by Charlie Tran
“Yeah, they seem pretty keen on keeping you locked away here.” Silver pouted, his hands crossed over his massive belly.
“I’ll go find out right now. They can’t keep you locked up forever. And they can do physical therapy at my home as well. I don’t mind getting an in-care nurse for you,” I said, leaving the room as the rest of them went on with their more casual discussions. Truth be told, as much as I did want to get Alfie out of there, I had to admit there were ulterior motives to wanting to move from the hospital.
Now that Leon was on the loose—and who knew who those contacts were that had helped him out or how many he had at his back—it was only a matter of time until he sent another Vik, another crony, to come try and kill Alfie in the name of revenge. And surely after everything had happened, he’d want the rest of us dead as well.
I threw a final look back at Glenn, who sat quietly beside Silver as I left to go looking for Alfie’s primary nurse.
GLENN
“You never told us how things went yesterday,” Silver said, ignoring Lucas as he continued to drone on and on about who knew what while Alfie half-listened to him, nodding every now and again while throwing in an occasional “Oh, really?” or “Wow!”
“With what, the lawyer?”
“Mhm!”
“Nothing really.” I shrugged, leaning against the white-bricked wall. “Supposedly, as long as I give testimony against Leon, the judge will only sentence me to community service rather than actual jail time. I hope that’s the case.”
“How are you gonna give a testimony against a man that’s on the run?” Lucas asked, leaning in to our conversation. Silver pushed him away by placing a hand against his chest. Forest too seemed interested as he passed Willow into his mate’s arms.
“He’s right. Is it just gonna have to wait until he gets caught? They can’t have a trial until he’s present, right?”
“I don’t know how any of this works. I’ve never been in a situation like this before,” I admitted, Silver now placing a gentle hand on my shoulder as he so often did to comfort me.
“They’ll find him, I’m sure they will.”
“And if they don’t, we’ll pull another Mission Declan.” Lucas nodded. My eyes rolled hard at his stupid comment. I remembered what Silver had told me about how they had attacked the head honcho’s house, which only caused Leon to fall into an even deeper spiral of obsessive power.
“Shut up, Lucas. You guys almost got hurt being so reckless! I don’t want anyone at risk over this.”
“Well, let’s see what Alfie has to say about that.” Lucas was so defiant, and the room fell quiet at his words. He looked around and seemed to realize the faux pas he had just committed. “Er... I mean...”
“Actually, you’re right,” Alfie muttered, throwing down his applesauce down on the tray, half empty, followed with his now filthy spoon.
“He is?” Silver asked, just as curious, his head tilting to the side.
“Yeah. I know Forest had that initial run-in with Leon. Then, Silver had a problem with Vik and what he had done in the name of Leon. As well as Glenn. Right?” I nodded in response. “And look at what he did to me. If this doesn’t get figured out and ended soon, I feel like there’s nothing that the police can do about this that we can’t. Leon doesn’t need a day in court; he needs to rot in the deepest pits of Hell.”
The silenced lingered, heavy and thick, the air almost too viscous for me to breath with the sudden tension. I gritted my teeth, but our attention was diverted as Jude came back into the room. Thank the Gods.
“It’ll be a bit of time before you can actually come stay with us. Sorry, man.” Jude shrugged, shutting the door behind him. Alfie made a face and flopped onto his back. “Well, that's just great.”
“But I did get the okay to get you out of here for the party. So, there’s something to look forward to after all.”
“There’s that, I suppose.”
But we didn’t speak anything further about Lucas’ supposed plan to seek revenge on their pack. To be fair, it wouldn’t be so bad if Leon had just decided to go missing or if this pack aided in his ultimate demise. But I didn’t want them to get in any more trouble or to be hurt any further than they already had at his hands.
I wouldn’t push further. Not just yet.
“OOOH, you’ve got another letter from the jail.” Forest smiled as he walked down the foyer from the front door while holding a stack of documents in his hand. Leaning off the couch and lifting Willow from my lap, I smiled. He was such a cute and well-behaved baby. Albeit a very loud one, and he was already sitting up quite well on his own.
“I wonder if it’s from Joshua?” I reached forward to receive the piece of mail from Forest’s hand and he then sat by Willow’s side, accepting the child into his lap and against his chest while sorting through the rest of it.
These early mornings were rather busy, and I seemed to wake up earlier than most of the others in the house. Jason was working double shifts more and more frequently while getting ready for their early move. As for Jude, I wasn’t sure if he was awake or not, but either way, he stayed locked up in his bedroom working on stocks and whatever else he had in terms of financial projects.
Silver was out again with Alfie, keeping him company while Lucas’ snoring could be heard all the way out in the living room from his bedroom.
The note was certified to have come from the jail, and I was getting even more excited. I hadn’t received any more mail since the last one, which was another week away. I liked to measure the time that I had been here alongside how massive Silver’s belly was getting. How he hadn’t gone into labor yet—especially with the undue stresses from their group—was beyond me. And the size of his growing belly in his stomach didn’t match his body at all. If the doctor hadn’t told us any different, I would have assumed that he was going to be giving birth to twins.
So, I opened it, shaking my head clear of such thoughts. I smiled as it was clearly addressed to me, and was in Joshua’s silly handwriting, the letters scrawled as though he was right-handed but writing with his left just for the hell of it.
But upon reading more, the smile slowly began to fade from my face at his words.
Words seemed to spread faster within the jails and prison than in the media. Word on the street—rather, cell block—was that Leon was getting a lot of help from those he still had contact with on the outside. Who they were, I had no idea. As far as I was aware, besides maybe some loose connections here and there, the majority of us who were at his disposal as members of the Grey Brotherhood had been locked up.
“Color me surprised,” I muttered, turning the page around to keep reading.
Beyond the rest of his random drawings and kind words, between every sentence or so that had detailed information on Leon’s goings-on, there was a bottom portion written in red crayon. And circled with a highlighter.
“What is this?!” I hissed, gripping the letter tight enough for my claws to rip through the sheet of paper.
“What’s what?” Forest inquired, bouncing Willow on his knee. I ignored him, my eyes re-reading the passage he had circled for me.
I couldn’t believe what they were writing. I couldn’t believe what Joshua was saying. No way... There was no way!
Several police officers and guards within the prison cell were caught sneaking more of the members out of the jail. They admitted they had been bribed massive sums to do so, and while a few inmates from the Grey Brotherhood had escaped, it wasn’t them alone. Many of the officers at the jail had run off with them to collect ransom and flee or to join with Leon to go to another city at the promise of even more money. He was offering any wolves a large sum to join their ranks. With criminals and downtrodden people amok in the cells there, tons of wolves were simply waiting to get out so they could join up with him. But Joshua had no idea what he was up to, and he had no idea what else they were being offered in turn, as he was simply a cat and hadn’t been offered anything. He wasn’t we
lcome to join their ranks, nor was any other non-wolf.
And more than that, Leon was definitely still in the city and knew that the non-corrupt officers were after him, which had him jumping from location to location. And he was not worried in the least.
Last but not least, he was after me, either for what had happened in the jail while I was still in there with him—in the cafeteria—or for some other reason, I didn’t know.
After the circled warning, there was more rambling about how otherwise everything was going pretty good. He was happy that he got a new T.V. to watch, but sad he had no one to annoy with the static that he so loved to play during his bed-time and whatever else was after that.
“Glenn, are you sure you’re okay?” Forest persisted, but I nodded, folding the letter neatly and placing it back into the opened envelope.
“Joshua is doing fine. He’s just been getting into everyone’s antics and trying to cause some ruckus of his own,” I lied. Of course, I lied. I knew what Leon had done to Forest, and I couldn’t frighten him or anyone else, not when I was so close to getting off scot-free from the case and hopefully finding my son. I couldn’t freak out anyone in the clan just yet.
“Something going on?” Jude asked as the door to his room creaked open and he walked into the living room with a cell phone to his ear.
“Nope. Just hanging out.” I smiled, folding the mail over several times before placing it back into my pocket.
“Can I talk to you for a moment then?”
Great, what was it now?
I got up from the couch, not thinking any further about what Joshua had told me about putting a happy smile on my face, following Jude as he retreated into the darkness of his room with Forest watching me as I went. I patted my pocket, ensuring the letter was still tucked within and hadn’t fallen out for anyone to find.
The door shut behind us, and Jude flipped the switch to turn on the light in his proverbial cave.
“You might want to sit down.” The Alpha tossed his phone off to the side, letting it land on the pile of clothing he had stacked up in the far corner.
“I think I’m fine. You’re starting to make me nervous though,” I admitted through a halfhearted laugh. But his face didn’t change, and he didn’t smile. His brows raised sympathetically, a crease forming between them as he stared at me pitifully.
“I’ve got some news about Xander.”
“And?”
“And he’s not at the orphanage.”
My heart began to beat a bit faster at his words.
“Is he at a different one? Did you have them all checked?”
“No, you don’t understand. He’s been adopted. He’s not there, and he’s not at any of the other orphanages either.”
I thought I was going to have a heart attack. What did he mean adopted?
“How is that possible? How was he adopted so soon? Wouldn’t a family foster a child first before going through that process?!” I shouted, unable to control the rage and despair that welled within me.
“I’m sorry. I really am..."
“No! There’s absolutely no way! I don’t believe it!” I continued my tirade, screaming out at Jude. At the world. His apologies and sympathy fell on deaf ears, because I didn’t want to hear anything more from him. I approached him, hesitating as I reached out for him. Grabbing him by his shirt, I pulled, yanked, and stared into his eyes. Desperate. “You’re lying! You’re making a mistake. It can’t be true! Where’s my child, you bastard?!”
“Calm down! I didn’t do anything but fulfill my promise! You need to relax!” He shouted back, grabbing me by my wrists and forcing me to release him. I shook my head, still thinking, hoping that this was an accident. It couldn’t be real. This wasn’t real.
“Jude, I... What am I gonna do?” I sobbed, allowing him to pull me closer against him, burying my face into his chest. He wrapped his arms around me tightly, covering me like a blanket with his embrace while his face pressed into my hair. Allowing me to absolutely ruin his shirt with my tears and snot.
But he couldn’t offer me more than apologies, which was not what I really wanted. He couldn't offer me Xander, but maybe there was a chance that someone else could.
11
GLENN
It felt reminiscent to be sitting once again with Silver, though this time I was sitting off to the side on a hard plastic chair staring up at him while he perched on the exam table. He was swinging his legs off the side, which caused an occasional rustling from the paper that covered the center of said table.
The doctor had just stepped out after giving Silver his sonogram picture, and he and his mate happily stared at it together. They were absolutely fawning over the photo, and I sat there awkwardly chiming in every now and then. It was only awkward because of the predicament I found myself in. I sat in a baby’s office, watching another couple in an adoring and loving embrace contemplating the arrival of their child all the while having no idea where my own son was. Thankfully, Jude wasn’t like Lucas or Silver and didn’t accidentally spill the news of what had happened. Or so I assumed, as no one had brought it up other than Jude. Neither had I told anyone else. I didn’t need any further pity from them.
While they continued to talk, I stared down at the burner phone I’d been given from Jude. While the lawyer had yet to give me a call with any information, it was a nice thing to have for an emergency. I’d even been able to give Joshua a call twice this week since I’d had it without needing to burden someone else by borrowing their phone. Nor did I have to rush my phone call in order to return their device.
But now I was idly playing some type of swiping game, matching up different colored jewels with one another to a timer. There was no rhyme or reason to what I was swiping, as far as I could tell, but it helped to keep my mind focused on something instead of wondering about the bullshit that was my life at the moment.
“We’ve gotten in touch with the hospital in downtown Solara, and we’ve set your delivery date slightly ahead of time with how developed the child is already.”
“R-really?” Silver said, both of us looking up from what we held in our hands to see the doctor with a bright smile on his face.
“Really. It’ll be exactly a week from today. If you have any further questions, just get in touch with my office.”
“I can’t wait to be a father!” Lucas exclaimed, clinging even tighter onto Silver, who placed a kiss onto his mate’s lips in response.
“Me too," Silver chimed in.
“So... no questions then?” The doctor pressed, interrupting their little lovefest. For a moment it seemed as though they’d forgotten there was anyone else in the room.
“No, no questions. I think we’re gonna be ready when it finally happens.”
“Wonderful. Now if your water isn’t broken by then, we may have to induce labor. Have you had any cramps recently?”
“No, none really. But I feel him moving inside of me, so I know he’s in there at least.” Silver smiled, glancing down to his belly as Lucas ran his hand over the middle of it.
“We don’t want the pup to stay in there any longer than necessary, so labor induction might be necessary. But we won’t worry about that just yet. Head straight to the hospital when the time comes, and I’ll be there, no matter the time of the day.” The doctor nodded. “Good luck. I can’t wait to see another wolf in our world.”
“Thanks, Doc.” Lucas grinned, a row of fanged teeth gleaming in the fluorescent light. The doctor returned his smile as he left the room, keeping the door partially ajar for us to leave.
“Oh, I’m so excited. You’re gonna come too, right Glenn?” Silver eased himself off of the examining table with his lover’s aid. Lucas guided him gently to the floor due to his short stature, making sure he wasn’t so far off balance that he’d fall and plummet to the floor face first.
“Of course, I will. I wouldn’t miss it.”
“You’re gonna be his favorite uncle, I already know.” Silver smiled, and it hurt my
heart at how trusting he was. Would I still be around when I found my son? If I found Xander? Could I face him if he knew that I was only using their pack leader for my own gains?
“I sure hope so. I know a thing or two about raising a child.”
“Have you found anything out about that, by the way?” Lucas asked, his arm around Silver’s shoulder.
“No. Nothing at all.”
“Don’t worry. I’m sure we have plenty of time, and then Xander and our son will be best friends as well.” Silver offered a caring smile as he and Lucas began to leave the room. I stood and followed them out the door.
Suddenly, my phone began to ring. I gave it a curious look, not recognizing the number on the screen.
“Who’s that?” Lucas asked, noting the curious look on my face.
“I dunno. Maybe the lawyer.” I sighed, bringing the phone closer and answering.
“This is Glenn.”
“Hello, Glenn.”
Fuck.
“H-HOW DID YOU GET THIS NUMBER?” I stuttered, allowing myself to fall back as Silver and Lucas began to walk towards the lot where Jude’s car was parked. He had been allowing us to use it to attend the doctor’s appointments as he had work-related issues to worry about.
“Is that important right now?” Leon chuckled, the loudness of the wind whipping in the background making it somewhat difficult to hear him.
“Why are you calling me? Aren’t you worried I’m gonna tell the cops about this?” I growled, stopping in my tracks, despite the freezing temperature and snow blowing into my face. Silver glanced over at me with a raised brow when I stopped. Lucas was opening the passenger door for him, but he waited before entering the car.
I held up a hand, gesturing for them to wait a moment.
“Not at all. Even if you did, I’m planning on dropping this phone off at a random location. I like to get a new one after every call I place. Keeps them guessing.” He laughed.