Chapter 41
Chapter Forty-One
Grace
Iglanced at my phone and sighed.
Fancy Wedding Planner
I’m so sorry, but I can’t find anyone on such short notice. But it’s okay. Deep breath. You’ll still look amazing.
The person who was supposed to come over and do my hair and makeup for the party had canceled at the last minute. Literally, I should be getting ready right now.
Spencer and Evan were with a bunch of Spencer’s family at a house they’d rented for the weekend. They’d meet me at the club.
Me
It’s okay. I can do my own hair and makeup.
My sisters will be here soon; they can probably help.
It really wasn’t that big of a deal. I was fine with it. But, I needed to get started. Verity and Mercy should have been here by now. I looked at my phone and all I had was a picture of Mercy’s face. Well, then.
The doorbell rang. Oh, that was probably them, and the selfie was an I’m coming text.
I went downstairs. Riley, who wore a long black robe with feathers on it, makeup half done, beat me to the door.
“Get the fuck out of here, Agent Ass-face.” Riley stood there, hands on her hips.
“Who’s there?” I rushed over and saw Agent Weigmier there in a dark suit. “Hell no.” I went to close the door.
He caught it. “Please, Dr. Ellington, a moment?”
“I didn’t take the cat,” I snapped. While there were a few things I still didn’t recall from my time at the Temporal Authority, I did remember that black cat with the blue eyes. Yeah, I wish I had brought him back with me.
“I have what you requested,” he said quickly.
“What?” I’d requested something?
Puzzled, I looked past him to an older man in slacks and a shirt, standing in the middle of the walkway, looking at the house, confused.
“Oh.” I sucked in a sharp breath. “Riley, go get someone right now. Anyone.”
“Um, sure.” She scowled at Agent Weigmier. “Touch her, and I’ll rearrange your insides.”
Agent Weigmier nodded. “Noted.”
“That’s…” I gazed at the man with grey hair, olive skin, and Spencer’s eyes.
“Yes. He was released recently. Per protocol, he recalls nothing after leaving for work the morning that the Temporal Authority Enforcement came. He thinks that he’d been unconscious this entire time, as a John Doe, and we just recently figured out who he was, and now that he’s awake, are returning him to his family.
Nick knows that many years have passed, but I don’t think he grasps it,” Agent Weigmier said softly.
He turned. “Nick, don’t you wish to be reunited with your loved ones? ”
“This isn’t my home. Where are we?” Nick Thanukos stared at me. “I don’t know you. I want my son and wife.” His Greek accent was much thicker than Spencer’s.
“Hi, Nick. You’re in Rockland. I’m Grace. We’ll see Spencer and your wife really soon,” I explained.
Shit. They did it. The Temporal Authority had actually released Nick Thanukos and brought him to me.
“Oh. But who are you?” Nick frowned at me. He looked so much like Spencer.
“I’m Spencer’s mate,” I replied.
His brows furrowed. “He’s not that old, is he? They say it’s been years, but has it been that many? How much have I missed?”
So much. Did they really have to punish him like that for saving omegas? He and Dr. K probably didn’t even fully understand what they were doing and why it was considered wrong.
“He’ll be so excited to see you. Your wife, too,” I assured.
“Why are they in Rockland? Kim is in Rock Springs.” He rubbed his forehead.
I was pretty sure that Kim was Evan’s mom.
“Spencer lives here now. Ilena lives in Greece, but she’s here for a party. Please, come inside.” I opened the door wider.
Evan came running down the stairs. “What’s wrong?”
“I thought you were with Spence?” I looked at him, he was wearing a tux.
“He needed me to get something that he forgot.” He gazed at the doorway. “Uncle Nick? Uncle Nick. Is that you?”
Nick glanced at Evan, head cocked as if trying to place him.
Evan crossed the living room in a few steps and threw his arms around him. “It’s me, Evan. Kim’s son. I’m so fucking happy to see you. Spencer and Auntie Ilena are going to be so happy. They’ve missed you so much.”
“Evan.” Nick held him tight. “You’re such a big boy. Did you and my son mate?”
Evan laughed. “We just formed a pack together. Spencer and I are mated to Grace.”
Agent Weigmier focused on me. “If I might have a word?”
“How old are you now? How much did I miss?” Nick sniffed.
Evan put an arm around his waist. “Hey, why don’t I make you some coffee, and then we can go see Spencer.”
I stared at Agent Weigmier, still not convinced he wouldn’t stuff me in his car and take me some place.
“In private?” he prodded.
“Okay.” I brought him inside and led him to the creepy doll room, which was ready for Mercy.
All three of my Everydolls stared at us from behind the glass of the cabinet.
Someone had placed a sign that said, Please help me, I’m trapped in the hands of my Gracie doll.
By the handwriting, I was pretty sure that it was Wes.
Shit, I hoped my sisters would arrive after Agent Weigmier left.
“Thank you for bringing him,” I told Agent Weigmier.
“He is your husband’s father. I assumed some sort of familial relationship.” Agent Weigmier nodded.
“Yes. The father of one of my husbands, not Fade. In this world I can have all of the spouses,” I said. “You won’t need to take Nick back for any reason, will you? Does he have to meet with a parole officer? I don’t know how any of this works.”
“Someone might come to check on him, but unlikely, especially if he gives no cause for it. I tried to reduce his footprint, as I did yours. He can’t resume his research, Dr. Ellington.
Certainly, he can’t hide more omegas. If he does, I won’t be able to help him, and he’ll die in jail like his colleague," he implored.
“I’ll do my best. Hopefully, he’ll just want to travel with his wife and enjoy life. You… said something about things still not being set right after all these years. You’re not going to return the omegas to worlds where they’re illegal, right?” The very idea sickened me.
He shook his head. “There are very few good reasons for us to do that. Even if there were, omegas fall under Precious Population Protection Protocol, and a case can usually be made. However, not all designations sent elsewhere have all those protections–especially when their crimes have nothing to do with their designation.”
I snorted. “If the woman who stole me from this world and raised me in the other wasn't dead, or of an illegal designation, I’d have you extradite her here to stand trial for what she took.”
Agent Weigmier paused. “You were stolen, or do you mean it colloquially, since I am assuming you were small and had no say?”
“She’s my mother’s identical twin. I was stolen so that she’d look like a single mom.” Anger surged through me. Rosalind took so much from me. If she hadn’t robbed that vault, they wouldn’t have come after my mother. While sure, Thora might have had to raise me by herself, I would have been here.
I could have gotten to Wes, because I would have been able to find Rockland on a map. Thora would have taken me to the Omega Center, and some nice advocate would have helped me locate him. Tears pricked my eyes.
“Oh my. Do I need to recite equations with you?” His voice became soft.
“I’m okay. You can’t change the past. It was a mess because of people being sent to incompatible worlds.” I rubbed my temples.
“It’s a mess because of tenacity and people thinking that doing good absolves them from breaking the laws–or that they’re above them.
And yes, sending people to incompatible worlds is an even greater headache than sending them to compatible ones,” he admitted.
“It was eventually taken care of, with much effort, but as I said previously, we’re still cleaning up. ”
“But the omegas here are okay?” That was a relief because I worried about them since it had been so long and they all had established lives now.
“Yes, those who have made their homes here should be safe.”
Good.
“What about other people like me?” I couldn’t be the only one.
“As in young people who ended up in biologically incompatible worlds through no fault of their own? Usually, I try to return you,” he explained.
He tried to return them. Not they. Huh.
“Are only omegas under the Precious Population Protection Protocol?” I vaguely recalled that being mentioned when I was slated for relocation.
“No.” He shook his head.
“Are you going to tell me what you do for the Authority?” I asked. He didn’t seem surprised that I remembered everything, but he also struck me as being very deliberate in his actions.
“I fix things.” He shrugged as if that explained everything.
I paused. “Am I the only person you’ve returned?”
“To this world? Yes. From your world, no. At least you blend in and don’t cause urban legends.” He grimaced.
“Oh.” I sucked in a breath. “Like shapeshifters? I think I met a wolf shifter at the Authority. So, Sasquatches are really shifters smuggled from someplace and dropped into my world to be safe? Or was it just werewolves, maybe vampires?”
He shot me a look that clearly said he’d said too much as it was. Huh. Of course, werewolves and vampires could have just visited our world and went home.
“Okay, well, if you ever return someone else to this world, will you please let me know? Maybe I can help. I was lucky that I had someone here waiting for me. But not everyone is so fortunate,” I suggested.
Brennan would just love that I made this offer, but I’d hate for some to be just left here with nothing–no record, no money, no memories.
“Oh. Thank you for that kind offer. It’s difficult for me to operate in this world, and that would be quite helpful to me.” He nodded. “You’re very interesting, Dr. Ellington. Please be careful. Interesting people seldom live quiet lives.”
“Isn’t that a curse? May you live in interesting times?” I countered.
“I believe it is.”
“Grace, are you in here? Why–” Brennan stopped short. “Fuck no.”