Chapter 14
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Mason
A week later, the investigation was still ongoing, but Det. Shirley hadn’t reached any conclusions about who specifically had broken into my apartment and how.
“Whoever they were,” she told me on a follow-up call as I saw alone in my office, watching my staff through the tall windows and hoping I hadn’t inadvertently put them all in danger, “they had a key. Had one or managed to bypass the lock system. Which, frankly, despite Mr. Grangers insistence otherwise, isn’t that great. I don’t know why that penthouse floor doesn’t have half a dozen security cameras in place.”
“Neither do I,” I said grimly. “But it does now. So does the tenth floor near a certain omega’s apartment.”
There was a pause before Det. Shirley said, “Let me guess. Mr. Granger didn’t pay for that particular security system.”
“What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him,” I said.
Det. Shirley laughed. “I like your style, Mr. Canton.”
“And I like yours,” I told her. “If you ever decide you want to quit the force and go into consulting for a top-tier security company, I might just have a place for you.”
She made an interested sound. “I’ll let you know.”
The conversation didn’t make me feel much better. I knew who was behind the break-in, but whoever had carried it out, they’d been good enough to leave no evidence at all. The whole thing left me with the uncomfortable feeling that I was waiting for the other shoe to drop, and that when it dropped, it would hurt the people I was growing to care about.
I glanced out at the rest of the office again, straight into Hayden’s empty cube. He’d been there earlier, but he’d taken an early lunch because he had a doctor’s appointment.
I checked my watch, then jumped up with a wince. A doctor’s appointment that I was going to be late to unless I hustled.
“I’ll be back in an hour or so,” I told Rachel as I strode past her, slipping into my suit jacket as I moved.
“Sounds good, Mr. Canton,” Rachel said, smiling distractedly at me as I passed her office. “When you get back, can we have a moment to discuss the Harvey contract?”
I stopped then backpedaled to her office door. “The Harvey contract?”
Although my aim was for Canton Enterprises to go into business with the government, we’d been working on a few civilian security contracts as well. The Harvey Corporation managed hospitals across the East Coast, and they were looking to improve security technology in several of their facilities. I liked them, I liked their mission, and I was eager to work with them to develop the sort of security tech they needed.
Rachel frowned at the empty space in front of her for a moment. “Something’s wrong with the deal, but I don’t have anything other than a hunch to back that up.”
My stomach sank. After everything with Colin and my apartment, a hunch from someone I trusted was as good a reason to take action as anything.
“We’ll talk when I get back,” I said before walking on.
“Have fun at your business lunch,” Rachel called to me.
My face heated as I walked on, trying not to look guilty. Rachel, my assistant, Lincoln, and everyone else in the office thought I was meeting a prospective client for lunch. They didn’t have the first clue that I was meeting Hayden at his obstetrician’s office. They didn’t know I was the father of Hayden’s child, or that the two of us were currently, for all intents and purposes, living together.
Hayden and I had agreed before Monday morning that it would only complicate things for everyone if we suddenly announced the truth to the entire office. If we had come clean right away, there would be a million questions about how I had managed to get Hayden pregnant when we’d only met the week before, why Hayden had been hired, and what sorts of conflicts of interests the whole situation presented.
More than that, as I stepped out onto the busy street of Barrington, nodded to the undercover officer who had been assigned to keep an eye out for trouble, and scanned the area for anything I found suspicious, I was convinced keeping the secret of my and Hayden’s connection was a good thing. If Colin got wind that I had a lover in my life, there was no telling what he would do to hurt Hayden and the baby.
Not that Hayden and I were lovers. Yes, there was only one bed in Hayden’s small apartment. We were currently sharing it. Sometimes that meant we woke up snuggled together. I slept best when I had Hayden’s ripe body tucked against mine, where I could rest a hand on my son growing inside him and breathe in Hayden’s heightened scent. At least, when Hayden wasn’t getting up with the need to pee every few hours through the night.
My apartment was almost ready to move back into. The investigators had done all they could, and the professional cleaning company had tidied everything up. I was just waiting on the last few details that my decorator had stepped in to handle to be finished before the place was as good as new again. With my own security system installed.
The question remained as to whether Hayden would move in with me or stay in his one bedroom unit.
I knew what I wanted the answer to be.
“There you are,” Hayden greeted me with a bright smile, already on his feet and heading from the waiting room back to the examination rooms when I finally reached the doctor’s office. “Perfect timing.”
“Sorry I’m a little late,” I said, striding forward to hold the door for both Hayden and the beta nurse. “Things at work too longer than I thought they would.”
“They always do,” the nurse said with a sympathetic smile.
I had no idea what to expect. I thought maybe Hayden was too far along for ultrasounds, but I didn’t actually know anything. Ultrasounds were the only thing I knew about pregnancy doctor appointments. I was glad the obstetrician was a woman and a beta, but even then, my alpha instincts to rip anyone touching my pregnant omega to shreds flared as I watched the examination.
“Everything looks good,” the doctor said when she was done, removing her latex gloves with a smile. “I’d say you have another three weeks or so, but honestly, you could go at any time.”
I was standing next to Hayden, holding his hand, and I squeezed it. Hearing that I could become a father at any moment made the whole thing seem incredibly real to me.
“You hear that?” Hayden said with a teasing grin, evidently seeing the fear and awe in my expression. “Any day now, and pop!”
I sucked in a breath, then frowned at him, which was mostly a panic reaction.
The doctor finished up, giving Hayden advice for the final days of his pregnancy. Advice that included beginning his paternity leave soon and resting as much as possible, because rest would be a luxury once the baby came.
“At least I have a good paternity leave program at work, eh?” Hayden teased me once we had left the building and were on our way back to work.
“You can take all the time you need,” I told him with a grin. “You know my offer to take care of you and Junior stands.”
“Ah ha! I’ve got you calling him Junior now, too!”
I chuckled, but I also saw Hayden’s teasing for what it was. He was avoiding the issue of me marching into his life and denying him the independence he was so ambivalent about.
Then he surprised me by saying, “So is it time to tell Rachel and the rest of the gang in the office yet? I mean, we are about to walk back into the office at the same time.”
I debated telling him we should stagger our entry, but that didn’t feel right. In fact, nothing felt right. Not the subterfuge, but also not coming out and telling the world what was really going on.
“I still have deep concerns about whether Colin might try to hurt you to get to me,” I said quietly. It was true and honest, but it also didn’t feel right.
Hayden lost his usual happy-go-lucky look. “I know you’re concerned about that, and I do get it. But?—”
He paused, squirming a little as he walked, and rested a hand on his belly.
“But?” I prompted him as we turned the corner to the block with our office building.
Hayden sighed, then let it all out. “I don’t like pretending there’s nothing between us but friendship when we’re in the office. This last week has been really great.” He glanced up at me with a smile and stretched his hand towards mine, brushing his fingertips over the back of my hand. “I think we have something, and it’s the kind of thing that makes me want to shout from the rooftops.”
I smiled and my heart expanded to fill my entire chest with warm energy. The problem with the rooftops was that there might be snipers on them at the moment.
“I just want you and Junior to be safe,” I told him.
Hayden’s expression pinched through half a dozen emotions as we reached the door to our building, which I held for him. “That name is going to stick, isn’t it,” he said. “This kid is going to hate us someday for calling him Junior. He’s going to get picked on at school, and since I think he’s an alpha, that means he’ll get into all sorts of fights, we’ll be called to the principal’s office every other day, and we’ll eventually have to send him off to reform school.”
I laughed, despite my unease over the way Hayden was talking so openly, and stepped ahead to hit the button to call the elevator. “Okay, fine. How about Melvin.”
Hayden’s smile widened. “Now you’re talking.”
A minute later, we strode back into the office, and the easy affection between us closed up into polite indifference. I could tell from Hayden’s expression that he didn’t like it. Knowing him, he would reach a point where he couldn’t take it anymore and he’d blurt out the truth to everyone in the office.
I owed him more than that. I liked Hayden. A lot. It was pointless to deny that those feelings were swiftly growing into something much deeper and bigger. I could practically feel the bond growing between us with every passing day. In fact, we’d gotten a few looks from Chaz, one of my IT guys, who was in his early fifties and had been blissfully married for over twenty-five years. Older, long-term happily married alphas and omegas could see the bonds uniting other couples, if only in the corners of their vision. I was certain Hayden and I had other tells, too.
I had just about made up my mind to reveal all as I reached my office, but then Rachel stepped out of her office with a dire look in her eyes.
My smile had dropped even before she said, “We just lost the Harvey contract.”
“What?” I stopped abruptly, jerking to face her.
Several heads popped up from their cubes, including Hayden’s.
Rachel sent the office an apologetic smile, then focused on me. “About ten minutes after you left, I got an email from Joseph Harvey saying they’d decided not to proceed with the partnership.”
My stomach sank as I gestured for Rachel to join me in my office. I shut the door behind us, but most of my staff continued to watch us through the glass.
“I called Mr. Harvey immediately on your behalf,” Rachel went on, “even though it might have been an overstep.”
“Not at all.” I shook my head. Rachel might have been hired as the COO, but we both had plans for her to become so much more for the company.
Rachel sighed and rubbed her forehead. “I didn’t really get anywhere with him,” she said. “He wouldn’t say much, just that Canton Enterprises wasn’t the sort of company he wanted to do business with. He made it sound like we’re, well, like we’re Colin, to be honest.”
I huffed out a breath and shrugged out of my suit jacket, throwing it over the arm of one of the chairs in front of my desk. Then I headed around to sit behind my desk, wiggling the mouse to wake up my computer.
“I would be willing to bet anything Colin is behind this,” I said.
“Oh, I know he is,” Rachel agreed. “And I hope you can beat his skinny, cowardly ass.”
I smiled up at Rachel, more glad than ever that I’d brought her with me from Port Lucia.
“I’ll call Joseph Harvey to see if I can sort things out,” I said. “In the meantime, we can?—”
I stopped when I saw Lincoln hurrying toward the office, a middle-aged woman in a suit following him. His expression was alarmed enough that I was already standing before he knocked on my office door, then opened it.
“I’m so sorry to disturb you, Mr. Canton,” Lincoln said, his voice shaky, “but?—”
“Mason Canton?” the woman in the suit asked, holding out a large envelope as she stepped toward me.
“Yes?” I already knew what was happening before she served me with the papers.
“You’re being sued by Victory Holdings for breech of contract and unpaid profits,” she said, then smiled weakly as I took the envelope. “Sorry. Have a nice day.”
Without adding anything else, she turned and left the office, Lincoln following her.
I sighed and sat again, tossing the envelope onto my desk without opening it. I needed a minute before dealing with the new horror.
“Yikes,” Rachel said, her expression far more serious than usual. “Colin really is playing hardball.”
“I should have known,” I sighed, rubbing my forehead in an attempt to clear the headache that was forming. “And it doesn’t help matters that Victory Holdings is involved.”
“Colin works for them now, doesn’t he?” Rachel asked.
“Yep.”
It was the worst possible situation. Colin was pissed, and now he had a gang of friends with incredibly shady connections standing behind him. It didn’t matter that I’d won the lawsuit to separate from him and strike out on my own. He probably had an army of lawyers with Victory Holdings standing behind him ready and waiting to swoop in and destroy everything I was making in my new life.
As if on cue, Hayden stepped gingerly into the doorway and knocked softly on the doorframe.
“Anything I can do to help?” he asked, his eyes trained on me with warmth and genuine concern.
I caught my breath as Rachel glanced from me to Hayden and back again. Her expression brimmed with curiosity, not to mention the sparkle of someone who thought they knew some juicy gossip.
I wanted to come clean so badly it hurt, but the latest bomb Colin had dropped on me via Victory Holdings just had me spooked and scared for my omega and my child.
“No, I don’t think so, Mr. Kipling,” I said with a tight smile. “We’ve got this.”
Hayden’s hopeful expression clouded over, and he frowned at me. “Alright, sir,” he said, stepping back out into the office. He even grabbed the doorknob and shut the door behind him, a little too forcefully.
“Trouble in paradise?” Rachel asked, one eyebrow raised.
I stared right back at her, a thousand different replies zipping through my brain. Part of me wanted to tell her off. Part of me wanted to deny everything. All of me didn’t want to explain the circumstances under which I’d gotten Hayden pregnant.
“I don’t want him to get hurt,” I told Rachel softly, as if speaking the truth too loud would let not only the entire office know, but would shoot the information straight to Colin and his dubious friends.
Rachel crossed her arms and silently chastised me for my tight lips.
I shifted in my chair, then gave up.
“It’s a long, complicated, slightly embarrassing story that I don’t really want to share, but yes, Hayden and I are sort of together.”
Rachel gaped in surprise. “You haven’t even known each other two weeks.”
“He’s carrying my child.”
I could have knocked Rachel over with a feather. “Why didn’t you say anything when I hired him? Did you send me his resume on purpose? But no,” she answered herself, “I head-hunted him. You didn’t have anything to do with the process.” She paused again, then said, “You did look shocked when I introduced you.”
“I didn’t know who he was,” I said, then cleared my throat and added, “I knew him under a different name.”
“A different—okay, I’m going to stop asking questions now,” Rachel said, her mouth twitching and her eyes glinting with humor. She schooled her expression a moment later and said, “You don’t want Hayden to get hurt. Got it.”
“You know Colin,” I told her, suddenly feeling like I had an actual, genuine friend who understood the complexity of the situation. “He’s pissed off and he thinks he has nothing to lose. He’ll go after Hayden and the baby if he thinks it will hurt me.”
“You don’t think he would actually physically hurt them, do you?” All humor disappeared from her expression.
“I don’t want to find out,” I said. “Especially since he’s with Victory Holdings now.”
Rachel nodded slowly and blew out a breath. “I absolutely get it. And I won’t tell anyone what I know.”
“Thanks,” I said. “And now I need to call Joseph Harvey to figure out what the hell has caused him to drop his deal and to talk him out of it without making him twice as anxious by revealing some very bad people are out to get us.”
“Yeah, good luck with that,” Rachel said in a strained voice. “I’ll do my best to keep the lid on here and move things forward like nothing is wrong.”
I sent her a grateful smile as she left my office, but the fact of the matter was that everything was wrong. Everything was wrong, and if I didn’t figure out how to fix it quietly and completely, my business would go under. But more importantly, the omega I was quickly falling in love with and our baby might be hurt or worse.