Jethro
I got Miles to his feet and his legs nearly buckled underneath him. Now that I was close, I could smell the scents of other Alphas on him. He was covered in them.
“Can you walk?”
He didn’t answer at first, staring around the room fearfully as I held him upright.
“I can walk,” he said at last.
“Good.”
But I couldn’t lead him out of here without a stitch of clothing on. Not to mention that his whole body was wracked with shivers. Why the hell was the room so cold?
Shucking off my jacket, I helped him into it. It served three important purposes, covering him, keeping him warm, and putting my scent on him. As soon as I could get him in a shower, I would.
As I wrapped the jacket tightly around him, I held his gaze. “You need to stay silent and stay behind me. If you want to get my attention, don’t speak, tap.” I demonstrated by tapping my finger twice on his shoulder. He flinched but nodded, holding the jacket closed with one hand.
I returned to the door, Miles right behind me, and checked to see if the coast was clear. Nothing stirred outside, so we made our way out and back toward the stairwell. The sticking point came as we got close enough to the office to hear the staff. Their conversation was still in full swing, our movements unnoticed.
I hustled Miles into the stairwell and shut the door after me. Urging him up the stairs ahead of me, I could see his movements were stiff and slow, pain etched on his face. Putting a hand on his shoulder to still him, I listened carefully. There was silence in the stairwell, no one moving up or down. Leaning toward Miles, I whispered in his ear.
“I’m going to carry you. Quiet now.”
I lifted him into my arms. He made a small sound of pain, holding himself stiffly as I climbed the stairs. I set him down again when we reached the first floor, scoping out the corridor beyond. A flash of movement had me ducking back inside, forcing Miles flat against the wall. His frightened eyes locked onto mine but he stayed silent, only the harsh sound of our breathing audible. The person in the corridor walked by, paying no heed to the door to the staircase. I watched them open a locked door and disappear inside.
“We need to move quickly,” I said to Miles, waiting for his nod before I pushed open the door to the now empty corridor.
We rushed on light feet past where the man had entered and around the corner to another locked door. We were through that a few seconds later. Now there was only one door between us and the outside.
More voices ahead of us.
Grabbing hold of Miles, I opened the nearest door and shoved us both through. It was a closet of cleaning supplies. I closed the door over and pushed Miles against the wall, my body holding him in place, a hand across his mouth to keep him silent while I kept my focus on the people outside. There was no sense of alarm from them, they were chatting about vacation days. I gradually relaxed as they walked past, heading further into the building.
Miles was still next to me, barely breathing.
“Okay?” I asked him.
He managed a nod.
“Good. You’re doing great.”
I waited another thirty seconds to be sure they were gone before checking the corridor again. It was empty and silent once more. Taking Miles by the hand, I drew him out of the closet and around the corner to the last door. Getting out was easier than getting in but I had a good look around outside before I brought Miles out.
I checked my watch. Twelve-thirty. We still had thirty minutes before the next gap in the patrol. And I had just the place for us to wait it out.
Staying low to the ground and urging Miles into a crouch with me, I led him along the side of the building, then across the grass to a large electrical box that stood midway between the building and the fence. We sheltered behind that, facing the building. The lights from the building didn’t catch that spot, hiding us from prying eyes.
Showing Miles my watch, I whispered to him. “We move at one am.”
He nodded though I wasn’t sure he truly understood. When he shivered beside me, I tried to maneuver him closer, but he flinched.
“Easy,” I murmured. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
I was his Alpha. I had plans for him, for both of us. Plans that didn’t involve this hellhole.
He didn’t respond to my assurances but let me inch closer to him, sharing some of my body warmth.
On the dot of one, I stuck my head around the side of the box and sussed out the guard situation. There were none within sight or sound of us. The time to move was now.
Tugging Miles to his feet, I urged him to latch onto my belt with one hand leaving my arms free to wield the wire cutters. I’d already discarded the plan for Miles to climb over the fence. His physical state wasn’t going to make that a possibility, and him tangled in barbed wire was not an eventuality I wanted to see.
I cut the fence right next to a support pole, just enough that we could both squeeze through. Once we were on the other side, I pulled a bunch of cable ties from my pocket and sewed the gap right up again. It wouldn’t pass close inspection, but a patrolling guard shouldn’t give it a second glance.
Miles watched me work in silence, shivering, his arms wrapped around his torso. As soon as I was finished, I led him down through the parking lot and into the woods behind it. No alarms sounded, no shouts were heard. So far, we’d escaped unnoticed. But the clock was really ticking now. If I didn’t get back across the border with him before they realized he was gone, we’d never make it.
The van was where I’d left it, down a makeshift laneway out of sight of the road. It was undisturbed and had likely escaped the notice of anyone in the vicinity. I opened the back door, pushing Miles to sit while I readied what I needed. We were making a run for the border so everything had to be in place before we got on the road.
“We have to go straight to the border. The only way we’ll get across is if they don’t know you’re gone and they don’t see you with me.”
Miles nodded but from the dazed look on his face, he wasn’t taking in much of what I was saying. I caught hold of his cheek, stroking a thumb across his skin, wincing when he flinched and pulled away from my touch.
“It would be easiest for you if you slept through this. If your heart’s pounding away, the customs dogs might pick you up.”
I was more concerned about Alpha customs guards. The smell wouldn’t be a problem, given the van had a small collection of strong smelling plants in the back. But an Omega’s heart rate jackknifing? That they’d pick up on.
There was no reaction from Miles, not as I opened the small kit I had, and swiped an alcohol swab across his thigh, the closest patch of bare skin I could reach that didn’t involve taking off the jacket he still clung to. His eyes widened when I pulled out the syringe and he caught sight of the needle. He whimpered and grabbed my arm but the needle was already in and I pushed the plunger.
“It’s okay. It’s just to help you sleep for the journey.”
His hand let go of my arm and he sank against the door. It wasn’t the medication, not yet, just the adrenaline wearing off. I quickly moved everything around, revealing the hidden compartment in the van’s floor. I’d already padded it with blankets so all I had to do was scoop Miles up and lie him inside.
“What?” he asked me as I pulled out another blanket and covered him with it.
“Shh.” I stroked a hand across his forehead, watching as the medication kicked in, his eyelids drooping. “It’s just to keep you out of sight while we cross the border.” His head lolled to the side as he lost consciousness. I replaced the false panel over him, then reorganized the van’s stock to cover it. To find it, they’d practically have to empty the van. And I wasn’t going to give customs any reason to.
“Sweet dreams, Miles,” I murmured, before closing the back of the van and jogging around to the driver’s seat.
The radio kept me company on our run to the border, its silence on the topic of Omegas reassuring me that n
o one had yet figured out there was a problem.
We reached the border at six am. There hadn’t been a sound from Miles. He wasn’t due to wake up until ten am at the earliest. Probably later given he was undernourished and probably dehydrated. At least he’d be warm.
I was stopped by southern customs at the first checkpoint.
“Good morning, officer,” I greeted.
“Business or pleasure?” he asked, lips thinned.
“Business. Just returning home from a delivery.”
He checked my ID, checked my papers.
“Open up the back, please.”
“Sure thing, officer.”
I pulled the lever and forced myself to keep my cool as he opened the doors and shone a torch around in the back. An officer with a dog came up to join them. Staying seated, I tapped idly at the steering wheel, humming under my breath. The doors closed and the officer returned to my window.
“You may proceed. Have a nice day.”
“Thank you, officer,” I said, tipping my cap.
Two minutes later, I was pulled in again, this time by a northern customs officer.
“Good morning, sir,” he greeted me.
“Good morning to you too, officer.”
“You’re certainly getting an early start this morning.”
Friendly wasn’t always a good thing. These officers were well versed in tactics to get people talking.
“Just looking forward to getting home in time for the game this afternoon. Not to mention my girlfriend.”
The officer smiled at that and handed my papers back to me. “I think Ace City are in for a hard fall.”
“They’d need the luck of the devil to pull it off against the Grangers.”
He tapped the side of my van and I drove off.
We’d done it. We were over the border and home free.
Chapter Eight
Jethro
I turned off the main roads as soon as I could, driving away from the border and through the countryside, before pulling off the road and through some trees.
Miles was sleeping when I opened up the compartment. I touched his forehead but his body was still cold. At I guess, they’d been keeping him hypothermic for a number of days. I rooted out the extra clothes I’d packed and dressed him. Then added my jacket back on top of them. The clothes were freshly washed and didn’t carry my scent the same way the jacket did. Lifting him into my arms, I put him in the front passenger seat next to me, securing a seatbelt around his lax frame.
As I got back into the car, I pulled out my phone and made a call. The plan from here on out got a little trickier. I couldn’t go back to my place because that was the first place they’d look once the South notified them they were missing an Omega and someone asked about recently active Alpha marks.
Blaise answered on the second ring.
“Hey, Jet. How’s it going?”
“Good. I was just wondering if we were still on to watch the game this afternoon.” Our chosen code for ‘Is the plan still a go?’.
“Sure thing. Usual place.”
We were going to Roman’s brother’s house. With any luck, it would buy us a few days to straighten things out.
“Great, see you then.”
I got back on the road, keeping one eye on Miles. He was in a deep sleep at first but slowly started to come out of it, mumbling under his breath and twisting around under the blanket I’d wrapped around him.
An hour later, on another quiet road, I pulled over, taking a bottle of water from the space between our seats.
“Miles, can you wake up? You need to drink something.”
I set my hand on his shoulder and he pushed away from me, curling up against the door.
“It’s okay. You’re safe. But I’m betting you’re thirsty.”
His blue eyes fluttered open and stared at me. I held out the bottle and he reached for it. I didn’t let go as he pulled it to his mouth, sucking down a few mouthfuls of the warm liquid.
As gently as I could, I extracted the bottle from his grip and replaced it between the seats. He watched it, and me, but didn’t comment.
“How do you feel?” I asked. But he simply closed his eyes and sank back against the seats, drawing the blanket closer.
Not ready to talk yet.
We were an hour from Roman’s brother’s house when the southern radio station I was listening to interrupted a song to bring a news story. It was a standard alert about an active Omega. It didn’t give details, it didn’t mention an escape from an Intake Center, and it certainly didn’t give Miles’ name. But I knew they were talking about us.
Half an hour later, Blaise called.
“Change of plans. Roman’s not feeling too hot.”
Shit, they’d tracked things as far as Roman already? They must have discovered Miles was missing literally minutes after we crossed the border.
“No worries. We’ll do it another time.”
“Sure thing. Cliff sends his love, said to remind you to return his hedge clippers first thing.”
I got the message, I got it loud and clear. Doing a U-turn, I headed back the way I’d come. The van would have been photographed as it crossed the border this morning. They’d be looking for it soon.
We stayed on the back roads until we reached Clippen farm. It was run by Blaise’s uncle.
“Jethro, haven’t seen you in months,” Ron greeted, wiping his hands clean on a rag before shaking my hand. “Who’s your friend?”
“That’s Miles. My Omega.”
His eyes widened. “Your Omega? No joke.”
I shook my head.
“He looks tuckered out.”
“Well, we didn’t have the easiest of meetings.”
Ron’s eyes got impossibly wider. “That Omega alert in the South anything to do with it?”
“Hard to say. But we could use some help.”
“Name it.”
Ten minutes later we were back on the road in a four-wheel drive, the van tucked out of sight in one of Ron’s sheds.
Miles had woken just long enough to transfer from one vehicle to the other and then he was asleep again.
Our destination was the other half of Blaise’s message. We didn’t know anyone called Cliff. But we did have a good friend called Heath. I’d have preferred not to bother him but desperate times and all that.
Heath came out to greet us. He must have heard the car. I got out, and he took it all in. Me, my arm, and Miles sleeping in the passenger seat.
“Sorry to drop in on you like this, Heath. I’ve run into some trouble.”
He looked past me to Miles.
“He yours?”
“Yeah.”
“The darling Omega of the South. What did you do, break him out?”
“Pretty much.”
Heath snorted.
“How’s Sophie? And the baby?” At that moment I couldn’t for the life of me remember what they’d called her.
“Sophie and Evie are doing fine. Tired, which you’d expect.” He rubbed a hand across his face. “I guess you’d better come in. But first, get the car into the garage. If they send a chopper or a drone, they’ll be less suspicious if they only see one vehicle.”
I did as he suggested and helped Miles out of the car. He was more awake now, taking an interest in his surroundings.
“Miles, this is Heath.”
Heath stepped forward to shake his hand but Miles recoiled, only my arm around him stopping him from bolting.
“Easy. He’s a friend.”
“Alpha.”
A word, finally.
“Yeah, and an Alpha. But you don’t need to worry about that.” I guessed, given the ménage of Alpha scents on him, that he mightn’t be too keen on the prospect of strange Alphas. He liked me well enough. At least, he wasn’t pushing me away right at that moment. But that was to be expected. He was mine after all.
“Come inside,” Heath said. “I’ll let Sophie know you’re here.”
Chapter Nin
e
Jethro
Miles sat next to me on Heath’s couch while Heath went to let his wife know they had visitors. I felt bad for landing in on top of them, given our circumstances and theirs. Miles and I weren’t going to get those few days of peace I’d been hoping for. At least, not how I’d planned them. But I had a Plan B. It wasn’t perfect but it would buy us some time.
Sophie came through the doorway, eying us like we were potentially venomous snakes.
“Jethro, we weren’t expecting to see you so soon.”
I stood. “I know, Sophie. And I’m really sorry to drop in on you like this. Congratulations about Evie.”
She hesitated. “Thanks. She’s upstairs napping. I don’t like to disturb her.”
“I wouldn’t ask you to. We’re disturbing you enough as it is.”
Her gaze was on Miles, who was sitting still, head down.
“Sophie, this is my Omega, Miles. Miles, this is Sophie.”
Miles didn’t react to the introduction.
“What’s wrong with him?” Sophie asked. I knew from Heath that she wasn’t a fan of the whole Omega thing. The idea that someday, somewhere, a stranger could become one of the most important people in your partner’s life with zero warning wasn’t a concept that sat well with most people. But that was the risk you took when you fell in love with an Alpha.
A risk that, admittedly, had been negligible for Heath before I found Miles. And now it had slid firmly into the realm of possibility. But only if I could hold onto Miles for long enough that we formed a connection to each other.
Speaking of connections, that part was beginning to worry me. It was supposed to be instinctive, a need, a drive, to be together. But in that case, Miles shouldn’t be recoiling from my touch and I shouldn’t have been hesitant to touch him. Maybe it was whatever they’d been doing to him in the South.
I needed to talk to someone about it. Blaise, if I could get him. He knew more about the South and their Omegas than anyone I knew. A fascination borne of the fact that he’d grown up right on the border, in a zone where the vast majority Omega mates, over ninety-percent, came online in the South. Those were long odds.
Love Before Dawn: An Omegaverse Story (Kindred Book 1) Page 4
