Chapter Three #2
He could stay in his apartment, maybe find a job, but was that a good idea?
Being so close to Franklin made Reed feel odd because he knew that Franklin didn’t want anything to do with him.
Would it make Franklin uncomfortable to find out that Reed was still around?
It wasn’t like they were going to see each other, anyway.
Franklin would probably not even find out that Reed was here. How would he?
Reed realized that both Rikar and Moore had fallen silent, and he could feel them watching him.
He plastered a smile on his face, even though he doubted it was necessary.
“Well, you know everything now,” he told them.
“Hopefully, this’ll help you get into the lab without anyone getting hurt, at least on your side. ”
“Knowing where the cameras are and how the guards work will definitely help,” Rikar said. He kept glancing at Moore, and Reed wasn’t sure he liked it. He didn’t know what it meant, but it was obvious it involved him, which couldn’t be good.
When they’d agreed to meet in a public place, Reed had thought that would keep him safe.
Now that he thought about it, though, no one had reacted to what had happened with Franklin.
No one had asked what Franklin was doing or why he was slamming Reed against the wall.
It was like they’d expected something like that to happen or maybe like it wasn’t their place to step in.
Reed looked around. There were still a few people sitting at their own tables, talking and acting casual, but now that he gave them more attention, he could tell that they were far from casual.
These people were probably here with Moore and Rikar.
Hell, they were probably tribe members or mutants who could kill Reed with barely a thought.
Reed swallowed. Was this how he died? It wouldn’t be a bad way to go.
He’d handed over everything he had on the lab so the mutants would be able to save the people there, including Garrett.
He was a little sad that he wouldn’t get time with his mate, but he suspected he wouldn’t have gotten it, anyway.
There was no way Franklin wanted anything to do with him.
Would Rikar and Moore tell him what they’d done with Reed?
Would Franklin want to know? Would he wonder?
Would Moore try to stop Reed from leaving? There was only one way to find out.
Reed grabbed his messenger bag he’d dropped onto the seat next to him and hooked it around his neck. He got to his feet, holding his breath as he waited for something to happen.
“You said you didn’t want anything to do with this,” Moore said. “Are you sure you don’t want to be there when we raid the lab? I would have thought that you’d want to see the results of so much hard work.”
“I do. The most important thing is that you save these people, though, and considering what happened with Franklin earlier, I think he’d be more comfortable if I wasn’t there.
He probably holds me responsible for what happened to his brother, and he’s not wrong.
I did have a hand in hurting Garrett. I didn’t do it willingly, and I tried to help where I could, but I still did it.
” And Reed was tired of justifying himself.
He knew that he wasn’t a good person, but he was trying to atone for it. Surely that had to mean something?
“What do you think will happen with Franklin?” Rikar asked.
Reed glanced outside. Night had fallen, which meant they’d been at this for hours.
He desperately needed to shower, and maybe something to eat and drink that didn’t have caffeine in it.
He could tell that Moore and Rikar wouldn’t let him go easily, though.
He didn’t know why, but it seemed like they wanted to continue talking to him.
Maybe they had more questions, or maybe there was something else there.
After all, they knew that Reed was Franklin’s mate.
“Nothing,” Reed told Rikar. “He left when he realized I was his mate. I think he made what he thinks of the situation pretty obvious.”
“He was probably in shock. We don’t ever expect to meet our mates, so when we do, it’s a surprise. It was for me when I met my mate.”
The way Rikar smiled told Reed how much he loved his mate. Rikar didn’t look at Moore as he said it, which made Reed wonder if maybe he’d misread them. He didn’t ask, though. It was none of his business.
“I’d like you to reconsider not being involved,” Moore interrupted.
“I understand why you want to put space between yourself and Franklin, and I won’t force you to interact with him, but I think that you should stay with us until we have Garrett back.
We need someone who knows the company and the lab, and you do. ”
“I do, but I’ve already told you everything.
I promise you that I’m not hiding any details, and if you need anything else, you can email me.
Hell, I’ll even give you my phone number if you prefer that.
” Reed wanted to say yes, but he didn’t see how he could.
It wasn’t his place, and he didn’t want to make Franklin uncomfortable.
Franklin had to focus on Garrett, and having Reed there would make it harder, if not impossible.
“We’re not sure how to approach this yet.
Usually, we raid the labs, but that’s because we don’t have much information about what’s going on inside and the people who work there.
That means that the people we catch there usually find the time and opportunity to destroy documents and even hurt some of their prisoners.
We’d rather avoid that happening this time.
I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but we have contact with the owner of the Glass Research Company.
He’s furious because he’s been trying to change the company he inherited from his father since it happened decades ago, and he thought he’d succeeded.
Finding out the labs were still a reality has made him angry.
He wants this to stop, but we’re trying to do this the smart way.
If we’re going to put an end to the labs, it needs to be all the labs. ”
It was good to hear that the owner was on their side, but Reed still wasn’t sure he should say yes.
He wanted to. He wanted to see the scientists who’d hurt him pay.
He wanted to see Garrett and the other prisoners freed.
Hell, he wanted to help them heal. It wouldn’t be easy for them to go back to a normal life—if they ever could.
Reed certainly hadn’t, although that was partially because he hadn’t tried.
“I’m going to be honest,” he told Moore and Rikar. “I do want to be involved. I want to help where I can. I’m just not sure any of the prisoners will want to see me, and I know that Franklin won’t.”
“What about Garrett?” Rikar asked. “Couldn’t he use a familiar face? You told us that it looked like he understood that you didn’t have a choice. He knew you were a prisoner, just like he was.”
“Maybe, but even if he did understand, I still hurt him. Besides, he’ll have a familiar face there. Who better than his brother?”
“Just stay for the planning,” Moore offered. “That’s it. You don’t have to be there when we raid the lab, and you don’t have to see Garrett if you don’t want to. I do believe that planning this, whatever we decide to do, is going to be easier with you around, though.”
Which meant that if Reed really wanted to atone for everything like he’d been saying, he’d agree. Moore really had him there, didn’t he?
Reed huffed quietly. “Fine. I’ll help you plan whatever you want to do. That’s it, though. I won’t be involved in any other way.” Because Reed was pretty sure that if he was, he’d make things worse for a lot of people, and that was the last thing he wanted.
* * * *
BY THE TIME FRANKLIN managed to close his eyes and fall asleep, the sky outside his window had already started turning lighter.
That meant that when he woke up a few hours later, he was still exhausted, and he looked like it.
He almost scared himself when he got a good look in the mirror when he went to the bathroom, and he was torn between going back to bed or heading straight to Moore’s house to find out what had happened with Reed after he’d left.
Finding out was more important than sleeping. Franklin could always take a nap later, but he wouldn’t be able to rest until he and his lion knew for sure.
Taking a shower made him feel a little better, as did drinking two cups of coffee.
He was tempted to go for a third, but he was already getting jittery, and he didn’t want to be bouncing off the walls when he reached Moore’s house.
The last thing he needed was for the mutant to kick him out because he couldn’t stay still.
Franklin was sure that Moore would understand, but that didn’t mean he’d tolerate it.
Franklin wasn’t one of the mutants, and he wasn’t a tribe member, even though Rikar had welcomed him into the tribe.
He felt like he didn’t belong, even though he lived there.
He was sure that a lot of people felt the same way.
He needed to be careful so he wouldn’t get himself kicked out before he could get both of his siblings back.
He sighed as he took another sip of coffee.
He wouldn’t be able to afford to get kicked out even after he found them.
He needed to give them a safe place, a new home.
The best place to do that was here because the tribe was protected.
Nothing would ever happen to them again.
The tribe and the mutants would protect them in a way that Franklin hadn’t been able to.
That was why Franklin needed to keep the tribe on his side, even though he suspected that they would never kick Garrett and Leah out.
They wouldn’t have to, though. Franklin thought his siblings would follow him if he was kicked out, which was why he wanted to avoid that.