Chapter 25

The Unnatural Bureau arrived in three flashy onyx vans, exiting in suits and shrouded in an air of mystery.

What had Tanner told them to get them here so quickly? It’d been a few hours, but it felt like a blink of an eye.

I crawled back through the slat and climbed down the ladder. Dragging my feet, I wasn’t particularly eager to rejoin the party. As I crossed the living room where the kids waited, Fox gripped my sleeve. The tight tug reflected the anxiety in his expression.

“What’s this?” I plucked the strap of the backpack slung over his shoulder. They were bathed and dressed in fresh clothing.

Bear spoke up, emphasizing how on edge the three boys were. “Tanner said to get ready to go.”

Fox’s fingers tightened on my arm.

“Who are they?” Griffin asked, speaking for the first time without a sneer on his face. He seemed genuinely concerned. Tanner must feel it was safe enough to send them, otherwise he wouldn’t have considered it.

“Unnatural Bureau. They’re the good guys.” They were supposed to be, anyway. I didn’t say that though; they didn’t need my doubt clouding their already fragile sense of security. Agent Leif had been good and willing to help me. It’d been Otis who had betrayed both of us.

“Are you sure?” Fox said, dropping his grip and flexing both hands at his side.

“They can help find out how you ended up in those warehouses.”

His eyes widened, and he pressed his lips into a thin line. Griffin’s mouth parted. The hope flickering through his gaze was the first child-like behavior I’d seen from him.

These kids didn’t ask to be dropped into this shit show. None of this was fair to them.

Their expressions wavered between hope and fear.

My mates had encountered a similar situation. From the beginning, they were indoctrinated into this life, and it’d turned them into this twisted bunch with their individual flavors of fucked-up.

Whatever the outcome for these three, I just hoped they would gain a semblance of normalcy. As it should be, right? I mean, once the evil things were gone, there wouldn’t be anything to worry about.

“Let’s go,” I said, taking Fox’s hand and tugging him toward the door. After one step, I paused. “Give me a second.” I ran down the hall to the office to scribble across a sticky note. I returned within the same minute and crouched before Fox. “Call me to confirm you three are okay. If you need help, I will come.”

I slipped a piece of paper into his hand. A sheen covered his soulful eyes, and he blinked.

Shit. I didn’t want to cry after stanching it down. With a will I didn’t know I had, I inhaled and stood back up to grab the doorknob. My hair rustled around my face from a gust of wind bursting into the house from the opening door. Down the drive and in front of the line of vehicles, two men stood in front of the guys.

Enzo crossed his arms, hanging back while Tanner talked, too far away for me to hear.

Beckett sniffed around their cars in his wolf form, pebbles crunching under his weight.

“—the operation of the prison change?” Tanner’s assertive tone caught my attention as I approached.

“Under your directive, we are seeking representatives to make up a council for judgment of crimes.” He waved at the man behind him. “Agent Woo is one of the leading detectives on taking out corrupted informants.”

Agent Woo’s attention turned to me, and he tipped his head. I didn’t bother guessing what sort of Unnatural he was; it had been confirmed, I sucked at guessing.

“He’s the Unnatural Bureau founder, Phineas Simon,” Tanner murmured to me, waving his hand toward the man in question. He had a chapter in my Unnatural Criminal Justice course textbook. He’d been alive for centuries and had worked in various sectors of human government.

If this man was the head of all of it, why was he reporting to Tanner?

“Pleasure,” Simon directed at me before returning to Tanner. “This new direction we’re taking the UB is as I envisioned. I look forward to your support.”

Woo stared straight ahead, but I didn’t miss the slight curving of his mouth.

“And I look forward to the Unnatural Bureau running as it should,” Tanner retorted.

“Indeed,” Simon agreed. “As for the woman you want me to place in confinement, are there any requests for her sentencing?”

Tanner studied me. What could I say? We wanted corruption done with but were still using Tanner’s sway in Rita’s case. Her life was in my hands. I recognized the hypocrisy of asking Simon anything, but she needed to pay for all the damage she’d caused. She was spoiled and a murderer.

“Keep her in there for a few centuries. If she survives and doesn’t kill anyone, we can revisit.”

Simon nodded at Tanner’s order.

“Contact me if anything changes on that end. We have euthanasia methods if necessary.”

They were listening a bit too well to our demands. I narrowed my eyes at them and then turned to Tanner. The corner of his lips twitched, and his head tipped. He would tell me why later.

Fine.

“Where does she go?” Elliot called as he guided a blank-faced Rita from the house. She showed no reaction to his voice or the commotion around her. Nothing shone on her expression. She’d checked out.

Beckett leaned into my legs, his low growls vibrating my body. I sank my fingers into his fur as much for his comfort as for mine.

Agent Woo strode to one of the vans, and with the opening of the car door, the metal barrier that blocked the driver’s side from the back seat glinted. He snapped a collar around her neck, like the ones at the auction. Rita was like a zombie as she slipped into the back. The door slammed shut, and she disappeared.

A wave of relief flooded to me from Beckett, and he leaned harder against me. I frowned, staring down at his bowed head. It appeared he’d been more affected by the sight of her than I’d been.

“As for the children, they’ll come with me.” Simon waved a hand, and a woman bounced out of the first vehicle. She wasn’t dressed like the rest of them, and she walked over with a gentle smile. “Go with Miss Kay, we’ll get you three sorted soon.”

Fox squeezed my hand one last time. I’d grown fond of them, even the one with the attitude. They followed without looking back, but their taut posture told me everything I needed to know.

“You’re always welcome back.” I didn’t know where the words came from. I could hardly take care of myself. Hell . . . I wasn’t sure I could care for myself, and there I was offering to care for three children . Helping them out was one thing but taking them in?

Elliot stepped up next to me, taking the side Fox had been on, and squeezed my shoulder.

“They’ll be safe,” Tanner murmured to me. Everyone from the UB went to their respective vehicles. The engines roared, and they navigated onto the road.

“Did they find out where Osmodus is?”

“No, useless pricks.” Enzo grunted.

“At least Simon’s nice.” I tried to look on the bright side, but my voice betrayed my doubt. In all areas of life, there were shit people. The genuine ones were out there; it just took a little time to find them. As nice as Simon seemed, it would be confirmed with his actions from here on out. I wouldn’t put my faith in anyone so easily anymore. I’d done that too many times and been burned.

Beckett’s body shuddered, and the fur beneath my fingers receded. The pop and crack of bones echoed until he crouched in his human form. He unbent and stretched out his long, muscled limbs.

“My cousin might have information. You met him; he owns The Den,” Beckett offered, crossing his arms and rolling his neck.

The Den, a strip club.

I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. “Well, let’s go.”

His lips pressed into a thin line. He’d been the one to come up with the idea yet seemed reluctant to go.