Chapter 37
Chapter
Thirty-Seven
REID
“Don’t say that.” I shook my head and tore my eyes from Zander’s. “I don’t want anyone risking their life for me or swearing on it.”
I didn’t want anyone to be hurt or in danger because of me, period.
“I mean it.” He cupped my cheek and I stubbornly kept my face turned away. “I will do whatever it takes to make sure you don’t suffer another minute of your life. Any alpha mate worth his salt would do the same.”
“I’m not important enough to throw everything away for. I’m broken. Even if I was ready to bond with someone, surely they expect better for the Clan Alpha’s son.”
Zander stared at me, disbelief etched in every line of his face. “You’re not broken. You’re fucking perfect. I’ve wanted you since day one, but after everything you’ve been through at an alpha’s hands, it’s understandable that you’d have a hard time trusting another.”
The slight bump of my belly brushed against his flat abdomen, reminding me of the last time I’d trusted an alpha I shouldn’t have. I’d never believed I’d trust another alpha but against all odds, I did, even if I was freaked out about being in the crosshairs of an omega trafficking operation.
Believe it or not, that wasn’t the most pressing concern I’d taken away from the interview.
Yes, it sucked, but I was relatively safe where I was.
Meanwhile, according to the man they’d been questioning, at least twenty omegas were being held in a facility waiting to either be placed in a brothel or auctioned off to the highest bidder.
“Do you really think he knows where the other omegas are being held?” I asked Zander. “Because we need to find them and help them. We’re going to, right? We won’t just leave them.”
Zander tilted his head. “I think that Nathaniel is a powerful warlock and his truth spell should have gotten all of the information the man is capable of giving. It’s possible he knows more but can’t say it without the spell being removed.”
“So we’re going to do that, right? Nathaniel can remove it?” I wasn’t sure exactly how that kind of magic worked.
“Yes. I’ve asked him to look into it, but he thinks it may take a few days, and he wants to loop in one of his old PBI colleagues for help. Apparently, removing someone else’s magic is complicated.”
I rubbed my temples and bit my lip so hard I tasted blood. Zander’s eyes flickered golden-amber and his nostrils flared—probably because of the metallic smell.
I moved a little closer, swallowing the lump at the back of my throat. “We need to find them.”
“And we will.” Hesitantly, he raised his hands and rested them on my shoulders.
“We’ll make sure he goes through all of the proper channels and that we extricate every piece of information that we can.
Once that’s done, a rescue party will be mounted—probably led by the PBI because this is beyond the scope of a small-town Sheriff’s department. ”
My breath caught. All of that sounded like it would take time—more than a few days—and those omegas might not have much time to spare.
“They can’t wait.” The words burst from me and sparks flickered in my peripheral vision.
I closed my eyes and inhaled slowly, trying to calm myself. The reminder of what had happened last time I’d lost control was like a splash of cold water.
I couldn’t risk doing anything to make myself that vulnerable again.
“Every minute we wait, someone could be getting beaten or raped.” I raised my chin, my mouth trembling as I forced myself to go on. “You don’t know how that feels, but I do, and if I can save a single person from experiencing what I did then I have to. I have to. I can’t just leave them there.”
A growl rumbled from Zander’s chest and his eyes remained amber.
He opened his mouth, then seemed to second-guess himself, drew in a shuddering breath, and reined himself in.
“We can’t help anyone if we’re too upset.
I’ll call my contact at the PBI to report what we’ve discovered and get the wheels in motion, then I’ll bring you a nice cup of tea.
Will you go and find Bea in the bullpen and wait with her? ”
I nodded when all I wanted to do was scream.
He didn’t understand. No one could—not unless they’d lived through the same hell as me.
Zander gave me a long, lingering look before striding toward his office.
I waited until he was out of sight, then cast a spell to cover my scent and the sound of my footfalls.
I hurried down the corridor and out the front door.
There had to be something I could do to help those omegas.
I didn’t know what, but I’d figure it out.
Halfway down the block, I ran into an invisible wall.
I frowned, reached forward, and touched something I couldn’t see. Confused, I tried to circle around it, but the barrier seemed to continue.
“Reid!”
I spun around. Zander was standing right behind me with Nathaniel farther back. He had his hand outstretched, and I realized too late that he must have created the blockade.
I backed up, my heart hammering wildly, and bumped into that invisible force. I wanted to turn and bolt but I suspected all I’d end up with was a bloody nose if I tried.
I raised my chin, the urgency in my gut heating and morphing into something other than fear for the unknown omegas.
I was so goddamn tired of having others dictate my life.
“I thought I was allowed to make my own decisions.” I was proud of how steady my voice was. “I thought you weren’t going to control me. I should be able to leave if I want to.”
Zander looked torn. He started to reach for me, but I dodged to the side since I was unable to go backward. “You’re in danger. I can’t let anything happen to you. You mean too much to me.”
“What about those other omegas?” I challenged. “Will you let something happen to them?”
Because I wasn’t sure I could. If there was anything I could do to save someone from a fate similar to mine, I had to do it.
I’d prayed so many times for someone to save me, and they finally had—even if it hadn’t gone exactly how I’d have liked.
By the time my rescue had arrived, it was too late.
But I could save someone else.
I had to.
Otherwise, what good was I?
“We’ll save them,” Zander said, but his voice lacked the conviction it had when he’d talked about protecting me. He cared about me more than them and that was nice—it maybe even made me feel things I was scared to acknowledge—but I needed him to be just as motivated to rescue the other omegas.
“Come back,” he urged. “Everett just called. He and Garrick caught the other wolf and they’re bringing him in.”
That gave me pause. The other wolf might know more than his friend, or he might not be subject to the same spell. Maybe he could tell us where the omegas were.
“Fine,” I said. “But I want to watch him be questioned too.”
Zander nodded and extended his hand. I hesitated for a few seconds, then laid mine on it.
When his hand closed around mine—so much larger and warmer—I shivered.
Hopefully, he wouldn’t notice. Knowing shifters and their senses, he probably had, but he didn’t say anything about it as he led me back to the station.
A Range Rover pulled over to park outside just as we reached it. Garrick was driving so I assumed the wolf was in the back.
Knox, Danny’s scary wolf shifter mate, hauled the other wolf out through the side door and dragged the struggling man inside.
Garrick circled around and gave me a small smile. “Are you hanging in there, Reid? Is there anything I can do to help?”
Zander growled and Garrick held his hands up. “Whoa, Z. I’m not trying to steal your mate.”
“I know,” Zander gritted out. “You can’t help acting like a Clan Alpha, trying to look out for everyone, just like I can’t help reacting because I’m protective of Reid.”
They stared at each other for a long moment and the tension leaked away. Thank the Gods. The last thing I needed right now was to be subjected to alpha posturing.
By the time we got back to the interview room, Knox had manhandled him inside and was dragging him down the corridor. The man was spitting profanities. Knox ignored him and just hauled him into another interview room and shoved him into a chair.
At that point, they left my line of sight. Zander motioned to the door of the observation room and I went in. I sat and watched as one of the deputies cuffed the guy to the chair, then both he and Knox left the room.
Zander entered and held the door open for Nathaniel. Perhaps they were going straight for the truth spell this time. I hoped so. We didn’t have any time to waste.
Nathaniel repeated what he’d done to the other guy earlier and then he and Zander sat facing him, side by side.
“Do you know where the omegas you captured are being held?” Zander asked, getting straight to the most important point.
The man—who was beefier than his companion—slowly turned red in the face. “Y-Yes.”
Butterflies filled my gut. Finally, something that might be useful. I leaned forward, eager to hear what came next.
“Tell me where,” Zander ordered.
The man opened his mouth, closed it, and then convulsed. His eyes rolled back in his head and he slumped in his seat, completely motionless.