Reckless Regrets
Chapter 47

Morgan

After my FaceTime call with Kade, and making sure he and Xander arrived at Canyon Woods safely, I sat next to Alexi and watched the video feed of Tyson. Hearing about how deplorable The Badlands is was one thing, but actually seeing it with my own eyes was totally different.

Could a person smell with their eyes? I was pretty sure that you could because as I sat there, my stomach violently rolled at the possible scents that swirled around. Being a bear didn’t make things any better for my cousin. We have one of the most acute senses of smell in the world; this had to be torture.

But on the plus side, I felt a small tingle of pride when I saw how everyone responded to his presence. Tyson was a person who demanded respect, and it was evident that the idiots who were locked up with him understood that. I felt that Taylor would have benefited from watching how easily he moved around; it took a lot of stress off me, knowing that he wouldn’t be anyone’s target or victim.

But I also understood why she couldn’t watch it. Something could go wrong at the drop of a dime, and she’d have a front-row seat. It was the way I felt when I saw Marisol; she looked so small and fragile, and terrible things had been done to her.

Just a few short weeks ago, I’d hated everything about that woman, but seeing her like this, I couldn’t replace it in my heart to hate her. I mourned for her; she would be broken into a million pieces when this was over, and I didn’t know if Nate and Cameron would be able to put her back together.

The look in her eyes when she realized Tyson was there to save her gave me a bit of hope, though. Marisol wasn’t completely gone, and she hadn’t given up. Whatever she had left in her, I just hoped that it was enough.

“You should really get to bed, Tyson is safe, and he’s found the girls, so we’ve already made a lot of progress. I doubt anything will happen this late, and Kade would kill me if he knew I let you sit up here with me all night,” Alexi said.

“You’re not letting me do anything, Lex. And besides, Kade knows how I am about my family. I never leave them behind; this situation isn’t any different.”

I yawned and rubbed my eyes while I tried to focus on the screen and the 3-D map slowly forming. I didn’t know what Tyson had doing the work for him, but somehow, one of the many TVs we had set up was filling up a perfect model of the prison. It was so detailed I felt like I could reach out and touch it.

Seeing his toys in action confirmed just how good he was at all this. It was no wonder his business was already booming less than a year in.

“This is incredible. It’s like-”

I tapped the screen, and the section of prison under my finger separated from the rest and magnified, then began a 360-degree rotation.

“Holy hell, that’s cool,” I said.

“Very. I don’t remember Tyson telling us we could do that,” Alexi agreed.

I rubbed my eyes again and prepared to touch the screen once more before he stopped me.

“You may want to let it load completely before we start playing around too much. We don’t want anything to break, because none of us could fix it.”

“Truer words have never been spoken. Are you sure you don’t need my help with anything here? Sitting by yourself all night is tough, and I’m sure Alaia would prefer you in bed,” I said.

“This is the deal. We’re watching 24 hours a day, every day. And Angel is still pissed with me, so she’s probably enjoying having the bed to herself tonight. I’ll go grovel some more when Matt comes to take over in here,” he replied.

“She’ll forgive you soon. She adores you and Xander, so I don’t believe she’s enjoying the empty bed as much as you think.”

He nodded and smiled at me.

“I’ll remember that. Catch some z’s for me, and I’ll see you later,” he stated.

Walking to my room felt so good, but it took all my strength to keep moving and not ball up in the middle of the hallway; I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been so tired. So when my head hit the pillow, it was like someone flipped a light switch and I was knocked out.

***

Kade

“You sure you want to do this? Once you do, there’s no going back, and you’ll be responsible for the largest pack in the country,” I warned Xander.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear you liked being Alpha and didn’t want me to take over,” he replied.

There was nothing farther from the truth, which was made evident by me nodding to the elder signaling for him to proceed. Both Simon and Greg were present and seemed thrilled to be losing their titles and the responsibilities that came along with them. They’d been damaged beyond repair, and it was a waste.

Just like before, we kept the ceremony small and confined to the office. Xander wanted to be their Alpha already before the pack found out about the changes that were coming. I didn’t care one way or the other, as long as I was relieved of duty.

A few drops of b***d in an old Alpha’s chalice, and I was officially off the hook. I’d never been more relieved to slice my hand open on my life. Now I’d just wait until I got home to become Beta again. I wanted my Morgan there with me.

“How does it feel to be the big boss?” I asked Xan when everything was done.

“It sounds cheesy, but it’s a dream come true. I always knew that when Blue Moon became mine, I wanted to do whatever I could to make it grow. And even though the situation wasn’t ideal, I’ve done what I set out to do. I can die a happy man,” he said with a smile.

“I’m happy for you. If anyone can handle the responsibility, you can. So what’s the plan? What do we do now?” I asked.

“I’ve got some paperwork to handle; you can do whatever you want now. You’re a free man.”

I nodded then turned to Simon and Gregory. “Why don’t we go have a drink and chat since all three of us just lost our jobs?” I joked.

They both laughed and followed me to the kitchen, where we proceeded to empty a bottle of bourbon in celebration of our new leader.

“Do you think Alpha Black would mind if I came back with you and helped with the rescue? I need to see my daughter and make sure she’s alright,” Simon eventually asked.

He’d been quiet about Gabby for a few days, but I knew that he still thought about her always.

“I’m sure he won’t mind; he has a daughter if his own, so he understands. I got an update from home a few hours ago, and both her and Mari are alright. They’re being put through more than any one person should ever have to handle, but Tyson’s going to keep them safe until he can get them out.”

I knew this was the plan; I just hoped that nothing would happen that could cause anything to go wrong.

***

Tyson

“I need you two to listen to everything I tell you and do it exactly. I’m working on getting you out, but to do that, we have to be sure that no one suspects anything. No one can know that we’re connected on the outside, do you understand?”

I’d finally gotten some alone time with Gabby and Marisol and used it to quickly establish the ground rules. When they nodded their understanding, I continued.

“Swallow these pills. They are trackers, and it will help our team at home know where you are. If you’re ever taken off somewhere, and I can’t replace you, the tracker will lead me to you.”

They swallowed the pills without question and awaited my next command. They would do anything I asked if it meant they’d get to go home.

“Do I have to keep seeing customers? I don’t want to,” Marisol whispered.

“I’ll see what I can do about that. Money goes a long way here, so I might be able to pay Matilda enough to keep you ‘reserved’ for me for a few days. I don’t know if she will go for it, but I promise I will work on it,” I replied.

“Thank you. I’ll owe you for the rest of my life if you can make this stop. I hate myself for the things I’ve had to do here, and I know that Nate would never forgive or accept me. I’ll be rejected once he replaces out, but at least I’ll have Cameron.”

Gabby wrapped her friend in a tight hug as they cried on each other’s shoulders. This was hard to watch, knowing that I didn’t have complete control to make things better.

But I had one thing; the truth.

“Listen to me, Trouble Maker. Don’t underestimate the love Nate has for you. He’s never stopped checking in to see how you were or asking if he could help. He’ll understand that you had to survive, and respect you for it.”

I spent the remainder of my hour going over details of the plan with the girls and making sure they knew what they needed to do. We needed to replace a way out, and if the three of us were searching, we’d get home that much faster. I figured Gabby would have the best chance since she had access to the entire prison when she cleaned. I just needed her to pay attention and let me know everything he saw, no matter how small, because any detail could be our ticket out.

“I don’t know if this will help, but Aunt Maddy is married to the head guy; he’s tall, skinny, and kind of gross looking?” she offered, clearly describing Whalen.

“I know who you’re talking about. He was the guy who did my intake. What about it?” I asked.

“Well, they’re married, but she’s sleeping with one of the warlocks. The husband doesn’t know,” she stated.

So, the crispy b***h was also unfaithful? I could definitely use this. If I could create some discourse between the higher-ups, it might be just what I need to replace an opening to escape.

“You keep your eye on that and tell me everything that happens. You might just be your own ticket out of here.”