Feigning complacency, smiling when she was supposed to, Claire acted the part of a submissive Omega and fervently agreed when Corday asked for her promise to stay inside. Admitting she was terrified of being given back, that she trusted him to protect her, it only took two days of good behavior before he finally left to attend his duties.
Despite the pain each step cost, once alone, she began to pace and plot.
The monster himself had told her she'd failed because she believed in goodness in a city where there was none. He was wrong. Claire knew that she had failed because she hadn't tried hard enough, thought big enough; because, in the end, she'd expected someone else to save her.
How very Omega.
How fucking ironic that the champion the women had chosen had been Shepherd! Laughing under her breath, sickened, Claire griped her skull.
Nona, the other Omegas—not once had Corday mentioned them. It was the other Omegas, the one's he'd freed that slipped into conversation here and there. He was trying to shore her up, show that there was hope, but he never mentioned her friends.
Claire knew why; Corday was afraid the temptation to go to them would undermine her promise to stay put. He was right.
Just as he'd threatened, Shepherd had stashed those women in the one place no outsider could get to—the Undercroft. Claire was certain down to her bones.
Getting in would not be easy. Once inside, her quest would grow impossible unless… Claire could encourage the Omegas to stand as a pack and fight.
No one was going to save them—they would have to save themselves. All Claire could do was give them their chance.
In a way, Shepherd may have even done Claire a favor. He'd have seen to the Omega's basic needs, wanting them healthy enough for his men. After so many weeks with food, the women would be stronger, and Claire had a feeling that with starvation no longer clouding their judgment, they would also be very angry.
Anger was the only sentiment Claire seemed to understand most days. Anger was a great motivator.
Turning to pace in the other direction, her elbow winged Corday's bookcase, knocking a mess to the floor.
Bending over to clean up, Claire froze.
An Enforcer data cube…
Information on Shepherd might be there. Maybe even Svana's name was tucked into inside an Enforcer file.
Claire plugged it into Corday's COMscreen and typed out the name 'Shepherd'.
Nothing.
'Svana'.
Nothing.
This resource was too valuable to ignore; there had to be something on there she could use. Claire just needed to think. She needed to slow her mental chatter, to breathe. A cold sweat came as her finger tapped the screen, spelling the name of the only criminal Claire knew. The COM flashed, beautiful chocolate eyes staring back at her.
Claire knew the contemptuously smirking face on that woman's credentials, every angle of it. Even though it had been years, Claire still knew how she smelled, what her laugh sounded like. Leaning nearer the screen, the Omega almost smiled.
The next hour was spent absorbing every single detail the data cube contained on one repeat felon. Maryanne Cauley had amassed quite a record; assault, larceny, burglary, arson… her file was massive. From the looks of it, the stunning lawbreaker had gone from cocky repeat escapee of farm labor to… nothing. Her file just stopped—no record of further incarceration, no address, no date of death. She had just disappeared.
If Claire had not known what had been done with Shepherd's mother, it would not have felt like a very… disturbing coincidence.
She did not know what made her do it, but her fingers typed out one final name: 'Claire O'Donnell'.
It only took a moment to see the flaw on her citizenship registration. If Maryanne Cauley still lived, Claire knew where she'd gone to ground.Corday had come back to find his apartment cold and empty, lifeless where there should have been a small Omega resting on the couch. Corday had hated leaving her, but she had sworn so faithfully, admitting that she could hardly walk on her feet, that he had believed her.
Claire had fooled him. Claire didn't trust him. Claire had left him… again.
There was a note:
Dear Corday,
I can't live a lie and stay hidden. Not the way things are now. I want you to know that no matter what happens, I chose – fully aware of the consequences.
Love,
Claire
She had signed 'love' but there was no apology. He knew where he stood and the position was painful and deeply upsetting. Knowing her obsession with the Omega situation, Corday folded up the letter and shoved it in his pocket. Zipping up his jacket, he went right out onto the causeways and fought through the snow to where Brigadier Dane secretly sheltered the leader of the resistance.
Banging on the door, Corday refused to let up until the woman answered.
Dane glared. "You shouldn't be here."