Page 44 of Vendetta

Chapter 30

Nico

“She’s going to run,” I said to Cruz as he dumped a stack of papers and the computer we’d liberated from Bruna into the Bentley.

“Yeah, she is,” he replied, his voice dripping with anticipation.

Oliver was going to have fun tracking down her associates and extorting them for the money they’d otherwise use to buy omegas. He enjoyed it as much as my bank account did.

The shoulder of Cruz’s jacket was silhouetted in the moonlight where Rosa crouched behind a tree off the side of the drive. Now that we were away from the barn, her smoky rose scent teased me on the cool night air. Her perfume was inescapable. It’d haunted me the entire time she’d been gone. Those pheromones were why she had to be in the trunk. My control was hanging by a thread. I was trying to keep her away from me, but the harder I tried, the harder she made it. She was dangerous. Addictive.

Every breath of her perfume dug the claws of our connection deeper, puncturing my flesh right down to bone. My emotions bled through the last shreds of resistance. This was why she needed to go back into the trunk. This was why I could not be trusted with her. I wanted to fuck her into oblivion, not kill her. The brief embrace in the barn was nowhere near enough, but I had to stay away from her.

How the fuck was I supposed to follow my father’s orders when she was everything I’d ever wanted.

Seeing her in that cage had nearly brought me to my knees and had me wishing the circumstances were anything but what they were. Even the brief moment she cuddled into me before she realized what was happening was a moment of blissful clarity. She was my obsession, and it was only getting worse.

The bushes rustled from her hiding place, but the jacket hadn’t moved, so she hadn’t run yet, but I was expecting it. I was almost looking forward to chasing her down and pinning her in the dirt in that ridiculous gown. All she had to do was give me an excuse.

A flash of white across the meadow caught my attention. Predictable omega. A growl rumbled in my throat even as a smile played across my lips. She’d propped the jacket against the tree so it looked like she was still there and bolted, but her dress, even as dirty as it was, gave her away.

The primal instinct to chase flooded up my spine. “Cruz, circle around to the right. I’ll take the left.”

She wasn’t fast enough to outrun us, but she might be able to outthink us—if she was clever. I sprinted into the woods, my strides devouring the space that separated where the flash of satin had been. My feet crashed through the brush, and I saw it again. When I reached the other side of the clearing, all that was left was a strip of white fabric tied to a branch, flapping in the breeze.

Cunning little fox.

I turned slowly, scenting the air, searching for any movement in the shadow of the trees. Then I heard it, the snap of a twig. I took off in that direction, gunning for my prey.

Rosalina

I tossed a pebble in the opposite direction, holding my breath for fear he might hear me. The fabric decoy had half worked, but I hadn’t put enough distance between us. He shot past my hiding place, chasing that errant sound, his strong shoulders flexing under his black dress shirt.

“I heard that, little omega. You’re going to regret this when I catch you,” Nico called into the darkness.

Chills rippled across my skin. Chills of nervous fear, but also excitement. Why did he have to be involved in this, and why did he have to smell so good? That brief moment in his arms after he’d freed me from the cage, I thought I’d been safe, only to realize he was behind this whole thing.

Who the fuck was this guy?

I eased back on my heels, thankful for the soft soled slippers that I’d managed to keep on my feet. When I couldn’t hear his footfalls anymore, I stood and tiptoed as quickly as I dared in the opposite direction.

The leaf litter wasn’t doing me any favors, rustling softly with every step. Despite the dappled moonlight, it was impossible to pick my path with any precision. I was betting on luck and a prayer as I moved through the underbrush. Luck hadn’t been on my side for quite some time, so I didn’t know why I thought it would help me now.

I just had to make it to a road and flag down a car. I could do this.

When I took my next step, I heard a cracking, and the leaves shifted over the top of a hollow log.

Oh, fuck, I’m gonna fall. I wobbled, my arms flailing, trying to stay upright.

My breath seized.

They were going to find me.

I tried to catch myself, but my foot crunched through the rotten wood, and I crashed to my knees. I scrambled to my feet, but my slipper was caught. There was no time to worry about that as in the distance, an explosion of movement shattered the silence.

Shit. He was coming.

Leaving the wayward shoe behind, I grabbed the skirt of my dress and ran, leaping over fallen logs and darting between trees. Despite my best efforts, the pounding of heavy footfalls was getting closer. My pulse thrashed in my ears, and my lungs burned as I pushed my legs to keep going.