Chapter 5 Dustin
Chapter five
Dustin
My body screams at me with every step toward the coffee pot.
I'm wearing nothing but boxers, love bites covering my neck and shoulders and chest, a few bruises darkening along my ribs where Kade gripped me hard enough to leave marks.
Last night wasn't just about connecting.
It was about control. Kade needed to feel it, needed to work out the rage and frustration of not being able to hunt down the guard who hit me.
And I needed to stop thinking about the beautiful Omega I wouldn't be able to bring home until we found a plan.
This morning, everything’s changed.
I even called Stefan over to see if he had any helpful information or connections. My stepbrother knows people. He works angles I don't always understand, but he gets results when it matters.
The coffee pot sits on the counter, half full and still warm. It’s good enough as I pour myself a cup, savoring the bitter smell when it fills my nose. My muscles protest the movement, soreness radiating through my shoulders and lower back. Worth it, though. Every second of last night was worth it.
I turn around to find Kade sitting at the kitchen table without his shirt on, grinning up at me with that satisfied smirk that says he knows exactly how wrecked I am. I throw him a middle finger and take a long drink of coffee. "Don't look so pleased with yourself," I mutter.
"Can't help it." Kade leans back in his chair, all casual confidence. "You look good like this."
"I look like I got mauled."
"Exactly."
I hiss at him but there’s no heat behind it. Kade can maul my ass any time he likes and I’d probably ask for a second round. But maybe tomorrow? Getting knotted with that man’s dick is not for the weak.
My attention turns to the mass of paperwork scattered across the table, evidence of my need to find a way back to Solana.
We've been researching for the better part of the last two hours, laptops open on the table, notebooks filled with scribbled information, hoping anything will help us figure out how one rescues an Omega from Harmony House.
We haven't found much other than the fact that the process is hush-hush and we’ll be shelling out thousands if not tens of thousands.
It's not that we don't have the money. Between the ranch and our other.
.. less-than-legal business ventures, we can afford it.
But there's something deeply wrong about having to pay that much just to give an Omega her freedom.
The front door opens and Stefan walks in looking worse than I feel. His eyes are bloodshot, dark circles sitting heavy underneath them. His clothes are rumpled and his hair is sticking up in different directions. He looks between Kade and me, takes in the state of us, and laughs.
"Looks like you two had fun last night."
"If you mean that my Alpha used me like a rag doll to feel better, sure." I take another drink of coffee, watching my stepbrother over the rim of the cup.
Stefan crosses to the counter and steals my coffee right out of my hands. "So she's the real deal? That Omega?"
I nod. I said a few words to Stefan this morning when I called, trying to see if he could come over, mentioning that we met someone at the races and needed help.
He agreed without asking too many questions, which is unusual for him.
"Before we get into it all, what's going on?
Why does it look like you didn't sleep a wink? "
Everyone always thinks Stefan is some hardened criminal with the tattoos and the dark look on his face. Really he's just hiding a tortured past. He can generally be a sweetheart when he's not being an ass.
Stefan sighs and takes a large swig of my coffee before sitting down at the table. "Because I didn't. Ashton, my employer's Omega son, he's been having a hard time."
Kade leans forward, his expression sharpening into a mixture of amusement and intrigue. "Is that code for your employer is abusing the Omega?"
"No." Stefan sets the coffee cup down harder than necessary. "He's pimping him out. Ashton doesn't even look like an Omega, so he's constantly getting beaten down by whoever his date is. He's resilient, but it's getting worse."
My stomach churns at the image planted in my head. I've heard stories about Omegas being used that way, but hearing it from Stefan makes it real. "What happened last night?"
Stefan's expression darkens further, the muscles in his jaw pulling tight. "I found one of them manhandling Ashton and stepped in. I stayed in his room for the night to make sure no one else tried anything."
I grin despite the heaviness of the conversation. "Stayed in the room, huh?"
"It's not like that." My stepbrother glares at me, essentially shutting down the conversation. "Look, I came here because you had questions about Harmony House. Can we focus?"
Kade nods, all business now. "What do you got? Because I found a bunch of bullshit online. Legal protections and government oversight and nothing useful about actually getting someone out."
"Because you need an invite to even get in there." Stefan pulls the coffee cup back toward himself, wrapping both hands around it. "And then you need a check."
"Great." I lean against the counter, crossing my arms over my chest. The movement pulls at the bruises on my ribs. "How do we get an invite?"
Stefan laughs, but there's no humor in it. "Eager, are we? Jesus Christ, you saw her for what, five minutes?"
"When you know, you know." I meet his eyes, refusing to back down. "I know you came here with good news, or you wouldn't have shown up."
Stefan studies me for a long moment, then nods slowly.
"Be careful, okay? This shit reeks bad, but I talked to Ashton's father.
Said that I might know someone looking for an Omega, someone who's trained and all that bullshit.
I had to wash my tongue after that conversation, but he said he'd put your name in. "
"He put my name in?" I push off the counter, confused. "He'll know we're related if you gave him my name."
Stefan shakes his head. "No, I put Kade's name in. They'll be expecting you, not Dustin."
Kade's expression doesn't change, but I can feel his interest sharpening through the bond. "How much am I writing this check for?"
"Twenty-five grand."
"What?" Shock coats the word as I stare at my stepbrother. Twenty-five thousand dollars for a human being. The amount makes me sick. What happened to the Omega Centers that improved their quality of life for free?
Stefan doesn't flinch. "They're buying silence and upkeep for Harmony.
No one else is going to fund it and you'll never say anything after paying for an Omega.
It's a win-win for them. And if you somehow try to get a hero complex afterward, they've got you on whatever they tried to get you on during the visit.
You'll be in their system. They'll have leverage. "
I grimace and look over at Kade, wondering if this is worth all the trouble. Even if I want Solana, even if I can still taste her on my lips and smell her scent mixed with mine, maybe this is too much. Too dangerous. Too complicated.
"That's fine." Kade's voice cuts through my doubts. "Anything else we need to know?"
Stefan leans back in his chair, studying Kade with something that might be respect.
"Keep your hands to yourself while you're there.
Say as little as possible. No doubt they'll try and pry into your background and shit, but keep it above ground.
Talk about the ranch, the horses, anything legitimate. "
"Easy enough." Kade nods. "Anything else?"
"Don't get caught." Stefan's expression turns serious, all traces of his usual sarcasm gone. "These people are connected. Government contracts, legal protections, money flowing from places that don't ask questions. If they think you're trying to cause problems, they'll bury you."
"Shit." I straighten up, realization hitting me.
"You didn't really get an invite from your employer, did you?" Stefan’s employer is as shady as everyone thinks he is, aside from pimping out his own son, apparently. He’s got his hand in every pot, dealing every kind of currency and drug under the sun. Whatever brings money in, Stefan’s employer—Charles Driscoll—is most likely part of it.
Stefan leans back and pulls a small white card with elegant script on it.
An official Harmony House invitation. "My employer is really bad at keeping things locked down.
If you get in and out without any issues, the most he'll do is get thanked for the referral, and he's forgetful as fuck. He’ll just nod and keep going.
But if they do any kind of checking on the details, if something goes wrong, I can't help you. "
The weight of what he's risking settles over me. "How much is this going to fuck you up?"
Stefan shrugs, but I can see the tension in his shoulders. "I called in from the house, so unless Charles starts checking facts, we're golden. Again, just be careful, okay? I kind of like being able to come over here for a bit of peace."
I move around the table and pull my stepbrother into a hug. He stiffens for a second, then relaxes into it. "Thank you."
"Yeah, yeah." Stefan pushes me away after a moment, but there’s almost a smile on his face when I stare at him. "Don't get all emotional on me."
"Now that you're here," I say, stepping back, "I could use your help mucking the stables."
Stefan's eyebrows shoot up. "You've never asked me to do that shit before."
I grin, holding back a laugh. "I'm sore. Kade ran me all night."
"You know you're not supposed to be telling your stepbrother all that, right?" Stefan makes a face, shaking his head.
I shrug and go over to give Kade a kiss, pressing my lips against his for a long moment before pulling back. "How long will it take to get a check for that amount?"p
"A few hours." Kade's hand comes up to rest on my hip, thumb stroking over one of the bruises he left there.
"Great. We leave after lunch, then."
Kade snorts, shaking his head as he kisses me again. "As much as I would love that, babe, we can't. From what I did find, any kind of eagerness would set them off. Stefan just put in the word. We have to give it time."
Panic flutters in my chest. "But she's in there, and we have to—"
"Dustin." Kade's voice cuts through the rising anxiety. He watches my face, reading every emotion there, knowing that I won’t just give in. I know it’s dangerous but I need her and the way that Alpha dragged her away from me feels wrong. It feels like she could be suffering and I don’t want to wait.
He lets out a sigh, his shoulders falling in defeat.
"Be ready at lunch, okay? And follow my lead.
My first priority is you until we get there. "
I take a breath, forcing myself to relax. Kade knows what he's doing. He always does. "Okay."
Kade kisses me again, slower this time, bringing me fully back to reality and out of my head. "Go put some clothes on and hang with your stepbrother. I'll take care of everything else."