Chapter 38
Chapter
Thirty-Eight
REID
Zander leapt up and rounded the table, grabbing a hold of the man’s shoulder and tilting him back. His head flopped to the side and his eyes were open and staring.
My gut dropped and my hand flew to my mouth.
Oh my Gods, was he dead?
Nathaniel hobbled around the desk as Zander pressed his fingers to the man’s pulse point in his neck. He held them there, counting as the seconds dragged painfully on.
I should be doing something.
Fuck. Why was I just standing here?
That man might be our only lead to finding the other omegas. We couldn’t lose him.
I raced out of the observation room and yelled, “We need medical help! Someone call an ambulance!”
Bea glanced over, then reached for her phone and dialed. She motioned to let me know that she was getting help.
Garrick barreled down the corridor from the Search and Rescue headquarters with an enormous first aid kit in his hand. “What is it?”
I pointed to the door. “They’re in there. The man they were interviewing passed out. I think…” I swallowed. “I think he’s dying.”
Garrick rushed through the door and dropped to his knees. At some point, Zander and Nathaniel had moved the man to the floor and Nathaniel was hovering over him, murmuring spells, while Zander thrust rhythmically against his chest.
I was frozen to the spot, unsure of what to do.
I didn’t know enough first aid to be useful and my grasp of healing magic was nonexistent.
If Nathaniel couldn’t heal him then I had no chance.
I could attempt to funnel my magic into Nathaniel to make his stronger, but I didn’t know how to do that without a magic circle—if it was even possible at all.
“Is he responding to CPR?” Garrick asked.
“No,” Zander replied.
Garrick opened the first aid kit and pulled out a defibrillator. Nathaniel stopped his spell for a moment and uttered another. The man’s shirt vanished from his chest and reappeared on the floor near my feet.
Garrick stuck the defibrillator pads to his chest and they all backed away. A few seconds later, an electrical pulse jolted the man’s body.
He didn’t respond.
A second pulse passed through him, and his head lolled to the side, his mouth hanging open.
I wanted to close my eyes and forget his slack-jawed expression but for some reason, I couldn’t make myself look away.
Garrick grimaced. “That’s it for the defibrillator. Keep up CPR.”
Footsteps thundered down the corridor and I leapt aside as Dr. Black rushed in with Nurse Allison in tow. They used some sort of equipment I didn’t recognize to take readings, but it was only a couple of minutes before Dr. Black shook his head.
“He’s gone,” he said reluctantly. “As far as I can tell, it wasn’t poison but a spell, and as soon as it activated there was no way to save him.” He looked up at Nathaniel. “Would you agree?”
Nathaniel’s mouth was a thin line. “Unfortunately, yes. We saw evidence of spell craft with the other suspect, but it didn’t escalate this far. Someone didn’t want this man sharing locational information and they put a safeguard in place to ensure he never would.”
I dropped to my knees, stunned. If we weren’t able to find the truth from him, then how were we supposed to rescue those omegas?
If this was the same spell that was on the other wolf, I had to assume that he’d also die if pushed for information about the location of the captive omegas. Perhaps it was just as well that Zander had asked him for whatever information he could share rather than pressing for details.
Zander suddenly seemed to realize I was standing there and he stood and ushered me out. “I’m sorry you had to see that.”
I bit my lip, still struggling to believe everything had gone wrong so quickly. There had to be another way to save those omegas. Something that didn’t depend on risking another life—even that of a criminal lowlife.
I wouldn’t give up.
And I wouldn’t wait for days—or perhaps even weeks—for all the gods damn bureaucratic bullshit to be put in place first.
“I’m going back to the Omega House,” I said, keeping my eyes lowered.
“No, it’s not safe.”
I scowled. “Nathaniel added to the wards. It’s probably the safest place in town.”
I needed him to let me go so I could get started on my own plan. If he and the department were so determined to follow the letter of the law, then I needed to get away so I could figure out how to save those omegas quickly.
“Reid, look at me.”
I kept my eyes down.
He sighed. “Will you try to run off on your own?”
“I can set the wards to alert me if he leaves the property,” Nathaniel said, emerging from the interview room.
“How accurate is the alert?” Zander asked. “Can it be tampered with?”
I felt two pairs of eyes boring into the top of my head, but I wrung my hands and picked at the skin around my fingernails. It irritated me that they would try to trap me somewhere; however, I couldn’t bring myself to hate it when I knew it came from a place of caring.
“Not without me sensing it,” Nathaniel replied.
“Fine.” Zander huffed. “I’ll drive him there and you do what you’ve got to. I don’t want there to be any chance of Reid ending up in danger.”
I fought the tiny smile that wanted to burst forward because of the small win and kept my head down as Zander guided me out of the police station, calling to the receptionist that he’d be back in a few minutes.
I got into the back of the car because it would be easier for Nathaniel to sit in the passenger seat, and Zander drove us to Omega House. I remained where I was while Nathaniel amended the wards. I watched, trying to discern what he was doing, but it was beyond my comprehension.
Finally, Zander told me I could get out and escorted me to the front door. He touched my shoulder and I flinched, caught off guard because I’d still been doing my best not to look at anyone or anything.
“Sorry,” he mumbled, immediately retracting his hand. “Please stay safe. I couldn’t stand it if someone like those assholes got their disgusting paws on you.”
Something cracked in my chest and I couldn’t resist raising my chin and offering him a small smile. I took hold of my pendant and ran my fingertips over the smooth surface of the stone. “I’ll be careful, I promise.”
And I would.
At least, as much as I could. It was a novelty to have someone who cared about me. I didn’t want to damage the fragile trust between us, but I also couldn’t leave those omegas where they were for a second longer than necessary.
He squeezed my shoulder gently. “Thank you. Keep yourself and the little one inside where it’s safe.”
He turned and left.
I let myself into the house and locked the door, then I slipped away to my bedroom and sent a message to Danny.
Please come to the Omega House, ASAP. It’s an emergency. Bring Milo.