Shared by the Alphas

by Jayce Carter

  Even the idea of finding someone else on his own sounded as appetizing as eating garbage.

  “What?” Daniel’s voice rose as he walked back toward the porch. “That’s not possible. He was just here.”

  Kyle was on his feet a moment later, the two exchanging heavy looks, as if they knew each other well enough to identify the exact meaning behind an expression.

  “No. I have no idea. Fuck. I’ll call you right back.” He dropped the phone from his ear and turned a look on all three of them. “We have a problem. The real agent was found dead in his apartment. Whoever took Tiffany isn’t him.”

  Kane didn’t bother to halt his snarl that time.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Tiffany ignored the vibrating of her phone. She’d thought she’d have at least an hour before the men called her. She’d prepared herself for it, been ready to ignore the calls.

  At least for a while. She doubted she could keep that up for long. Already she missed the men’s rough voices. She missed the careful way Marshall spoke, his words sweet and quiet. She missed Kieran’s exact language, proper and always this side of annoyed. She even missed the way Kane cursed, his lips always pulled into a smile as he did so to lessen the sting.

  How the hell was she going to last without them when even after twenty minutes she felt lost?

  Her phone went off again, so she twisted to look at it. Kane that time?

  Finally, she gave in and answered. “I know you said you’d find me, but I thought I’d have at least a day before you tried.

  “I need you to listen closely, doll. Don’t react, don’t let on. Tell me it’s nice to hear from me.”

  Tiffany frowned, but the seriousness in Kane’s voice had her following the direction. “It’s nice to hear from you.” She lifted her gaze to the rear-view mirror where the beta driving stared at her with such intensity, she fought a shudder.

  “Good girl. The driver isn’t the agent the FBI sent. I don’t know who he is, but I can guess he wants that drive. Answer my questions but don’t make it obvious what we’re talking about. Are you on the same road or have you turned off?”

  A lump in Tiffany’s throat made answering difficult, but she did it anyway. “No, haven’t seen him in a while.”

  “So, you’ve turned off. Do you know the street?”

  She shook her head before remembering he couldn’t see that. “No.”

  “Did you make it past the freeway onramp?”

  They played the game, a back and forth with him asking and her giving him answers she hoped he could understand. All the while, she tried to plaster on her normal ‘everything is fine’ face.

  “We’re going to find you, doll,” Kane promised. “You gotta stay calm, though. Play along until we get there. I know you, I know you’re all fire a lot of the time, but you gotta think shit through. You can do that, can’t you?”

  She wasn’t sure right then. She wanted to yank the handle of the door and jump out, consequences be damned. She wanted to kick the back of his seat or grab the wheel and pull it hard to the left. Something.

  Waiting wasn’t what she was good at, wasn’t something she did well. She tended toward impulsiveness. She liked to come up with a plan, no matter how far-fetched, and act immediately.

  Kane’s rough voice came again when she didn’t answer. “You can do that, Tiff, I know you can. Just gotta hold out a little while.”

  She nodded. “Yeah, I can do that.”

  “That’s my girl,” he growled back. “We’ve mapped out about where we think you are. Coming up is a mall. Get him to stop there. Play along, do whatever you have to.”

  Tiffany drew a deep breath, trying to draw on Kane’s belief in her. “Okay. I’ll see you then.”

  The line went dead, and Tiffany slipped the phone into her back pocket.

  “Who was that?” Jake, or whoever he was, asked. Despite his face still having that same smile, his voice had taken on a sharp edge.

  Tiffany used her best fake smile, the one she reserved for difficult customers who ordered difficult drinks to be pretentious assholes. “A friend. Well, sort of.” She tried to keep her voice steady. “I’m sorry, it’s weird to not have to keep secrets, you know? It’s one of the omegas I’ve been helping.”

  His eyebrow raised, but his gaze lost some of its suspicion. “Do you know many of these omegas? Because we have departments whose entire job is trying to help them. I hate to think of them out there, alone in the world at in danger.”

  No, you just want to be able to find them to sell them. You won’t get within a mile of any of them, I swear.

  “Really? Well, that would be great. I’ve got at least ten or so who could use some help.”

  “Ten?” The sparkle in his eye made her want to throw up.

  “Probably more in the end. We keep things sort of separate, so no one person knows everything. It’s safer that way. It’s why I sent a copy of the drive to one of them.”

  His hands tightened on the steering wheel. “You sent a copy to someone? You didn’t mention that. The alphas didn’t mention that.”

  “I don’t trust alphas, so I didn’t tell them.”

  He reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Very well. That information is important and if anyone knows she has it, she could be in danger. Call her and have her meet us at…” He moved his fingers over the infotainment center. “There is small mall up ahead, on Arrow and Sixteenth. Tell her to meet you near the south-west entryway and to bring the drive.”

  Tiffany nodded and pulled her phone again.

  Perfect.

  It would at least thirty minutes for the alphas to arrive. While the trip had taken nearer to an hour for the beta and her, they’d traveled the speed limit. She had no doubt that Kane would do a hundred and make the trip in a fraction of the time.

  They sat on a bench inside the south-west entrance, facing the door. He had taken her phone after the call, telling her it could be traced.

  She’d wanted to tell him to shove it. She’d wanted to use the phone and slam it against his temple. It would have done no good.

  The beta had been quiet, his body language careful but not overly concerned. Then again, why would he be? He expected to get everything he wanted. More omegas, his missing drive and her silence.

  “Where is she?” The beta’s question held frustration.

  Her time was running out. He’d only wait so long before deciding the risk was no longer worth it.

  Tiffany stood and squinted. “Is that her?”

  He followed her lead, staring off toward the other side of the mall. “Where?”

  She pointed, taking a few steps in that direction. “That way. Tall woman, blonde hair.”

  He leaned in that direction, gaze locked on the far side of the square-shaped mall.

  Tiffany took the chance and darted in the other direction, pushing between the crowds, trying to put as much distance between her and the man as possible. She needed to buy a little more time.

  My mates had better hurry up.

  * * * *

  Marshall tried to remain calm as they approached the mall. Tiffany had gotten the beta to do exactly as they needed, and while she couldn’t tell them the entire plan, it seemed she’d tricked him into believe she’d given a copy of the drive to a friend.

  Daniel and Kyle had come as well—useful backup. They’d found the SUV the beta had driven first, and in the glovebox had been the original man’s identification. Daniel had pulled the battery to ensure he couldn’t make a getaway in that.

  Still, they had to find Tiffany inside, and without being noticed.

  The beta had seen their faces, and even if he wasn’t expecting trouble, he’d realize the game the moment he saw any of them.

  This is all our fault. If we’d only listened, she wouldn’t have felt like she needed to leave, would have never gotten into this position, would have—

  Kane elbowed him hard. “Stop thinking. There’s time for that later.”

&n
bsp; “We were supposed to protect her. It was our only job, and we couldn’t manage it.”

  “Well, this shit takes time, huh? You always make your worst mistakes at the start.”

  “This had better be the worst mistake. I don’t think I can handle more of this.” Marshall rubbed his heel against his chest as they made their way through the door. “How can you be calm?”

  “Calm? This ain’t calm.”

  “Then what is it?”

  Kane nodded down toward his hip. In his hand, he palmed a blade near his thigh. “Let’s say I’m looking forward to being able to explain to that son-of-a-bitch what a mistake he made in fucking with our mate.”

  And for the first time, Marshall was quite okay with bloodshed.

  Tiffany curled her fingers around the USB drive still hanging around her neck. Her back pressed against a corner of the mall in one of the connecting hallways that went through the middle space. She’d ducked through crowds, trying to keep a few steps ahead of the beta.

  Worse? She couldn’t ask anyone for help. He had the badge from the real agent, which meant all he had to do was flash that and no one would stop him from hauling her off.

  She had to stay out of his grasp until Kane, Marshall and Kieran showed up. That was what she held on to, the fact that her alphas were coming.

  And she knew they were coming. No matter how unsure things were, no matter how much hurt she still held for the things that had happened, she knew they’d come. It was something deep inside her, a truth. If she needed them, they’d be there. Nothing would stop them, and she’d do the same for each of them.

  She softly banged the back of her head against the wall, her hands trembling. She wanted to run. She wanted to not move a muscle. More than anything, she wanted to see her mates.

  She’d evaded the beta for what had to be ten or fifteen minutes. That meant Kieran and the others had to be there. Hiding in a hallway wouldn’t help her at all.

  Tiffany took a deep breath, then walked slowly from her hiding spot. She set one foot in front of the other, steps soft, weight on the balls of her feet. At the end of the hallway, where it intersected with the main walkways of the mall, Tiffany peered around the corner.

  People walked, unaware of what was happening around them. It made her want to shake them, to wake them up.

  Instead, she peered through the groupings of people, searching for a glimpse of her alphas.

  Across the mall, down the walkway, she caught sight of a face that made her knees weak.

  I never knew I’d be this happy to see that grumpy alpha.

  Kieran’s gaze searched the passing people, his face hard. Ah, that was the look she’d missed, the one when he was focused on a goal, when nothing else mattered.

  Tiffany pulled the drive from her neck, holding it in her hand as she tried to make her way toward him. As soon as she reached him, she’d be safe. Together, she was sure nothing could touch her.

  Kieran spotted her. His focus locked in so fast, Tiffany’s breath caught. He took a step toward her, all but shoving someone in his path.

  She went toward him, twisting to move through the crowds, so close she could see the flash of anger in his eyes, that temper she already missed.

  As she neared, as she rejoiced in feeling like they might make it out alive, she was yanked to a stop by a hand around her arm and something sharp pressed to her side.

  “Not so fast,” snarled a voice into her ear.

  The beta had found her.

  Kieran stopped short, his lip pulled up to bare his teeth at the man who had Tiffany. The widening of her eyes and the way her body leaned away said he’d pressed something to her side. A gun? A knife?

  No one touches my mate.

  His mind roared, all the reasons he should let her go disappearing. There was no question about whether he’d keep her, whether he was good for her, whether she’d run off the moment she had second thoughts. In that moment, the only thing in his head was that she was his, and he didn’t plan to lose her to some asshole.

  He kept coming forward until only a few feet separated them, until Kieran could spot the knife pressed against her ribs. One hard thrust as he could drive it into her, possibly even pierce her heart.

  “Stay there,” the beta ordered.

  Kieran held his position. “You have to know you can’t escape this.”

  “All I want is the drive. Let me have that, and I’ll walk out of here.”

  The lie was easy to spot. It was in the puffing of the man’s chest and the tremble of his hand. He wouldn’t let her go.

  Tiffany pulled at where he held her, a soft jerk, as if testing. “You’re not getting it, you asshole.”

  The beta responded by digging the knife in deeper to her side. “You know, I’ve dealt with a lot of omegas. You all think you’re so special, but you know what I’ve realized? You aren’t. You’re no different than any other cunt.”

  “Why? Because none of us want anything to do with you?” She bared her teeth, the same temper Kieran had, the one he loved in himself and terrified him in her.

  The beta twisted his wrist, dragging the blade against her side. It opened a wound, shallow but long, before he pressed the pointed tip against her again. “You think you’ll be the first I’ve done away with for a smart mouth? I’d planned on handing you over, on seeing you get taken down a few pegs in the auctions. You wouldn’t be so high and mighty once you were passed around like a party favor. Too bad, though, it looks like you’ll bleed out here, and I’ll take the drive.”

  He reached up to her throat, feeling for the string of the necklace, only he couldn’t find it.

  Tiffany met Kieran’s gaze before she shifted, her arm coming forward. Across the short distance, she. tossed the drive, the beta too distracted to stop her before it came sailing at Kieran.

  He lifted his hand to catch it, but right then, he didn’t care about the drive. All he cared about was his mate and the asshole who still had a knife to her.

  Red leaked from her side, the sight forcing energy to buzz through Kieran’s body. His mind circled around his desire to tear the beta apart. He wanted to spill his blood and lay what was left at Tiffany’s feet.

  However, that would have to wait. For now, the drive was their bargaining chip. And her trusting him with it humbled him. She could have done anything, but she’d chosen to rely on him. He couldn’t let her down.

  The beta moved the blade to her throat. “Give me that!” He leveled a frantic look at Kieran. Frightened people made bad choices, which meant Kieran had to be even more cautious.

  Kieran held the drive up, keeping the beta’s gaze locked on it. If he charged forward, if he went for his gun, Tiffany was dead. One hard yank and the blade would slice into her throat. There’d be little chance to save her if that happened.

  That can’t happen.

  What were his options? His mind searched for another way, for another path. If Tiffany moved or struggled, she risked the blade. If he did anything, they risked the same.

  Indecision wasn’t something he liked. What the fuck was he supposed to do?

  Movement behind the beta caught his attention. Not the mindless running from people who noticed the altercation, who saw the knife and took off. Instead, it was his only chance.

  Like before, he’d come to realize the real lesson he’d been forced to learn over the past few weeks. He took a deep breath before twitching his hand to keep the beta’s attention as Kane and Marshall crept from behind him.

  The sharp blade against Tiffany’s throat made each swallow dangerous. It pressed tight enough that she’d likely have a mark even if he didn’t kill her. He won’t. Kieran won’t let it happen.

  The thought made her frown. She’d never trusted someone else like that, had never been willing to listen, to wait. Yet, she’d known the moment she’d seen him that doing things on her own had gotten her nowhere. All that struggling and fighting had only landed her in trouble and broken her heart. The only time in her life she
’d ever been happy, ever felt complete, was when she’d given in and trusted.

  Not just Kieran, but Kane and Marshall as well. So, she had to do that then. She had to remain still, to not fight it, to do the one thing she’d never done before.

  Trust.

  “Throw it to me!” The beta slid his hand in to her hair and held her tight, pulling her head back to expose her throat more fully. “I have no problem killing her.”

  The drive dangled in Kieran’s grip like a lure. “How do I know you’ll let her go?”

  “You don’t have another choice.”

  Kieran leveled his gaze on Tiffany, that hard face so familiar, his eyes telling her something. The exact words she didn’t know, but she got the point of it. He was telling her, in his own hard-headed way, that he was sorry.

  She didn’t have time to consider it before he moved. He tossed the drive toward her.

  No, not to her, but to the beta, who was forced to release her to reach for the drive. He let go of her hair, the blade moving from her throat. The drive landed in his palm, and everything spun.

  Tiffany was pulled against a hard chest, a furious growl rumbling through it. She shoved, wanting to get away, but a hand behind her head pulled her face against a body, and she recognized the scent. Marshall.

  Her body went lax, the same relief she’d had when she’d spotted Kieran. She wasn’t alone.

  Even as she enjoyed the moment of reprieve, she pushed against him, needing to see what was happening. Kieran was there, the beta, and she had to know everyone was safe. Marshall let her twist her head enough to find Kane rising, the beta’s body on the ground, blood dripping from a long blade in Kane’s hand, the drive clutched in his other. He turned his gaze up to Tiffany’s, that hardness there she’d glimpsed before, and not a speck of regret.

  While Kane was gentle with her, this was her first glimpse of what other people saw. This was the Kane that other people feared.

  Still, he only dropped the bloodied knife beside the beta’s unmoving body as if it didn’t matter and handed her the drive like offering her up flowers.