Hearts of Deceit (ManxMan)

Ch 14: Reunion

"Sir, this way!"

More pops of noise that sounded like gunshots rang out. Hans let out a squeak, and I basically stayed glued to the floor not knowing what to do. Screams and cries sounded from outside the room. More and more guards rushed in. I felt someone grab for my hand. 

It was Hans. "Conrad, we have to go! Come one!" 

"Where the hell are we supposed to go?"

We didn't get much time to decide as Ross sounded out some kind of order that his guards seemed to hear above the chaos. One grabbed for Hans and another for me as we were both lead away to another room through the same side door the wine servants had come from.  

My mind defaulted to autopilot. With a beating heart and one-track mind, I bolted down a long corridor followed by Hans, Ross, and a few guards. The whole building seemed to shake beneath my feet.  Was it the noise? The panic? It was hard to tell at this point. Only one word kept rushing through my mind: run, run, run. 

"Ah!" I stopped and turned as soon as I'd heard the cry. Hans who was behind me seemed to have tripped in the rush. Without thinking, I bolted back and grabbed for him. 

"Come on, kid, we gotta keep running!"

"I-I know, I-"

"What the hell is going on?" I looked up to find Ross and the guards rushing back. One guard hauled Hans while another put a hand on my shoulder. We were running again in less than a minute and yet, I swore the gunshots were  getting closer and closer.

"Sir, here! We'll update you on the situation! Mikhail should meet up with you in a minute or so," the guard explained as we were herded into a room that was definitely smaller than the ballroom but seemed just as spacious. The carpeting was a rather elaborate pattern of dark maroon and gold, the lights  were dimmed and the window curtains drawn. Part of me wondered how this even fit into the hotel. Really, I was trying to push away thoughts of the name the guard had said and the chaos in the distance. 

When the guards left, Hans became even more panicked if that were possible. "They're not staying?" He squeaked. The poor omega was absolutely shaking and drowning in his own sweat. He looked about ready to cry which took me a bit off-guard. I jokingly called him a kid but even when he'd been almost kidnapped he'd kept on some visage of grim maturity. Standing anxiously in his white trench coat and nervously playing with his hands, Hans looked more and more like a small boy. 

It was some kind of strange compulsion that lead me to drape an arm over his quaking form and bring him into what I hoped was a comforting side hug. Hans looked up at me in surprise but returned a weak smile. Ross regarded us stiffly.

"There are guards all over the hotel. And my husband should be here soon," he said it formally and with a bit of distance. Definitely a little more distance then when he was rubbing in Hans misery to him.

I flinched and tried not to think too much about that comment. Was Mikhail his husband? It made sense since Mikhail was some sort of special agent. Had they married the whole time we....? No. No, I wasn't thinking about it. Instead, I focused in on the perplexed gaze Ross seemed to be giving us, more specifically, my arm over Hans' shoulder. Some part of me, the delta instincts or something, was a bit unnerved and wanted to back-up so an alpha would stop giving me the attention. 

Ross seemed about to say something when another shot rang out. It was close. Way too close. Then a banging. A thunderous sound that sent my heart up my throat. At the far end of the room was a set of double doors that had been kept locked but now shook and rattled with a screaming furry.