Chapter 3
FLETCHER
I was scared. Terrified.
I spent the night in a holding cell with a couple of other shifters. Inmates, or would-be inmates, anyway. Maybe even cellmates if I ended up getting convicted and locked away for awhile.
The thought made me feel sick.
Two of them were drunk. One was spewing threats. The other one started spewing vomit. It smelled like wet dog. I didn’t get a wink of sleep; I just sat curled up in the corner, hugging my knees to my chest, praying it would all be over soon.
I wondered if Jacks was happy with what he’d done. I wondered if he’d slept soundly last night. I wondered if the gang had celebrated their win, having successfully robbed the rich Alpha. I wondered if they even cared what had happened to me.
My thoughts churned like storm clouds, growing darker and heavier with each one.
In the morning, an officer came to fetch me. I was brought to a small room, cuffed to a chair, and questioned about the robbery by a muscular Alpha with a buzz-cut. His vibe alone was enough to have my inner-lynx puffed up and hissing at the back of my mind.
Where did I even start? Could I really give up the gang’s whereabouts? Could I snitch on them? That’s what the cops wanted, wasn’t it?
We went around in circles for over an hour, fear ensnaring my heart, twisting and tangling it up in a thicket of thorns.
“It wasn’t my idea,” I told him for the third time, my voice small. “I never wanted to hurt anyone.”
“Whose idea was it then?” the cop pressed.
I grimaced, my eyes burning. “I… I’m part of a gang. I’m homeless, and I’m an Omega without protection. I don’t have anywhere else to go. T-They offered me safety in exchange for…helping them do stuff. Like rob houses.” Among other things.
“They used you as a scapegoat.” It wasn’t a question, it was a statement. A true one. I dropped my gaze to my trembling hands. “Why are you trying to protect them?” He raised his voice, and I flinched back.
I didn’t answer.
The cop growled and took a sip of his probably now-cold coffee. “Tell me about this gang,” he insisted instead, changing topics ever-so-slightly.
I swallowed hard but stayed silent. I was scared. If I spilled the beans, Jacks would find me. He’d hurt me the minute I was back on the streets. He’d hunt me down like the monster he was and tear me apart…
“I can’t,” I choked out.
“Why not?” he demanded.
“I’m afraid.”
“Who are you afraid of? Tell me his name!” He slammed his fist down on the table so hard, the coffee mug rattled.
“The leader of the gang.” My throat was tight, raw. I didn’t meet the cop’s gaze. I couldn’t. My fingers curled into tight fists. “He’s made my life miserable the last few months. He has it out for me. If I tell you, he’ll hurt me.”
The cop didn’t seem to care. He kept pressing. I kept deflecting.
After awhile, he must’ve gotten tired of me, because he stood and left, the door slamming shut behind him. I was alone. My heart raced, throbbing loudly between my ears.
Fuck, what was I supposed to do now?
I crumpled over the desk, pressing my face into the cool metal tabletop. I wanted to cry, but I didn’t dare. Not here. Maybe once I was back in my cell. My hands shook as I listened to the loud tick-tock of the clock on the wall above.
The door creaked open. I jerked upright.
Not the Alpha cop from before, but a different officer. An Omega. A deer, from the faint scent of pine needles and tree sap. That surprised me. Since when did prey animals join the police force?
I swallowed hard and looked up.
“Fletcher, right?” he asked gently. I nodded. “My name’s Officer Briggs. I understand you’re overwhelmed, but we really need your cooperation.”
I pressed my lips together, looking down again.
“What’s his name?” Briggs asked.
I shook my head.
“Then tell me where he’s hiding out. You know that much, right?”
My heart took off again. If I told them, I’d have nowhere to go. The police would raid the hideout, clean it out. The whole gang would scatter. Jacks would be furious, and he’d know exactly who ratted him out.
Me.
“I can’t,” I whispered bitterly. “It’s my home. It’s all I have. It’s shitty and it sucks, but it has a roof and I don’t have to sleep on anyones’ doorstep.”
“I understand,” Briggs said, his voice low and calm. “You’re in a bad situation. It’s not ideal, I know, but if we can clean out the bad eggs, you’d still have a place, right? If we took the leader out of the equation, you’d feel safer. Right?”
I nodded faintly. My chest ached, like I was standing at the edge of a cliff with someone behind me, ready to shove me off. I was one step away from tumbling over.
“What’s his name?” Briggs asked again.
God, I was so scared… “H-He goes by Jacks. Like the game. He’s about six-four, broad-shouldered, has a tattoo of a koi fish on his left arm. Dark hair, shaved close. Brown eyes. He’s a dog shifter.”
I swallowed hard, then continued. “The gang hangs out at the abandoned mill on Greenville. They’ll probably still be there.”
I sank down in my chair. “Am I going to jail now?”
Briggs gave me a small smile. “No, Fletcher.”
My head snapped up. “What?”
“You’re free to go,” he said. “Mr. Sinclair has decided not to press charges, but he does wish to speak with you before you leave.”
I withered inside. Oh no.
Briggs pulled a ring of keys from his belt, leaned over, and un-cuffed me from the table. I rubbed at my wrists, ringed red from the metal, as he led me down the hall to a room to where the Alpha was waiting.
The Alpha I’d robbed.
My stomach churned. I stepped inside. The door clicked shut behind me. Immediately, I launched into an apology, but Mr. Sinclair held up a hand.
“Sit,” he said. He sounded like a man used to getting what he wanted.
I sat.
Beneath the harsh fluorescent lights, Mr. Sinclair looked different than he had last night. His pale skin was wan, with deep bags beneath his eyes, his brown hair uncombed. He looked like he hadn’t slept either.
He cleared his throat. “If I’m understanding correctly, the officers tell me you’re homeless. Living on the streets,” he said. “Is this true?”
I nodded miserably. What point was there in lying? Now that the gang hideout was going to be raided, my only haven gone, I had nowhere else to go. They’d know I snitched. They’d come for me. I’d need to leave town, find a new pack. Maybe I’d get lucky and someone would take pity on me…
“Well, it just so happens that I have a business proposition for you,” he continued, his voice even.
“Your friends damaged my home and stole from me, but you don’t seem the type to rob people blind.
I’m willing to give you a second chance.
You come work for me—fix the damages, do chores, housework, take care of the lawn—and pay off what you owe.
In exchange, I’ll give you a room to stay in. ”
For a long moment, I stared at him, stunned into silence. I didn’t understand. “I… I robbed you. Why would you want to help me?”
Mr. Sinclair looked at me, his expression faintly puzzled. Then he shrugged. “Honestly, I’m not quite sure myself, but the idea of you sleeping on a park bench bothers me for some reason. So there’s my offer. Take it or leave it.”
“Thank you, Mr. Sinclair,” I breathed. “I… I don’t…”
He held up a hand again, silencing me. “Let’s just leave it at thank you.”
He extended his hand toward me. I stared at it for a moment. His fingers were long and elegant. Pianist’s fingers. “You can call me Adam,” he said quietly. “Mr. Sinclair is my father, and I’m in no hurry to fill those shoes.”
He rose smoothly to his feet. “Come along. I’ll drive us home.”
Home. Maybe his home. Not mine. But I stood, my heart jangling in its cage of bones, and followed him.
What else did I have to lose?