Chapter 38 Thirty-four
Thirty-four
Lin
Well. They work fast.
The moment I saw Taryn’s video, I knew something like this would come down the pipeline eventually.
She’d namedropped Wainwright twice, stopping short only of calling out Corinth by name.
As of the last time I checked last night before Taryn got home and the evening went to shit, it’d already amassed close to a million views.
They weren’t likely to let that slide.
Vikki stood before me, alongside another officer I didn’t recognize. Her face showed her regret, yet here she still stood, handcuffs in her hand, ready to arrest my omega.
Behind me, the homey smell of a warm breakfast gave way to the stink of terror. Brooks and Caine stood between the door and Taryn, her hands on Brooks’ arms.
I stood square in the entryway, one hand on the door. “On what charges?”
Vikki held up the folded paper warrant. “Healthcare fraud, prescription fraud, aiding and abetting unregistered omegas.”
The fuck? I narrowed my eyes, trying to think of a response to the ridiculous—frankly, off-the-wall—allegations.
Except that Brooks’ stomach dropped so hard I felt the floor shake. And Taryn’s fear took on the sour tinge of shame.
What have you two been up to?
The splintering of my alpha trying to tear through my barriers began.
I tightened my grip on the doorframe. “That’s absurd,” I said.
Vikki swallowed, and her partner shifted where he stood, leaning over to try to see behind me into the apartment. “Please step aside, Mr. Arceneaux.”
Taryn gave a distressed whine, and my alpha clawed to get through my defenses. Gray cropped in at the edges of my vision.
No no no don’t lose it right now stay in control calm d—
“Taryn didn’t do it,” came a voice from behind me. “I did.”
We all turned to stare at Caine, open-mouthed as he stepped forward.
“Wait!” Taryn cried from behind me. Brooks held her back, but she fought to get to Caine, who was passing through the doorway toward the officers in the hall. “No, no, no—he didn’t—”
“Get her out of here,” I told Brooks, never taking my eyes off the cops before me.
He pulled her into one of the back bedrooms, her sobs tearing at my heart all the way.
Vikki looked between me and Caine. “You’re confessing?”
“I am,” he said at the same time as I said, “He’s doing nothing without a lawyer.”
Vikki, Caine, and I exchanged glances. She wasn’t an idiot. Whatever was going on, she knew Caine was protecting Taryn.
The other officer frowned. “And who’re you?”
“Caine Arceneaux,” he said, planting himself firmly in the doorway. “Alpha, age thirty-one. Search my name and you’ll find a history of drug abuse and distribution.” He extended his hands out toward the cops. “I’m your guy.”
Brooks
I held tight to Taryn long after the apartment door shut, the cops taking Caine away and Lin following behind.
Brea came out of the shower to hysterical omega pheromones.
The whole story spilled out of both of us—the crime we’d committed, Caine taking the blame—and I watched her face go through surprise, fear, sadness, resignation.
The last one was the scariest of all.
Brea’s phone chimed. She pulled it from the pocket of the robe she wore. “Lin’s at the jail. He’s called Gail but didn’t get through. Bail is set at—two million dollars?”
I groaned, pinching the bridge of my nose. “Their way of ensuring Caine—well, Taryn—wouldn’t get bailed out.”
Because that had been the plan. Arrest Taryn. Publicize widely. Destroy her credibility. Hell, I could see them going so far as to sue for libel and slander, and they’d win.
Whatever medical files Wainwright didn’t have access to, they could likely obtain through money or might. They’d have seen my declaration three months ago that she was to remain off all omega supplements until she’d weathered a natural heat cycle.
Then she’d filled a prescription for a year’s worth of heat suppressants. Maybe they knew what she’d been up to. Maybe they just banked on figuring it out or making something up after the fact.
Either way, they’d gotten what they wanted. Taryn had handed it to them.
I bit the inside of my cheek, closing my eyes and trying to level out my head.
So of course Taryn stood and rounded on me, arms crossed. “What, Brooks?”
“Nothing.”
“It’s not nothing,” she said. “It is about as far from nothing as a thing can get.”
“Taryn, I swear to god…”
“I know this is my fault.” Her voice cracked. “I know that I'm not the only one those bastards hurt, even if I've been acting like it. Lin had every right to be angry. Caine does. And so do you. So if you’re angry with me, Brooks, just say you are.”
“YES!” The word exploded out of me. “Yes, I’m angry with you.”
She opened her arms, inviting me in. Like she knew this had been bubbling and festering for much longer than this morning. “Give it to me.”
“I’m angry that you convinced me to let yourself get captured.”
“Good. Keep going.”
My breaths were ragged gasps. “I’m angry that you were right. And I’m angry at how close you got to not coming back to me.”
Taryn nodded, trying to look stoic. “Keep going.”
A rock lodged in my throat. “I’m angry that since we’ve gotten back, you’ve taken every damn chance you have to put yourself in danger again.
I’m angry that you won’t talk to anyone about why that is and what we’re supposed to do now.
I’m angry that Caine is about to take the fall for something we did.
“And I am so, motherfucking, angry, at the world that did this to you. That…that someone more powerful than us can just come in and steal the smile off your face that I love so goddamn much. I’m fucking furious at how little there is any of us can do about it.
And how far you’ve drifted from me when all I want is to hold you.
We're not alone, and I want us both to start believing that.”
Taryn rolled her lips between her teeth, two tears chasing each other down her cheeks.
I gathered her into my arms, kissing her temple and smoothing her hair back from her face before laying my forehead against hers.
“But there is no quantity of anger that could ever exist inside me that would ever, for a moment, outweigh how much love there is.” I couldn’t staunch my own tears anymore.
Toffee and cream exploded around me, salty and sweet “I’m sorry, Brooks,” she whispered, her words brushing across my lips. “I’m sorry about the pills, and the video.”
Sniffling, I nodded once. “But you’re not sorry about Greysmoke.”
She nodded back to me.
My voice was fragile, high and cracked as I said, “You shouldn’t be. But I still get to be moody about it.”
Taryn gave a single wet chuckle before pecking my lips with a gentle kiss. “Fine.”
Brea put a hand on each of our necks, making me jump. I’d forgotten she was in the room. “We’re gonna figure this out,” she said, steady surety behind her words. “I love you both, you know. Harebrained schemes and all.”