Chapter 22
Nik
“You’re sure there’s no way to get out of this?” I ask, trying to tamp down Mags’s fright so I can think. “I mean, that’s trafficking. That’s not even remotely legal, so these contracts should be null and void.”
Mags is busy typing on her computer again, trying to access the Langleys’ systems. I don’t even know if she hears me. She’s laser-focused.
“Well, I mean, they’re not technically selling us.
They’re selling our contracts. I think that’s still allowed.
” Kaden squints at his contract. “See, it says that our contract transfers ownership after one month to a … DeltaCorp. I mean, they’re probably a shell company that trafficks people, but you gotta admit, the verbiage and phrasing look legit. ”
“Well, where do we go when DeltaCorp buys our contracts, then? There’s got to be a trail.”
Mags gasps, causing us all to turn to her. She’s gone ash white, and she covers her mouth with her hand as she stares at her screen. What could be worse than being sold off?
“Mags?”
“There’s a trail, all right. A trail of missing persons.” She gulps. “No one the Langleys have hired in the past six months has stayed more than a month, and no one has been seen since that month was up.”
I growl deep in my throat. “Who do I need to kill to end this trafficking?”
“Besides Mr. and Mrs. Langley?” she asks. “Well, that should about do it, except there is also a clause that if anything happens to them, the contract transfer is immediate.”
“This is bullshit!” My voice echoes off the walls and ceiling, and the others cringe. “I didn’t sign my freedom away.”
“No … you initialed all those clauses.”
“Not with my real initials. None of us used our real names on these.”
Kaden’s side of the bond spikes with nervousness and concern.
“But what about all the other servants? They probably were legitimately looking for jobs. I’m sure most, if not all, of the others on staff are legally bound.
Okay, maybe not legally, but they wouldn’t have any way of knowing the contracts weren’t legal. ”
Kip nods. “We have to help them. We’re likely the only ones smart enough to grift these grifters.”
“Time to shine, Mags. What do you have for us?”
Mags doesn’t look any better after I pointed out that our contracts, at least, aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on. In fact, she looks a little green, and the mate bond gives me a queasy feeling.
“Mags?”
She puts her hand over her mouth again and runs out of the room, shoving past us all—even me—to get to the bathroom down the hall. The twins move to chase after her, but I stop them with a stern look. “I have her. Wait here.”
I’ve suspected this for a few days. Mags hasn’t been herself, but I thought at first that it was the bond game she was playing with the twins. This? I know what this is now, and it has nothing to do with the contracts.
When she exits the bathroom, she’s shaky and pale. I pull her into a hug and sniff her neck, just to be sure.
She smells different. Still like bubblegum and cotton candy, but now with an undertone of red licorice.
“How long?” I ask.
“Don’t be mad,” she mumbles into my shoulder. “I was going to tell everyone when the job was up. I’m fine, really, just—”
“Pregnant.”
“Um. Yeah.”
I hold her tighter, purring to calm her. “Fuck! How did you hide that? You barely know how the mate bond works. I should have been able to sense the nausea days ago.”
“Well, I might have had an ulterior motive for figuring the bonds out.”
“Mags …”
“I didn’t want to mess up this grift!” She pulls back and scans the hall for eavesdroppers.
“And it’s a good thing I hid it, now that we know what’s going on here.
If anyone found out, I’d probably disappear.
Omegas are worth a hefty chunk of change.
I don’t want to think about what might have happened to me if I hadn’t. ”
That thought sends me into a panic. I can’t keep doing security here if I need to guard Mags. I might have to break my stupid contract just to keep her and her baby safe.
“Do the twins know?”
She shakes her head. “As soon as I figured out how to block the bonds, I’ve been doing it nonstop.”
“You’ve got to tell Kip and Kaden. I know they’re betas, but there’s still a chance—”
“I know, I know. I thought I had more time to figure things out.” She closes her eyes, and a ripple runs through the bond. “Fuck, they’re worried.”
“Of course they are. You ran out of there like you’d just chugged a bottle of the cheap stuff.”
“I wish I could drink right now.” She sighs. “I don’t understand. I took my birth control like clockwork. Do you think Dave Donnelly messed with those, too? I never thought to check the pill pack after all that went south.”
It’s a terrifying thought. The Donnellys could have sued us for custody, or worse, they could have demanded Mags stay there until she gave birth and kicked the rest of us out. I don’t think I could go that long without her.
“So, what’s the plan? Should we skip out tonight—get out while the getting’s good?”
Mags grows quiet, and I see something in her eyes that I don’t think I’ve ever seen there before:
Compassion.
“We can’t. There are too many people here who will end up sold off to the highest bidder at the end of the month. We should try to bring this whole operation down before that can happen.”
“How are we going to do that? We’ll get arrested for forging our documents if we go to the cops.”
“Only if they figure out we forged them.” She rubs her chin in thought. “I mean, I did a pretty good job of creating backgrounds for each of us. They should hold up for a little while, hopefully long enough to bring this scam to a crashing halt.”
“Hopefully?”
“Well, fuck, it’s not like I’ve ever had to forge fed-worthy docs before!” Panic and frustration rise in the mate bond. Something else rises, too, and Mags dives back into the bathroom.
I follow behind and lock the door, then squat behind her and hold her hair back with one hand while gently massaging her neck with the other.
“You’ll figure this out, Mags. You’re the smartest of all of us.”
“No—hurgh!—pressure then.”
“No pressure, hon. Just faith.”
“Well …” She grabs a few sheets of toilet paper and wipes her mouth. “Here’s hoping it’s not misplaced.”