9. Garrison

Chapter 9

Garrison

A wide smile stretches across Vaughn's lips. "We have an omega in the house, a beautiful, broken bird who would happily stab us in the neck if she thought for one second we would hurt her."

Bloody footprints mark her path along the white carpeted hallway. I make a mental note to have the cleaner come deal with it early first thing tomorrow, so Resa doesn't see it and thinks she has to pay for cleaning it.

Despite Vaughn's comment in the kitchen, carpet stains mean nothing to any of us. The woman behind that closed door does.

"Quit being so dramatic." Blaine doesn't lift his head as he speaks, leaning on the wall further up the hallway. Since Sadie arrived, his tension levels have skyrocketed.

"You don't have to be here if it's too much," I tell Blaine.

"I want to be here," he says.

I don't believe him. Neither does Vaughn from his raised brow. Sadie isn't just a doctor we trust, she's a friend, but Blaine hasn't been easy around doctors for years.

"Cynthia wants my job, by the way," Vaughn says, probably to distract Blaine.

"Why would she want your job?" I give Vaughn a rapid glance, but the closed door, and the muffled sound of conversation drifting from it, holds most of my attention.

"She was talking about being an area manager when you asked her to kick me out of the clinic." Vaughn sighs dramatically. "Nearly made me fall off my chair."

"I didn't ask her to…" I sigh, letting my voice trail off. I asked her to give Vaughn a gentle prod. "Is she aware there is only one location?"

"She is," Vaughn confirms. "But I think she has her eyes on the big picture. Which I guess is a good mindset for an area manager to have."

"And the reason you wouldn't want the job?" I ask, as though I don't already know the answer.

"I'm not desk job material."

That's not entirely true. He was happy enough to spend weeks camped out in his office if it meant avoiding the increasing tension in the house. And Blaine. Who we all want to help but none of us can reach.

"So, you're recommending Cynthia for the job?" I ask.

"Now I didn't say that. Though she probably bugged my office and me." He looks around as if expecting to find a camera pointed at him. "So, yes. I am recommending you, Cynthia, if you'll please stop bugging me."

A door creaks open.

I whip around as Sadie steps out of Resa's room. She has her bag in one hand, and a concerned expression stamped on her face as she nudges the door closed behind her.

My gaze dips behind her shoulder, but there's no sign of Resa. "Is she okay?"

Sadie motions us further away from the door, pitching her voice low. "She needs to be in a hospital. Preferably, also receiving counseling." She looks at Vaughn. "You removed the glass from her feet, but please never do anything like that again without medication."

"She was insistent. No drugs." Vaughn stuffs his hands in his pocket, expression pained. "Look, I didn't want to do it, and I know it had to have hurt, but If I'd pushed, she'd have done it herself. Or left."

"Vaughn is right," I agree. "She took one look at us and nearly walked right out."

Sadie has helped previous clients over the years, but Resa is different. She's our scent match, and because she is, it complicates an already complicated situation. It's in an alpha's nature to claim an omega, and the first hint of possessiveness will chase Resa out of the door.

She has old and new bruises on her arms, blood on the front of her dress, and she only relaxed when she had a knife in her hand. I'm surprised she hasn't already walked out. She must be desperate, or whoever put those bruises on her is still out there, and she has nowhere to go.

"She needs a counselor, Garrison," Sadie says, insistently.

"And she'll get one." I cross my arms and lower my voice. "Right now, she needs to heal before she needs to talk. Did she say anything to you?"

Sadie transfers her bag from her right hand to left and massages the back of her neck. Vaughn leans toward her, taking the bag from her.

She gives him a grateful but tired smile before she speaks. "Resa didn't have to say anything. I don't know what happened to her tonight, but I can guess. You need to watch her for shock."

We all look down the hallway.

"Did she tell you how she got the glass in her feet?" Blaine asks.

He's stopped trying to tug at the neck of his turtleneck to hide the burn on his cheek. The second Resa steps out of that bedroom, he'll go right back to it so she can't see it. He's barely gotten a handle on us seeing his scars. I don't know what the next couple of days will look like, but they won't be easy for Blaine.

Sadie shakes her head. "Nothing. Did she tell you anything?"

"Just that she did something stupid to escape," Vaughn says.

We all look at Vaughn.

"What does that mean?" Blaine asks.

"It might not have been a good idea to give her a knife, Vaughn," Sadie says. "I know you meant well, but?—"

"She needed it to feel safe," Vaughn interrupts.

"Putting a weapon into her hands could end badly." Sadie frowns.

"You think she'll hurt herself?" I try to read Sadie's expression. It's that or charge into Resa's room to confirm she's okay.

And I want to. But this isn't about what I want. It's about what Resa needs , and right now, she needs space to heal and time to recover.

Biology counts for a lot. More than I wish it did. She smells like mine, and I can't hold back forever when I'm an alpha and she's my omega. I don't just want to knot her; I need to.

When I look at Blaine, he's staring at the door, hands stuffed in his pocket, nose lifted as if he's still trying to inhale her sweet peach omega pheromones. He has his reasons for wanting to keep away from people, but even he's falling prey to those same urges.

"It's a possibility," Sadie says thoughtfully.

Night or day, she has often dropped what she's doing, left the private clinic she works at with her father, and come running. Tonight has been no exception.

Lucas Security isn't what it is because of my talents. Everyone I hired has a skill that helped make it what it is. Sadie is an intelligent, quick-thinking, and understanding doctor who can provide additional insight I would be a fool to turn down.

"Involve her," Sadie says.

"What?" Blaine, as usual, is standing as far away as he can from Sadie. The greater the distance, the less chance of her accidentally brushing up against him when she leaves, and we all know not to touch Blaine.

"She doesn't believe you're the good guys here, so she needs to see you at work," Sadie says.

I frown. "Our work is confidential."

Seeing my frown, Sadie continues. "Maybe there's something she can do to help. If she can see you're not a threat to her, maybe?—"

"She will start to trust us," Vaughn interrupts.

She nods. "But she's been through a lot. You need to watch out for shock."

Vaughn walks to the door and knocks.

Silence.

"Resa? Is there anything you need?" he calls out.

Nothing.

I study the white wood. "She wouldn't leave, would she?"

In the silence that follows, it's far too easy to picture Resa climbing out of the window.

Just as Vaughn reaches for the handle, a shower starts up.

The timing of it is… suspicious.

"Why don't I think she's showering in there?" Vaughn cocks his head as he scrutinizes the door.

"She wants us to leave her alone." It's not a surprise Blaine is voicing that thought.

"And if she's in shock and needs help?" Vaughn asks, poised to open. Wanting to help.

"She needs space , Vaughn. Back off," Blaine snaps.

I lost count of how many hours they would spend sparring in the gym. Bruises, sprains, and black eyes never stopped them for long. They'd laugh, pick themselves up from the mat and carry on. Now it's tension or silence. It's hard to believe they used to be so close.

Vaughn lowers his gaze as he retreats from Resa's door. "Okay, fine."

Sadie clears her throat, capturing my focus. "I'll swing by before work tomorrow morning with prenatal vitamins for Resa and painkillers for her feet."

Vaughn joins us further down the hallway. "She won't take the painkillers. Her reaction made me think someone drugged her before."

"You didn't say where you found her," I say.

"At the bottom of an alley across from Ever Safe, afraid and trying not to show it. Two men had their guns pointed at her."

Listening to Vaughn is a special torture. I can't identify the source of the pain exactly, but it's excruciating. Every time he tells me something new about Resa, I want to walk out of this house and gut someone.

No one speaks for several seconds.

"Let's go downstairs." I turn around and walk away, leaving everyone to follow while I take the opportunity to smooth the rage from my face.

By the time we're in the kitchen, taking seats around the dining table, I have better control of myself.

"They won't threaten her again," Vaughn says

Sadie doesn't ask for details. She might have voiced a complaint or had more of a problem listening to Vaughn as good as admitting he killed two men if she hadn't been fresh from examining Resa.

She waits until she catches my eye. "I don't know everything that happened to her tonight and even before now, but if you can, tread lightly around her pregnancy. She was showing a bit of panic when I brought it up. Leave it up to her to decide when and if she wants to talk."

"Did she say something?" Blaine is at the kitchen island, as far away as he can get from Sadie.

"No." Sadie pins us all with a look one by one. "What I'm about to say is coming from a place of love, but I need to say it."

I gave her a quick rundown of Resa's arrival and condition on the phone. Before I'd finished speaking, she was interrupting to say she was on her way. Now she's looking at me with a blank expression, and something tells me I won't like what she's about to say. "Say what?"

"Maybe she shouldn't stay here."

Silence.

"I value your opinion, Sadie. You know that," I begin.

"She's your scent match," Sadie says. "But she is also an abused woman who has escaped from hell. She doesn't need scent matches or lovers. She needs a place to heal."

"We can give her that," I assure her.

"And when biology starts making that impossible? I'm talking about hers and yours. What then? What if you start wanting more from her than she is ready to give?"

Silence.

We can promise, but no one wins a battle with biology for long.

Sadie pushes herself to her feet. "Think about it. She can stay with me, or I can find her a women's shelter. What she doesn't need right now is surprises or being overwhelmed. She needs stability, reassurance, and to know that she is safe. If she escaped from abusive alphas, and if I believe everything I've been seeing on the news, she probably did. I'm not sure a house filled with alphas is the best place for her to be."

"She needs us ," I say quietly. Sadie opens her mouth. I lift my hand, silencing her. "I hear you, and I am listening. I'm not the kind to do what I want, irrespective of what others might want or need. You know this."

She nods.

"Resa would absolutely refuse to go to a women's shelter. Two minutes with her told me that. And it's not safe. We don't know who was keeping her, but they will want her back if she knows who they are. There is no safer place for her to be in the city than here with us."

She stares at me and blows out a heavy sigh. "I hate it when you use logic."

"I know."

She sighs again. "I'm still not sure this is the best thing for Resa, but I understand. No big elaborate gestures. She doesn't need to be overwhelmed right now. I know what you alphas are like." I lift a brow and she shakes her head. "Don't ask. Let her take the lead and give her space ."

She gives Vaughn a pointed look.

"I'm friendly. She might want a friend," he says.

"She might not," Sadie replies.

"But she might need one," he insists.

Sadie smothers a yawn. "I'll swing by with the prenatal vitamins and painkillers in the morning. Keep me updated, and let her know, if you ever get an opportunity to sneak it in, that she needs an OB-GYN and a therapist. She needs a proper checkup as soon as possible."

We say our goodbyes and I carry her bag to the door before returning to the kitchen.

"You need to stay home," I tell Vaughn. "You being at Ever Safe from dusk to dawn isn't a good idea after that trouble in the alley. It would take one person to connect you to Ever Safe and we have a mess on our hands."

Vaughn drags his cell phone from his pocket and taps out a quick text. "I guess I'm not going in tomorrow morning."

"No arguments?" I ask, surprised.

"I know a good idea when I hear it, and I'd like to stay close to Resa in case she needs me." Right now, he's the only one in the house Resa wouldn't immediately run from.

"Cynthia and Zach can manage things without you." I lean against the kitchen island and cross my arms.

Finished with his message, he returns his phone to his pocket. "You think you could say that like I'm not replaceable?"

"You are not replaceable," I tell him severely. "Quit fishing for compliments."

He grins at me, unrepentant. "I told Cynthia that I'll be working from home for the next few days, but they can call if they need me."

"And the trouble in the alley?" Blaine asks, visibly relaxed since Sadie left. "Did you mention that?"

Vaughn shakes his head. "The less they know about that, the better. Plausible deniability and all that. So I'll stay, help Resa feel safe. Maybe hit the gym. Up for sparring?" he asks Blaine casually.

"Sure," Blaine says. "One day."

Vaughn has been making the same offer with decreasing regularity over the years. Blaine's response is always the same. One day.

One day never happens.

Vaughn's smile fades as Blaine heads for the door. "It's late and I'm tired. I'll see you in the morning."

We watch him walk out.

Vaughn waits for a couple of minutes before he says, "You know, that's the most he's spoken in years."

I know.

I wish it was a sign of something good, but I've hoped for the same thing before and I'm always disappointed.