And Mia didn't think it was right to take away the alphas' only opportunity for intimate encounters. That wouldn't fair to the alphas—or to the ladies who were just trying to make a living.
"You're all adults," she said. "As long as you don't make a mess or a spectacle, I don't care what you do."
A roar of approval went up among the men. Obviously, that was the answer they'd been hoping for.
Ty kissed her on the cheek, whispering in her ear, "You're a natural."
* * *
She was a natural.
There was no denying it.
As they moved among the alphas and took their places behind the bar, greeting the customers and accepting their congratulations, Ty watched the doubt vanish from Mia's eyes. Sure, she didn't know how to make a drink—she couldn't even pour a beer from the tap without spilling all over the place—but she was funny and charming with his alpha brothers.
They took to her instantly. Accepting her as one of their own.
It wasn't surprising. Since Mia had been claimed, her confidence was naturally growing. She was opening up, the way someone only could when they truly felt safe and secure. Maybe for the first time, the full force of her true personality was shining through.
And it was a magnetic one—strong, resilient, accepting.
She would be a perfect addition to Evander's Bar. A calming force. A steadying energy.
Even so, it was clear that the bar wasn't her favorite place to be. She breathed a sigh of relief when he took her in back to show her the storeroom.
"Wait," she said, registering surprise at the shelves stacked with dry goods, non-perishable groceries, and other merchandise. "This place is also a store?"
"Of course."
She shot him a look over her shoulder. "You say that as if I shouldn't be surprised."
"Well, where did you think everyone out there got their supplies?"
"Somewhere other than the local bar," she shot back, making him smile at her sass. "I used to get mine at the grocery store."
"Well, we don't have one of those," Ty said. "Evander's is the closest trading post to the beta world around here. Pretty much all of the southern territory of the Pacific Boundarylands comes here to stock up."
"This place is important, isn't it?" Mia said thoughtfully.
"That's why everyone got riled when it shut down for a few days."
She rolled her eyes. "Now you're just trying to guilt me into liking the place."
"Is it working?" Ty asked, leaning his shoulder against the wall.
She shook her head even as that pretty pink blush spread across her cheeks. "Not in the slightest."
"You're not supposed to lie to me, remember," he growled.
She came over and wrapped her arms around his waist. She had to tilt her head back to let him look into those beautiful blue eyes.
"And you're not supposed to parade me in front of a pack of drunk alphas every night."
"My brothers know who you are," he reminded her. "They know you belong to me. There's not a soul out there who would dare touch you. I already promised you that. No one is ever going to take advantage of you again."
Her eyes crinkled at the corner as she smiled, and a giggle escaped her throat.
"What's so funny?"
"Just something Paige said," Mia answered. "She told me that I would be so much happier after the claiming bite, and I didn't believe her. I guess I owe her an apology."
"She's not the type to hold grudges," Ty shrugged. "Trust me. I know."
A second later, Samson stuck his head through the door. "Sorry to interrupt, but Russell and Gail are here to meet Mia."
Mia looked at him curiously. "Gail?"
"Another omega," Ty said, leading her out of the storeroom. "For a long time, the only one. But now there's three of you, which will make her very happy."
Her eyes widened in mock amazement. "Three? Wow. We're taking over the neighborhood."
"You won't hear Gail complaining."
"Won't complain about what?" a woman's voice asked from the closest stool at the bar. Gail was older than Mia by a couple of decades, but the silver in her hair did not detract from her timeless beauty. A huge smile was plastered on her face, and it only grew wider when she set eyes on Mia.
Her mate Russell, on the other hand, gave Mia a single silent nod of acknowledgment.
"Having another omega in the Boundarylands," Ty answered.
Without asking permission, Gail ran behind the bar and wrapped Mia in a big hug. Fortunately, Mia didn't seem to mind the affectionate introduction.
"You must be Gail," she said when the other omega finally pulled back.
"And you're Mia." Gail's gaze swept up and down Mia's body. Her expression went tight when it landed on the faint bruise that still lingered on Mia's cheek. "So, it's true. Those beta bastards attacked you."
"I also heard that Ty made sure that they had to drag him away in a body bag," Russell said.
Mia looked back and forth between the two. "News travels fast."
"Yeah, well, you're pretty big news," Gail said.
"No offense," Mia said. "But I'm looking forward to the day when I'm not."
"I bet that's true," Gail said with a laugh, returning to sit by Russell's side.
"You want a beer?" Ty asked.
Russell nodded. He was an alpha of few words, but Gail more than made up for him. Ty knew that they been mated for years already, but there was still a palpable fire between the two. It was enough to make him secure in his hopes for the future.
"I'll have a scotch and soda," Gail said.
Ty busied himself, pouring those two drinks as the women talked.
"I want to invite you to tea at my house on Tuesdays," Gail said. "Paige and I have been getting together every week since she arrived."
"For tea?" Mia asked with a smile. "Not scotch?"
"Not until after Paige has her pup," Gail laughed. "Anyway, I'd love it if you would come and visit us."
Mia turned to Ty with a hopeful look in her eyes.
He shrugged. "I don't see any problem."
H was rewarded with a bright smile that lit up her face.
"Thank you," she said, giving him a spontaneous hug before he was able to place the drinks down on the bar. A splash of Gail's drink ended up on Mia's shoes, but she didn't seem to notice. "The thought of having friends is…"
She looked up at the ceiling, struggling to find the words.
"A lifesaver," Gail offered up.
"Exactly."
Chapter Thirteen
Tuesday couldn't come fast enough.
It wasn't that Mia was unsatisfied with her new life. Far from it. The truth was everything really was better than before.
She and Ty couldn't get enough of each other, day and night.
Working at the bar was difficult, but Ty was patient, showing her, again and again, the correct way to pour and mix and shake, and the customers were surprisingly kind.
She hadn't expected such easy acceptance from a bar full of alphas.
Well, mostly alphas, anyway. On some nights, a few trusted betas came, most of them men who traded with the residents of the Boundarylands.
Mia quickly learned that there was one simple rule in the Boundarylands—respect, and you will be respected.
She'd already seen the consequences of breaking that rule—break the rule, break your neck.
Fortunately, nothing like that had happened at Evander's since she began working behind the bar. For the most part, individuals who didn't get along knew to stay out of each other's way, and no one seemed interested in provoking anyone else.
But as surprisingly pleasant as her time in the bar was, it still wasn't the social interaction that Mia craved. She didn't just want respect. She wanted to laugh and smile and feel at ease around people who really understood her.
She wanted friends.
And that was why Tuesday couldn't come fast enough.
By the time Ty was driving up t
he tree-lined path to Gail's house, Mia felt like she was going to burst with anticipation. She couldn't imagine how Gail had managed as the sole omega for so many years. It must have driven her mad with loneliness.
A wave of happiness hit her as Ty rounded the curve, and she saw Gail and a very pregnant Paige already sitting on the porch. Their alphas looked up from the opposite corner, where they were sitting and talking.
"Thank you for bringing me out here," Mia told Ty.
"Anything to make you happy."
She leaned over and kissed him, almost overwhelmed by her love for him. Mia hadn't believed that Paige could be telling the truth, but she was so happy, it was almost overwhelming. Never in her life had Mia dreamed that love like theirs was even possible.
She jumped out of the truck and bounded up the steps. Gail rose from her seat to wrap her in a big hug, but Paige stayed in her seat, hands folded over her round belly.
"I'm so glad you could make it," Gail said.
"I wouldn't have missed seeing you both again," Mia said. "Not for anything."
Paige smiled up at her. "Excuse me for not getting up. It's getting harder and harder to move around. Once I'm down these days, I'm there for a while."
Mia beamed down at her new friend. "No apologies needed." She leaned over and wrapped a hug around Paige's shoulders. "You're glowing."
"That's a nice way of saying that the slightest movement makes me sweat."
"That's not what I meant at all," she said. "You look amazing."
"And you look a hell of a lot better than the last time I saw you," Paige said. "Happier…and less kidnapped."
Mia laughed…actually laughed out loud. She couldn't believe that less than a week after having her life threatened, she'd be laughing with friends. But then again, almost everything about her life surprised her now.
But apparently, not everyone shared the humor of the situation. Behind her, Mia felt Ty tense as his hand gripped her shoulder more tightly.
"I don't understand how you can find that funny," he said. "You could have been killed."
Gail waved her hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it, Ty. Poor Russell and Kian have been trying to figure out our omega sense of humor for months now."
"You can't figure out something that doesn't make sense," Kian said. "I don't even try anymore."
"We just leave them here to giggle at nonsense while we go do something productive," Russell agreed.
Ty's expression tightened. "What did you have in mind?"
"I've been working on restoring a water pipeline about a mile from the house," Russell said.
Mia and Ty shared a look. A mile—that wasn't too far away.
"That sounds okay," he said with a nod.
Without another word, the alphas headed off to get to work.
They couldn't have been more than a hundred feet away when Gail started laughing again.
"Well, it's about time," she said. "I thought they were never going to get to work and give us some space."
Gail reached over the small table at her side and poured Mia a cup of tea.
"Ty's still hesitant to leave me alone," Mia admitted.
"I'm not surprised," Paige said, taking a sip from her own cup. "After what happened, it's a wonder that he's willing to let you out of his sight at all."
"Honestly, so am I," Mia admitted. "I wasn't sure he ever would."
"Both of you have been through so much." Sympathy tinged Gail's words.
"Yeah, but it's all over now," Mia said.
Paige's eyes narrowed. "Are you sure?"
Mia took a sip. The tea was strong and flavorful. The porcelain cup felt fragile and feminine in her hands. She wondered if Ty could order one for her. It was the kind of thing she'd like to have in the house—something pretty and impractical that was just for her.
She nodded. "The FBI left the parking lot of the bar."
"Yes," Paige said cautiously. "But that was only the FBI."
"What do you mean?" Mia asked, cocking her head.
"The man who came after you a week ago wasn't an agent," Paige said. "He was military."
"No one's seen any soldiers either since then," Mia said.
Paige shot Gail a concerned look. It must have been a contagious one because the other omega's looked worried too.
"I think that's the point," Gail said. "If the man who captured you was from a special forces unit, you might not see the next until it's too late."
"I hate to ask, but…would your father give up so easily?" Paige asked.
Mia's face fell.
No. He wouldn't. Senator Baird never gave up on anything. Not unless he was forced to. Not unless someone stopped him.
But maybe that had happened.
The truth was she didn't know. Being in the Boundarylands meant being almost completely out of touch with the beta world. She didn't know if Agent Christie had been successful in taking down her father.
Mia could only pray that he had.
Her feelings about him had changed since coming here. The nagging sense of shame she had carried all her life—that somehow she was responsible for the way he treated her—had vanished completely, giving way to smoldering anger. At first, it felt uncomfortable, and Mia wished she could simply forget him completely. But as the days passed and her confidence grew, a nagging sense grew inside Mia that her father should be made to pay for the way he had hurt her.
She had never mentioned this to Ty, fearful that she might ignite his fury when there was nothing to be done about it. Instead, she took comfort in the certainty that she would never allow any man to mistreat her again—and that Ty would make sure she'd never have to make that decision.
The wind kicked up around the porch, sending leaves and brush skittering past. The women had to grab at their napkins to keep them from flying away.
"Let's talk about something else," Mia said over the roar of wind. "Something happier. Like what you might name the pup."
Paige smiled at the change of conversation. "I like Wyatt if it's an alpha, and Isobel if it's an omega, but Kian still isn't sure."
The wind grew stronger. So strong that Mia had to hold onto both the cup and the saucer to keep them from falling out of her grasp.
Suddenly she realized that it wasn't just wind blowing down on them as a strange sound filled the air. Slow and rhythmic…and somehow familiar. Mia felt like she once knew the sound but had forgotten it.
Whomp. Whomp. Whomp.
It came faster. Louder.
The wind blew harder.
And then it came to her all of a sudden.
Helicopter blades.
Oh, shit.
Mia jumped up from the porch and ran out onto the lawn in front of Gail's house. Sure enough, two black helicopters were coming in fast, speeding across the sky toward her.
The blood drained from Mia's face as she realized what was going on.
This wasn't some lone soldier hiding behind a tree, waiting for her to amble past.
This was a full-on assault.
With a plummeting heart, she realized that Agent Christie hadn't been able to stop her father after all.
"Get Paige inside," Mia shouted to Gail above the deafening roar of the blades. "Lock the door and don't come out."
"Come with us," Gail shouted back.
Mia shook her head. "If I do, they'll raid the house looking for me. We'll all die. Now go save that pup."
Gail didn't waste any more time arguing. She grabbed both of Paige's hands and helped the pregnant omega to her feet, practically dragging her inside. The front door slammed behind them just as the helicopter arms hit the ground.
Mia took a defiant stance as the black matte doors slid open, and six heavily armed soldiers jumped out. She knew there was no point in running. These men would happily shoot her in the back. If she was going to die, she would meet her death head on.
But the soldiers weren't alone. Another man stepped out with them, a tall figure that Mia knew well.
"F
ather," she muttered in disbelief.
What the hell was he doing here?
Her father may have been a devious and diabolical bastard, but he wasn't reckless. He wouldn't have come here unless there was a damn good reason.
She crossed her arms and waited.
A part of her still hoped he'd come to apologize, to beg her forgiveness, and tell her that everything was all right. That old pathetic fantasy shattered the second he stepped out of the shadows and into the sunlight, and she saw the hard, calculating look in his eyes.
"So it's true," he said with disgust. "You've turned."
Anger rose inside Mia. He made it sound like she was milk that had been left out on the counter all night.
"And you want me dead." She figured there was no point beating around the bush.
The line of his mouth tightened.
"I never wished for that, dear," he said. "I was hoping that the FBI agent who came to my office spouting wild accusations was mistaken about your nature."
Yeah, right. Mia didn't believe that for a second.
"But he wasn't," Mia said, matching his icy tone. "So…?"
Her father's eyes narrowed. "So, now I'm here to do what has to be done. What others were too weak to do."
Mia didn't expect to see any regret or sadness in his grey eyes, and she wasn't disappointed. No doubt, he was saving all of those emotions for the press conference.
"You're not here to do a damn thing," she said.
There was no doubt that her father was a ruthless bastard, but he never got blood on his own hands. Ever. He always arranged things so no blame would ever stick to him.
So why was here at all?
Mia knew it wasn't out of some misguided sense of responsibility or guilt. Her father didn't experience those emotions.
"That's true," her father acknowledged. "These men will."
Mia shook her head. Deep down, she knew that wasn't going to happen. Ty had made her a promise. And she knew that he would keep it. He would never let anyone hurt her.
"Hurt me, and you'll be signing your own death warrant," she spat. "Ty won't sleep until he pulls the bones from your body."
"Ty?" Her father laughed. "That must be your mongrel's name."
Ty (The Boundarylands Omegaverse Book 2) Page 12
