CHAPTER 553: +CHAPTER 553+

"Those fucking cunts," Asher bit out as soon as they got into the car.

Jael was already stepping on the gas as soon as the car door was shut. There were emergency services on scene already, he doubted even the High Council would keep making a mess while they were around.

Asher shrugged off his mostly burnt coat, his face black with soot. His fur coat seemed to have kept most of the fire off him - Jael hoped that he wouldn’t see severe burns underneath the soot on the Alpha’s face.

"This is beyond going against the treaty, it’s an outright declaration of war." Davian spoke gravely, his anger was quieter, but it was no less intense.

Jael focused on getting them to where they needed to be in one piece. Central Area was eerily empty as they drove past, almost like the tension in the air was a palpable thing that the residents saw and steered clear of.

He just hoped that Nikolai and Angelo were together and alive, because the High Council clearly had no qualms playing dirty.

-+-

Red reflected off Nikolai’s dark blue eyes like flames on the surface of a lake. He had his back to the unpainted wall of an abandoned building, Angelo in his arms.

The High Council’s men hadn’t surrounded the building, they had done worse... they had set it on fire. If they had stayed to fight or if they hadn’t noticed the arriving cars in time, they would have been caught in the fire.

Because it didn’t slowly catch on fire, rather, explosives seemed to have been rigged up in the decrepit building, and it also had to have been hosed down with gasoline because its ignition was instantaneous.

They didn’t linger long around the fire, swiftly putting distance between them and the burning building.

The men didn’t give chase, so they must have been convinced that everyone had gotten caught in the fire.

When they were a few buildings away, Nikolai stopped. It was hardly the right time to bring it up while they could feel the heat on their faces off what would have been their fiery graves, but now they could take a breather.

"I’ll carry you," He quietly offered.

Angelo’s socks were stained and damp, and they were in a really dodgy part of downtown Haines, so discarded syringes and broken glass were littered around like confetti.

Angelo blinked up at him in confusion, his thoughts on a completely different plane. "I can walk?" He mumbled, still lost.

"Not without shoes you can’t." Nikolai pointed out, scanning around in case they were being followed.

It was all old and empty buildings around them, it was almost like the city was slowly moving away from this part of downtown.

Angelo glanced down at his feet like he had forgotten that very important fact. "Fine, but wait!" He said in a rush when Nikolai immediately reached for him, a furrow between his brows.

"Those were the High Council’s men," He started to say, "But they hadn’t even come in to check if Luis Caddel was still in before setting the place on fire."

Calling the dead man that mated his mom by his name was strange, but Angelo had no intention of calling him dad ever again.

Nikolai had long forgotten about the dog, Angelo was within his reach again, and he was nostalgically reminded of the dangerous situations they always managed to get in. There was nothing else on his mind, not the High Council, not his position as a Mafia King, and not even his turf.

He glanced over his shoulder at the burning building that was sure to spread because firefighters wouldn’t bother saving buildings that were already long dead.

"The High Council sees Haines as a den of rats," Nikolai said absently, picking Angelo up effortlessly. "Luis Caddel was born and raised in Haines, he of all people should have known that."

Angelo threw his arms around Nikolai’s neck, they were both a bloody mess now, thanks to him. He still held on to the knives, not about to take any chances.

"I need to make some calls," Nikolai said more to himself. He was making his way towards the occupied parts of downtown, the sky-high flames towering in the distance behind him.

-+-

As soon as the building went up in flames, one of the High Council’s men in charge of the expedition took out a phone and made a quick report to Alpha Eaton.

The flames were almost deafening as he made his report, signalling his men to get into their cars. Their work here was done.

In the wake of the burning building, they dispersed, and only a scant few minutes later, a different set of cars rolled in.

Reagan was one of the first out of the cars, completely shellshocked, it was like she had been in the blast radius of of bomb as she stared expressionlessly at the burning building.

"The boss’ car is here," Someone reported, "He was here," He added in a quieter voice, bleak eyes settling on the burning building.

The unspoken addition that their Mafia King could still be here, right in the depths of the burning apartment, was deafening, but no one dared say it out loud.

"The boss isn’t in there," A masked man broke the silence, there was an unshakable certainty to his words, it managed to break through Reagan’s catatonia.

"Secure the area," He gave orders, looking up at the darkening sky. "We’ll get answers soon."

-+-

Nikolai didn’t have to walk far before they stumbled on a hostel, they could still see the fire behind them.

The security out in front of the dilapidated building eyed them up, smoking out of a cracked pipe. "What? Kidnap yourself an Omega?" He addressed Nikolai, acting like Alphas showing up with abducted Omegas was pretty commonplace.

"I want to make a call," Nikolai said in turn, making no move to put Angelo down.

The Omega had to be the one to squirm free of his hold so that Nikolai could have his hands free for a phone call.