The next several days were uneventful. We didn't get any news about the nightclub shooting, or how Lonnie Hill and his terrorists were able to vanish into thin air right in front of our eyes. Most of the guys on my team went on to work on other missions while I was stuck indoors. At least I wasn't bored.
Captain finally started my training. Or at least the theory part of it. It wasn't the most exciting thing to do, but at least I had something to do. He mostly focused on teaching me about protocols, how missions were shared, and, most importantly, how to use our computers. Again, not the most interesting stuff, but at least I could say my training had started.
Whenever I wasn't learning with Captain, I was accompanied by Reid. He wasn't really big on talking at first, but as the days went by, he warmed up to me enough to tell me stories about his past missions. He didn't share much about his personal life, though, but neither was I. And he refused to talk about his previous partners. If he accidentally started a story of a mission he'd had with one of them, his eyes would turn sad, and he'd fall silent.
There was so much pain in him I doubted he would ever be ready to talk about any of them. I swore to myself I'd never ask. I couldn't even imagine his pain. Three partners, lost in action.
And I knew he feared I would be next.
I did get to see the base a little as well, but only when Captain was accompanying us. I really didn't mind having him hovering around, mostly because I was still getting a lot of unwanted attention. I got stared at a lot wherever I went, and I had the feeling they wouldn't stop staring at me anytime soon. It was easy to ignore it, though. And that had a lot to do with the two large alphas who kept a close eye on me.
But there was one thing that did bother me a little. At first, at least... Neither Captain nor Reid said anything about the people who'd bought me as a baby. Not even once. They both acted like they weren't even aware of my past. Even Reid. So did that mean...? Did they already find them...?
No... No. I chose not to think about it. Captain said he'd deal with it. They were letting me move on, and I gladly took that opportunity.
Besides, I had bigger concerns in my hand.
The alpha kid did not show up at a hospital. Not that we were aware of, but I'd kept a close eye on Mercer's house, and I'd not seen the kid leaving it. Hell, even Mercer didn't step a foot outside. It was the second in command, Francis Andrews, who seemed to deal with The Boss' errands. I even spotted him bringing groceries to the house.
But finally, almost a week after the nightclub shooting, Captain was going to do something about it.
"Tomorrow I have to go run some errands in the city," he said when I asked if we were just letting the kid stay with the mafia. "If the kid hasn't shown up anywhere by then, I'll go see the situation myself."
I let out a deep, relieved breath. "Thank you."
"I'm just as concerned about him as you are. I am not letting this go until I can see he's safe with my own two eyes," he told me. "And I am concerned. That kid needs professional help. I trust Michael has treated him well, but he is not capable of offering the kind of help that boy needs."
"Agreed," I said.
I chose not to let him know I feared we were too late, and instead, turned back to my computer. I had one of the pictures of the kid on my screen, and I sighed when yet another attempt to find him in our database showed up as a failure.
"Maybe tomorrow we'll learn more about his identity, too," Captain said to me.
"I hope so... I can't believe there's nothing about him..." I muttered.
"It's not easy to keep track of people in this country," Captain said and sighed.
Including me...
It was starting to look like this alpha was yet another illegally bred child with zero records. Or a terrorist. Or homeless. Or an illegal immigrant. Or kidnapped from across the world. There were millions and millions of people without any records like him. And me.
"I think the only way for us to find out about him is to ask him directly," I said, and closed the program.
"I have come to the same conclusion, yes," Captain said. "At least this was a good exercise for you. You're learning the ropes really fast."
"Thanks," I said, and turned to face him. "Anything about the terrorist group Mercer ended?"
"I'm afraid not. They didn't have anything on them. No phones, no credit cards, not even a fucking tissue in their pockets..."
"Sounds more and more like a suicide mission," I said.
"It does seem like they were prepared to die," Captain muttered. "I will never understand that."
"Me neither. Why die for a cause like that?" I asked.
Captain shook his head, and didn't reply to me. "Come. I'm sure dinner is almost ready."
I got up and followed him for two steps, then realized we were alone in the tech room. I stopped, hesitating.
"Riley?" Captain turned back to me.
"Could you... Close the door?" I asked quietly, getting more and more uncomfortable.
He frowned, but did as I asked. He didn't return to me, though.
"Is everything all right?" he asked gently.
I took a deep breath. And another. "My, uh... I'm going into heat... in the next few days..." I mumbled.
"I see. You know it's not going to be a problem around here, right?" he asked soothingly.
"I know... I just... I figured I should probably say something, before..."
"Riley..." Captain said and took a few careful steps closer to me. "You didn't have to tell me, unless there is something you want me to know about?"
The Lace...
I shook my head and tried to smile. "No, I... I guess I didn't need to tell you about it... I just... felt like I should."
"I do appreciate that," he said, smiling. "Is there something I can do for you? I can get you whatever you might need."
"Nah... I'll be fine... Maybe... Maybe some painkillers, that's all," I said.
"Okay. I'll get you the best ones, don't worry," he said. "Anything else? Food you might want? A heating pad?"
"No, I'm fine," I said, and gave him a genuine smile. "But thanks."
"You know... I can also let you stay in my apartment until it's over," he said quietly. "You know. Peace and quiet."
I actually considered it, but again, I shook my head. "I uh... I think my omega would like to stay around alphas. It likes you and Reid, so... It'll probably feel safer that way."
His smile turned even warmer. "All right. If you need privacy at any point, just let me know, okay?"
"Yes, sir," I said.
Then he tilted his head. "If you don't mind me asking... Are you a nesting omega?"
"Oh... I... don't know, really," I muttered.
"Not every omega needs that, but some find nesting very calming," he explained.
"I know, I just haven't tried it... I don't think I need that," I said.
I'd never had the opportunity...
He nodded. "Okay."
"Anyway. Dinner is ready, right?" I said.
"I think so," he said, and opened the door again. "And don't hesitate to let me know if there's something you need, okay?"
"Sure," I said, already feeling so much better.
I was actually glad now that I let him know about my incoming heat. Simply knowing I had the option to stay in his apartment if needed calmed me.
When we entered the kitchen, Reid suddenly appeared next to me. He didn't say anything besides a simple hi as he waited for his turn to get food for himself.
"What have you been up to?" I asked him.
"Went for a walk," he said shortly. "And you?"
"Learning with Captain," I said just as shortly.
I was getting used to his silent phases. I'd learned that it didn't really mean anything when he wasn't in the mood for talking. It just meant he wasn't in the mood for talking. But he still seemed to enjoy the company. Once I had my food, and Reid was getting his, I spotted a free table in the corner. I took a few slow steps toward it, and Reid followed me.
Captain did say it wouldn't take long before he'd start following me around... What he didn't say was that I would also start to follow him around. Because I did. I did that a lot, but Reid didn't seem to mind that at all.
We ate pretty much in silence. Reid's alpha checked up on me a few times, and my omega was happy with the attention. A bit more than normal, too... But that was because we were just about to break in heat... I wasn't quite sure how to feel about it. My omega had never sought any alpha's attention, and while I trusted Reid and maybe even the others... It was scary.
Because there was that nasty thought of 'what if?'. That 'what if' Stoll had planted in my head the last time I'd been in heat. At least I could just stay at Captain's place until it was over, but...
I glanced at Reid.
I wanted to trust him. I wanted to trust all of them. These past two weeks had not given me a single reason to not trust them. So... I didn't want to go into hiding. I wanted to stay with the alphas. I wanted them to prove I was safe with them. They deserved to have that chance.
Especially Reid. I needed him to prove I was safe with him.
Besides, if at least half of them were mated to each other, they wouldn't give two shits about my heat even if I was completely medication free.
We stayed in the kitchen even after we were finished eating, and just listened to the others. There was one particular conversation that drew my attention...
"You still need to visit the store?" Rio was asking Ash as they were finishing up their dinner.
"Oh right! Yeah, yeah," Ash said, fell silent for a moment, then added, "What did I need to buy?"
"You lost your shampoo."
"Right! Right... Shampoo and I think there was something else..."
"Milk for Daz's coffee."
"That's it, yeah."
"You want to go now or...?"
"Sure!"
The store... I suddenly kind of wanted to go with them. I could get whatever I needed myself without making Captain run errands for me. And... I'd not had many opportunities to get to know everyone yet. And lately, I'd felt more comfortable with the idea of leaving our home. I was getting a bit claustrophobic inside these walls.
I bit my lip and turned to look for Captain. Only to realize he was already watching me. He raised his eyebrows and tilted his head in a questioning manner. I peered at Ash and Rio, who were already taking their plates away, then back at Captain. He squinted his eyes at me. I gave him the puppy eyes. He sighed.
Reid chuckled when he figured out what was going on.
"You're good..." he told me quietly.
"Ash. Rio," Captain said, and the two joined him at his table. "Going to the store?"
"Yes, sir," Ash said. "Need something?"
Captain sighed again, then turned to me, gesturing for me to go to them. When I got up, Reid followed me half a step behind again.
"Would you mind taking Riley and Reid with you?" Captain asked the other two.
"Of course not," Ash said while me and my partner stopped next to them.
Captain didn't seem too happy with his answer. "You three will keep a very close eye on Riley for me?"
"Yes, sir!"
"You're actually letting me go without you?" I asked him in surprise.
He took in a deep, deep breath. He did not want to. "Only if you're all right with that? I don't mind coming with you."
"It's fine, you don't have to do that," I said. "It'll be fine. It's just a few minutes by foot."
I mean, I couldn't expect him to always watch my back. I was going to be just as fine with three of my teammates as with him.
"Okay," he told me, then glanced at the others. "You know the drill."
"Yes, sir!"
Moments later, we were ready to leave. I felt a little nervous, but I tried to remind myself that no one was going to assault me in broad daylight in public with my teammates surrounding me, no matter how bad they were. Those fears I had were nothing but more mind tricks planted in my head by Stoll. All they could really do was give me nasty looks and say derogatory things about me.
"Captain will be counting minutes until we get back," Reid told me with a chuckle as we exited our room.
"I'll be fine. I got three bodyguards with me, after all," I said with a playful smirk.
"Damn straight, and we all do love ripping throats out, so..."
"Then I'll be just fine," I said.
I did enjoy getting out of the base, even though it was raining a little. I just really enjoyed the fresh air on my face, and being able to stretch my legs. I was not used to sitting around all day, every day. And whenever we walked past people, I was treated the same as always: I got stared at, some took another look at me, some showed interest, some weren't thrilled to see me there.
I felt a little bit stronger again. It was the same old treatment, which I was more than used to already. Fuck Stoll and his attempt to scare me.
This was the second time I'd visited the store, and now I felt much more relaxed to actually check out what they had to offer. The selection was surprisingly large, and had pretty much everything a smaller scale grocery store did, plus some basic clothing, hygiene products, and entertainment.
"This store is quite luxurious for just twelve teams," I noted while checking out a shelf full of green shirts.
"It only takes half a team after a long, rough mission to clear out these shelves," Reid said.
"You have no idea how many shirts and pants you'll ruin in a year," Ash added with a grin.
"They'll get absolutely shredded in fights," Rio explained. "Even if you're just sparring with your team."
"Right, right," I said.
Then I spotted something in the very back of the store, tucked away from view. I made my way there and stopped to stare at the tiny little space reserved for items usually only omegas needed. I could feel Reid stopping right behind me to watch me.
The shelves were nearly empty. There was a small selection of vitamin supplements and relief for upset stomach and fever, a couple of bean bag heating pads... and some low-calorie chocolate bars. Everything was covered in dust, and one of the boxes was ripped half open.
I slowly took one of the heating pads and tried to wipe the dust off.
"Maybe Captain should order these things for you," Reid told me quietly.
"I... kind of need them before the next delivery..." I muttered.
"Oh... But he's running errands tomorrow. I'm sure he can go get whatever you need," he said without missing a beat.
I wasn't sure why I thought it wouldn't be exactly like this. There hadn't been omegas in this army in a very long time, so it was a surprise this store even had anything for us. I picked a pack of supplements and laughed at the expiration date from almost a year ago. I didn't even touch the low-calorie shit.
But I kept holding the black heating pad. I'd not had one, but I'd heard it helped with the cramps. I'd never really had cramps, but now with the Lace... Maybe I needed to test it.
"Maybe if I just dust this off properly..." I said, but Reid took it from me and put it away.
"I will personally go find you the best damn heating pad there is before letting you use cheap-ass dirty pads from this store," he said sternly.
I had to smile at him. "Bossy, huh?"
He bowed deep when he moved his head only inches away from me. "My partner doesn't use crappy filth."
I shivered a little under his sharp eyes. Somehow, his expression was both furious and friendly. I felt so incredibly small again, especially when he brought his shoulders up a little. And yet, my omega still wanted to come out to say hello. We weren't scared of this alpha at all anymore...
"Fine, jeez..." I muttered breathlessly. "But if I bought that, I wouldn't have to bother anyone."
"It's not a bother," he said, backing away a little. "Did you need something else?"
"I... Don't think so," I said, giving one last glance to the heating pad, but Reid turned me around.
"We should at least get you some snacks. And protein bars. Do you have specific comfort food?" Reid asked while we went to find Ash and Rio.
"I... Not really..." I muttered.
I'd never had any kind of opportunity to do anything about my heats. I'd just had to endure them. But to be fair, they never had been rough for me. Until now...
But Reid's need to make sure I'd be comfortable during my heat really brought up my mood. He wasn't even making an issue about it. Like... it was normal... And I really appreciated it.
We found Ash and Rio two aisles away, browsing through magazines. Once they got what they wanted, we went to find snacks. Apparently, snacks were important. I learned that when I tried to say I didn't really need any. I still had plenty of chocolate left, after all.
"But, like, potato chips? Candy? Muffins? No? Nothing?" Ash asked with wide eyes.
"Sorry, I don't really need anything," I said.
"Nothing?" Rio asked.
I laughed lightly. "Fine, I guess I could try some chips..."
"You're getting a dip for them, right? Salsa? You like salsa, right?"
"I... Think so," I muttered. "But honestly, I just don't want to spend my entire paycheck before I actually get paid. Paying with the tag is still a bit scary."
"Oh, don't worry about that," Ash said dismissively. "You'd have to spend like... two hundred dollars a day to spend your whole salary."
I stopped to stare at him. "Huh?"
"Yeah, isn't the monthly salary in the first year like six grand these days?" Ash asked, turning to his teammates.
"Six grand?" I repeated.
"Something like that, and the mission bonuses and compensations on top of that," Rio said with a frown. "Did you not get your contracts or anything?"
"I... I did, but I..." I said, feeling breathless again. "I completely forgot all about them. I think I left them in Captain's office."
"Well, you should check them," Ash said. "There's a huge list of bonuses and compensations you'll get on top of your base salary. Boring stuff, but then you'll have an idea what you'll be earning."
Six grand... That... That couldn't be right...? Right? Because if it was right...
I could pay for a safer procedure myself and get rid of the Bitch Lace in two months.
"I think I'll get a dip for my chips, yes," I said, almost laughing.
Fuck... Two months... I was able to get rid of the Lace in two months...!
"And soda," I added.
"That's more like it," Ash said, grinning at me. "How about ice cream?"
"You know what?" I said, still smiling. "Why not?"
"You better go get them fast," Reid said, showing me his phone and the message he'd received.
'Isn't it taking a bit too long?'
I couldn't stop myself from laughing.
Fuck me... Six grand, huh...?