Chapter 33
Chapter Thirty-Three
Harlan
Blowing out a breath, I look around the winding down crime scene. It’s been hours, and daybreak is beginning to light the edges of the sky. Things also got a little more complicated when the basement mysteriously caught fire.
Oops?
I said at that point that one of Gideon’s goons probably decided to destroy evidence, and that’s when Kyren whispered in my ear that he was destroying his own evidence while locked in a safe room with Syrus. I guess it’s a good thing he was giving me a heads up.
It’s also ultimately why I’m still here since that was hours ago.
Kyren decided that instead of deleting things, he was going to download all the content and then fry Gideon’s computer drives.
He did the same to Gideon’s accountant’s laptop, which means that while the government managed to facilitate a huge sex trafficking bust, they’re not going to walk away with more than that.
There will be no windfall of information about where all the omegas are, nor will there be a money trail for them to follow. Instead, I guess I’ll handle that with my unit. The more I think about it, the more I want to open up my own shop.
The security jobs can help fund our own black ops business to find these omegas that have been sold.
We’ll start with Syrus’ sister. Now that the omegas from the mansion have left with our people, I only have Kyren and Syrus hooked up to my comms unit, and they’re keeping theirs off unless they need to tell me something.
The omegas are probably just getting into Widows Peak, and the Widows are figuring out where they’re going to lay their heads now.
I heard Syrus’ emotion ravaged voice when he reported that Maeve Lynch was one of Gideon’s Dolls. She was sold two years after the Widows were. Since everyone is kept separated in the mansion, there’s no way that they would have known each other.
So, I’ll cover our asses on the front end here so we can continue our work. We’ll expand, find a way to hire more people, and make it work. Fuck everything else.
“I’m going to head out,” I say, coming up on Gary’s left as he stares at the Henderson mansion with disgust.
The best they could do without fire support was to keep the door to the basement shut so that it would starve itself of air. Thankfully, it’s built to survive a bomb, which it kind of did.
Izzy is fucking insane. Who just randomly holds onto a damn grenade for a rainy day? I can’t say that he doesn't clean up well after himself, because while it was a gamble to have active torture and murder happening downstairs, we didn’t hear a thing.
I mean, the ground didn’t even shift below us when he pulled that pin and the grenade exploded. Gideon had some solid workmanship on this house. May he rest in pain and agony forever.
Amen.
“We’ll be spending months processing all of this,” Gary mumbles.
Sloane made sure to pick up the gun that was taken from Silva so there won’t be any prints for him to find. I’m not as worried about the rest of the house, since she fell from the ceiling and probably didn’t touch much outside of shooting people.
Gary and his men aren’t going to spend time fingerprinting the mansion when it’s this large. That’s a stupid amount of legwork and just not practical.
We’re in the clear here, Kyren and Syrus are safe back at the SUV on the other side of the property’s woods, and all I have to do is wrap up the last of the loose ends with this conversation with Gary.
Easy, right?
“Gideon had a large organization running here,” I agree half heartedly. I have a long drive ahead of me and I’m ready to go home to Widows Peak.
When did that happen? I think it became my home when I met Silva face to face, I was just too stubborn to realize it at first.
“Yep. Listen, I know you have your own thing going on now. Would you consider expanding a bit?” he asks, not looking at me.
His lips are barely moving, and my eyes narrow. What’s the cagey bastard about? He’s been a decent ally to us, my concern is about everyone else that he may answer to.
Shoving my hands in my pockets, I shrug to show I’m listening.
“I have a few men who are considering retiring,” he continues. “They’re tired of playing things by the books, though not crooked.”
“Can they follow authority?” I ask. “I don’t feel like doing a song and dance of who’s in charge, but I am considering opening a security firm.”
Gary snorts without amusement as he nods.
“You’re not really pulling the wool over my eyes, kid.
I know what you’re about, and I honestly don’t think whatever records this place holds are safe in government hands.
Vulnerable people have a way of falling through the cracks, and the omegas who were once in this place have gone through enough if you ask me,” he muses.
“Keep your intel, protect it, and do good shit with it.
“My guys can follow authority, they’re just tired of doing shit the way the government tells us we have to do it. I have six that I’d recommend for private work. At some point, you burn out.”
“That’s relatable shit, sir,” I reply. “Life has a way of changing, and I’d like to expand so I don’t have to travel as much.”
“Authority roles aren’t a walk in the park,” Gary reminds me.
“No, but I can run an operation from home just as well as in person. Research, background, lay of the land,” I parrot back. “If the person is competent, they should be able to make it work. If we’re being honest, I spent more time redirecting you than in the action.”
“Harlan, what the fuck?!” Syrus hisses in my ear.
Oh well. I don’t fucking work for Gary, and I was never here. He can’t arrest a ghost.
“You’re an asshole,” Gary grumbles. “Alright, you’ve made your point. I’ll get the names of those guys to you to reach out to and their competencies. I will also let them know there may be an opportunity for their skill sets after this job.”
“Wow, so they’re really serious about retiring,” I say.
“Oh yeah. They’re hanging up their government hats,” he says. “It’s time for something new, and true mercenary work isn’t their style.”
I get that. Sometimes, you want to know that the good you’re doing will actually stick, and the only way to do that is to get murdery and break a few rules. Or twenty.
Yeah, I definitely think we broke more than that tonight.
“I’m intrigued,” I admit. “I’ll take a look, but I’m headed home now.”
“I don't want to know where that is,” he grunts. “Go be a ghost.”
“Yes, sir,” I say, walking away from him.
“Damn. Did we officially go into business together, or did I miss my invite?” Kyren teases me.
“Ugh, you’re such an idiot,” I say under my breath. “As if you’d let me take a shit without any of you.”
“Descriptive and gross,” Syrus groans.
This mansion is fucking ridiculous. I should have cut through the house, but I didn’t want to run into anyone. Who needs this much space, other than a sex trafficker?
“We’ll break it to Sloane and Aiden later. I have this odd feeling they’re not going to want to travel much for work either,” Kyren says.
“That may be for the best,” I reply, thinking about how it’ll save Izzy’s sanity.
This is the answer to our problems we have with his medical care at least. I want him to detox completely off his suppressants as soon as possible.
“It’ll take at least a month to go through everything you found, but I don’t want to wait that long for Maeve. ”
My words are barely whispers on the wind. I’m a paranoid alpha, so I promise myself not to say her name again until I’m back in Widows Peak.
“Thank you,” Syrus says.
“You’re family, which means so is she.”
It’s simple and I mean it. I’m the last person that Silva hasn’t bonded with, but that’s okay. Things happen in their own time, and it’s not like I’m going anywhere.
A part of me will also be glad if it happens outside of a heat. I want her to be completely lucid when she asks me for it.
The trek through the woods feels like it takes forever, and then I’m dragging my ass into the SUV, only to find Kyren in the driver seat.
“Unless you’re planning to sit on me, get in the back and catch a nap,” he says, amused. “You’re wrecked, and more likely to crash than get us home safely.”
“Good idea,” I sigh, shutting the door and getting into the back seat. Laying across the seats, I close my eyes and let the world fade away.
Syrus
I haven’t seen Silva in three days…There’s been a lot to do in regards to lodging, helping to remind everyone that they’re safe, and she’s also working at the bar.
She is staying at Briar’s house to crash since working on housing means that some of our displaced omegas are now house guests. I also have to work, and Kyren and Lark are working on getting new identification for everyone.
Who would have thought that the devil is in the details?
Since it’s snowing, we’ll have to work with a contractor to build more housing. Thankfully, the Widows have extra money put aside for this stuff, and they don’t seem too worried about it. In the meantime, my blood pressure is feeling a little high as things are figured out.
I have a feeling a lot of it has to do with Maeve too. Eight years ago, she was sold to an alpha named Heath Darkmore by Gideon. I have no idea if she’s still there or not, or if we’ll continue to chase whispers for the next few years, only to find out she’s dead.
Tiredly, I push back my hair as I drive. I have to be realistic here. It’s been a long time since Maeve left Henderson estate. I can’t hold onto more than a tendril of hope. Anything more than that could kill me when it’s crushed.
It’s six in the afternoon, and Silva is working. I want to see my girl, so I turn my SUV in the direction of the bar. Too many things are churning in my mind, and she always manages to quiet the noise.
I just need her.
There’s surprisingly little traffic, and I breathe a sigh of relief as I pull into the parking lot. I’m exhausted, I’m about done for the day, and I’m kind of cranky.