It wasn't like being an omega was a treatable medical condition. There was no hospital or rehabilitation center where he could send her.
She'd be a liability. A black mark on her father's reputation. A burden that would bring his poll numbers down. She knew her father would never stand for that.
Her fear must have shown because Ty leaned forward. Reaching all the way across the table, he took her hand. Instantly, Mia felt a surge of calm. She was amazed by how quickly and completely her anxiety receded.
"Don't worry." This time the intensity in his voice was a comfort. "I won't let anyone hurt you ever again."
And Mia believed him.
She could feel the truth in his touch. His words weren't filled with fake promises or comforting lies. Everything he said was honest and true. She knew Ty was going to take care of it.
Take care of her.
But at what cost?
"You're not going to hurt anyone, are you?" She couldn't help asking the question. She had to know.
"I can't promise you that."
"You have to." Mia grasped his hand even tighter.
"No, I don't." His eyes turned hard. His mouth pressed into a flat line. "The only thing I owe you is the truth. I don't understand why you care. You're terrified of these people. I smelled it on you that first night, and I smell it now."
"You have to understand—these people are my friends and my family," she tried.
Not even a flicker of sympathy showed on Ty's face. "Which of them hurt you—the friends or the family?"
Mia felt the sting of tears. She closed her eyes and turned away.
At least she tried. But Ty cupped her cheek and forced her to face him.
"Tell me what they did to you."
Mia bit her lip. There was no way in hell she was going to tell him what her father had done because she knew deep down there was no way he'd understand.
Sure, her father had corrected her in the past. His self-centered drive for power scared the shit out of her, but the man was still her father. She wasn't about to serve him up to an alpha twice his size.
"I'm sorry," she said, choking back a sob. "I can't do this."
Ty stared at her for a few more seconds before wiping away her tears with the pad of his thumb.
"Don't apologize," he said, standing up. "I've pushed you too hard again. You're still recovering from your first heat."
Mia nodded her thanks as Ty strode to another room. Soon, she heard the sound of rushing water. When he came back to the couch, he lifted her up.
"What are you doing?"
"Drawing you a bath."
"You have hot water here?" Mia's eyes widened in surprise. How was that possible?
"There's a network of hot springs that run through these hills," Ty answered. "The first thing everyone learns to build when they come here is a plumbing system."
A hot spring providing water to bathe… maybe this place wasn't as horrible as Mia had feared.
He carried her into a room with a beautiful white cast iron tub. Steam rose from the water pouring from the faucet. Ty pulled the blanket away from her chest and let it drop to the floor. Then he gently lowered her naked body into the water.
Mia let out a deep sigh as she sunk into the embrace of the hot bath. Her sore muscles practically cried out in pleasure.
Strangely, she didn't feel a shred of shame with her body exposed. She didn't even feel the need to cover up the parts of herself she didn't like. Being naked near him just felt…right.
If she was honest, Mia had to admit that she liked the way Ty's gaze felt as he watched her. The way his breath deepened as his eyes fixed on her breasts. The way he flicked his tongue over his lower lip when his gaze drifted downward.
"You should spend at least a couple hours in here before getting out," Ty said, backing away. "After that, you can rest until I get back."
Wait. He was leaving?
"Where are you going?"
"There's some business I have to take care of down at the bar," he said.
Despite the steaming water, a chill ran up Mia's spine. "You can't leave me here."
"I won't be long."
"But—" Mia choked on the words she didn't want to admit, but they came out on their own. Almost as if she had no control over them. "But I don't want to be alone."
The line of Ty's jaw hardened. She could tell from the tension around his eyes that he didn't want to go either. "I wouldn't be going if it wasn't vital."
Mia wrapped her fingers around the edge of the tub. She wanted to lift herself up, to put herself between him and the door, but she lacked the strength.
"You're going to talk to the FBI, aren't you?"
"The sooner I do, the sooner they leave."
Maybe if anyone other than her father was involved, that would be true, but Mia knew her dad too well. There was no way he would be swayed by the will of a stranger—especially an alpha.
"Please don't hurt anyone."
Ty paused at the door.
"I'll be back before dark."
That's what his mouth said, but the stony hardness in his eyes said something else entirely.
No promises.
Chapter Six
Samson hadn't been exaggerating. The outsiders really had set up camp in the parking lot of his bar. Cars, trucks, a goddam RV—all of them glossy government black, of course—took up nearly every inch of the parking lot.
The betas had come prepared to stay awhile.
Too fucking bad.
Ty was about to send them home early.
He smashed his foot down on his truck's brake pedal as he made the turn, sending dust and gravel flying high into the air. He killed the engine and threw open his door. Twenty or so beta faces snapped his way as he stepped down.
"Who's in charge?" he demanded.
They all stared at him, not one daring to move. His parking lot had turned into a frozen sea of ill-fitting black suits and gaping mouths.
"Get me the beta in charge now," Ty shouted again.
That did it. One of the suits was rattled out of his stupor. He ran over to the RV in the center of the caravan and pounded on the door. After three hard knocks, it finally opened.
Ty crossed his arms and leaned back against the hood of his truck as a man in a slightly nicer suit than the others' stepped out. This beta didn't seem particularly awestruck or afraid as he looked Ty over. Streaks of silver shone in his dark, slicked-back hair. A network of faint lines at the corners of his eyes suggested he'd seen something of the world.
"You must be Mr. Wick," the beta said.
Mister? Nobody ever called him that.
"My name is Ty."
"I'm Agent Michael Christie." The beta stepped forward with a confidence that Ty rarely saw in outsiders. The man wasn't cocky—Ty caught a healthy whiff of fear in his sweat, and there was a healthy measure of respect in his gaze. He was even smart enough to stop with a good ten foot buffer between them. "I'm the lead agent on this assignment."
Just as Samson had said—the man appeared to be reasonable.
"What assignment?" Ty said. "The treaty clearly states that beta laws don't apply past the boundary."
"True." The agent nodded. "I don't claim to have any authority over you or your land."
Good. At least that was clear.
"But betas do have certain rights in neutral territory," Agent Christie continued. "Including the right to congregate and ask questions without fear of bodily harm."
"You've been to the Boundarylands before, haven't you?" Ty ventured a guess.
"I have," the agent said. "Though it is my first visit to the Pacific Northwest. All of my previous cases have been in the Southeast Boundarylands."
"They must do things differently down there," Ty said, shifting his weight on the hood. "We're don't generally welcome large groups of outsiders."
The agent nodded his understanding. "I understand that our presence here is upsetting many of your alpha brothers. You have my apologies f
or that."
"Does that mean you're leaving?"
The beta's lips pressed together as he shook his head. "Unfortunately, not yet. I've been sent here to do a job, and I cannot leave until it's done."
The agent didn't look any happier with the answer than Ty was, but at least the man wasn't trying to blow smoke up his ass. He was being honest. Ty could respect that.
Ty wasn't so sure about the other agents. Some of them reeked of nervous tension. Others were staring at him with thinly veiled disgust. He didn't trust a single one of them. They were too young, too inexperienced. The kind of betas with hair-trigger instincts and something to prove.
"I'm thirsty," Ty said, pushing himself off the truck. He started for the bar door and didn't look back. "If you want to ask questions, you'll have to ask them inside the bar. Alone."
A chorus of protests rose up as Agent Christie followed a few steps behind. Apparently, his underlings didn't like the thought of losing sight of their leader.
Tough shit. Ty didn't like them filling up his parking lot with their bullshit.
He felt some of his tension ease the second he stepped inside. The place was packed—an unusual sight for a Wednesday afternoon. Some of these alphas he only saw on the Friday nights when Nicki brought her girls in. But it seemed that after four days' lockdown, everyone was thirsty for a beer and game of pool.
Samson gave Ty a nod of welcome from behind the bar. "I see you met Agent Christie."
The beta wisely left an empty stool between himself and Ty as he took a seat.
"Two beers," Ty said.
Samson nodded and poured from a tap as Ty and the beta sized each other up in silence. The agent pulled out his wallet and slid Samson a bill large enough to cover drinks for everyone in the place.
"It was wise to open up the bar," the agent said before taking a sip. "Tensions eased immediately."
"They would disappear if you'd pack up your caravan and leave."
"I really wish I could," the agent sighed.
"But you have a job to do," Ty finished for him. "So, do it. I know you've been waiting to talk to me. Here I am. Talk."
The beta took another long and fortifying swig. When he put down his glass, his steady, unflinching gaze hinted at why he had been promoted to lead agent.
"I'm looking for a beta woman named Mia Baird," Christie said.
"I don't know any betas with that name."
The agent's brows inched up. This couldn't be new information to him, but it was obvious from his expression that it wasn't the news he'd been hoping for.
"So…she is an omega?" Christie asked carefully.
Ty pulled his shoulders back, instinctually reminding the beta who and what he was dealing with. "She's my omega."
The beta's expression tightened. He obviously wasn't looking forward to saying whatever was on his mind.
"No disrespect intended, but that's not exactly true, is it?"
Ty's eyes narrowed. "Are you calling me a liar?"
"Not at all," Christie said. "I believe that you were the first to find Miss Baird. I have no doubt that it was your…touch…that revealed her true nature. And since this bar has been closed for four days, I'm reasonably sure that you've been by her side through her first heat."
"That makes her mine," Ty said.
The beta slowly shook his head. "No. A claiming bite seals the bond between an alpha and an omega."
"And how do you know that hers isn't healing now?"
"Because only a female can initiate a claiming bite," Agent Christie said. "She has to choose you before you can reciprocate the bite. I haven't seen a trace of a mark the whole time we've been talking. There's not a single drop of blood on your shirt. The skin around your shoulder isn't puckered or red."
Fuck. The beta appeared to have spent considerable time in the Boundarylands. He knew far more about their ways than he had a right to.
Ty forced himself to breathe.
"And if I come back tomorrow with such a bite?" Ty said. "Will you leave then?"
"Honestly? No." The beta shifted in his seat, his calm affect dissolving. The scent of worry poured out of him. "I won't be able to call off this investigation without hard proof that Mia Baird is fully bonded to an alpha, and therefore outside my just jurisdiction."
"You're not suggesting I drag my omega down here and hand her over so some outsider can examine her body, are you?"
Christie shook his head. It was apparent he didn't want to have this conversation. The beta knew how physically outmatched he was, but at least he was brave enough to tell Ty the truth face to face. That counted for something in the alpha world.
"No one needs to touch her," Agent Christie said. "In my experience, alphas act very differently around claimed omegas than unclaimed ones. That, combined with a bite on your shoulder, should suffice as proof for me to bring back to my superiors."
Ty picked up his glass and downed the whole beer. "I don't give a fuck about your superiors."
"You should," the agent shot back." I don't think you appreciate how important the people involved in this case are, or how much power they wield."
Ty shook his head. None of that made a difference to him. "Maybe in your world, but they don't have power here."
"Not officially," the agent conceded. "But since when has that ever stopped the corrupt? You have to understand that your omega's father has been a senator for several decades. He hasn't kept his seat that long by playing fair. He's done it by destroying anyone who steps in his way."
"Is that a threat?" Ty asked, his jaw muscles tightening.
"It's a warning," Christie said. "Given by a friend. My superiors didn't just task me with this job because I know the Boundarylands. I also have a reputation for being very thorough. The last thing we want to do is leave Mia behind with some…loose thread that the senator can grab onto for public support."
"What the hell are you talking about?"
The beta signaled Samson to bring Ty another beer as he nursed his own.
"Mia's disappearance has been big news," Christie said. "The senator has been all over the television and the papers."
"Because he wants his daughter back."
Christie shook his head. "Knowing the man as well as I do, I can say with some certainty it's because he wants his poll numbers to go up. And there are two ways for him to play this situation so that happens. Either Mia is rescued, and Senator Baird is lauded as a hero who fought for his family, or…"
The beta took a long drink rather than finish the sentence. Ty didn't need him to. He could fill in the blanks.
"Or she dies in the rescue attempt."
Agent Christie nodded. "And the senator gains the public's sympathy."
"You're saying her own father doesn't care if she lives or dies?" Ty said with disgust.
"Officially, I'm not saying anything," Christie said. "But off the record, I've seen evidence that leads me to believe that, yes."
A chill ran through Ty's blood as his shoulders tensed.
"What evidence?"
"Hospital reports. Doctors' office records," the agent said. "Mia Baird has had an awful lot of suspicious accidents in her life."
I was in an accident.
Mia's voice echoed in Ty's ears.
So, he wasn't the first one she'd told that lie to. She'd been saying it her whole life.
Ty's anger rose. Father or no, there was no way in hell he was going to let that son of a bitch near her again.
"What happens when Mia stays with me by her own choice?"
"The senator would be seen as abandoning his daughter to a monster." The agent held up his hands as Ty let out a growl. "Go easy, friend. I'm talking about the public's opinion. Not my own."
The beta was damn lucky Ty respected him. Anyone else would be cradling a broken jaw right now.
Ty had a feeling Agent Christie knew that. He wouldn't have risked such an inflammatory statement otherwise.
"And you don't think he'll let that happen," Ty s
aid.
"I'd bet money on it." The agent took one last sip of his beer before sliding it away. "I think that's enough for me."
He'd only downed a few ounces, while Ty had finished two huge mugs. Ty would bet that it wasn't because the beta wasn't thirsty. After spending a few nights in the Boundarylands, the poor bastard probably needed something much stiffer—but knew better than to dull his edge while in dangerous territory.
Agent Christie rose from his barstool. "Thank you for coming down and talking to me."
"I'm glad I did," Ty said, following him to the door. "I'll be back soon."
"Happy to hear it."
The beta stayed on the porch as Ty started across the parking lot toward his truck. He made it all of two steps before the door of the RV burst open, and a wiry blond beta who couldn't have been over twenty years old flew out.
"Shit," Agent Christie cursed behind Ty. "Someone get him back inside. Now."
A couple of agents started heading toward the kid, but most of the others stared in mute fear as the idiot barreled toward Ty.
"Is that him?" The kid demanded in a high-pitched whine. A mix of fear and guilt wafted off of him. "Is that the animal that took Mia? It is, isn't it?"
Ty narrowed his gaze. Rage simmered just below the surface, ready to break free.
Another head poked out of the vehicle's open door just as the agents reached the kid, wrapped their arms around his shoulders and pulling him back to safety. There was no complex mix of emotions in the second kid who jumped down from the RV. He just reeked of self-preservation and fear.
"Dustin, get your ass back here," he yelled.
Dustin.
In an instant, all the anger inside Ty erupted. He crossed the parking lot in a few long strides, utterly focused on the worm who had dared to hurt his omega.
The idiot kid, realizing what was about to happen to him, shook off the agents' hold and ran like hell back to the RV.
He didn't make it, of course. Scared or not, there was no way a beta could outrun a charging alpha.
Ty wrapped one large hand around Dustin's neck and lifted him up off the ground. The beta clawed at Ty's hand with his fingers, choking.
"You," Ty growled, loosening his grip slightly so the kid didn't pass out. "You're the one who hurt Mia."
Ty (The Boundarylands Omegaverse Book 2) Page 5