Page 80 of Aries
“We’re getting rid of traffickers,” Luca added, begging me with his eyes to believe them.
“It’s a risk to Widow’s Peak,” I pointed out.
Luca raised an eyebrow. “The girl who found me online was in the same circles I was.”
I couldn’t argue with that.
And as far as crime went and ending these types of assholes… hadn’t we done the same with Gideon?
“Some people are better off not being alive—” I admitted reluctantly, y words cut off when I saw the waiter approaching. Thankfully, he was far enough away that he didn’t catch the conversation.
He took our dinner order and slid the appetizer to the center of the table, handing out small plates to each of us before he was gone again.
Then their eyes were back on me.
“So, all the jobs you do are legal? On the up and up?” I asked, challenging them yet again as I filled my small plate. “I want everything out there. I don’t do secrets.”
“Now, darling,” Ronan said, “I know you already know that answer. But we’re not the worst guys out there. We have lines we don’t cross. We also have resources at our disposal. The same ones that helped us get here. All of that helped get those omegas here safely.”
I took another sip of my champagne as I considered that. One hand was still in Leon’s, holding onto my lifeline.
“What about you?” Luca asked.
I looked up, realizing he was talking to Leon this time.
My beta glanced at me, then back at them.
“I was stuck in a breeding facility,” he said flatly. “Forced to breed with omegas in heat repeatedly. Betas are easier to subdue, easier to control.”
Even I was startled by how dead his voice sounded. My hand tightened in his and he finally looked up, eyes filling with life again. There was a lot he still had to work through but I’d be by his side through it all.
Ronan spoke first, his voice icy. “I want names. Places. Anything you remember. We’ll take them down.”
“I got out,” Leon said, almost confused by his reaction. I knew exactly what Ronan intended and I was here for it. That protectiveness proved that this was truly a pack.
“Roaches always regroup,” Ronan replied with a shrug. “Let me just make sure to exterminate them.”
Just like that, they’d accepted Leon as their own. The conversation faded as our dinner arrived.
I dove into my pasta, glad for the reprieve. It was also incredible. Widow’s Peak had come a long way now and this was one of my favorite changes. We had variety when eating out.
“Well,” I said, “That leaves one last thing to figure out. Where we go fr?—”
I was cut off as Ronan’s phone rang. He grimaced, looking down at the screen, then back at me.
“I’m so sorry. I can’t ignore this.”
My stomach sank as he stood and walked away.
Luca looked defeated. Nikolai was guarded again, watching me carefully.
“Are you kidding me?” Leon demanded. “We’re discussing whether she’s even going to give you a shot, and you just walk away?”
But Ronan was already gone.
When he came back, he was already pulling out his wallet, dropping several large bills on the table.
“I’m sorry, but we have to go. We can continue this when we get back.”
