"Stay out of sight and you might get away," He muttered, looking like he would rather be doing anything else but helping him out.
And Lake couldn’t blame him, he would also not put his life on the line for a stranger he knew nothing about.
"T-Thank you," He forced out, getting out of the car.
The cab driver didn’t dally after that, driving out of the parking lot and speeding down the road.
Lake was already on the move before he even merged into the road because he knew that Arthur and the men would have an eye out on the place the cab came out of.
He headed to the store because he didn’t know much of the place around, and for the first time, he wished he had gotten around more.
He had left his phone back at his apartment to increase his chances of getting away, so the map wasn’t even going to help him out here.
The store was next to the shopping complex, and he hoped to get inside before Arthur and his men caught up.
Hopefully, they would think he had gone into the shopping complex which would take a long time to traverse.
And by the time they thought to check the store, he would already be long gone through the back door of the store.
Lake was caught up in his thoughts planning his next move while simultaneously looking over his shoulder, so it was no surprise when he bumped into someone coming out of the store.
Arthur had been closer than he thought, because the duo of black cars were swerving into the parking lot of the shopping complex.
And if for whatever reason they looked over here, they would instantly see him, and his shoddy escape plans would fall right through.
So he cursed as his sore bottom made impact with the hard concrete floor - this was the worst possible time to be clumsy.
He looked up at the tall Beta, the grimace on his face loud, as the apology he was about to say was interrupted.
"Oh my God, who was that? Are they alright?" An unfamiliar voice came from behind the hulking Beta he had bumped into.
"S-Sorry, I wasn’t looking," Lake said with as much composure he could muster.
He tried to get back up but the sharp pain that shot up his spine dissuaded him.
"Well, help him up," The person that spoke before did again, coming into view.
Lake knew he was staring but he couldn’t exactly help it.
There were several reasons for him to be shell-shocked; gossip about the three Mafia Kings went around freely among the house staff, so he knew more about them than he cared to.
But there was no mistaking the face of the male Omega that Mafia King Asher Knight had bought and then... mated.
Even the proudly displayed mating mark paled in comparison to how beautiful he was in person, the pictures didn’t do him justice.
The Beta he had bumped into, who on closer inspection looked like a bodyguard, if his openly displayed weapons weren’t anything to go by.
He politely held out a hand, looking stunned still from when they bumped into each other.
"Sorry again, and thank you," Lake said with a tight smile that was caused by him masking his pain.
He was just about to slip past them and disappear inside the store when he heard the most aggravating noise possible.
"Lake!" Avery’s cheery voice came a short distance away, and without looking behind him, Lake could tell that his arch-nemesis was coming with Arthur in tow.
Caspian picked up on the bleak expression of the Omega that had bumped into Peter.
Keith had already gone ahead to put the fruits in the trunk of the car so it was just him and the Beta.
"A friend of yours?" He found himself asking instead of walking towards the car like he should.
"Hardly," Lake said tiredly, the bag weighing heavily on his arm.
He knew he should hurry in but that would only delay the inevitable.
Caspian looked over at the crowd coming, Peter tensing up beside him.
He didn’t blame his bodyguard because there were at least six or more dangerous-looking men who were armed to the teeth.
He looked back to the Omega that had been referred to as Lake, he was slowly shuffling into the store like he was hesitant about it.
"Caspian? We should leave," Peter leaned close to say.
He reluctantly accepted, walking slowly off while the male Omega ducked inside the store.
The group coming over immediately scattered, some going around the store, no doubt to trap the Omega in.
Peter didn’t stop moving until they were inside the car, Keith watching the odd display with a frown.
"Do you have any idea who they are?" Caspian asked, his face pressed to the window.
"Mafia King Davian’s men," Peter was quick to reply, already starting up the car. "We should stay out of whatever this is."
Caspian knew he should do that but he couldn’t get the look of utter exhaustion on Lake’s face.
Whatever he could have done could be negotiable right?
He didn’t even know if Asher was on good terms with Davian for that to happen but there was no way he would find out if he just let himself be driven back to the mansion.
"Peter, stop the car." He said decisively.
The command was so unexpected that his bodyguard did as he asked before processing his words.
Caspian was already opening the door and hopping out before Peter could protest.
If it turned out to be impossible to save the male Omega after all, then he could at least say that he tried.
But it was difficult to see Lake on the run and not remember his first days in Haines.
His situation was probably not similar to what he went through but he still had to do something.
"Caspian? Wait- Fuck!" Keith cursed, dashing out after him, Peter in tow.