to my ex just to make sure, and he confirmed it too.”
“So you’re risking her life? For what?”
“For you,” I say as I meet his eyes at last. “For us. I can’t risk ever going to see her as long as I’m connected to the boss. You can’t reconnect with your family either. And...I can’t tell you how I really feel about you. As long as he has us under his thumb, nothing will ever change.”
“You know what he’s like.” Wren presses his palms to the sides of his head as he storms toward me. “If he gets wind of what you’ve done, there’ll be no stopping him. Your daughter...your ex...”
“No. At least...I hope not.” I shake my head. “When he told me about our daughter, my ex offered to let me see her. I told him that as long as I’m working for this asshole, it’s too dangerous. But we made arrangements. As soon as he gets the letter I sent, he’ll take our daughter out of town and wait until I contact them.”
“There’s still a risk.”
“Like I don’t know that.”
He purses his lips and steps back for a moment. Uncertainty and confusion are evident on his face. He doesn’t know what to think, what to say.
“You shouldn’t have done all this without telling me first,” he says at last, shaking his head. “We could’ve figured something else out.”
“I’m sure you’ve spent at least as much time thinking about how to escape him as I have.” I cross my arms over my chest and look right at him. “This is the only way. I sent a second letter to a contact of mine who is holding a package for me. It contains years of evidence that I’ve collected. The police will have everything they need to act against the boss...”
“And you?” He cocks his head to the side as he steps toward me.
“And me.” I avoid his gaze. “I’m hoping to work out some sort of deal. I’ve got a lot more that I can give them. Plus, I’ve got recordings of him threatening my family and yours...and a few of his other assets. He’s not exactly subtle about threatening people when he’s in the safety of his little den.”
Wren takes a deep breath and closes the gap between us.
“There’s no telling how things are going to shake out tomorrow.”
He’s so close now that his scent is overwhelming my senses. His expression nearly sends me to my knees.
“All I know is that I can’t bear to condemn you to a lifetime of suffering under his hands. As long as you belong to him, you can never belong to me.”
He shudders as he leans against me and stretches up to kiss my neck. “You’re an asshole,” he says as he curls his arms around me. “I gave up on hope, and now you’ve gone and stirred it all up again. And if anything goes wrong tomorrow...I’ll never forgive myself.”
I slide my arms around his shoulders. The feeling of his slight frame against mine is more reassuring than I expected. For the first time in months, I feel like myself again. The real me, not the mask I’ve been forced to wear.
“Whatever happens tomorrow, I meant what I said yesterday. I really do want to take you out to dinner sometime.”
To my surprise, he laughs. “For now, I guess you’ll just have to settle for taking me to your bed.” He leans back and winks up at me. “You can take me out to dinner to celebrate once the bastard is in jail and we’re both finally free.”
My cock stirs in response to his words, even though the rest of me is still struggling to catch up.
“Are you sure about this?” I manage. “There’s a very good chance I’ll wind up in jail too.”
“Of course I’m sure,” he says with a little smile. “It’s one of the only things I’m sure of. I can’t explain why but...the things I feel for you...are too intense not to be real.”
“Like I was drawn to you.” I meet his gaze.
“Exactly. So, before the shit hits the fan...I want you to claim me.” He reaches down, and his fingers curl around the bulge in my pants. “Make me your omega. And we’ll face tomorrow as mates.”
7
Wren
Darren scoops me up in his arms and carries me to his bedroom. I barely have a chance to take in my surroundings before I’m deposited onto the biggest bed I’ve ever seen. He casts aside his clothing with baffling