The Code Of The Alpha

over the fog that fell on the acres o

shington after a few hours had passed and

he ride so he couldn't see the slow, silent tears roll

ewhere I didn't want to be and alone with someone who I only knew to be a murderous tyrant, but also

being on in the truck. When Luca noticed me f

to Spokane," he said.

with eyes that were red

are we

eatures softening, before turning ba

a," he

y pack is. It's only about three

etime aft

eep breath befor

me your name, amore."

r. Everyone ca

his mouth draw upwa

ked, eyebrow

that."

na

It sui

l change it if it didn't. We were quiet

ou an

ing my hardest not to fall into the tr

e I sat to open the glove compartment, pulling ou

etchbook, gasping as I reached

uld see it again afte

you did,

how I fo

veal the 'if lost, please return to' box where my

and I followed your address from there. The

d see that mine and Mady's things we had tak

finally have

d me in the firs

eta, actuall

traced his footsteps until we landed back at the hotel. I thought it was just stuck to him at that point. But when we were l

e in the

n they called to tell me that they had given chase

the smirk that

tulate you on th

able to successfully evade my m

ts before they start a keg-tossing contest w

ot

ore I realized something. "Why could

if we had truly been that

I use it to help disguise our scents. I didn't want

had said but also realizing that I failed at keeping my

you

appreciate that you're trying to be friend

ca's jaw

am just

e that," I inte

you my

like my nam

, I leaned forward and turned on the radio. The sound of Steven Tyler's voice fl

k for the rest

from the bag I packed for Vegas and went inside the gas station, fin

of my damp pajamas and

pulled it back out of

ck food whenever he looked up and saw me eme

thank

o the truck, ignoring my gr

of the gas station with a plastic b

uck, he put the bag o

t you liked so I g

that I was

ry. You've been awake for hours and hav

Luca sighed and leaned for

t want what's in the bag,'' he off

I thought. You're maki

I said, "bu

he drove away from the gas stat

to deal with the cold shoulde

rly in the relationship f

the relationship for me to be

shaking his head. "Thi

my job and my home against my will," I

s not

r you were coming with me and you packed your bags and got i

ad if I didn't... I didn't h

in my pack, amore. I can't just abandon my du

you had to

to have met you

es

of the highway, stopping in the gravel that lined the shoulder.

I had wanted to," he argued. "So, I'd appreciate it if you would stop

e to survive." I said. "

y mate,"

need

but the feelin

ok his

you're treating me like

looked forward to

rince Charming, not getting my legs knocked out fro

children?" Luca rep

a woman, much less a child.

le," I said pointedly, ig

killed me and those in my

a few moments befo

is is about? You

ntly grab my jaw. Turning me to face him, he looked so deeply in

that I would never

ready to cry as I was in that moment. He let go of m

s that I felt

lungs. My heart rate, however, was still erratic. His attention returned to

seemed to dissipate with the silence. I eventually caved in and grabbed a water bott

s phone from the cup holder where it sat. Picking it up

I'm going to drop a cell phone off at the

he listened to the voice on

ith that sai

phone," he said, placing

ready reaching into my bac

turned off, Luca reached out a

e to track you here," he said,

or now I'm getting one of my men to connec

o download a pdf from his emails last week; I ver

st preca

f the highway and began to drive on a priv

ate. It was every bit of twenty feet tall and a matching black steel fence str

Lupo," Luca said, a ting

nd turned to see a man walk around the other side of the fence. He was dr

strapped to his outer thigh and th

he gate so that we could drive through. As we drove

tched us as we drove by. Her grip was tight on

prison camp?" I a

re to keep people

come and go as they plea

d my ey

a curfew o

only applies to those that live

ation checks are executed more

ning a prison

suburban homes as we did so. Everything looked so normal, like a regular neigh

d over

ived notions about the man s