5. CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 5

Coleson wasn't certain why, but he thought he could trust the Alpha doctor. He also believed their story about how they'd escaped. What he wasn't certain about was whether he should trust his own instincts or not.

But as he watched the man treat the hurt Omegas with nothing but a gentle hand and kindness, he decided he was going to give the man a chance to prove he wasn't like the other Alpha assholes they'd encountered way too often. After all, he'd put his faith in Lowen and he ended up saving them all with job opportunities and food for the whole town. Not that they had many living there yet, but he hadn't had to do it.

Heading back to the bridge, he found Lowen there with Gulliver going over maps, while one Omega that had recently come aboard steered. "Driton, right?" Coleson asked.

The Omega grinned and nodded. "Good memory. There were a lot of us that came onboard."

True, but Coleson had a fairly good memory for names. "Have you ever piloted a ship before?"

That earned him an even bigger smile. "Nope, but Lowen said I was a natural." Then he leaned closer and whispered loud enough they all could hear him. "Actually, he put us in the middle of the river and said so long as I kept us there, I shouldn't run us aground."

Having had to take a turn or two at the wheel, he knew that was true. Plus, Lowen would never endanger them unnecessarily. "Since this is our working ship, I would appreciate you keeping us afloat," Coleson said with a chuckle before heading over to see if he could help Lowen and Gulliver.

"Problem?" he asked them.

Lowen shook his head. "No. We were just discussing which ports were our best shot to get what we needed. Trying to get to them all probably won't happen."

"It's going to be a challenge to have so many Omegas on this ship in and out of the ports with no one either trying to wrest control from us while we're docked," Gulliver told them. "Or, and this is most likely what will occur, someone will follow us and try to attack."

Coleson frowned as he considered that. "Why would they take that kind of chance? Wouldn't it be easier on them to do it when we've dropped anchor?"

"Not if the ones attacking want to take all of us," Driton called out. "The first group of Alphas that had kidnapped me were attacked about a month later while they were getting ready to sell us at port. The attackers won, but other Alphas took some Omegas while the two groups were fighting."

That definitely hadn't been something Coleson had considered. "Then we should hide most Omegas while we're at the pier. That way, whoever might follow us won't know how many we have onboard willing to fight them off."

Lowen nodded. "I agree. But we also need to have enough on deck with guns to hopefully warn away anyone thinking we're easy pickings, especially since we'd have no way to easily escape."

"Do you know if anyone in your group knows how to captain a ship?" he asked Driton. "That way, we can at least have the ship ready to leave if we feel threatened."

Driton shook his head. "It's not something any of us ever discussed." He lifted a shoulder half-heartedly. "Mostly we just cried and tried to comfort each other as best we could."

Thankfully, Coleson had never been put in that situation, but he could imagine small talk wasn't exactly something they considered when fighting to stay alive. "When will we reach the first port?" he asked Lowen and Gulliver.

"Tomorrow around noon is our best guess," Gulliver told them as he pointed to a spot on the map. "The first one we'll stop at is where the old Gavins Point Dam was. When it crumbled, some who stayed behind used the materials to create a dock for trading. In the beginning, no one had apparently lived there in case anyone tried to attack them. But my dad said over the years some had built homes close by in order to house whatever they were selling. Most don't actually live there permanently, but are able to stay when they are there more than a night or two."

"How often have you been there?" Coleson hoped it was often enough to gauge what type of reception they might get.

"Maybe a dozen." Gulliver's answer wasn't exactly what he'd wanted to hear. "It was the furthest from where I grew up, so it wasn't as often as some of the others, but it was the biggest, which might mean we'll get lucky enough to find everything we need."

That would be huge. Having to only make one stop before returning home would be worth risking it. "Did you get a sense that it was fairly safe?"

Gulliver snorted in derision. "Not for an Omega, that's for certain. None of these places generally are. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of people, Alphas included, that don't agree with buying and selling Omegas but unless they're prepared to start an all-out war, they tend to turn a blind eye."

It wasn't exactly good, but since they had little choice if they were going to have enough materials for their solar and hydroelectric power, as well as parts for when Lowen's tractors broke down, he was going to do his best to take it as a positive. At least it wasn't as bad as what Ford had encountered in Memphis. He hoped.

"We really should have had Damon come with us." It wasn't the first time Coleson had thought it or said it for that matter. He glanced over at Tessin, who had claimed to have experience with boats but clearly had never been on anything more than a small motorboat, as he was intimidated by the bridge.

"As we already discussed, it wasn't like we had a lot of choice. We need those other boats working. Not only will they allow us a way to escape if needed, but if anything happens to this ship we'd be stuck with no way of trading," Gulliver reminded him as Lowen patiently went over everything with Tessin for the eighth time.

He would have suggested Gulliver stay behind, but he was the only one who'd been to the port before and they would need his expertise navigating it. Eighteen Omegas had been brought aboard and only one of them knew anything about ships and not well. They were a couple of hours out from the port, but had slowed down in order for Lowen to give Tessin a crash course on the bridge.

Four other Omegas would be up on deck with the Alpha doctor with guns at the ready. That left thirteen Omegas down in the hold.

"I just checked everyone out. There are two, Orjan and Basel, who won't be able to make it topside to help if we're attacked," Renzo told him as he entered the bridge just then. "They have guns next to them if needed, but Orjan was just too malnourished and is barely able to sit, much less walk. And I believe Basel has a broken ankle, but without an x-ray, I can't be certain. Either way, he can't walk on it."

That would still be sixteen Omegas who could fight if necessary. Their odds weren't fantastic considering they were entering a port with what Gulliver guessed were a couple of hundred Alphas. Admittedly, they weren't all working together, but that didn't mean they couldn't easily help each other out for the chance of getting their hands on the Omegas onboard.

"And they know to stay hidden the entire time we're here?" That was something Coleson had stressed to them earlier when he'd explained their plan, but he needed to be certain they understood how important it was.

"They know," the Alpha assured him. "And I'll be here to make certain they stay put."

He should have found that annoying for an Alpha to act like he was in charge because of his status, but the fact was, Coleson felt relieved he was there. And no, he wasn't going to think about how handsome Renzo was. Or the fact that his dick had twitched in interest when he'd first walked in.

On edge, Coleson checked and triple checked that everything was ready for them by the time they'd reached the port. Lowen carried the clipboard with a list of their inventory. Gulliver was on the lookout for some of the more reputable Alphas he'd dealt with in the past while Coleson and Lowen kept their heads on a pivot to watch for any danger.

It wasn't difficult to see. They'd barely stepped onto the dock when every hair on Coleson's body stood straight up. The eyes that seemed to follow them were filled with either greed, or worse, lust. When he felt a shiver of revulsion go through him, Lowen placed a hand possessively on his shoulder. "Just keep walking."

He appreciated Lowen trying to protect him, but it also bugged him that an Alpha was required to keep him safe. It wasn't right that the other Alphas thought of Omegas as nothing but possessions for them to have. One day, he hoped that would change, but he doubted it would ever happen.

"Westland," Gulliver called out, bringing Coleson back to the task at hand. "How are things going?"

"Gulliver?" The Alpha sounded shocked to see the Omega. Then again, considering he'd been kidnapped, it wasn't that surprising. But he also pulled him in for a hug. "I heard from your father you'd been taken."

"That's true," Gulliver admitted. He pointed to Lowen. "He and his Omega got me out of there."

Westland didn't even hesitate to stick out his hand to Lowen. "Thank you for doing the right thing," Westland told him as he shook Lowen's hand. "I've never thought it right how some Alphas think it's okay to sell Omegas." Then he leaned in a little closer, as if trying not to be overheard by others. "They should be cared for, not treated like some sort of possession."

Coleson couldn't be positive, but he thought Westland could be trusted. If nothing else, he sounded like he meant what he was saying. Hopefully, that meant good things for them, as he seemed to have a lot of parts inside his store. It wasn't much, not like the ones in Indianapolis where Coleson had grown up but since Gulliver had mentioned people didn't really live there, he imagined no one wanted to leave their valuables to be stolen so they kept what they sold to what they could easily bring with them.

Then Westland once again pulled Gulliver into his arms. "I'm so sorry you'd had to endure that."

Gulliver hugged him back before pulling away. "Thanks." Clearly not wanting to talk about it any longer, he changed the subject. "We're needing parts. I was hoping you might either have them or know of someone who does."

Westland gestured for them to enter his shop. "I have quite a few parts. Tell me what you need and I'll find what I can."

Lowen handed over the clipboard with their list, and Westland started sorting through what he had. "That should just about do it," he said when he had a stack for them to take back to the ship. "The only thing I don't have are the solar panels. But I know who will. Why don't you three take this pile back to your ship and I'll meet you there when I find them."

An hour later, they had everything stored down below and were waiting on deck for Westland to appear. It wasn't long before Westland and two other Alphas approached, carrying far more materials for the solar panels than they'd even asked for.

"Hope you don't mind, but Oxley and Raman offered to help me bring your panels." Coleson wasn't entirely certain it was a good idea to let them board, but he also didn't have a valid reason to stop them from doing so when they were just trying to help.

"Don't worry," Renzo whispered next to him. "We'll watch them and the dock to make certain no one tries anything."

What in the hell was wrong with him? Instead of being annoyed the big, bad Alpha was taking charge, he was… relieved. Then again, it was difficult to be upset with Renzo when he was clearly including the other Omegas on deck with him to keep a vigilant eye on the newcomers.

Instead of thanking him, which he'd had to catch in his throat before he'd said the words, he gave the Alpha a nod that he'd heard him. When they had brought the other supplies on board, they'd had the Omegas down below hide to prepare for Westland's delivery of the solar material. But three Alphas might easily realize there were more Omegas onboard.

Not willing to risk it, Coleson stepped to one of the Alphas and held out his arms to take the rolled up supplies off his hands. "Thanks, why don't I take this load and the two of you can follow me to the hold."

When none of them objected, some of the tension eased from his body. Although he would remain on high alert. The last thing they needed was to have one of the three surprise them with an attack. Coleson didn't even mind that Renzo followed them with his gun at the ready, as if the Alpha were determined to be the one to protect him.

Once things were loaded and Oxley and Raman were back on the dock, Westland gave Gulliver a hug. "I hope to see you again one day. But know, this place had really gone downhill since the last time you were here."

Then he chuckled lightly and shook his head when Gulliver raised an eyebrow at him, mocking him. "Okay, okay," Westland said. "It was always an iffy place to be, but trust me, it's a lot worse. Watch yourselves when you leave. With all these Omegas onboard, I wouldn't put it past one, if not several, of these Alpha assholes to come after you."

"And what about you?" Coleson demanded more than asked. He didn't get an evil vibe with Westland, but he also wasn't about to just let him think they wouldn't be watching for him too.

There was a sadness in his gray eyes as Westland sighed and dropped his shoulders. "Honestly? I can't answer that. Have I done things I wished I hadn't? Absolutely. But I also don't believe Omegas should be treated like property. One day, I hope to prove that to you."

Even though he was answering Coleson, he was looking directly at Gulliver. His gaze silently pleading that he believe the Alpha.

Gulliver placed a hand on Westland's arm and gave him a tiny smile. "I know, Wes. Take care of yourself."

Less than ten minutes later, they were pulling from the dock and on their way home. They'd done the one thing they'd barely dared to hope for, to find everything they'd needed at the first port. They just needed that luck to hold out as they made it toward their home that no one would come after them.