Page 24 of Unhinged Alphas

Finally, Geo sighs, scrubbing a hand over his face. "Fine. Yes, I've heard the rumors, and I wouldn't be surprised if they're true. The Council's got their dirty little fingers in all sorts of pies these days."

Plague makes a disgusted noise, drawing Geo's attention.

"What's the matter, pretty boy?" Geo sneers. "Not a fan of the trade?"

"I'm not a fan of slavery," Plague bites out, his voice a low growl.

And I'm sure he's not a fan of dirty little fingers in pies, either.

Geo barks out a harsh laugh. "Well, that's just too bad. Because around here, it's just another fact of life. Especially when it comes to omegas."

Plague's upper lip curls into a slight sneer. "And you're okay with that? Profiting off the suffering of others?"

Geo's eyes narrow, his gaze hardening. "Listen, pal. I don't know who you think you are, but let me make one thing clear. I don't do business with the Council. Not now, not ever. Matter of fact, the only reason I didn't put a bullet between your eyes when you walked in here is because of him," he says, nodding in my direction without taking his eyes off Plague. His mouth splits into a slow, malicious grin. "Smelled soldier on you from a mile away."

Plague's eyes narrow, his hand twitching at his side over his knife, but he doesn't say a word.

"We don't have any plans of sticking around," I say in an attempt to smooth things over. "Once we get what we came for, we're gone."

"You'll be gone for good if your masters on the Council get wind you're asking around," Geo says, cocking an eyebrow.

"Is that a threat?" Plague snarls.

I shoot him a look out of the corner of my eye.Cool it, dumbass.

But he isn't paying any attention to me.

Geo just smirks. "It's a friendly word of warning. As I said before, if it was a threat, you'd already be dead."

"So you don't know for sure if they're dealing in omegas?" I press, steering the conversation back on track.

Geo growls a sigh, rubbing a hand over his stubbled jaw. "Not for certain, no. But I wouldn't put it past them. Those bastards will do anything to maintain their grip on power."

He's silent for a moment, considering. Then he leans forward, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial murmur. "I don't have the answers you're looking for. If the Councilisdoing this, they're not stupid enough to leave a clear trail. But if proof is what you're looking for, I know someone who might have it."

My interest piques, but I keep a neutral expression. "What's it going to cost?"

"Nothing," he says with a shrug. "In fact, you were never here. I'm not enough of a dumb fuck to leave a paper trail on anything remotely related to the Council, so just keep my name out of your mouth and we'll call it even."

I snort. "That, I can do."

"There's another merc, goes by the name ofRaven," he continues, uncharacteristically serious. "He's been running jobs in the Outer Reaches for years, and he's psychotic enough to make runs across the border with your mother country that would have a sane man shitting himself. Has his finger on the pulse of every dirty deal that goes down out there. If the Council is tracking omegas, it'll be through Vrissia, and ifanyoneknows about it, it's Raven."

"So he's Vrissian, then?" I ask.

"Nope." Geo grins. "No offense, but if you manage to survive the trek, you'll probably want to let your posh friend there handle the introductions. One word in that accent and he'll shoot you dead. Bit of bad blood between him and your homeland, you understand."

"None taken," I say flatly. "Where can we find him?"

Geo shrugs, leaning back in his chair once more. "Last I heard, he was holed up in a safehouse on the edge of the wastes near what's left of Treval. But, Valek... watch your back. Especially if the Council really is involved in this. Those bastards play for keeps."

A dark chuckle rumbles up from my chest, mylips curving into a razor-edged smile. "Don't worry about me, Geo. I'm used to playing with monsters."

I rise from the couch, Plague falling into step beside me as we head for the door. Before we pass through, Geo calls, "And remember, if Raven peels off your skins and makes a nice new coat out of them, I'm not the one who told you where to find him."

I toss a mocking salute over my shoulder, then step out into the dingy corridor beyond. The door hisses shut behind us, the lock engaging with a dull thunk.

Plague is silent as we wind our way back through the labyrinthine tunnels, the sounds of the market fading to a distant hum. It's not until we emerge into the wan light of the surface that he speaks. "Do you trust him?"