"Ms. Wick," Christie said, using her new name. "Or would you prefer Mrs.?"
Mia looked Christie up and down. "Ms. is fine," she said coldly.
"So…you know?" Ty asked Christie.
With a hint of a smile, he said, "I think it's safe to say that anyone looking at the pair of you would know that you are mated."
Ty pulled his shoulders back, standing a little taller.
Good. That was exactly what he was hoping for. The more people knew, the less likely they would be to think they could fuck with his omega.
Just to be sure, though, Ty pulled back the collar of his shirt, revealing the red mark underneath. "Do you still think this will be enough to call off this circus?"
"I certainly hope so," the agent said. "At the very least, I consider that matter settled."
Ty noted how carefully the man had chosen his words. He wasn't the type to make promises he couldn't deliver on. Especially when he wasn't the one who made the final decisions.
"And what about the others?" Ty asked.
"You mean those who authorized the mission to trespass on your property?" Christie said, choosing his words carefully.
"They authorized a hell of a lot more than that."
"What do you mean?"
So, the man didn't know. Not surprising. Ty doubted that the beta military liked to share the news of their assassination attempts.
"I didn't just kill that soldier because he trespassed on my property," Ty said. "I broke his neck because he had a gun to my omega's head."
Christie's lips tightened. The beta's scent deepened with anger…but not surprise.
"The soldier said the order came from my father," Mia added, her voice tinged with a deep sadness that cut Ty down to the bone.
"I'm so sorry," Christie said, genuine regret in his voice.
"What kind of man would a man want his own daughter murdered?" Ty demanded.
"You don't know my father," Mia said. "Public opinion is everything to him. Obviously, my change has made me a liability."
"There has been a lot of news coverage," Christie admitted. "Vans parked outside your family home. Speculation on what led to you coming to the Boundarylands in the first place, and what the senator will do next."
"He must have looked over the data and determined that a rescued daughter didn't lift him in the polls as much as a martyred one." She said the words so easily as if she'd already thought this through.
Apparently, Christie agreed. "Martyred? You think the senator wanted to pin your death on the alphas?"
"The trespasser said as much," Ty said.
"And it fits the way my father operates," she said. Ty wasn't sure if it was his presence, or that she was coming to trust Christie, but she'd definitely regained her courage. "This way, he could kill two birds with one stone—lift his popularity and give him an anti-alpha platform to run on."
"Voters do love a boogieman to blame for all their problems," Christie agreed.
Ty gritted his teeth. "Do you think the bastard will come after her again?"
Christie let out a hard breath. A determined light shone in his eyes.
"I don't know," he said. "But I can promise you that I'll do everything in my power to stop him if he does."
Ty scanned the line of government vehicles. The RV was still there, but he didn't detect any sign of the frightened little shits he'd pummeled last time.
"Are they still here?"
Christie didn't ask him to clarify. "No. After they got out of the hospital, we shipped Dustin and Josh down to the Sacramento jail. After a few sleepless nights, they were more than willing to answer all our questions."
Ty nodded. "So, this is goodbye then," he said, holding out his hand.
The beta took it. "Looks like it."
Christie's grip wasn't nearly as strong as Ty's, but he resisted the urge to show dominance by increasing the pressure. Christie had shown him respect, a good deal of it. And Ty appreciated that.
"I doubt you'll miss us," Christie said. "And please don't take offense when I say that I hope we never have to meet again."
Ty smiled. He understood perfectly.
Agent Christie turned and headed back toward his men, making a circle above his head with his hand. "Okay, people, let's wrap it up and get back home."
Ty didn't stick around to ensure the betas really were tearing down their command center. Christie's word was good enough for him.
Instead, he wrapped his arm around Mia and pulled her tightly to his side. "That wasn't so bad."
"No, it wasn't," she agreed. Still, she held back as he started for the bar. "You're not taking me in there, are you?"
"Where else would we be going?"
"Home," she answered.
"This bar is my home," he said.
Chapter Twelve
Mia didn't like bars. She never had—not since the day she'd walked into her first one on her twenty-first birthday.
She had no objection to a drink or two at home or at parties or concerts. But never bars.
There was something deeply uncomfortable about the atmosphere of every one she'd ever stepped inside, a disagreeable mixture of cramped spaces, strangers, and alcohol. They felt like places where anything could happen…none of it good.
And now Ty was telling her he owned one.
Which meant that so did she.
She trailed behind him, allowing him to tug her up the steps to the door.
Memories of the last time she was here came roaring back into her head. Propped up against the side…tasting Ty for the first time…feeling the exquisite pleasure of his touch.
She felt the heat rising in her cheeks.
Ty must have sensed the change in her because he squeezed her hands a little harder.
"That's right, sweetheart," he whispered in her ear. "I remember too."
Mia's face burned with embarrassment as he pulled the door open. She ducked as they entered, staying in his shadow.
She wasn't sure why. There
