by Kian Rhodes
"I didn't ask."
A light tap came from the door and Scott's eyes lit up when Harley pushed it open. He turned back to me and said firmly, "We're done here."
I shook my head. "Actually, I have some questions for Harley, also, and Zade has authorized me to talk to him."
Scott's jaw set, but he remained pleasant, trying, I realized, not to upset the Omega. "That's fine," he said quietly, "but not here and not now." When I opened my mouth to object, Scott's eyes narrowed and a warning note crept into his voice. "This is a private hospital room and neither you nor Zade have any authority over me, so you will need to leave."
Dismissing me, Scott held out a hand to Harley. "You look tired. Why don't you come over here and rest for a bit?"
It didn't escape me that Harley's sharp eyes had caught every byplay between us, but he just smiled and toed his shoes off before crawling into the bed with Scott. More than a little uncertain about how to proceed, I finally shuffled out the door and wondered how, exactly, the lead investigator for the COPSD had just been denied access to a witness by an Alpha who had no legal claim to him.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Harley
When I got back to Scot's room after my appointment with Doc, I was surprised to find him and Rafael alone. When Scott lifted the blanket for me to crawl into the bed, I settled between his strong thighs and carefully eased my weight back against him. I stayed quiet, snuggled up against Scott's chest until the door closed behind the detective.
"I'm still in trouble, huh?"
Scott chuckled, the sound vibrating through his chest and making me smile. "I know you don't remember, but that's really nothing new." He kissed the top of my head. "I have a little experience putting out your fires." Another kiss, this one on my cheek. "Truthfully, though, this one isn't your fault, love."
"Are you sure?"
"I am." Scott shifted, pulling me higher so he could see my eyes. "I need you to tell me something, though." His turquoise gaze was steady and his face serious. "Are you sure that you want to marry me? Without your memories of our past, how can you be sure that this is what you want?"
Oh.
I laid my palm on his cheek, stroking over the stubble I found there and shook my head. "I don't need for my mind to remember," I said softly. "From the first time we met in the woods, something about you was so familiar and every time that we're together, your presence soothes my soul." I stretched up the tiniest bit to press our lips together. "I don't know if my mind ever will, Scott, but my heart does remember."
I settled back as he tightened his arms around me. "But what about you? What if I'm always like this?" I worried my lip with my teeth. "Doc isn't sure that I'll ever be normal again."
Scott huffed a sigh in my ear. "Baby, normal's a setting on the damned dryer. Even if we had to start new every day, it would be perfect because I'd be with you."
"Do..do you think Zade will let us? He seems pretty much against it."
"I don't think it's going to matter, Har." Scott sounded pretty sure of himself. "I think that maybe it's time to take matters into our own hands and let the courts sort it out." One warm hand slid up the back of my shirt to stroke my back. "For now, we're safe here, so we might as well get some rest. We'll worry about the rest once I'm done healing."
~*~
Exactly a week after my massive screw up had gotten Scott stabbed, the doctor handed him the signed hospital discharge forms.
"Are you sure we can do this?" It had been two days since Scott had kicked Rafael out of his hospital room and instructed the staff not to allow anyone but me into the room and I totally expected Zade or the detectives to be lurking around every corner, just waiting to grab me.
Still, as nervous as I was, I was a thousand times more excited as I followed Scott out of the hospital to a waiting Uber.
"I am absolutely positive," he assured me again, tugging me into the backseat with him. "All we have to do is get the van and then we're on our way."
The van was parked in the shade of the massive pine tree, exactly where it had been when I'd snuck out for my ill-fated trip to the Oh! Club. Scott waited patiently for me to climb into the passenger seat and fasten my seatbelt before he closed my door and slid into the driver's seat next to me.
"Ready?"
"Yeah, I think so."
"You're sure that you don't need to pick anything up before we leave?"
I laughed and smoothed the wrinkled scrubs top. "Although, I guess it would be nice to have a change of clothes."
Scott snickered and winked at me as he pulled the van slowly out onto the road, raising a hand to wave to a little girl who was climbing a tree. "Don't worry about that. We can stop and pick some stuff up." He hesitated, a faint flush creeping up his cheeks. "And, ah, there might be a few of your things in the back that will still fit."
"Really?" I asked curiously. "But I thought you said I'd never been in the van before?"
"You hadn't," Scott sighed. "When we were separated, you still had some stuff at my apartment, so I brought it with me. Just in case."
"You're amazing." I reached for his hand and squeezed it.
Scott laughed self-consciously. "I don't even know what all is back there. Maybe you should hold back that assessment until after you know what you have."
"Nope," I disagreed, squeezing his hand again before reaching for the tuning knob on the radio. "It's definitely the thought that counts."
And, as it turned out a few hours later when we had stopped for the night, in addition to a change of clothes, there were definitely a few things in the drawer where he was storing my stuff that gave us both plenty to think about.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Scott
"Harley?" I swallowed hard, but the lump in my throat didn't budge. "Um, what are you doing?"
He'd worked his way into the back of the van around midnight with the stated purpose of seeing if there was anything in my little kitchenette to make a meal of. When he'd called out to tell me that my lunch was ready, I'd pulled into a small rest stop and parked before stepping through the curtain that separated the cab from the living quarters only to find him spread out ass-up on the bed.
He was naked except for the silky black jock that was lifting his perfect cheeks up for me and the angle of his knees tucked under his chest parted them just enough that I could see the Omega dew glistening on his pucker.
Next to him was a bottle of lube and a condom.
It seemed he'd found the drawer that had our, ahem, private time supplies with no problem.
"You said you were hungry," Harley's voice was a husky purr that wound around me and stoked my own arousal. "I found you something to eat." His head was sideways on the pillow and his honey-gold eyes were daring me to say no.
As fucking if.
It only took two steps to reach the bed and I dropped to my knees, grabbing his hips and yanking him to the edge of the bed.
"My favorite dish," I growled against his sensitive skin. Harley's laugh turned into a shiver as I parted his cheeks and dragged my tongue over his hole, then lingering to suck and rub my lips over the silky soft skin hidden there. "Love this sweet ass so much."
I ripped the button to my jeans open and shoved my hands down my pants, gripping my cock. The faster my tongue lapped up the sweet slick dripping from my Omega's hole, the more he produced until I was eating his ass like a starving beast as I jerked my cock, almost oblivious to the whimpers and moans falling from his lips. It wasn't until his body began to shake, his hole spasming around the fingers I'd snuck into massage his button, that I realized Harley had already finished.
"You okay?" I managed to ask through panting breaths as I forced myself to pull back from the sweet hole that had been kissing me back so hotly.
"No," Harley choked out. "I want more. Please, I want you to really fuck me, Alpha." He looked over his shoulder, his brown eyes molten with arousal. "I want your cock. Please."
/> My cock began to throb in my hand as he stared at it, licking his lips and rolling his hips in a silent plea.
Oh, hell. All the good intentions in the world weren't going to help me resist when he begged.
"You're sure, baby?"
"Get in me!" he begged. "Please, Scott." He brought one hand back to tease himself, using the slick to slide his fingers in deep.
My control snapped and I caught his wrist, bringing his hand up so I could suck them clean. Grabbing the condom, I rolled it down my eager cock and pressed it to his entrance, easing forward slowly as Harley strained under me, whimpering and cursing as I spread him wide. When I stopped to check on him, he snarled and bucked back, taking a few more inches with a yelp.
"Har, baby, slow down," I stroked his back, ignoring the shudder that ran through me as he bore down. "I don't want to hurt you."
"You won't," he gasped. "I'm too close. I want all of you before I come again."
Well, fuck.
Trusting him to know what he needed, I wrapped one arm around his belly, stretched over his body and pressed in harder, not stopping until his ass was resting against my groin.
"Is that better?" I asked in his ear as he clenched down again, setting off another series of shudders that started in my dick and ran through my body. There weren't words to describe the intense physical pleasure of being swallowed by his willing body after so much time, and the grip of his tight ass around my cock, the heat that bathed me through the thin condom, very nearly overwhelmed me.
"Oh, Gods, yes! Move!"
The first few thrusts were deep but slow, intended to let me catch up to my Omega without pushing him over the edge too quickly. When his pants turned into mewling gasps and he began to writhe beneath my weight, I rose to my knees and arched my back slightly, ensuring that every shallow thrust would grind against the perfect spot.
His tight passage began to throb and I barely had time to reach around and grip his dick, milking his climax for every last drop.
Then, when Harley collapsed beneath me, tremors wracking his entire body, I drove in deep and allowed my own release to overtake me. I growled as the hot gush of my cum washed over me, adding another layer of sensation to my orgasm as our bodies pulsed together.
"Heavy." Harley's sex-slurred words were barely audible, but I'd always been tuned into him. Pulling free, I rolled over onto my back and reached down to dispose of the condom. When my fingers touched skin, my head jerked up and I barely managed to hold back a string of curses.
The fucking rubber had broken.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Rafael
"He did what?" Zade's bellow echoed past the third-floor nursing station and down the hall.
"I guess he knows now," Colby huffed as we increased our pace a little. "I thought you asked them not to tell him until we got there?"
"I did," I confirmed with a sigh. "Must have gotten our wires crossed somewhere."
When we got to the nursing station, Zade was leaning against the wall flanked by security guards. He started toward us only to be stopped when they each laid one hand on his chest and shoved him back.
"You knew about this?" he nearly spat the words at me. "What the fuck, Zade?"
Next to me, I heard Colby growl. Now that he was due any day, his patience was all but gone.
Turning to him, I brushed my lips over his and waved to the upholstered benches lining the room. "Why don't you sit down? I've got this." After Colby lowered himself to the bench, I glanced at the guards holding Zade. "You can let him go."
Zade rushed me as soon as the restraining hands were removed, a snarl on his face. "Why the fuck didn't you tell me he bailed and took Harley?"
"Stand down, Zade." Holding my position, I stared back at him. "Wrong time and place."
Zade clenched his hands into fists, eyes flashing and nostrils flaring. "Then maybe we should relocate."
"Are you serious?" I couldn't keep from rolling my eyes. "What the hell do you expect to accomplish by throwing down with me?" When Zade's only response was another snarl, I gave up and instead used my pack link to reach out to Bane and Snake who had been lounging patiently on the bench to his right.
Move on in.
Before he realized what was happening, the young Alpha was cuffed and being manhandled toward the elevator on his way to cool his heels -and his temper – in a holding cell.
"Sorry about that. Alpha Sultan can be a little high strung at times." I smiled at the terrified nurse cowering in her chair behind the waist-height counter. "Now, can you tell me where Mr. Wright said he and his friend were going?"
"He didn't," she said quickly. "But we don't ask, either." She held out a single paper with trembling fingers. "We just have them fill this form in."
Scanning the page, I saw that it was nothing more than an emergency contact update and release form. On it Scott had identified Harley as his fiancé and listed the number to Scott's own cell phone. It confirmed that they planned on staying together, but that was all.
"Thanks." I handed it back with one of my business cards. "If he contacts you, could you let me know?" When she nodded, I crossed the room and offered my hand to help Colby to his feet. "C'mon, baby. Time to hit the office."
~*~
"I think he's ready, boss."
I was pouring over a stack of paper in front of me when Bane's voice snapped me back to the present.
"Nifty." Leaving the papers where they were, I grabbed my access badge from the top drawer of my desk and shoved it into my pocket before heading for the holding cells on the opposite side of the building. Sure enough, Zade was sitting on the edge of the bunk in his cell looking contrite and more than a little embarrassed.
"Feeling better, are you?"
Zade's face turned a dark red. "Shit, Rafe. I'm so sorry that I lost my head."
I shrugged. It was hardly news that the kid could be impulsive. "Yeah, well, if you're done, we can try to move forward." I swiped my badge and stepped back as the cell door sprang open. "Come on."
Back in my office, I dropped into my chair and motioned him to one across the desk. "Do you want me to request a kidnapping warrant? Or put out a missing and endangered BOLO?"
"No." Zade groaned and shook his head. "I'm still pissed that he took off with Harley, but I know he won't hurt him. Honestly, I think he's trying to protect Harley from us at this point. This is all kinds of fucked up."
"Talk about a monumental understatement," Clint's voice came from the open door. "Mind if I join you?"
When I nodded, he took the seat next to Zade. Usually a master of calm, his brow was furrowed, his jaw set, and tension was nearly radiating out of him. "What's up, Clint?"
"Got a call from Colt a bit ago." He swiped a bottle of water from the shelf next to my desk and polished off half in a single gulp. "He was checking out that Omega house that the dating site creeper tracked to."
Shit. That was fast. "And?"
"He's there, but there's more."
Clint handed me his phone, a batch of pictures already loaded on the screen. As I scrolled through image after image that made the Verlorene Hoffnung Rehoming Center look like a vacation resort, my stomach lurched. "What the fuck is this?"
"Colt said he's not sure, Rafe, but he thinks the place is the front for some sort of research facility." Clint swallowed hard. "He thinks they're experimenting on shifter prisoners."
"Holy fuck," Zade whistled under his breath. "That's crazy."
"We'll have to reach out to their local office." I began to rifle through my folder of contact lists. "Clint, is Colt going to be able to get out of there?"
"Should be fine," Clint said with a sigh. "They're operating the Omega house as a cover, so he went in as a John. They hadn't made him."
"Has he made contact with the Alpha we were looking for?"
"That's another weird thing," Clint said. "He's there, but according to Colt, he's a prisoner. There's no way tha
t he could have grabbed Harley."
Jerking the contact list for the eastern coast free, I began to punch the numbers into my phone. "This just keeps getting more fucked up."
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Harley
I was collapsed on the bed, too wiped out to even care that the wet spot under me was growing cold against my skin – the head of my dick must have poked free of the jock without me noticing - when I noticed a shift in Scott's demeanor. He was still right next to me, our hips pressed together, but he seemed stiff and there was a chasm between us that I wasn't sure how to bridge.
As we lay there in the silence, I replayed everything we had done. Had I been too demanding? Too eager? Too…something? He'd seemed to enjoy it – certainly hadn't complained during the act – but after…
When I couldn't take it anymore, I took a deep breath.
"Did I do something wrong?"
"What?" Scott was obviously startled as his head swiveled toward my face. "No, of course not." His eyes softened and he laid his palm on my chest. "You were perfect." When I didn't respond, he sighed. "The condom broke."
I couldn't help but laugh. "Really? That's all?" When he didn't laugh with me, I nudged his shoulder with my own. "I mean, we're both clean, aren't we?"
Scott drew in a deep breath and released it slowly, relaxing next to me. "Yeah, baby. Of course we are." He burrowed one arm under my body and rolled me over on top of him. "I didn't mean to freak you out."
I spread my legs, letting them fall to cradle Scott's and snuggled closer. "I'm not, really. You got so distant that I thought maybe it wasn't good for you."
"Silly." Scott stroked my head and then smoothed his hand down my back. Then, with a wry chuckle, "You made me come so hard that I blew through the condom and you didn't think it was good?"
I laughed with him, rubbing my face against his chest hair. "I guess I should get up and fix you actual food, hm?"
Scott tightened his arms around me. "Soon. For now, I just want to hold you."