Chapter Five
Franklin was ready, or rather, he didn’t think he could be more ready than he was now. He was sure he could find several ways to prepare himself even better, but if he continued obsessing over things, he would never get to the part where he actually started going to the facility.
Luckily for him, that part was out of his hands.
He’d sent his resume directly to the facility, mentioning how he’d worked for another facility that had been raided while he was on his day off.
He’d made sure to mention the man who’d been his boss back then and how that man had talked to him about this facility and the head of security.
They’d had a nice interview through a video call, and in a few hours, Franklin was starting work.
His stomach churned as he looked at his backpack.
He’d had to lie to get the job, but he’d expected it.
That didn’t mean he liked it. In fact, he hated talking about shifters and the prisoners he knew were in the lab like they were nothing more than experiments.
He’d had to make sure that his new boss believed that he didn’t give a damn about those people.
He was expected to treat them like experiments, not human beings who were scared and in pain.
He swallowed. He could do this. He’d done it before, and if he played his cards right, all of the people would be safe in a few days. He just had to do the work first.
Maybe he needed to stop thinking about it.
Obsessing over it wasn’t going to help him.
If anything, it would make things harder, and it wasn’t something he wanted to deal with.
Maybe he should leave the house for a bit and take a walk.
He might have, but he didn’t want people to stare at him, which was something that happened every time he was somewhere in the village.
Of course, since he couldn’t distract himself, his thoughts went straight to Reed. It was better than obsessing over his new job, but it still didn’t make it easy.
What was he supposed to do with Reed?
Franklin was starting to get more and more drawn to his mate.
It made sense considering they’d been spending more time together, but he didn’t know how to deal with it.
His main focus was to get his brother back, then his sister, and that wouldn’t change, but he couldn’t ignore Reed’s presence in his life.
He’d tried. Initially, he’d been angry. He hadn’t wanted anything to do with Reed, no matter what Reed had said. The only thing he’d been able to see was that his mate had worked in that facility and hurt his brother. Moore had known what he was doing when he’d forced them to work together, though.
Franklin snorted. Of course he had. Moore had been leading his mutants for a while now.
He was a worthy leader, especially with Rikar by his side.
Moore had known that Reed and Franklin needed to spend time together, and he’d found a way to make it happen.
In turn, it had made Franklin soften toward Reed.
He’d been curious and had questions, and Reed had answered them.
It had made Franklin see him from another point of view.
It had been too easy to imagine how Reed had felt when he’d woken up in that infirmary bed after the accident.
It would’ve been terrifying for him to realize that he had an ability that the scientists he’d called his coworkers until a few days before would be giddy to experiment with.
He’d known exactly what they would do to him, just like he’d known what would happen if he didn’t go along with it. He hadn’t had a choice.
But the time Reed had spent there as a mutant wasn’t what Franklin had a problem with. No, it was the time before then, when he was fully human and working there willingly.
Except it hadn’t been willingly, had it?
Reed had explained that once he’d realized what was going on, he’d been in too deep, and it hadn’t been a lie.
Franklin could see how all of that had worked.
He couldn’t say he wouldn’t have done the same thing that Reed had.
How could he blame his mate for being afraid and wanting to stay alive?
Even if Franklin liked to think that he wouldn’t have done what Reed had done, it would be hypocritical of him to say he wouldn’t have pushed both of his siblings to do whatever was asked of them so they’d stay alive.
That was what Reed had done, so could Franklin blame him?
Luckily, Franklin didn’t have to make a decision about Reed anytime soon.
Hell, for now, he didn’t have to make a decision about him at all.
The only thing he had to do was focus on going to the facility and starting his job there.
Once he did, he would focus on getting Garrett back.
Maybe once he did, he could afford to think about his mate for a bit, although his job wouldn’t be done yet.
No, he’d still need to find Leah, but for now, he had no idea where to start looking for her.
Maybe they’d find something at the facility that would point them her way. Maybe Reed had more information. Franklin had no idea, but he had to hope. He would get his sister back. He wouldn’t have it any other way.
But it might take years. Could he really stay away from his mate for that long? Did he want to?
He didn’t know what he wanted when it came to Reed. He had no idea what he was allowed to want, or what Reed was willing to give him. Part of that was his fault. He’d been keeping his mate at arm’s length because he didn’t know what to do with him. He still didn’t.
But he didn’t think that Reed was a bad person anymore.
He’d done what he could in the circumstances he’d been in, and he’d saved himself.
Reed hadn’t had a choice, and he was still tortured by everything that happened.
Franklin couldn’t blame him for keeping himself alive.
Besides, he’d tried to help, even though he hadn’t been able to do much. That meant something.
Franklin sighed and rubbed his face with his hands. All of that sounded like he was giving himself the authorization to want to be with Reed. Maybe he was, but he still needed to focus on finding his siblings first. That was non-negotiable. He was sure that Reed would understand.
But Reed didn’t know that Franklin was changing his mind about him.
Maybe Franklin should tell him that. It wasn’t doing him any good to stay here on his own, anyway.
That walk might not have been appealing, but it was better than staying here and staring at his backpack, and it wouldn’t be long since he was going to Moore’s house, where Reed was still staying.
Franklin left his house before he could think better of it.
He knew that if he gave himself time, he’d rethink it and find excuses.
They probably wouldn’t be wrong, but he didn’t want to stay away from his mate.
He’d been doing it until now, and he still had good reasons to do it, but he was tired.
He’d been fighting for so long—to find his siblings, to stay safe undercover, to find people who would help him.
Was it really so bad that was the one area in his life that he didn’t want to fight?
In which he wanted to give in and allow Reed to comfort him?
Because that was what mates did. It was what Franklin wanted to do when it came to Reed, too. He hadn’t allowed himself to, but maybe he could. Maybe the time had finally come for him to look at the future instead of being so focused only on the past.
What would happen once he had Garrett and Leah back?
It would take them time to heal, and maybe they never would, not completely, but eventually, they’d want their own lives, and Franklin would be alone again.
It wouldn’t be the same because he’d know they were safe and happy, but still.
He’d stopped building anything while he was looking for them. Maybe now was the time to start again.
Maybe it was time to start building toward a future he hadn’t allowed himself to think of, and that future should include Reed.
Because Reed was Franklin’s mate. There was no getting out of that and no changing it. Reed was Franklin’s mate, and Franklin would never have anyone else. He didn’t want to. Deep inside, he knew that Reed was good. He knew that they could be good together.
Maybe that was what he should focus on.
* * * *
REED WASN’T SURPRISED to see Franklin on the doorstep when he opened the door. This was Moore’s house, after all, and it made sense for Franklin to come here, especially considering what would be happening today.
Reed wasn’t sure who was more nervous about it.
Possibly him. Franklin had already done this before, and even though he knew that Garrett was in the facility, he was determined to get his brother out.
That meant that he knew better than to do anything stupid.
He’d been laser-focused as he and Reed talked things out, and Reed didn’t expect that to change once Franklin reached the facility.
These few hours would be the longest in Reed’s life, though, or at least, they’d feel like it.
“We need to talk,” Franklin declared.
Reed blinked at him. “Of course. What do we need to talk about?”
“I don’t hate you. Now that we’ve talked and I’ve spent time with you, I understand better why you did what you did.
I hate that you had to hurt my brother, but I see that you didn’t have a choice.
Besides, he would’ve been hurt regardless.
At least you were the one to do it, which means you knew to be careful.
You knew how to help him even as you obeyed the orders. ”
Reed blinked. He had no idea what to say to that or if Franklin expected him to answer. He was here for a reason, but Reed didn’t know what that reason was. “I did what I could to help,” he promised, because it was obviously important to Franklin.