Chapter 16

16

T he click of my fingers on the keyboard fills the office as I work on an article.

For the last several hours, Liam's been fiddling with his phone, shooting me a curious glance every so often or throwing out another invasive question. His curiosity burns in the air between us, but I refuse to answer any more of his questions without Caleb here.

The sound of the front door opening and closing sends my pulse skipping as Caleb's footsteps approach.

Liam doesn't stir, so he must recognize the cadence, too.

A moment later, Caleb enters the office, pulling off a pair of black gloves as he takes in the scene .

Liam shifts to face his little brother. "How'd it go?"

Caleb shakes his head. "Didn't find anything. How did things go here?"

"Your babysitter was unnecessary." The annoyance in my voice draws a smile from Caleb. "No one tried to break in and kill me."

"Oliver's been tap, tap, tapping away all day and refusing to answer any of my questions," Liam complains, giving Caleb a wide-eyed look.

"I offered an exchange of information." I punctuate the words with a hard click on the save button. "You refused."

"Because you asked about the security systems of Rockford Industries." Liam frowns at me.

Irritation heats my cheeks. "And you asked about our sex life."

Liam leans forward, a wicked grin on his face. "So the chains were something kinky?"

"Enough," Caleb says, silencing Liam.

He walks over to me and bends to peek at my work, his pheromones and the scent of leather from his gloves surrounding me.

After a moment, he laughs and tilts the laptop screen for a better view. "Are you writing a fanfic about us? "

My face flushes even redder. "My editor for Nexus News wants to buy a tell-all on our hookup, so I'm trying to figure out a reasonable explanation for why we walked out of the alley looking like we just fucked."

Amusement dances in Caleb's dark eyes. "Show me."

I click over to the email, revealing the compromising picture of us.

Caleb chuckles, sending shivers of awareness through my body. "That's one for the wall."

"What wall?" Liam asks, still smiling like he's stockpiling information to pull out later and use against his brother.

Caleb glares at him. "Why are you still here?"

"Fine." Liam rises from his chair. "Give a little thought to what we discussed earlier, Oliver."

With a wink at me, he leaves the room.

"Never happening!" I yell after him.

Caleb's fingers dance on the keyboard as he scrolls through the email. "The demand for a story came with a bribe. Good for you."

"Would've loved to have gotten the offer without backdoor deals." I sigh wistfully. "But such is life."

"Take the win and prove they were fools for not offering you a column sooner," Caleb advises .

"Oh, I plan to." I click back to the article I was working on. "What do you think about… saving me from a mugging gone wrong?"

The corners of his mouth twitch. "Sounds heroic."

I study his expression, trying to gauge his reaction. "Too much for the billionaire playboy?"

Caleb reaches out to rub the back of my neck, his fingers slipping beneath my nape guard, and my tense muscles melt. "It wouldn't be too far-fetched if this became my redemption arc where I switch from party animal to philanthropist."

Leaning into his touch, I let out a contented sigh. "Charities have plenty of drama and places to blow ridiculous sums of money to catch people's attention."

Caleb leans down, his breath warm and inviting along my throat. The brush of his lips sends my heart racing, and the heat in my cheeks spreads lower.

"What did Liam discuss with you earlier?" he asks in a dangerous tone.

My tongue sweeps along my bottom lip. "I've been thinking about something Damien said."

His head tilts with suspicion at the evasive change in topic. "What does it have to do with what you discussed with Liam? "

"Liam confirmed what I'd already begun to suspect." I let out a shaky breath under the weight of Caleb's stare. "Liam and Damien both have an excellent sense of smell, so it must be a family trait."

Caleb remains silent, neither confirming nor denying.

"Damien didn't appear in public for one month after the Grand Legacy Gala." I swallow my nerves. Too much is riding on my hunch. "When he popped back up, he had a new bump on his nose from it being broken."

"Very observant." Caleb massages the back of my neck, his touch gentle yet firm.

I lick my lips. "The timeline would say Damien got the injury at the party."

"Is that right?" A predatory glint enters Caleb's eyes.

"It is. And like your brothers, you have a good sense of smell." My pulse pounds through my veins. "When you stepped into my apartment to kill me, you recognized my scent, and you've known exactly who I was all along."

Caleb's hand moves to my hair, fisting it hard enough to draw a gasp of pleasure from me. "I had your sweet pheromones caught in my nose for years, but my little bunny covered his tracks well, and then went into hiding. Never expected to find you again by accident."

"You never intended to follow through with killing me." I tremble with excitement. "Because you like me."

"More than like," he growls.

My lips part as my breathing quickens. "Why did you punch Damien at the gala?"

"He tried to go after you while I was delayed by that Alpha." Even after so many years, anger underscores the words. "I didn't want my twin getting to you first."

The warmth of Caleb's breath washes over my face, and I can't help but smile, a deep sense of satisfaction bubbling up inside me.

"Are you happy now?" The low rumble dares me to be anything but thrilled.

"Very." I grin wider. "Now I know the obsession isn't one-sided."

Caleb's lips brush me in a featherlight touch, leaving me craving more. "Not one-sided at all."

When he pulls back, arousal flushes his face.

Licking my lips, I reach out to unbuckle his pants. "No more endearments for Leo. "

His brow arches. "Jealous?"

"You know I am."

He catches my hands before I can free him and studies my face. "What did Liam discuss with you?"

I swallow hard, desire heavy on my tongue. "He likes the way I smell, too."

The rumble from him increases in volume.

Now my breaths come out in desperate pants. "He asked about sharing."

Caleb releases my hands to fist my hair, drawing a lusty whine from me. "Sharing what ?"

"Me." My dick hardens, and I wiggle in my seat. "He asked if you'd share me. But I told him no."

"Good, because you're mine alone, and I'll ensure that both of my brothers are aware." He claims my lips in a searing kiss that steals my breath and leaves me wanting.

When we break apart, Caleb lifts me out of the chair and throws me down on top of the desk, knocking the laptop to the side. "You can finish your fanfic later."

Nodding, I shove off my pants and spread my legs for my Alpha.

I wake up, warm and secure within Caleb's strong arms. I can't remember how we got from the office to the bed, but right now, it doesn't matter. Because, instead of being wrapped around me in sleep, Caleb's body hums with tension.

When I open my mouth to ask him what's wrong, though, his hand covers it. "Shh."

A chill runs down my spine as a quiet thud comes from downstairs, almost imperceptible.

Someone else is in the house.

A red flash catches my eye, drawing my attention to where Caleb's phone signals a silent alarm.

His lips brush my ear again. "Stay still."

Movements quiet, he slides out of bed, his warmth vanishing to allow cool air to sweep in. His pale skin glows in the dim light coming from the hallway. He only wears a pair of black boxer briefs, the muscular lines of his body flexing as he bends over the nightstand.

In a fluid motion, he reaches under the top and pulls out a gun, then looks back at me, his voice barely audible. "Move as quietly as possible and go into the bathroom. Lock yourself inside."

I nod, my heart pounding with fear, and slide off the bed. My legs shake as I tiptoe across the room, and the soft carpet gives way to cold marble beneath my bare feet.

As I shut the door, I catch one last glimpse of Caleb slipping out of the bedroom doorway.

Pale light filters through the narrow window above the free-standing bathtub, and I use it to search for anything that will serve as a weapon. Under the sink, I find a knife, and behind the toilet, a gun. But I'm not trained to use either and am just as likely to hurt myself as I am to injure the intruder.

In desperation, I grip the towel bar, ready to yank it off the wall, only for it to slide silently out of one side with ease. Of course, it does. Caleb has weapons secreted all over the house.

When I pull it free, the rod feels heavy and solid in my grasp. It's as good as a baseball bat.

Pulse pounding, I step into the shower stall and crouch to not be seen in the oval mirror above the sink. The metal slips in my sweaty palms, and I struggle to steady my breathing, focusing on the sound of my heartbeat.

The sudden explosion of gunfire from downstairs startles me, and I almost drop the towel bar from my shaking hands. A crash follows, and my heart pounds so hard I fear the invader will hear it .

I strain to listen past the rush of blood in my ears, trying to make sense of what's happening.

"Police!" someone shouts, and I sway as relief washes over me.

Thank goodness Caleb lives in a rich area of the city, where the law enforcement is motivated to respond quickly to alarms.

I let out a shaky breath, the makeshift weapon dipping toward the shower floor.

From the bedroom comes the sound of the door slamming open, but instead of Caleb, a different, equally familiar voice calls out, "Oliver, are you here, son?"

Confusion clouds my thoughts. What would Detective Wells be doing responding to a call in this neighborhood? We're well outside his precinct's jurisdiction.

The bathroom knob rattles, and my grip tightens on the metal rod as the door bangs against the wall as someone kicks it in.

Heart pounding, I scan the room and spot a small mirror atop the medicine cabinet over the toilet, giving me a view of the entrance. The detective stands in the busted frame, a gun in hand as he scans the room. The revolver design isn't police issue, and he's not wearing a uniform .

"Oliver, where are you hiding, son?" Wells slinks farther inside, his movements not those of a man coming to the rescue.

He lifts his weapon higher, revealing the gloves he wears, and dread clenches in my gut.

Where's Caleb? Did the detective take him by surprise and overwhelm him?

I can't imagine this old man getting the jump on a trained assassin. But every instinct in my body screams that Wells didn't come here to save me.

As he nears, I lunge out of the shower and swing the towel bar with all my strength, knocking the revolver from his grasp. It flies into the mirror, shattering it on impact. Shards go flying as the gun bounces into the sink and fires, blasting a hole into the drywall beside Wells's head.

In the chaos, I dart past him, but the galley-style bathroom limits the space, and Wells's bulky frame blocks my escape. He grabs hold of me, his fist connecting with my stomach, sending me crashing to the ground. Glass bites into my arm and leg, pain flaring through my nerves.

Wells cracks his knuckles and steps closer, a mean expression that I've never seen before twisting his features .

I struggle to sit up, blood streaming down my limbs, and grip the toilet for balance. "Why?"

The detective's lips curl into a cruel smile. "Because you wouldn't stop pushing about the missing Omegas. That anonymous tip was the last straw, though. Especially after you weaseled your way into Caleb Rockford's bed. We couldn't risk you convincing your rich boyfriend to look into our activities."

The detective who had come to Caleb's house the other day, who also had no business in this neighborhood, must have said something. "What are you talking about? I didn't send a tip."

"Oh, come on." He lumbers closer, glass crunching beneath his heavy boots. "You tagged me, Oliver. Might as well have signed your name on it. You were always too nosy. Just like your brother."

My hand freezes on the side of the toilet as his words sink in. "What about him?"

"Your precious Dylan couldn't keep his nose out of things, either. He kept pushing about his neighbor going missing." Wells shakes his head in mock regret. "And that's why he had to go."

Shocked, I sit back on the cold marble floor, my leg and arm throbbing from the glass shards embedded in my skin .

My heart pounds as I stare up at Wells, fear and betrayal threatening to choke me. "What did you do to Dylan?"

Wells smirks down at me, his hard eyes calculating. "It wasn't me, but it was my business partners. I heard they sold your little brother to a man with a hunger for human flesh. I hope he ate his tongue first."

"No!" Grief washes over me like a tidal wave, drowning any rational thought.

In a desperate move, I grab the gun from the holster taped to the back of the toilet and fire at Wells.

The first shot flies wide, penetrating the wall behind him with a deafening crack.

Wells lunges toward me, his movements swift despite his large frame. I squeeze off another round, this time hitting him in the shoulder.

He grunts in pain but doesn't falter, knocking the weapon from my hand and backhanding me across the face. My cheek bounces off hard porcelain, sending an explosion through my head.

"Dammit." Wells grabs my ankle and drags me out into the open, his vice-like grip cutting off circulation. "I planned to kill you quickly, but now I'm going to take my time before I sell you to the same man who bought your baby brother."

My stomach churns, bile rising in my throat. This can't be happening.

Not to me, not to Dylan. We were just trying to find the truth. To protect the vulnerable Omegas in our neighborhood.

And now, we'll both pay the price.