Chapter 22
Chapter
Twenty-Two
Lachlan
The three of us walked into the diner the next morning with no more hope than we’d had before. We knew our omega wouldn’t be here. But this had become our routine. Our way of keeping in touch despite her mother’s efforts.
Lydia always managed to give us little updates about Dhara. Tiny scraps of information that meant more to us than she could ever understand.
This morning, the moment she spotted us, she frantically waved us toward the employee-only hallway.
For the first time in weeks, hope filled me. This had to mean she knows something.
Maybe they found something that could finally bring our girl home?
God, I hoped so.
“I know you guys are building a case against that woman,” Lydia said as she pulled a thick manila envelope from one of the office desks.
“Apparently, her mom’s been watching a little too closely and now has help, so it took Dhara a few days to get this to me.
I think you should look through it. I’ll give you a minute. ”
She slipped back out of the room, leaving the three of us staring at the envelope.
August smiled. It was the first real smile I’d seen on any of us since Dhara disappeared from our lives.
“She’s fighting,” he whispered, shaking his head. Emotion choked his words and I felt my own chest tighten in response.
He only hesitated for a moment with a smile on his lips before he tore open the envelope. It was bulky and thick enough I knew something more than papers were inside.
“We have some sort of journal,” he muttered as he pulled out the small leather-bound notebook. He held it out and I took it, opening it as a sense of dread filled me. I already knew I wasn’t going to like whatever was written inside.
“‘I’ll never forgive him for leaving me with these brats,’” I read aloud “‘I didn’t even want children and here I am taking care of them like some glorified nanny. If it wasn’t for the money she brings in, I would’ve sold her a long time ago.’”
“I have a feeling that money pertains to these.” August held up another stack of papers he’d pulled from the envelope. Bank statements.
“Gavin has a trust. She’s listed as the custodian and from the look of these has been siphoning money out for years,” he said as he flipped through the documents.
“According to these legal papers, she’s supposed to be using that money for a private school and was supposed to use it for Dhara’s university of choice. ”
“So, we’re talking tens of thousands of dollars,” Conrad said quietly. His voice sounded as rough as I felt. Our omega could have had a future and this bitch was keeping her there to keep control of these funds.”
“There’s a ledger here, too,” August said, pulling out a second journal. “I’ll have the lawyers look through this one.”
I barely heard him. My focus was on the journal as I flipped through the entries. Every page was another way she’d manipulated Dhara.
“This is fucking vile.” I glanced at the guys before reading another entry aloud. “‘She’s becoming too independent, getting bolder. I’m going to have to break her.’”
“Fucking bitch,” August growled.
But, I wasn’t done.
“‘I lost my cool tonight. I have to be careful before the town wakes the fuck up and starts asking questions. If anyone other than Chief Daniels finds out, I could lose everything else, too.’”
“What’s ‘everything else?’” Conrad asked. I shrugged and held it out for him, unable to stomach reading anything else. He took the journal from my hands and continued flipping through it.
A folded piece of paper drifted onto the floor as he reached the end. I bent down and picked it up. The handwriting wasn’t the same.
“This is Dhara’s note to us,” I breathed out. “Gavin found drugs in the closet of her room. We left them there. It should be enough to get him away from her. If they raid the house, they’ll find it.”
August let out a sharp laugh. “This is it.”
He immediately pulled out his phone and called our lawyer, switching the call to speaker. I quietly shut the office door. The last thing we needed was for anyone to overhear us.
“Do you have something?” Chris Laurant answered on the first ring. He sounded almost eager.
“Do drugs count as something?” August asked.
He quickly explained everything we’d found. The journal. A secret trust fund. Bank statements. A ledger he’d have to decipher.
When he finished, there was a brief silence.
“Is she safe right now?” Chris finally asked on a sigh.
I frowned. “Why don’t I like that question?”
“As far as I know she hasn’t hit her again,” August answered just as carefully. “But there’s no way to really know.”
“I need to dig through the financial records. The stronger our case, the more likely we win. I don’t want to rush this. The drugs alone will absolutely get us into the house. It might even get us an emergency order. But I’m not pulling those kids out just to risk a judge sending them right back.”
“How long?” Conrad demanded. His voice was edged in a growl but our lawyer didn’t react.
“Two days. Give me just two days and I’ll have an ironclad case. I promise.”
We had to trust his judgment. This lawyer had worked tirelessly, scouring everything we gave him and his team had dug up just as much. We shared a look before August answered.
“Fine. Two days.” His voice carried more warning than agreement.
“Talk soon,” Chris offered before ending the call.
Finding everything Dhara had risked herself to gather should’ve felt like a victory. Instead, two more days suddenly felt like forever.
“I’m writing her a note,” August said. “I’ll have Lydia slip it to her tonight. She deserves to know this is almost over. Until then we keep our heads down and our usual routine. We can’t ruin this for her.”
“Fuck.” Conrad scrubbed a hand over his face. “This is exactly what I was afraid of.”
He started to pace, hands gripping his hair and tugging slightly.
“I’ve got to go hit the gym or something before practice. And I’ve still got class tonight.”
He hadn’t missed a single one. For weeks he’d thrown himself into learning everything he could for our omega. Cooking, meal planning, shopping. Anything that would make the house feel more like a home when Dhara finally came back.
The only thing he’d refused to touch was her nest. None of us could bring ourselves to disturb it. Now, it felt like the time to finally face it. I had two days to get a nest prepped for our omega. She had already been through hell and back and deserved a soft place to land.
I had until practice to get a head start, then after to keep going. We parted ways and I headed for downtown South Lake. There was a strip mall called Omega Row that was full of businesses dedicated to omegas.
My delta needed something physical he could do and this was the perfect solution. Providing for my omega would soothe this desperate, uneasy edge that had crept into me with her absence.
I parked near the center and climbed out. My first stop was the nesting store. Then every other shop on the strip. I wanted Dhara to come home to everything she’d ever been denied.
“Hello, Delta.” The omega behind the counter smiled warmly as I walked in. She had her auburn hair pulled up into a ponytail. “Can I help you?”
Her nametag read ‘Allie’ and she looked genuinely happy to help me find what I needed. This was the exact kind of boost I needed at the moment.
“Actually... yes,” I admitted. “I have an omega who’s never had a nest before. I’m trying to fix that.”
Her smile softened immediately. “I can help with that. What are we working with?”
“Let’s just say her circumstances never allowed her to meet any of her omega’s needs. She doesn’t even know what she likes yet. I need a nest we can build on over time while she figures out her own preferences. I want it to feel safe, complete, but also leave room for her to add things later.”
“Oh, we can always add things to our nests,” the omega joked, but her eyes were already scanning the store. “I’m going to need backup on this one. Give me one second.”
“Alright,” I said, but she’d already raised her voice, yelling out to whoever was in the back.
“Rachel! Deb! I need you!”
“What are we working with?” one of them asked as they hurried over.
All three omegas looked at me with open curiosity. They were ready to get to work. I’d, apparently, walked into the right store.
“We’ve got an omega who’s never had a nest,” Allie explained. “He wants something cozy and comfortable, but with room for her to make it her own later.”
Rachel studied me for a second while Deb tilted her head thoughtfully.
“Do you know her favorite color?” Deb asked.
“Or what kind of textures she likes?” Rachel tacked on.
My cheeks burned. These were things I should know, but didn’t. “No.”
The admission felt pathetic. But, I wasn’t even sure Dhara knew those things about herself yet. I wasn’t about to explain her past to strangers.
They must have sensed those thoughts on my face.
Rachel nodded once as if I’d answered and marched to the front door to flip the sign to ‘closed.’
“Alright, ladies. Divide and conquer. I’ll handle pillows and blankets. Deb, you take lighting and accessories. Allie, you gather décor.”
“No budget,” I added. “I just don’t want it to feel over the top.”
“We can work with that,” Deb grinned.
Allie pulled out her phone. “I’ll text the other stores so they know you’re coming after we’re done with you. I’m assuming you’re hitting all of them.”
She glanced up and I nodded quickly, already feeling out of my depth but grateful for the olive branch they were extending.
“Don’t worry,” she reassured me. “We’ve got it handled.”
“It’s slow enough today and I have a feeling you’re about to spend enough money to make up for closing for an hour,” Rachel said bluntly.
I liked how matter-of-fact they were. There was no awkward pity or sympathy, just solutions.
While they scattered around the store, I grabbed a shopping basket and wandered the aisles myself. Everything I knew about omega nests could fit on a sticky note. They liked them dark, cozy, and safe.