Chapter Four #3
“It makes sense. I have plenty of student debt to pay, and he knows it. He’ll think I’m taking advantage of the situation. It’s something a lot of people would do.”
“Not you.”
“Not me, but maybe if I hadn’t been lucky enough to end up here, I would have.”
Matthew didn’t believe that. “It’s not the kind of person you are.”
“But what if I’d never met you? What if I’d been alone, with no one to ask for help and nowhere to go?
Even if I’d managed to escape him the other night, I wouldn’t have been able to go home.
I still can’t. I think that he’ll fall for it if I tell him that I just want to go back to a normal life. Who wouldn’t in my position?”
Matthew stared at his mate. He desperately wanted to tell him he couldn’t do this, but how could he? “I’m not going to be able to change your mind, am I?” he asked instead.
Alan turned to Dante. “Do you think there’s any other way for you to get this information?”
Dante gave Matthew an apologetic glance.
“I don’t, no. This man has been doing this for a long time.
That means he’s smart and knows how to keep a secret.
It would take us too much time to have someone infiltrate his life and for him to be comfortable enough with them to tell them about his business.
If we’re going to get a confession, it needs to be to someone Victor already knows and trusts, even if only in part. ”
“And that someone is me,” Alan murmured. He turned back to Matthew. “I need to do this.”
Matthew sighed. “I know.”
“You’re not going to try and stop me?”
“Would you stop if I asked you to?”
“I can’t.”
“Then you have your answer. Why should I try to stop you when I know it’s not going to work?
” At this point, the only thing Matthew could do was to protect his mate.
He wouldn’t be allowed to get anywhere close to that meeting because he might do something stupid, but he’d find a way. He always would when it came to Alan.
“I really don’t want to do this, but I don’t see any other option,” Alan said.
Nysys clapped his hands. “I promise that I’ll be close by and will shimmer to you if anything weird happens. You’ll be back in your mate’s arms before you can even start worrying that Victor’s going to kill you.”
Alan paled slightly. “I didn’t think that him killing me was an option.”
“Like I said earlier, he’s smart,” Dante said.
“He’s going to agree to meet with you to find out what you want from him, but he’s not going to give it to you.
He wants to get rid of all complications, and that’s what you are.
It’s safer for him to make sure you can never tell anyone than wait for you to continue blackmailing him when you need more money. ”
“But you’ll protect me, right?” Alan asked as he looked around the room.
Matthew grabbed his mate’s hand. He squeezed hard, relieved when Alan turned to look at him. “I will.”
“I already knew that.”
“We all will,” Moore added. “You’re Matthew’s mate. That means you’re family.”
“My team of enforcers will be there for you, too,” Dante said. “It’s our job.”
Matthew wanted to say that it wasn’t Dante’s job to send an innocent man into danger that way, but he didn’t. Bickering with the leader of the enforcers wouldn’t help anyone, least of all Alan, and that was what Matthew needed to focus on.
“You guys are like my pride,” Nysys said as he clasped his hands under his chin. And fluttered his lashes. “We’re a family, too.”
Dante cleared his throat. He was clearly ignoring Nysys, something that Moore seemed to agree with. Matthew wouldn’t have been surprised to see Moore disagree on principle because of who Dante was, so it was a surprise.
“Morin, you didn’t say if you knew who was behind all of this,” Dante said, bringing attention back to the problem at hand.
“That’s because we don’t know yet. We found the accounts with the missing money and the transfers, but we still don’t know who was responsible. We’ll find out, though.”
Dante nodded. “You and Nysys do that. The rest of us will focus on keeping Alan safe when he meets with Victor. We have a Nix on our team, so there’s no need for Nysys to be there.”
“Arresting Victor might alarm whoever he’s working with within the company,” Matthew pointed out. If his mate was going to put himself in danger, he was only going to do it once. That meant that one time had to count for something.
“We’ll need to get Victor to give us names.”
“And you think he’s going to do that just because you ask nicely?”
“I’m sure we can find incentives. I know the kind of person he is. Victor only cares about Victor, which means he’s going to try to save himself when he realizes everything is crumbling down. He’s not going to want to sink with this boat.”
Maybe not, but there were still too many things that could go wrong. Thinking about them made Matthew want to scream.
He still wouldn’t try to stop Alan. If Alan felt that he needed to do this, Matthew would support him. There was no alternative beyond fighting him over it and risking him deciding that he didn’t want anything to do with Matthew.
And Matthew didn’t want that.
* * * *
IT WASN’T LIKE ALAN wanted to do this. In fact, there was nothing he wanted less than having to deal with Victor again. He didn’t want to see the man. He didn’t want to talk to him. He wanted Victor to pay for what he’d done and forget about him.
Unfortunately for him, that wouldn’t be possible. Someone had to stop Victor, and apparently, that someone would be Alan.
That wasn’t a choice. Alan knew none of this was his fault, but he still felt guilty.
He’d given Victor the names of many people he’d thought Victor would help.
They’d been vulnerable, had needed someone to stand up for them, and Alan had been convinced that was what Victor would do.
It was what he’d said he was doing. Instead, he’d been hurting the people he was supposed to protect.
Victor was a monster, and he’d pulled Alan into his mess.
Alan wanted him to pay, but even more so, he wanted him stopped.
Someone else could do it, but why not Alan?
He wanted to do this, even though he didn’t want to see Victor again. Logically, he knew he had no fault in what had happened, but it felt like the least he could do.
He glanced at Matthew. He’d known his mate wouldn’t like it when he’d suggested this, and he wasn’t sure what it meant for them.
Would Matthew want to break things off? Were they even together to begin with?
They were mates, but that didn’t make them boyfriends or partners. It didn’t make them anything.
God, this was so complicated.
Alan couldn’t allow anyone to stop him. He needed to do this, and he hoped that Matthew would understand. If he didn’t, well, maybe he wasn’t the perfect guy for Alan. Alan didn’t like that thought, but it was what it was. There was no alternative as far as he was concerned.
“You don’t have to do this,” Rikar said gently. “We’re not going to stop protecting you just because you don’t want to be involved.”
Alan shook his head. He hadn’t even thought about that. He was glad that Rikar was on his side, though. “I need to do it.”
“Do you?” Matthew asked softly.
Maybe this wasn’t the best place to do this, but it didn’t look like Alan would have a choice.
He turned to his mate and nodded. “I do. I know that what he did isn’t my fault, but I did contribute to hurting people in a way.
Nothing I can do or say will change that, but I can make sure Victor doesn’t hurt anyone else. ”
Matthew stared. Alan wanted to ask what he was thinking, but they were surrounded by people. Was this really the best place to do this? No, it wasn’t. Did they have a choice?
No, they didn’t.
Matthew sighed. “And that’s why I’m not going to try to change your mind. I want to stop Victor as much as you do.”
Alan nodded, relieved. “Good. And I know you’ll keep me safe.”
“I will. It’s a promise.”
And it was a promise Matthew would keep. Alan was sure of that. “I need to call Victor,” he said, turning back to Rikar and everyone else.
Rikar nodded and smiled encouragingly. Alan still wanted to run away, but he couldn’t.
Not yet, anyway.
Alan got to his feet. He’d left his phone in his room, but he was going to need it. Luckily, he didn’t have to go far to get it. His room was just down the hallway.
He was glad that Matthew didn’t come with him. He didn’t need his mate to, but he did need a moment.
He was really doing this, he thought as he walked down the hallway. He was about to call the man who’d tried to kill him—the man he’d thought was a friend.
But Victor had never been a friend. He’d never even been the man Alan had thought him to be.
It was getting hard not to panic. This was the right thing to do, but after everything Victor had done, it felt scary and dangerous. It was scary and dangerous. Unfortunately, Alan was the only person who could do this. He really hoped he could take a nice vacation once all of this was over.
The tension in the office was high when he returned. Matthew looked relieved, and Alan didn’t waste time sitting back next to him. He smiled at his mate, hoping to reassure him. He wanted to promise Matthew that everything would be okay, but he couldn’t. No one could promise that.
“Is he going to be able to find me through my phone if I power it on?” he asked, turning his attention back to the others.
“You don’t have to worry about that,” Rikar told him. “The village is protected against everything we could think of. We had to make sure it was.”
Because they had people here who’d survived the labs. Hell, some of them might even have been placed there by Victor.
Alan swallowed. He could do this.
He turned the phone on and waited for it to become operative. He had to resist the urge to tap his foot as he did so. This was nerve-racking, and he hated feeling like he wasn’t in control. He was, though, and he needed Victor to believe that.
Victor wasn’t an idiot. He would suspect something was up. It didn’t matter. As long as he said yes to meeting with Alan, Alan would deal with whatever Victor threw at him.
As soon as he could, he found Victor’s number and hit it on his screen. He hesitated, then put it on speaker so everyone in the office could hear what was being said. He leaned forward and placed the phone on top of Rikar’s desk, then waited for Victor to answer.
“Alan?” Victor’s voice finally said.
Alan sucked in a breath. He wanted to scream. He wanted to demand an explanation. He couldn’t believe anything that would come out of Victor’s mouth, though, so what would be the point? “Victor.”
“Alan, where are you?”
“Somewhere safe.”
“Alan, it was a misunderstanding. I don’t know what you think you heard, but you have to come back.”
“Stop it,” Alan snapped. “I don’t believe you, and you know I don’t.”
There was a moment of silence. When Victor spoke next, his voice was different—colder, as if he was finally showing Alan who he really was. It gave Alan the creeps.
A lot of things about Victor did now that he knew who Victor was.
He didn’t understand how Victor had managed to hide it for so long.
He’d been playing Alan. Hell, he’d been playing everyone around him.
People had worked with him to protect shifters and supernatural beings.
They believed that he wanted them to be safe. Instead, he’d been hurting them.
“What do you want?” Victor asked.
“I heard your conversation with that man.”
“Did you?”
“I did, and you know it. You wouldn’t have come after me if you hadn’t been sure that I was dangerous to you.”
“Alan, you could never be dangerous to me.”
“Maybe not, but I know things that you want me to keep to myself.”
“Will you?”
Alan glanced at Matthew. “For a price.”
There was a pause before Victor answered. “This is unlike you.”
“I know. Trust me, I wouldn’t be doing this if I had a choice, but you’re not going to leave me alone even if I don’t do anything. That means I have to do something.”
“And that something is blackmailing me?”
“We’re friends, Victor, or at least, I thought we were. I’m not asking for much. I just want enough money to pay my debts. Once you’ve paid me, I’ll keep my mouth shut.”
“Is that so?”
“I don’t think I’ll ever be able to work with you again, but yes. I just want to be safe.”
“I want to meet you and talk face-to-face.”
“Tomorrow at that coffee shop you like. Bring the money. Two hundred and fifty thousand.”
“Whatever you say, Alan.”
Alan was freaking out internally. He felt dirty, even though he was doing the right thing, and he had to resist the urge to scratch himself.
That was why he almost ran out of the office as soon as he hung up. He left his phone on the desk, didn’t look at anyone, and left.
This time, he wasn’t alone. Matthew came after him, and Alan didn’t stop him, not even when he followed him into his bedroom. Why would he? He wanted Matthew with him. In fact, Matthew was the only person that Alan wanted close right now.
Matthew caught Alan’s arm and pulled him into his arms as the door slammed behind him. Alan slumped against his mate’s chest and tried to breathe. It was harder than it should’ve been.
“You’ll be okay,” Matthew promised, his voice soothing. He rubbed Alan’s back. “I’ll make sure that you are.”
“I know.”
“And you were right. This has to be done.”
“I just wish someone else could do it.”
“Me, too, but you won’t do it alone. You’ll never be alone again from now on.” Alan looked up at Matthew. He wanted that. He wanted Matthew to promise him that he’d always be with him and to keep that promise.
There was an easy way to make that happen, but Alan brushed the thought away. Now wasn’t the time to think about bonding. He was pretty sure that Matthew would say yes if Alan asked, though. Alan could see it in the way Matthew looked at him.
“Come home with me tonight,” Matthew said.
Alan didn’t even hesitate. “All right.