Chapter 40

CHAPTER 40

ADIRA

“ A re you sure you can’t have at least a bodyguard?” Jed sighs, his gaze trailing over me.

I found this dress at a store downtown, buried in a corner. It’s as if someone planned to come back for it, but never did. It’s not particularly revealing and a beautiful sage green. The theme is spring for the event, so the spaghetti-strapped corset dress with full skirt definitely embodies it.

Now that my wrist is healed, I have my gun strapped to my thigh and my knife strapped just above where the leg slit ends. I would say that the weapons are overkill, however due to how many times I’ve been attacked lately, I can’t anymore.

The hairdresser cut my hair to just below my shoulders, and I love it. My hair’s natural curls bounce better at this length, and I hadn’t had a haircut in years.

I read once that trauma is retained in your hair. I don’t know if that’s true, but anything that relieves the heaviness in my soul is welcome.

My birthday is in three months, I should not feel as old as I do at twenty-two.

“I’m not sure,” I reply to Jed. “It was never stated in the email, and I don’t know who to ask. Maybe Cian would know, since this event is something they do every year apparently. I’m already wearing a ton of weapons.”

My now shoulder-length hair is twisted into a knot at the base of my neck, and Kane got the idea to find pearled hair pins that are sharp as knives.

He spent twenty minutes just now putting them into my hair with his tongue caught between his teeth as he worked.

I have to admit that I like his addition. I won’t be able to throw them, but they’ll work in a pinch to stab someone in the neck. Again, I doubt it’ll be necessary, but the boys have me prepared for the worst possible scenarios.

“Please ask,” Jed says. His features are pulled into a scowl, his fingers twitching. He’s worried, not being overbearing. I’m beginning to see the difference.

My clutch holds my phone, and I pull it out to call Cian.

“ Adira,” his smooth voice says, making me smile. My trust is slow to come, but he’s the closest to having it. “ How are you?”

“Good. Ah, I'm just kind of nervous. I’m headed out to the Whalen Society Spring Fling and while I’m armed, I’m unsure if I should bring anyone else with me.”

“ Like a bodyguard?” Cian asks. I can hear him shift in his seat, and I wonder if I caught him at home. I don’t know very much about him outside of ‘work’ stuff. “I’ve heard of these parties and they’re not typically something to worry about. However, you’ve had too many close calls not to bring someone with you. Wren and Aisling went to tea with them the first time they met, and they both brought someone to watch their backs. The women mean well, but they’re aware of the dangers of our world because they live in it. They won’t be offended if you bring someone.”

“Good,” I say, the breath leaving my lungs with the word. I was worried about that. “Thank you, Cian. I think I’m more nervous about this, than the meeting with the senior heads of the mafia families.”

“ That’s because while the men will growl and complain, they were always going to give in to you,” Cian says. “You’ll be fine. What weapons are you wearing exactly?”

I go through what I have access to on my person, and Cian grunts in approval.

“Hair accessories. That’s ingenious,” he says. “ Good bye, Adira. Don’t be late.”

“I won’t. Bye,” I say, hearing him hang up a moment later. “He says I should bring one person.”

Jed is already heading to the bathroom, pulling off his clothes as he walks. “I’ll be out in ten!” he calls out.

“I feel better now,” Kane mutters. “If I could put you in my pocket, I would, little rabbit. If you don’t have to go anywhere alone, please don’t.”

“Dad just texted me,” Damon says, looking surprised as he gazes at his phone. “I don’t think I’ve gotten a text from him ever.”

Kane pulls out his phone to check and grunts, “This is overkill. Dad just texted me too. Ay, Jed! Are you getting texts from the sperm donor?”

There’s no response, but I can hear the water running.

“He’s in the shower,” I murmur. “Please don’t keep me in suspense, Kane.”

“Dad says he has a job that needs to be done in three weeks. He said it has to be a clean break in at the Kelly’s home to secure the package,” Kane grunts. “Fuck a duck, little rabbit.”

“I’d rather you didn’t fuck a duck,” I say mildly as the water turns off in the bathroom. “Three weeks…”

“Hey,” Morris barks, moving into my line of vision as it starts to get hazy. “This isn’t going to be the same. We’ll make sure there’s no drugs, you’ll have a weapon with you at all times.”

“Even if I have to press it into your hands after I tie you up,” Damon rasps. “This is going to suck, but we’ll be walking away free.”

“Together,” Kane says. “Jed will get details out of Dad. Without them, we won’t do the job, and he knows that. Jed has such a high level of success, because he and Morris are able to view all the angles.”

“Until you,” Morris mutters. “You’re our kryptonite, baby girl. Our eyes are open and that won’t happen again. Rock has his own agenda, and we’re going to unravel it, so nothing can touch you again.”

“Ready,” Jed grunts, walking out of the bedroom in a black suit. He looks good enough to eat and I lick my lips as he comes closer. “If you keep looking at me like that, all the work you spent on your makeup will be for nothing, Adira. By the way, I got a text from Dad, so I need to call him later.”

“He sent one to Damon and I, which is new,” Kane grunts. At Jed’s surprised glance, he shrugs. “Go for now, we’ll game plan when you have details.”

“Alright,” Jed grunts. “Ready, Adira?”

“Yeah,” I agree, my mind racing with possibilities. I should have known Rock would find a way to bounce back after his first attempt to buy me from Duncan and Callum.

“Worrying is only going to fuck with your focus,” he reminds me as he ushers me out of the apartment. “We’ll worry about it after the party.”

“You’re right,” I sigh, shivering at the cooler temperature in the hallway.

“I’m already fucking this up,” Jed mutters, opening the apartment door to have coats shoved at him. This dress isn’t meant for twenty degree weather in Minnesota without a coat.

“Thank you,” I murmur as I pull on the coat with a smirk. Jed pulls on his own, looping a pretty gray scarf over my neck and helping me into my mittens.

It’s overkill, but I can tell he’s annoyed at himself for pushing me out the door.

“Can’t do a hat because of your hair,” he murmurs to himself. “It’s a quick walk to the car.”

“I’m not going to freeze,” I tease him as he takes me by the hand as we walk out the main door of the apartment building. There’s about six apartments in the rental building, though only two seem to be in use right now.

My heels manage to navigate the stairs alright, and I’m grateful that while there is still snow on the ground, it isn’t currently falling. It makes a difference to me in how cold it actually feels when it is or isn’t snowing for some reason.

“Maybe not, but it’s my job to keep you safe tonight, and that includes from frostbite,” he grumbles, making my lips twitch.

Apparently, I’m under Jed’s small umbrella of people to protect. A part of me felt it while I was in the alley after the attack, and when he surprised me in front of the shelter, to make sure I was safe. It’s been going on for over a month, but my depression and view of the world was too big for me to see anything else.

“Yes, please save me from frostbite, big, strong alpha,” I sass.

Jed snorts, unlocking the SUV and opening the passenger door. His hands wrap around my waist, to gently lift me into my seat, leaning forward to push his forehead against mine. I managed to apply my makeup in such a way as to hide the last of the bruising around my eye, and the lump on my noggin is gone.

“Are you being a brat, baby?” he purrs. “You and Morris are going to get into so much trouble, aren’t you? He’s usually such a good boy, until he’s not. I have a feeling I may need to bribe you into being a good girl for me.”

“You make me want to be a brat,” I breathe, inhaling sharply as he slants his mouth across mine to kiss me. They’re soft and light, so as not to mess up my lipstick.

“Then it looks like I know my game plan for when I want you to be a good little omega too,” he says cryptically, winking before he slides my legs inside the vehicle, so he can close my door.

My head drops back as I sigh, wiggling uncomfortably at the wet patch that’s now on my panties. I grabbed the type that doesn’t show lines while still scent and moisture wicking. These alphas have a way of ruining my panties.

It’s as if my libido has received a boost lately since the library. I need to keep it together, stay focused the way Jed told me to, even if he’s doing everything in his power to make me turn into a puddle of slick.

Jed gets into the SUV and turns the vehicle and heater on, while I give him the address for the party. Nodding, he puts it into the GPS of his phone before beginning the drive.

“We need to upgrade your phone,” he grunts as he focuses on the road.

“It works fine,” I remind him. “I bought whatever would make calls without a plan. I don’t use it very much as it is.”

My words are true. It’s a basic model without any bells and whistles. The thing barely texts, and I use my computer for anything I need to pull up on the internet. If I’m honest with myself, it’s little better than a paperweight, but it’s my connection to the world.

“Adira,” he groans. “Baby, you have all of this money, if you won’t let me buy it, treat yourself to something that has the ability to access GPS, video chat, and the internet.”

“Ugh, but the basic thing works fine,” I tell him. “I’m not used to having my own money, this doesn’t feel real.”

“Morris looked into what your father’s assets were before he signed them away to Cassia, and it’s close to four billion dollars,” Jed says.

“A man with that kind of money doesn’t squander everything away. Your father was a powerful beta, I think Dad was jealous as hell about it. If my father had presented as a beta, my grandfather would have killed him. Same with any of us. There’s this idea of alphas being more deserving, which is bullshit. There’s a lot of things wrong with my father, this is only one of many.”

“So it could possibly be a delusion in Rock’s mind?” I ask. “That’s what my father died for?”

“It’s possible,” Jed grumbles. “What did he say when you saw him?”

“He said Dad’s life should have been his, but because he was born into the wrong family, he had nothing,” I remember. “Fate determined who he was born to, not my father.”

“What if someone is twisting his mind, possibly Cassia?” Jed asks. “I have a bad feeling about her.”

The rest of the drive to the Whalen City Hall is spent quietly as we both digest that. God, what if I lost my father to someone else’s delusions. Mental health is a thief, but it’s even worse when someone else is feeding it.

“I’m coming around to help you out,” Jed grunts. “Your heels make me nervous. They’re insanely high when the pavement is slippery.”

Watching the alpha jump out of the SUV, to come help me out, makes me think about how it should be to be in a pack. Alphas want to cater to their omegas, even though I’m perfectly capable of getting out alone.

Allowing Jed his moment costs me nothing as he helps me out, my hand wrapped around his strong bicep as we stride up the steps of City Hall to walk inside. There are people mingling in the large hall, which is beautiful. There are beautiful crystal chandeliers muting the light, an omega’s dream come true.

A woman with a clipboard smiles at me as she takes me in, and the first thing I realize as I look around is that there are no other men here. That’s the first thing that’ll be singling me out as a newcomer it seems.

“Name please?” the older woman asks. She has dark brown hair pulled back in an updo, her silk lilac dress skimming her curves.

“Adira Firestone,” I say clearly. “Jed is going to be accompanying me tonight.”

I leave no room to be denied, my head held high as I state it. I don’t know any of these people, and Jed will keep me safe, because his sense of justice and instinct will insist on it.

It helps that we’re shedding the layers of guilt and shame over the past months as well. It’s really hard to admit to feeling safe when so much has been shifting under my feet.

Especially with our pasts.

“Our guest of honor,” the woman says, appearing pleased. “My name is Sue, and we’ve all been very excited to meet with you. Let me grab someone to take my place and your coats. Just a second.”

As she walks past me, I realize that she’s an alpha. I don’t have very much experience with alpha females. I don’t know why it always manages to surprise me when they’re fairly common. Jed leans forward squeezing my hand before dropping it to my waist.

“You good?” he asks softly, lips pressed to my ear.

“I’d much rather be doing math homework than this,” I mutter, enjoying the small snort of amusement he gives me.

Sue comes back with two people, one who takes our coats and outer garments, and the other who takes Sue’s place at the door.

“Let’s take a walk,” Sue says, motioning for me to move next to her. “You’ve been stirring up quite an uproar with our packs. Though, sometimes I think they need it.”

“I think throwing people away because you don’t think they’re your problem is wrong,” I say idly. Ignoring the way she stumbles, I continue, “I was merely loud enough to help them see the error of their ways.”

Three women walk toward us with a smile, ignoring Sue’s stricken face. “Hello, you must be Adira. Smart of you to bring your own guard, though no one would be dumb enough to do something here,” the first woman says. “I’m Noreen, and I sent you the invitation to come. I know it was a little abrupt, but the mafia men in our families don’t share well.”

“They figured they’d claim you as one of the boys,” Sue murmurs. “You’re certainly forward spoken.”

“Don’t act like a wilting flower, Sue. Hard truths leave your mouth every second of the day, you should be able to take two or three yourself,” Noreen says sharply. “Now, let’s introduce you to a few people and chat.”

“I’m Rebecca, Adira. I believe you may know my daughter and grandson, Meghan and Benji,” another woman says, making me blink my eyes rapidly.

Their very names make me a little emotional it seems.

“I do,” I say warmly. “Benji is the sweetest baby. Meghan works her behind off between work and him.”

“I know,” Rebecca says with a sad smile. “She wants to do everything herself, which I can understand. She wants to have the knowledge that she rebuilt her life after she parted ways with her pack. Meghan has an overnight job as a private chef starting soon, and is going to let me take him while she’s gone.”

“She deserves all the best in life,” I tell her gently.

“Oh, she told me about the shooter,” Rebecca hisses, eyes wide.

“Yes, I was targeted by Emilia and ROWS, since it doesn’t appear as if I have ties to Minnesota,” I explain. “No one to miss me, and I was working a lot. Emilia had someone infiltrate the shelter. I was dragged down the hall by the woman.”

“Oh my God,” Sue whispers.

“I haven’t had the best track record lately,” I mutter. “Hence my shadow today.”

Jed simply smirks, crossing his arms.

“Tall, dark, and quiet, I see,” Noreen teases. “Emilia is a thorn in all our sides. If I could convince my pack to blow up her house, I would.”

“Good riddance,” Sue says.

“I was told that wasn’t possible by Cian,” I say as we talk. “Something about how she’s too well protected. The issue is she now has a podcast on top of the other platforms she uses to get her message across.”

“I didn’t hear that,” Rebecca says. “A microphone in front of that woman is a dangerous thing.”

“It is when she’s telling omegas what to wear, how to act, and what her version of acceptable is,” I agree. “Emilia is grooming an entire generation of omegas. Anyone who doesn’t fit that description, she moves to sell them at auction.”

“That’s a large charge,” Sue says. I’m not sure why she’s being so combative, but I can play.

“Paula, the girl who tried to kidnap me, had a gun to my head, and told me all about her evil little plan,” I say, batting my eyelashes at her. “Come on, I didn’t think I’d need to bare every bruise the way I had to with the males in your packs to get attention. Are you really no better than them?”

“What do you mean?” Noreen asks.

“I was beaten all to hell when I walked into a meeting with the senior mafia members,” I say, annoyed. “The only reason they listened to me was because I forced them to see that just because they don’t sell people at the auctions, doesn’t mean it’s not still happening. I was walking home and three betas attempted to kidnap me off the street.”

“It’s worse than Aisling told us, and everything we’ve been seeing,” Sue says. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to sound as rude as I did. It really grinds my gears that there’s no safety for our omegas. My mate is an omega, and while he is in the midst of everything with his alphas, he’s untouchable. Omegas shouldn’t be pressured into packing up.”

“One of the worst parts of Emilia’s podcasts is the fact that she has ideas on when omegas should actively start looking for packs or they’re sure to fall into ruin,” I grumble. “I’m a glutton for punishment, and catch her new ones. There’s three months of content on Omega Link.”

“Isn’t she trying to get them shut down, though?” Noreen asks.

“The podcasts are just a way to get her message out there, the forum doesn’t much matter,” I explain. “The entire reason I’m entering into conversations with the mafia families is because you’re clearly a close knit community who don’t work well with those who are unknowns or possible troublemakers.”

“Mafia men are the troublemakers,” Rebecca says with a snort. “The way my pack talks, though, you should be involved in the community if you’re planning to stay in Minnesota.”

“If gardening isn’t something you enjoy, we do donation drives and such,” Noreen chimes in. “We didn’t invite you here to duke out the politics of you living in Minnesota, Adira. You hashed all of that out already. We want to welcome you, introduce you to our community.”

“Oh,” I murmur, surprised. A part of me thought I’d have to fight to be heard again. I don’t know what their stance is on the packs getting involved with Pack Dresmond and Pack Rock. It doesn’t seem like it matters, I guess.

“Adira is used to having to fight for things of late,” Jed rumbles. “My pack doesn’t have a good reputation.”

“Eh, good reputations are for the weak,” Rebecca says, surprising me with a laugh. “Most of us have wild stories of how we met our pack mates. Hoodlums, all of them.”

“That’s true,” Sue says. “New blood is good for the community, and while we haven’t had any real issues in the last year with disputes or conflicts, I’m not against helping people get out from under a certain rock.”

Her play on words makes me hide my smile, and I begin to feel better.

The rest of the night is spent talking, getting to know people at the party, and not one person mentions what a pain in the ass I am for dragging them into my problems.

I don’t have to be at sea without people. I need to lean in with Pack Dresmond, trust they’ll be there if I need it when I kill Rock.

Yep, totally a piece of cake, Adira.

“Those are some loud thoughts in there, baby,” Jed observes as we leave the party.

“I was thinking about what your dad’s plans are,” I murmur.

“Well, I can fix that. If you promise not to say a word, I’ll call him on the drive back,” he says easily, opening the passenger side door for me.

At my surprise, he shrugs. “We’re doing things differently this time, Adira. No more secrets. As long as he doesn’t change the plans in a way I can’t tell you due to time constraints, you’ll know,” he explains.

Nodding as I get into the vehicle, I gaze in awe as he shuts it behind me and walks around. This is a very different alpha than the one who was secretive and full of deceit to protect his family.