Chapter 14

14

I stand frozen, shocked to meet Leo Daniels in person this fast.

After I found out he was engaged to Caleb's cousin, I expected to have to beg for an interview, but Caleb had delivered without even being asked.

"What are you waiting for?" Caleb's sharp slap on my ass sends me forward a step, a jolt of pleasure shooting through me as the butt plug presses against my sweet spot.

An involuntary moan escapes my lips, and everyone stares at me in surprise.

Caleb smirks. "Take a seat, Oliver. You can use the laptop to take notes. I'll finish breakfast."

Sure, I'll just walk across the room and pretend everything is normal while my prostate is massaged along the way. How did this become my life?

As I shuffle over to the desk, Caleb asks, "Do you want anything, sweetie?"

Taken off guard by the affection behind the question, my head jerks around, only to find him looking at Leo as the little Omega eases his pregnant body back into the chair with care.

He gifts my Alpha with an angelic smile. "I'll take something greasy."

"Got it," Caleb replies. "I'll order a pizza with all the fixings."

Stifling a surge of jealousy, I rest one hand on the mahogany desktop. "I like pepperoni with banana peppers."

The soft look vanishes, and Caleb glares at me, his tone shifting back to the commanding one I've grown accustomed to. "You'll eat what I cook for you and enjoy it."

As he and Damien leave the office, I call after him, "What did I do to earn this punishment?"

Caleb's laughter drifts back in answer.

Left alone, Leo rubs his hands over his swollen stomach. "Sorry about that. Caleb doesn't mean anything with the term of endearment. My future husband is obsessed with my pregnancy diet right now, so the rest of the family sneaks me junk food whenever they can."

Despite his reassurance, a sliver of jealousy remains that I keep out of my voice. "That's kind of them. I've heard cravings can be intense."

"They are." He smoothes the loose material of his shirt over his belly. "I've nearly bitten off Nolan's hand more than once, but the man keeps stuffing me with spinach, salmon, and avocados."

"Doesn't sound too bad to me." Vegetables aren't exactly cheap these days.

I turn back to the desk, but hesitate, staring at the chair. If I sit, it will drive the butt plug even deeper, and I'm not sure how much more I can take.

Leo notices my reluctance. "Is everything okay?"

"Yes, fine." I sit on the plush seat, and a shaky breath escapes me as another wave of pleasure courses through my body.

"Oh, I'm so sorry." Leo's cheeks pinken. "I didn't realize your Heat had just passed. I thought the delay in my visit was to give you time to come down from it."

My face, already warm, now burns. Did Caleb seriously discuss my fertility cycle with his future in-law?

Leo's lips purse into a perfect rosebud as he glares toward the door. "I'll have a word with Caleb about bringing another Alpha around so soon. What if the fever returns?"

Then that beautiful smile reappears, and he scoots forward on his seat. "Unless he Marked you?"

"Umm, no." I shift, then freeze when another jolt of pleasure rushes through me. "Are all Omegas this open and caring?"

Leo appears taken aback by the question. "Isn't that your experience?"

I shake my head. "There weren't many Omegas in my high school, and my university friends were mostly Betas. Investigative reporting wasn't a field any other Omegas enrolled in. The advisor tried to convince me to choose a different path, because Omegas are too limited with our Heats and would get ourselves into trouble."

Leo puffs up with indignation, which is far more adorable than it should be. No wonder he caught the eye of one of the powerful Rockford Alphas.

"Being an investigator is the perfect job for an Omega." Leo's little chin juts out at an angle that speaks to a stubborn streak. "We're often overlooked, so people let their guard down around us."

"I've always thought the same thing. People tend to trust me easily and open up about their problems. Not to say I've never been in a tight spot, but it worked out." Gingerly, I shift to pull the laptop out of the desk drawer. "But after graduation, I had to move home to take care of my brother, and when he had questions about being an Omega, all I had to draw from was personal experiences and what they taught in middle school."

"From outdated textbooks that don't even mention suppressants?" Leo shakes his head. "Someone needs to write a better reference book to help young Omegas prepare for what's to come."

I laugh. "Someone really should."

Leo settles back in his seat and studies me with curiosity. "So, how did you and Caleb meet?"

I hesitate, unsure of how much he knows about Caleb's profession and what his own fiancé gets up to.

I'm saved from answering when Caleb sweeps into the room, placing a plate of rubbery, gray scrambled eggs and wilted veggies in front of me.

Dismayed, I look from the food to him. "Wow, this looks…exactly as I expected."

He grips my chin. "Behave, Oliver."

Pulse jumping, I lick my bottom lip. "Thank you for the effort you put into my breakfast."

His nostrils flare, and for a moment, I think he'll kiss me. But then he steps back and strides toward the door.

"We met while I was on a job, and Oliver followed me home." He ruffles Leo's hair with affection as he passes. "The pizza will arrive in ten minutes."

As soon as Caleb disappears, Leo's wide brown eyes lock on me. "Are you a hitman, too?" Then he slaps his hands over his mouth, his next words come out muffled. "Did you know that about Caleb?"

I can't help but laugh at his reaction. "Don't worry, I'm aware of his profession. And, no, I'm not a hitman. Caleb saved me from one, though."

If Leo doesn't know his fiancé wants me dead, it's better not to let that cat out of the bag. I feel it wouldn't go over well, and then his husband would have another reason to order my death.

Leo relaxes and drops his hands to his stomach. "I'm still getting used to this whole mafia wife thing."

Shocked by the revelation, I pick up my fork to hide my reaction. I knew Caleb was an assassin, and his family was into some shady business, but the mafia? How deep does it go?

With questions swirling in my mind, I take a bite of my breakfast, then wince at the lack of seasoning and rubbery texture. His last scramble wasn't this awful. "Caleb should add death by food poisoning to his skill set."

Leo's nose wrinkles. "If it tastes as bad as it smells, I'd say you're right."

"Oh, no, I'm so sorry. Pregnancy makes you more sensitive, doesn't it?" I carefully stand and lift my plate. "I'll put this away for later."

Leo grimaces. "I appreciate it."

"Just give me a second." I shuffle out the door.

As I near the kitchen, Caleb and Damien's lowered voices reach my ears, and my steps slow, my curiosity getting the better of me.

"…when Nolan told you to take care of Oliver, he didn't mean for you to bring him home and fuck him." Damien's voice carries a note of disbelief.

"The plan changed," Caleb says. "Now I'm after whoever wants to kill him."

"Are you having fun hunting the hunter?" Amusement laces the words.

"It's a challenge." Caleb laughs. "And you know I love challenges."

My pulse stutters, the flash of unease from earlier returning, though none of this is new information. But once the danger has passed, will he lose interest?

Then Damien plucks the question straight from my head. "So, when you've solved this puzzle, you'll complete the job you were assigned?"

A heavy silence falls between them, and I hold my breath as I wait for Caleb's answer. It means more than I expected. When did this change from just living out a fantasy before I died?

"I was told to take care of him, and that's what I'm doing," Caleb says at last. "Isn't that right, Oliver?"

I startle, my muscles clenching, and the reaction sends a shock of pleasure through me. Biting my lip to stifle a moan, I search my surroundings and spot the small mirror tucked into a decorative shelf.

Caleb catches my gaze and lifts an eyebrow. Of course, an assassin wouldn't leave blind spots in his house.

I shuffle around the corner into the kitchen, avoid Damien's suspicious glare, and hold out the plate. "The smell is making Leo queasy."

Caleb frowns as he takes it from me. "Then you should have eaten it faster."

"I'll finish it when he's gone." I turn to head back to the office. "It might be better when it's cold."

"Oh, you think you're funny, do you?" Caleb catches my arm and draws me to his side, nuzzling my cheek. "Am I taking good care of you? "

My halfhearted attempt to resist him melts away. "Are you still considering killing me?"

His lips graze my ear. "Does the thought scare you?"

"Yes," I admit, my knees shaking.

"Does that mean you want to live?"

My eyes close as the tremble spreads to the rest of my body. "Yes."

"Then am I taking good care of you?" He presses a hand against my backside, igniting a wave of warmth and need.

Lashes fluttering open, I tip my face up to his. "Yes, you're taking excellent care of me, even if you tried to poison me with those eggs."

He gives me a wolfish smile. "You're just begging to be spanked later, aren't you?"

"Promises, promises." I slip free of his hold—or rather, he lets me go, because no way can I escape unless he allows it—and leave the kitchen.

The trembling doesn't stop as I near the office. Despite Caleb's affection, he didn't give a real answer about his plans for me. Am I only a problem to solve, and once he does, he'll lose interest?

The question absorbs my thoughts as I settle back in the chair behind the desk, forgetting about the plug until it drives against my prostate and forces a soft gasp from my lungs.

Leo's blond brows pinch together. "Are you all right?"

"Just a little tired." I offer him a wane smile.

A knowing look crosses his delicate features. "Ask your questions so you can rest for the remainder of the day. You should be snuggled up in blankets, enjoying the afterglow."

I nod, though I've never been one to pamper myself after a Heat. There was always something to do, work to catch up on. I'm not sure I know how to self-care.

I open the laptop and pull up an empty document to take notes. "Can you tell me when you moved into apartment 312?"

"Around springtime last year." His hands smooth over his stomach in a comforting motion. "I had lost my scholarship and my housing at university."

The timeline fits for when Dylan vanished. "How did you find the Sunrise Apartments?"

He fidgets with a wrinkle in his shirt. "I was working at the Velvet Oasis, and the floor manager, Tony, found it for me."

I frown as I update my information. "What's Tony's last name? "

"Rossi, I think." He nibbles on his bottom lip. "I can confirm with Nolan."

I nod as I write it down. Tony Rossi hasn't come up in my search for Dylan. "Do you know what nights Tony works at the nightclub? His standard shift hours?"

"Oh, no, he's not at the club anymore," Leo says softly.

My head lifts. "Where does he work now?"

"He's on the run." Leo glances toward the office door and lowers his voice. "He was stealing money from Nolan and working with some bad people to sell Omegas. He got away, though, before Nolan could capture him."

Shock jolts through me, and my heart slams against my ribcage. "He was selling Omegas?"

Leo nods slowly. "We think so. They kept disappearing from the Velvet Oasis, followed by large deposits into Tony's account."

I half stand and lean over the desk, biting back a moan as the plug reminds me of its presence. "Do you recognize the name Dylan Clark? Was he on the list?"

Leo shakes his head. "No, not that I remember. Was he one of the back-room boys at Velvet Oasis? "

"No, he was a courier." I slump back into the chair.

Sympathy shines in Leo's angelic face. "Who is he?"

"My little brother." I rake a hand through my hair, but the black strands fall forward again when I hang my head. "He vanished back in the springtime last year."

"From room 312?" Leo asks gently.

"Yeah." My lips quirk with bitterness. "Hell of a coincidence, don't you think?"

"I don't believe in coincidences." Leo wraps his arms around his belly. "What company did he work for? How did he find the apartment to rent?"

"One of his co-workers recommended it. He knew the building manager and said he could get Dylan a good deal." I open my file on Dylan, though I have it memorized. "The business was small. Ferraro Delivery. They closed down shop soon after Dylan disappeared, so I suspect they were running illegal goods. But the police never found anything, and the owner fell off the grid."

"Gino Ferraro?" The name sounds strangled on Leo's lips. "Is that who owned the company?"

My head lifts, the investigator in me smelling a lead. "Yes. Do you know him? "

"Yeah, I do." His face pales. "He tricked me into taking on a fake debt and got me the job at Velvet Oasis to pay him back. He and Tony were business partners, along with the manager of the apartment complex, Mr. Bugrov."

My hands curl into fists. I always suspected the slimy man had a hand in Dylan's disappearance, but again, the police were no help. "Do you know where Gino is now?"

Leo checks the office door to ensure we're still alone before he whispers, "Dead. Nolan killed him."

A sinking sensation opens in my stomach. "And Mr. Bugrov?"

"On the run with Tony." Leo shakes his head. "I'm so sorry, Oliver. I wish I could tell you more."

"No, it's okay." My fingers fly over the keyboard as I add notes to my file. "It's more than I knew before. Can you get me the names of the Omegas from Velvet Oasis? I might be able to match some of them to my missing person's file."

"You have a whole file?" Surprise fills his voice.

"Yes. Since my little brother disappeared, I've been investigating Omegas who've vanished from our neighborhood." I meet his eyes. "It's a good thing Nolan was there to protect you, or I have no doubt your name would be on my list, too. "

He swallows hard. "I know I'm lucky. And I'll get the names from Nolan."

Excitement fizzes in my blood as I plug in the new puzzle pieces. There's no way the police can ignore this lead.

The only question is, how do I deliver it to them without bringing the Rockford family into it? Because I don't need to ask to know that drawing the police's attention is a big no-no, and I'm no longer so willing to die.