Hope tensed under his touch. She shook her head. Tears welled in her eyes.
"That's what I'm afraid of," she said. "The narcos must have learned their lesson by now. They're bound to come back with an army. If they hurt you…if you…" She swallowed hard, unable to say the words.
Hope closed her eyes and tried again. "I don't think I could go on without you, Maddox. I'd be like a fish without water. I'd rather die from a bullet to the head than to suffer like that."
Maddox looked her in the eye. "That's not going to happen." He'd kill every one of those bastards with his own hands if had to. "You're going to be fine. We're going to be fine. Tell me you believe that."
Hope's eyes shifted to the floorboards as she gave a shaky nod.
Maddox hooked a finger under her chin and lifted her gaze back up to his. "Tell me."
"I believe it," she said.
Maddox pulled her in close and kissed her hard as the first truck in the caravan pulled to a stop outside. Even though every voice in his head was telling him to stay by her side, Maddox pulled himself away.
"I have to go. We'll talk more about this later," he said, inching back toward the door. "Even with all the brothers here, you're safest inside. So promise me you'll stay in here, no matter what."
Hope nodded. "I promise."
Maddox sensed her anxiety spike again the moment he stepped out back outside. A part of him prayed that these beta bastards really were the idiots he took them for and were planning to strike again soon.
The sooner they came, the sooner this was over…and the sooner his omega could live her life in peace.
Maddox gripped the rail of his porch and watched as the line of trucks rolled in one after the other, parking in a semicircle in front of the cabin. Once they were all there, half a dozen alphas got out.
Samson was the first to join him on the porch. He must have caught the scent of Hope's fear because his mouth pulled down in concern.
"She doing okay in there?" Samson asked.
Maddox shot him a glower. "What do you think?"
"I can take Hope over to Randall's if you want," Samson offered. "I dropped Cassidy off there earlier. She's staying there with Mia and Paige."
"You mean the house that the goddamn beta army was able to invade earlier this year? I don't think so."
A low growl rumbled in Maddox's chest. He wasn't letting Hope out of his sight any longer than he had to. Not even to leave her with the woman who had brought her back from death.
Samson was smart enough not to argue. He simply shut his mouth and slowly nodded.
"You think these betas will come tonight?" Samson asked after a moment had passed.
"Only if they're idiots," Zeke said with his usual grumble.
"Or have a death wish," Troy added, leaning casually against the bed of his shiny new truck.
Maddox's jaw muscles flexed as his back teeth ground together. Not two minutes in, and already these alphas were chatting like it was just another night at Evander's.
"They'll come," Maddox assured them. "If not tonight, then tomorrow. If not tomorrow, then the day after. They're professional drug runners, and they're too well trained and organized to be stupid. What they are is desperate. Their livelihoods depend on making sure Hope can never tell anyone what she saw."
"I contacted Agent Christie at the FBI today," Ty said. "He said he'd forward the info Hope gave to the right department, but it might be a couple of days before anyone can get all the way out to the area she identified to look into it."
"So basically, he told you to deal with it on your own," Zeke said, disdain dripping from his words. "Typical beta bullshit."
"Calm the fuck down, Zeke," Troy ribbed him. "Think of it this way—at least the beta authorities aren't going to steal our fun this time."
Maddox's blood heated at the alpha's joking tone.
"This isn't a fucking game," he growled. "These bastards got close last time. Real close. They got past my nose. All the way to the edge of my house."
His brothers fell silent. The mood turned heavy and tense in an instant. Even Troy straightened up. No matter their ridiculous personality differences, every alpha understood that fear—to be let down by their senses and have their land trampled by outsiders.
"How did they manage that?" Zeke asked.
"Scent blockers. Military-grade," Maddox answered. He picked up the shirt that he'd ripped from the body earlier. "If you're like I was, if you haven't come in contact with this shit before, take a good sniff. There's a chemical signature there. It's light as hell, and like nothing I've ever smelled before, but it's there."
The alphas passed it around, burying their noses in the fabric and drawing in deep breaths. When it got to Kian and Ty though, they both waved it off.
"You only have to get that shit in your nose once to remember it forever," Kian said, his voice dark.
Wasn't that the damn truth.
"In my experience, these blockers make the betas bolder than usual," Ty said. "My guess is that if they have a stockpile of blockers, guns, and a big enough crew, they'll come back tonight."
"They'll think they're taking us by surprise or some such shit," Kian agreed with a nod.
Zeke clenched his meaty fists and rolled his shoulders. "But this time, we'll be waiting."
"Damn straight, we will," Troy agreed.
Maddox lifted his chin as he looked over his alpha brothers. The second they'd known the real stakes, they'd come together fast—no bickering, no bullshit.
Even now, they were spreading out across the front of the house, taking up positions at different points. Their eyes open, and their senses sharp.
They were looking out for him. Him and Hope.
Maddox felt a strange warmth in the center of his chest at the thought. At first, he
