6. CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 6

Never in his life had Renzo tried so hard to get someone to like him. Nor was he entirely certain why he felt the need to do so. Yet, there he was, once again, attempting to get Coleson to talk to him.

"Need another pair of eyes?" he asked as he strode up to where the prickly Omega stood at the stern gazing through a pair of binoculars to give them time to plan if anyone had followed them.

"Why?" Coleson snapped. "Because you're an Alpha, so you automatically can do everything better than some lowly Omega?"

"Ouch." Renzo rubbed his chest as if he'd just been punched. "I know Omegas haven't been treated fairly, but believe it or not, that isn't who I am." He might not have always been the greatest when it came to interactions with others, but he hadn't gone out of his way to demean anyone either.

When Coleson didn't respond, Renzo let out a long breath and tried to center himself. "Do you think it might be possible to actually get to know me before grouping me as an Alpha who would mistreat you? You seem to respect Lowen. Maybe you could give me the same chance."

That got Coleson to lower the binoculars and turn his head toward Renzo. Assessing eyes scanned his for several long moments, yet nearly not long enough, as he was certain he could get lost in those blue depths.

"I can't make any promises, but I will try not to make any judgments until you prove me right." The binoculars were once more raised, basically ending the conversation.

It wasn't exactly a win, but Coleson hadn't shut him down completely. And seriously? Why did he care? He planned to go back east as soon as possible and would most likely never see Coleson again.

"Fuck," he heard Coleson say vehemently, causing Renzo to turn back toward him.

His grip on the binoculars turned his fingers white. A knot of fear formed in his stomach as Renzo narrowed his gaze and searched for whatever the Omega had seen. A flash of light like the sun reflecting off metal, froze the blood in his veins.

"Is that a…" He honestly didn't want to finish that thought.

"Ship," Coleson whispered in terror. "I can make out at least six Alphas with guns on the top deck."

"Fuck," Renzo spat out, confirming Coleson's initial reaction to what he saw. "Are they gaining on us?"

The hand holding the binoculars dropped to his side as he turned his ghostly pale face in Renzo's direction. "They have some sort of speedboat. They'll be on us soon."

As one, they spun to warn the others. "Go get the Omegas ready to fight. They'll feel better knowing another Omega is leading them." He hoped because they would need all the courage they could muster if they were going to escape being taken prisoner.

Coleson nodded, and Renzo raced for the bridge. "Speedboat filled with Alphas and guns headed right for us," he spat out without waiting for Lowen to acknowledge him. Then he left the bridge and went to warn the four Omegas who were standing watch at various points along the deck.

"We'll need to have more covering the stern, but that doesn't mean they haven't another boat that would try to hit us from another direction, so stay alert," he warned them.

Then he went back to the bridge to see if Lowen had come up with a plan to somehow hide them, or find another route that would make it more difficult for the Alphas to follow them. But he'd barely crossed the threshold when Lowen shook his head with a somber look on his face. "Our only chance is to fight."

He pointed at the map that was laid out. "They planned this perfectly. There is nothing but open water."

"What if we turn and ram them?" he asked, not even knowing if that was plausible, as he had no knowledge of how boats worked other than they floated. "They wouldn't be suspecting that, right?"

But Lowen looked at him as if he'd lost his damn mind. "And exactly how would we get home even if we destroyed their ship? We'd be severely damaged and be easy pickings if anyone else saw us."

Good point. Still, fighting didn't seem like a good option either. Not that they had much of a choice. The Alphas were coming, whether they liked it or not. The question was, how were they going to keep their freedom with none of them dying in the process. Not that Alphas cared. They could all die as far as he was concerned.

It caused him to pause realizing, as a doctor, someone who had sworn to ‘do no harm,' he was more than willing to let another die. Even worse, possibly by his hands. Still, anyone who felt it was okay to imprison and sell another human being deserved what they got.

"All we can do is fight." Lowen didn't look convinced it would work, but he was also resigned to their limited options.

Coleson walked in and Lowen told them both. "Get everyone loaded up. Not just guns, but extra bullets and knives in case they board us. I will do my best to get us out of here, but since I can already hear their engines gaining on us, there's little I'll be able to do. If they start to board, I will cut the engines and fight alongside all of you."

They both nodded and headed to the back of the ship. "Remember to aim for their chests and be ready for the recoil."

Other instructions were barked out until shots rang out from the speedboat. Idiots. Even Renzo knew they were too far away to hit them. Maybe if they were sharpshooters, there would be a chance, but with their boat bouncing on the waves their wake was creating even that would have little chance.

"Don't fire," Coleson called out. "Keep your heads down and no matter what, don't make yourself a target."

That was a tall order for some of them, Renzo was certain. Although, considering all they'd been through, maybe it wasn't as difficult as it would have been when they'd first been taken. They were all a lot tougher, more hardened. It was evident on their resolved and determined faces.

Several sharp pings rang out as bullets connected with the hull of the ship, alerting them the enemy was getting closer. "Okay, men. It's almost time. Our only goal is to keep them from getting to us. If that means they die, then they die." Coleson's tone was arctic as he said that.

Renzo never expected that thought would turn him on, but he had to admit his heart swelled at the sight of this Omega, against all odds, doing what he knew to be right. When nearly a dozen shots hit their ship in rapid succession, he waited for Coleson's order to open fire.

While bullets rained down around them, Coleson yelled, "Fire!"

The plan went amazingly well in the beginning. Those along the sides, but still on the stern, popped up enough to bring their guns above the railing. They laid down a series of blistering firepower, forcing the Alphas to back down, which gave those along the back railing time to get into position.

The moment the Omegas along the sides stopped shooting, the Alphas stupidly stood up to aid and several ended up with holes in their chests as those along the back opened fire. That brought another six Alphas onto the deck to fire back, bringing the total that Renzo could see to twenty. They were in bigger trouble than any of them had imagined.

Their numbers were fairly evenly matched, assuming there weren't more of them they couldn't see, but they had the advantage of living out west, where guns were a part of life. Plus, their speedboat not only was faster but could outmaneuver their somewhat larger ship.

Fortunately for Renzo and the others, they had a few Omegas who'd also grown up in that part of the country, which was evident by the six Alphas who were currently bleeding on the deck of the boat. Were they dead? There was no easy way to know from their position, but he'd like to think at least a couple of them were.

A cry from one of their own had him turning to see if he should help. He was a doctor, after all. It was in his blood to go to those in need. But they also needed as many shooting as possible if they were going to keep the Alphas off their ship.

"Go," Coleson yelled at him. "If you can get him to where he can fight again, we'll be better off for it."

The Omega had a point, especially as the speedboat was getting dangerously close. An injured Omega would be easy to take back to their boat. Not something Renzo wanted any of them to have to endure again.

Grabbing the medical kit he'd had at his feet and slinging the gun over his shoulder, he crab walked to the injured man. Fennec. Shit. He sent up a silent prayer to anyone who might be listening to please let the baby be okay. Not that he really thought there was a God, considering the world they lived in. Or, if there was, he clearly didn't care about the humans he'd basically abandoned.

Sighing in relief when he saw the bullet had gone through the fleshy part of his leg, Renzo quickly put on a pressure bandage and wrapped it, so Fennec could defend himself if the Alphas made it aboard.

"You'll be okay." At least from the wound. After that, Renzo had no clue what was going to happen to them. "Let me help you to the bridge." It wouldn't completely protect him, but it would give the rest of them time to take out as many invaders as possible before they reached the pregnant Omega.

"No." Fire blazed in Fennec's eyes as he picked up the gun he'd dropped and got back into position, keeping much of the weight off his injured leg. "I hit one of those bastards and I'm not going to stop shooting until there are no more bullets left."

Renzo nodded, admiring his resolve. "Okay, just try to keep your weight off it as long as possible." Once the Alphas boarded, all bets were off because they'd be in hand-to-hand combat, but if there was one thing Renzo had learned in his time with the Omegas, they had backbones of steel. No matter what the Alphas had done to them, they refused to give up fighting for their freedom.

Grabbing his med kit again, he headed back to his position next to Coleson. "Is he and the baby okay?" the Omega asked even as he kept shooting, hitting another Alpha, who Renzo knew had died as a huge red bloom appeared right over his heart.

"Good shot," he praised, even though he knew Coleson didn't need, nor probably wanted, it. "A bullet went through his leg, but it didn't seem to hit anything major. He should be fine, but it will be hard on him if he has to fight them."

Coleson scowled over at him. "You should have taken him to the hull where he'd be safe."

Renzo looked over at him incredulously. "Are you crazy? If there's one thing I learned trying to mend all those Omegas after the Alphas got their hands on them, don't order one around when they're determined. I'm likely to get my head bitten off."

Then he flashed a stunned Coleson a smile before returning to firing at the approaching boat that was way too close for comfort. "Be ready," he yelled out. "We're about to be boarded."

Grappling hooks were tossed to their rails, which the Omegas quickly cut off, not allowing the Alphas to attach their boat to theirs. But that would not hold them off for long. A quick headcount was not to Renzo's liking. There were still fifteen Alphas, all ready to jump across the distance to their ship. This was going to be a long and bloody fight.