Chapter Twenty

"Are we sure this is the last one?" I asked Tyrus who took lead in this mission. We took turns on point because if anything ever happened to our leader, gods forbid, then the rest of us needed to pick up the slack and lead as well as Hammer did.

"I hope so. That's all I can say. Our tips coming in through the hotline and through email have tripled. Not sure if that's because we encrypted everything or because word has spread we're taking these places down."

"What do you mean, encrypted everything?" Hutch asked, his head on my shoulder. I'd thought he was napping.

Tyrus met our eyes in the rearview mirror while Pop-Tart watched the GPS on his phone. "We thought maybe some of the emails and phone calls were getting vetted before they got to our team in an effort to hide things from us, so we tightened things up. Installed a system where the emails can't be traced and the phone calls come directly to us. Pastry man set it up."

Pop-Tart snickered and shook his head. "Come on. Pastry man? Not an alpha nickname at all, bro."

We laughed along with them. It relieved some of the stress, if only for a moment.

"There," Pop-Tart called out, pointing to something outside his window. Breeding rings and torture dens, not the names I wanted to use but the others did, came in all shapes and sizes. Mansions, trailers, nondescript buildings, and some like the one we were about to invade—regular-ass houses.

"You ready?" I turned to my mate. Once, I had been scared to take him on these missions and, now, he was an integral part of this team. No way in hell we would've been as successful without him. We would be a team with a zero-success rate.

"I'm strapped, alpha," he said. My omega was so fucking adorable when he used our lingo.

"Good," I said, not helping the smile that crept up on my face. "What are the rules?"

We had a ritual, went over the rules just in case. He had to be ready for anything. Come hell or high water, I would keep him safe. "I go in behind you and make sure one of the team is in sight at all times. Survey all the exits first. Watch my back even though you will be on me like white on rice. Don't risk myself. Think slow."

"Good." I leaned over and kissed his mouth and then his temple for good measure. "I love you. Let's get this done."

King and Aziz went in first. Pop-Tart and Tyrus took the back door. I would go in with Hutch on my flank. I knew my brothers on this team would take care of my omega almost as well as I did.

We checked all the rooms. Two alphas came from the back room brandishing a large machete each, screaming at the top of their lungs. King laughed in their faces and put a bullet in each of their foreheads. The alphas had brought machetes to a gun fight.

"Is there anyone else here? Or just the two?" Hutch crouched down and spoke to one of the wide-eyed omegas who was shackled at the ankles and at some time had been handcuffed. His wrist still bloody.

"Just the two. We've been here so long," the omega answered. "You told us we would be safe!" he yelled at me.

Hutch weaved his magic and explained everything to them while we freed the other ones. One of them had to be brought to the hospital. He was naked and clearly drugged in some way he couldn't shake off.

Once we had everyone, we helped them to the vehicles. They asked Hutch all kinds of questions but climbed in, taking a chance on trusting us once more. These busts never got easier. Despite my desire for it, I never grew numb to the horrors we exposed.

We gave each omega a blanket and made sure they were all medically stable to travel before taking off in a convoy back to the warehouse. Our desks had been relocated into one of the common areas in the main house so we could fit more beds.

Tyrus worked with the trustworthy safe houses, and we had sent some of the omegas there, but for every ten that we sent, twenty more came in.

We questioned everything and everyone, and our trust in who and what we worked for had been blown to hell.

"You good?" I asked Hutch as he climbed into the SUV and we all took our seats to go back home.

"I'm really tired."

Wasn't the first time I'd heard my omega complain of his lack of energy, but I knew he slept a full eight hours every night. I made sure of it.

"Do we need to take you to a healer?" I asked. "This has been going on awhile."

Hutch shook his head. "I have low energy, Mav. Tiny issue compared to what the others have dealt with. They don't have big, strong dragon alphas to comfort them or keep them safe."

He always put their needs before his own, which was noble, but I had been aware of him, keeping mental tabs on all these things. He was eating more and sleeping more than ever, but he got run down quickly. He cried at the drop of a hat. He needed to express his grief and frustration, so crying helped, but this was more. My dragon said his scent was different.

"I've got my eye on you," I whispered in his ear.

He blushed. "You always do."