Chapter Five #2
Franklin nodded once. “I know. That’s what I’m saying.
I never wanted my brother to be hurt, but I guess that knowing that you were the one in there with him makes me feel better.
I know you never would’ve hurt him more than necessary.
I know you wouldn’t have taken any pleasure in doing it, not like some of the guards did. ”
Reed remembered the guards. He remembered the scientists, the other lab techs, the nurses.
Some of them had been as horrified as he’d been, but others?
They’d enjoyed it. They’d liked the power they had over those people in cages, and they’d wanted more.
They’d behaved as if the prisoners weren’t human beings, but they’d been the monsters, not the people in the cages.
Franklin rubbed his face. “Sorry. I hyped myself up so much as I walked here that I blurted out everything instead of easing you into it. I guess what I’m saying is that once Garrett is here, I want to get to know you better.
You’re my mate, even though I didn’t take that well initially.
It means something to me. It means something to every shifter, and I don’t want to lose that.
I’m just not sure what to do or say or how to behave.
I hope that once we have Garrett back, things will be slightly easier, but I can’t make any promises. ”
“I don’t need you to make promises,” Reed reassured him. “I know that your brother is your priority. I’m fine with that.”
“Yeah?”
Franklin looked hopeful. It wasn’t a new expression on his face.
He’d been hopeful about getting Garrett back, but it was strange to see it directed at Reed.
Reed had fully expected Franklin to never want anything to do with him.
Franklin might not know what he was doing, but he wasn’t the only one.
“We’ll focus on finding Garrett and bringing him home,” Reed said. “And once he’s here, we’ll see. I understand what you’re saying, but right now, you need to be focused. You can’t think about me or our bond.”
“I know. Does that mean that you’ll give us a chance?”
“I was never the one who didn’t want to, Franklin.
If it makes you feel better and helps you focus, then yes, I want to give us a chance.
I want to get to know you outside of this mess.
I want to know the real you, the person you are when you’re not in an emergency, scrambling to learn enough information to find your brother. ”
Franklin nodded. “This will make it easier for me to focus. I promise that I’ll be okay.
Hopefully, it won’t take more than a few hours.
I already know where everything and everyone will be.
You made sure of that. I’ll let the mutants in, point them the right way, and find Garrett.
I’ll be back here so fast you won’t have time to worry. ”
That wouldn’t be the case because Reed was already worried, but he nodded. Maybe this would help Franklin. Maybe it would give him an incentive to be quick and efficient. He wanted to come back to Reed. That had to mean something, right?
Hopefully, it meant that he would come back in one piece because if he didn’t, it would be hard for them to get to know each other. Reed knew that Franklin would happily sacrifice himself for his siblings, though.
He prayed it wouldn’t come to that.
There was a possibility that things would go wrong.
Reed didn’t want to consider it, but he had to.
It would’ve hurt before, too, but now that Franklin was willing to give him a chance?
It would be hell. Reed didn’t want to lose something he’d barely had.
He didn’t want to lose something he’d never thought he’d have. He needed Franklin to realize that.
“You have to be careful. It’s the only way we’ll both have a chance to talk things out and figure out where we stand.
What I can tell you is that even though I’m human, I feel the bond between us.
I want this bond. I don’t know what it will mean for us, but I can’t wait to find out, and that’s not going to happen if you don’t come back. ”
Reed was aware that they were still on Moore’s porch, where anyone could see them.
Maybe he should ask Franklin inside, but he didn’t want Franklin to get uncomfortable.
Besides, Moore and his mate were in the house.
Hell, they could probably hear everything Reed and Franklin were saying.
Considering that Moore had pushed them together, he was probably gleeful right now.
Reed had many things to thank Moore for, and now he had to add this to it.
He wasn’t sure he could say that he owed him his life, but part of him felt like he did.
If it wasn’t for Moore, Franklin probably wouldn’t be giving Reed a chance right now.
He’d be as far away from him as possible, and Reed would have to watch him from afar.
Hell, if it wasn’t for Moore, Reed would’ve left, and he wouldn’t have seen Franklin again.
He wouldn’t have spent time with him, discussing the facility and the people there.
He wouldn’t have had the opportunity to get to know Franklin and see how desperately he loved his siblings, how he was still grieving their mother, and how he was planning on keeping them safe.
Yes, he owed Moore a lot, and he’d have to thank him, but he could hear footsteps behind him, and he knew they were about to get interrupted.
Probably by Moore himself.
He turned as Moore appeared from the living room. The man was trying very hard to hide his grin, but he wasn’t fooling Reed.
With a start, Reed realized that he’d gotten to know Moore, too. He didn’t consider him just the leader of the mutants anymore. He considered him a friend. After all, they had breakfast together almost every day. They talked over dinner almost every night.
Reed couldn’t remember the last time he’d had a friend, but he liked it.
He liked Franklin and Moore and living with the tribe, even though sometimes, it was awkward and uncomfortable.
Hearing that Franklin wanted to give them a chance meant he might have the possibility of staying here even once this was over, and he desperately wanted that.
“You do know that you can come inside the house, right?” Moore asked, looking from Franklin to Reed.
“This was a private conversation,” Franklin said.
Moore arched a brow. “Private? You’re talking on my porch, where everyone in the neighborhood can see and probably hear you. Jolyn said not to say anything, but come on, guys. You can talk inside.”
Reed and Franklin looked at each other. He wasn’t surprised when Franklin shook his head. “We’re done talking for now.”
Moore watched them for a second before nodding. “All right. Come in, then. We’ll go over the plan one last time.”
Reed took a deep breath. This part was almost over. It would probably be over by the end of the day. He just had to breathe and tell himself that everything would be all right.
He wished he could believe it.
* * * *
GETTING INTO THE FACILITY was easy. Franklin had known it would be since they were expecting him, but there was still a hint of nervousness in him as he drove into the parking lot.
It was weird to feel like he recognized this place, even though he’d never been here.
Reed had shown him plenty of blueprints and pictures, and Franklin had to be careful not to behave as if he knew where he was going since he wasn’t supposed to.
For now, it was easy enough since he only had to park his car and get out.
He did just that, grabbing his backpack from the passenger seat.
He took a deep breath as he looked up at the facility.
He could do this. For Garrett, he’d do anything, even sacrificing himself, but hopefully, it wouldn’t come to that.
He just had to get in, convince these people that he was on their side long enough that he’d be left alone, find the back door Reed had pointed out as being the best to get the mutants in, and open it.
Piece of cake.
He made his way to the closest door. When he pushed inside, he found a desk with a man sitting behind it. He looked up when he heard Franklin, narrowing his eyes. Franklin gave him an easy smile and nodded. “Hey. I’m starting work today.”
The man nodded and looked down. “Franklin, right?”
“Yeah, that’s me.”
“We’ve been expecting you.”
“Good. Where do I go?”
The man gave him directions and opened the door that would lead Franklin into the facility proper. Franklin tried not to look nervous as he walked through. Thankfully, he didn’t have time to be nervous because someone was already coming down the hallway toward him.
The woman nodded. “I’m Carla. If you’ll follow me, I’ll show you to the locker room so you can change. You have experience in this kind of work?”
“I actually worked at one of the Glass Research Company’s facilities in Colorado,” Franklin informed her. “That should be in my resume.”
She nodded but didn’t pay him more attention than that.
Reed had mentioned that this facility was a bit of a mess.
It didn’t take long for Franklin to realize that Reed had been right.
He noticed several breaches of the security protocol just by following Carla.
He didn’t say anything. Hopefully, it would play to his advantage.
“I’ll wait for you outside,” she said. “There’s an open locker with your name on it. You can wear the uniform you’ll find in there.”
Franklin gave her his most charming smile. “Thank you. I’ll be back as soon as possible.”