I think you're speaking about things you don't understand," I rumble. I seem much calmer on the outside than I am on the inside, but my heart is cracking at the thought that he may be right.

It's one of the reasons Auggie and I have been on and off and we stopped talking completely at one point. I know they're meant to be, and I've had my jealous moments.

I won't allow Jasper's insistence on being the dick cheese under my shoes rattle me. At least not where he can see. Deep slow breathing is the only thing keeping me together right now.

I can't help but feel that he planned this conversation after exhausting me, so I would be foggy during it. As my trainer, he knows exactly how far he can push me, and it's frankly shady as hell that he's doing this.

Tommy and his stonewalling last night made me uncomfortable, but now it's making me downright suspicious. I'm not just a meathead who fights well, there are indeed brains in my thick skull.

"It's small minded to believe people can only care about one person," I continue, deciding that I'm done playing possum. "If you believe any differently in a society with different pack structures when your sister's is a prime example of this, then you need to take a deep look inside of yourself. Any other questions?"

Jasper's neck flushes, and I watch as it moves all the way up to his ears. When you're as blond as someone like him, sometimes your embarrassment or anger are clear for everyone to see. Otherwise, he has a mean poker face, which is why I've only ever played cards once with him.

Never again. I enjoy my money when it's still mine, and not lining someone else's pockets because I got cocky.

"Yeah," he grunts. "I don't understand how those relationships work, though I see it does with my sister's pack. I figure some people deserve fairytale endings when they've gone through as much trauma as she has. The rest of the world, do we really get lucky?"

"Why shouldn't we?" I ask him. "No one has a perfect life, Jasper. The only thing you can do is find the happiness you can amidst life's shitty moments. Grow the fuck up. If I find out you know where Cerenity is, they won't find your body."

My body is vibrating in anger as I walk away from him, though I pull out my AirPods and shove them in my pocket in case Jasper decides to escalate things.

"So you're threatening me over a girl who is your competition essentially?" Jasper yells after me.

Turning, I throw open my arms as I bear my teeth at him. "Fuck yeah I am. That girl is my best friend's end all be all, right next to me. They have their own shit to work out, but if he doesn't find her he will never be the same. Our lives have been intertwined since the day they met. You don't fuck with fate," I yell back, realizing too late my mistake as his jaw tightens.

Fuck, he knows Auggie is Cerenity's scent match. Goddamn it. I should have kept my mouth shut. Growling under my breath, I walk away before I reveal any other information, like why Cere doesn't fucking know it.

Feeling as if Jasper won this battle of wills, I decide to run the long way home to punish myself. I don't know what Tommy and Jasper are lying about, but I damn well plan to find out.