I shake my head mutely, and Joker nuzzles my temple.
“Of course she doesn’t. No one in that place has anyone who could come looking for them when they go missing,” the other omega explains, voice sympathetic as he rubs my back slightly.
“So you’ve brought home a stray? Just fucking great,” Bones bites out, a growl taking over his words.
“She’s a person, you fucking wanker. And she’s staying with me.” Joker raises his voice and holds me somehow even closer.
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” a new voice calls from the front of the van. Not male, but not really distinctly female either.
“Thank you, Siren. Finally someone with some common—”
“They just put out an APB for your girl, Jokes. We’ll be lucky to get out of the city before they set up road blocks,” the voice, Siren, calls back.
“Floor it, Cross. We’re getting out,” Bones snaps half turning to face the front.
The van sways as the engine roars, picking up significant speed now. Bones turns back around, his amber eyes locking onto mine, my whole body going cold and still. Two of his steps closes the distance, and his massive, gloved hand wraps around my upper arm, fingers touching easily.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Joker asks harshly.
I yelp as Bones yanks me, not acknowledging the question. Joker tries to hold on, but the alpha is stronger, and a loud, wordless bark has us both going limp for a moment. It’s just long enough for Bones to start dragging me toward the door.
“Hold up just a sec, B. Let’s be smart about this,” Phantom says, standing between Bones and the sliding side door with his hands raised.
Joker recovers before me, and lurches forward, grabbing my other arm and trying to pull me away from Bones. The hold on my arm tightens and I whimper, not that Bones acknowledges my pain.
“I’m dealing with the problem. Now move!” Bones snaps loudly, yanking me again as Joker tries to pull me back.
My arms ache in their sockets as Joker tries to pull me free, shouting and cursing up a storm. His accent gets thicker, a sour honey note filling the air. Fear. His fear sets off my instincts, and I start trembling, my knees going weak under me. I look up with silent, pleading eyes, tears burning the edges of my vision.
“Maverick, we are going eighty on the highway. You are not going to throw someone out the side of the vehicle with us going this fast. It’ll kill her,” the male voice, Cross, says from the front, still trying to reason with the maniac practically breaking my arm from how hard he’s squeezing it.
“THEN SLOW DOWN!” Bones roars.
I whine and try to cower, closing my eyes. My chest heaves with panicked breaths and I try to pull away, not that I get anywhere. I don’t dare turn on him and try to fight, not when he’s looking at me like he’s waiting for an excuse to discipline me.
But then a new hand lands on my shoulder, warm even through the gloves. I look up and find Phantom nose to nose with Bones, a deep growl echoing from his massive chest. The cabin fills with the smell of sea salt, water, and seaweed, a stormy sea leveled at the other alpha beside me.
“Let herfuckingGO. Before I make you.”
Bones’s fury tastes like a forest fire, all brimstone, ash, and destruction. Phantom’s anger is quieter, but somehow all the more potent for it. The thunderstorm that washes away the flames. And in that moment, I see the flicker of something Bones’s eyes as he looks down at me. The glance is too short for me to read it, but his grip loosens enough for Joker to finally pull me to the sealed back of the van.
I don’t look up as Joker guides me down into a gap between a shelving unit and the doors. The little area is soft and comfortable with blankets and pillows, creating a small, mobile nesting area. I curl up and accept the blanket the other omega offers, hiding under it completely as Joker sits down in front of me, guarding me from the alphas.
I put a hand to my mouth to muffle my soft sobs as I bury my face in my knees when I hug them to my chest. I try to stay quiet enough to not be heard over the roar of the engine, eventually crying myself into an exhausted unconsciousness.
Chapter sixteen
Mybloodstillboilsas Bones throws himself into the rear facing jump seat, a glare leveled back at me. As if I’m the one who just tried to throw an innocent person out of a moving vehicle. Bloody fucking psycho. Delilah’s quiet sobs reach my ears, but only just. My heart aches for my poor little wisp, my muscles tensing as I crouch protectively in front of her.
Phantom sits in Siren’s usual spot next to the computers, but more importantly, between me and Bones. Which, considering my current mood, might be just as much for his safety as Delilah’s.
“You’re a right piece of shit,” I snarl at my alpha.
“Mind your fucking tone,” Bonesgrowls back.
I start to get up, but a sharp sound from Phantom has me sinking back. For the best, really. I can’t properly kick his arse from here to next year in the back of a moving van.
“Cut the shit, B. That was fucked up what you almost did. This is not how we handle our business,” Phantom says sternly.