by Lisa Oliver
After sniffing around a bit more, Fagin knew when Buster lost the scent. It made sense Cooper’s abductors would have a car. Dragging an unconscious man through the streets, or a yelling one for that matter, wasn’t a sensible thing to do even in this area of town.
As they walked back to his car, Fagin remembered his phone. Please let it be Cooper. He can yell at me for a month of Sundays provided he’s safe. His hopes rose when he saw the message was indeed from his mate, but when Fagin opened the message it took him a moment to understand. “He wants coffee?” Fagin turned the phone screen, so Buster could see it.
Buster shook his head.
“No, no you’re right. I don’t think bringing him a cup of coffee will get me out of this mess.” Fagin clicked on the picture to make it bigger and easier to see. Google directions to the coffee shop from…. “I know where he is,” Fagin opened the car door and let Buster jump in. “Shift and dress my friend. Cooper’s being held in the old woodshed at the back of my father’s house. I’d stake my fucking reputation on it.”
“Yeah, your reputation’s going to be shit for a while, anyway.” Buster grinned. Fagin was relieved to see his friend was injury free thanks to his shift. “The drugs aside, you seriously need to start acting like someone proud to be with the little dude, instead of a closeted fool.”
“You’re preaching to the converted.” Fagin started the engine and sped back the way they’d come. “I already know this whole fucking mess is my fault. But believe me, I won’t make the same mistake twice.”
/~/~/~/~/
Fagin cut the lights to his car as the pack house came into view; his car rolling to a stop on the side of the long driveway. Despite the late hour, there were lights blazing from every window in the house – Jerome never liked to run in his wolf form for long. But as the pack had visitors, it was likely a feast had been prepared for after the run. If Fagin was trying to save anyone else he’d wait a few hours, until everyone was asleep, but his bond with Cooper was strengthening the closer he got to the back of the house and Fagin knew he was on the right track.
“Did you ever work out in that addled brain of yours if this was the alpha’s doing, or Missy’s?” Buster asked as they studied the house and grounds for movement.
“Hate to tell you this, but I alpha smacked my dad’s two main enforcers after I got away from Missy.”
“My dad?” Buster’s lips tightened.
“You know it. For what it’s worth, I didn’t lay a hand on him.”
“I got flashes running through my head. I’m damn sure he got in a hit or two before someone clocked me cold.”
Fagin inhaled sharply. There really wasn’t anything he could say to make his friend feel any better. “Maybe someone around here should get the water tested,” he said grimly. “It seems the alpha’s crazy is contagious.”
“No matter. At least I know where I stand, same as you.”
And wasn’t that the truth. Fagin focused on the matter at hand. “You got your knives on you?”
Buster slapped his jacket and pants. “Yep.”
“Cooper will be in the food storage locker under the woodshed. There’s nowhere else in the area secure enough to keep him in.”
Buster’s teeth gleamed in the dim light coming from the house. “You do realize we’re trespassing. This ain’t our pack anymore.”
“Then we’d better make sure we’re not seen.” Fagin flashed his friend a grin. “Let’s do this.”
Reaching up, Fagin disconnected the car’s interior light, before quietly opening the door. Now he was out of the car, he could hear the laughter and sounds of a party going on which was a good sign. The enforcers Fagin met outside his apartment door would’ve already reported his leaving the grounds. Hopefully, his father was confident enough to think there’s no way he’d come back. Of course, it was also possible his father understood the alpha and omega bond and had planned for them to come back. In which case, him and Buster were walking into a trap.
“Watch your ass,” he whispered. The two men kept to the shadows as they made their way around the side of the house Fagin grew up in, keeping to the tree line as they made their way to the woodshed. As boys, the shed provided the perfect cover for forts and hanging out. Once they’d shifted, it was where all the boys his age met to laugh, talk dirty and wrestle for position. It’d been a long time since Fagin had been in the old shed, but the broken plank he remembered in the back of the building was still there.
“Fuck,” Buster whispered as he pushed his bulk through the gap provided. “I think we’ve both grown a bit since we’ve done this.”
Fagin nodded, but stayed silent. His wolf was on high alert, pushing him forward. By the time they’d reached the trapdoor, leading down to the food bunker, he was more wolf than man. But a wolf couldn’t lift the trapdoor.
“Two guys been here recently,” Buster grunted as they lifted the trapdoor out of the way. “Jim Bob and Bobby Joe.”
“Karma can be a right bitch for people like that.” Fagin leaned down, sniffing in the opening. “They ain’t here now.”
“I’ve got your back. Make this quick.”
It wasn’t as though Fagin had far to go. A wooden ladder led about twelve feet underground. Set at the back of the woodshed, Fagin remembered the food bunker only had one tiny window. I hope Cooper isn’t claustrophobic. Pressing his ear against the door, Fagin held his breath as he listened hard. He couldn’t hear a damn thing.
Fagin had carried a key to the food bunker since he was a teenager and used the cold place for his trysts and when him and Buster needed somewhere to drink and hang out years ago. It’d been a gloomy place then and he couldn’t imagine what it must be like now. Fishing out his keys from his pocket, he fingers found the smallest key on the ring. The lock was old and rusted, but the key still fit. A loud screech indicated the hinges were in the same rusted condition.
At first glance, Fagin was sure his mate was sleeping. Teeth clenched at the sight of the cuffs around the young man’s wrists, Fagin moved before he even realized what he was doing. “Did you get my coffee?” Cooper asked, his voice hoarse.
“Wasn’t sure what to order you, sweetness, so figured it was easier to collect you first.”
“Good thinking,” Cooper held completely still as Fagin broke the chains holding him with his bare hands. “Never pays to stuff up my coffee order.” The cuffs were going to take more time and Fagin didn’t want to risk it.
“Can you walk?”
Cooper shrugged and winced as he tried to get up. “I’ll crawl if I have to. You seriously need to talk to the alpha here about his guest accommodation.”
“We’ll email him a letter of complaint in the morning.” Fagin intended on doing a lot more than that, but for now he needed to get his precious mate to safety. He hovered as Cooper stood not sure if his touch would be appreciated.
But Cooper surprised him yet again, reaching up and stroking over his scruff. “Are you okay? Did you get hurt? Our bond was really hazy there for a while.”
“It still is,” Fagin admitted gathering his mate close. “I haven’t had a chance to shift yet. I was drugged. I’m so sorry for anything you thought you saw.”
“That’s unfair,” Cooper rasped and then coughed. Fagin did what he wanted to do from the first sighting and plucked his mate off the floor. “You can’t apologize until I’ve had my rant. I’ve been planning a doozy. I’m sure that spider in the corner over there was applauding with all eight legs when I’d finished rehearsing it.”
“You can tell me all about it after we’ve had some sleep. I’ll deserve it.” Fagin’s wolf was quivering with excitement, overjoyed their mate was with them again. “Let’s get out of here. I see that coffee shop of yours is open twenty four hours.”
“I’ll have a triple shot hazelnut mocha and none of that skinny milk. I want full fat.” Cooper sniffed his neck and scowled. “You smell of bitch.”
“I’ll shower.” Fagin crossed the room, out the door an
d looked up the ladder. “Buster?” He couldn’t climb and hold Cooper at the same time and there was no way he was slinging his mate over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
“Hey, little dude, I see you managed to hang onto your fancy duds.”
“Being gay’s contagious don’t you know,” Cooper teased, holding up his arms. “None of the straight boys in this pack were going to handle me more than necessary in case it rubbed off.”
“We never said the guys in this pack were smart,” Buster chuckled reaching down one-handed. “Grab hold, let’s get out of here.”
Fagin’s heart rate didn’t return to normal until they’d left pack grounds.
Chapter Fourteen
Cooper was being a coward, hiding out in his office the way he was, but he accepted that. But, after the shattering events from the night before, and he wasn’t just thinking about the kidnaping, Cooper needed some alone time and his office seemed the most plausible excuse he could give to Fagin. Not that they’d had a chance for conversation. Once Fagin bought him his coffee and got him home, he only seemed interested in sleep. The alpha managed a quick shower, but he was snoring before Cooper had finished drying himself off. Cooper barely managed two hours sleep before his mind wouldn’t let him get any further rest.
After leaving notes for Fagin on the pillow, by the man’s jacket, and even by his mate’s coffee mug letting him know where he was, Cooper snuck out of the house at first light and got a taxi to the office. Because he was in so early, the office was empty and wonderfully familiar. Cooper felt his shoulders relax as he closed the door to his office. He didn’t want to be disturbed and while it was unlikely anyone else was going to be around for a few hours, he didn’t want to take any chances of having to make small talk.
It wasn’t as though he didn’t have any work to do. Fagin Mars might be his only client, but Cooper wasn’t going to shirk his duties just because they were mated. Starting a new business required a lot more paperwork than just throwing money into an account and calling it done. Cooper needed to set up an accounting system for the new business and then ensure the transfer of assets, like Fagin’s bar, were all properly accounted for. The renovations for the bar were going to cost a pretty penny and every cent of that needed to be recorded as well. Thank the fates for accounting software, Cooper thought as he booted up his computer.
Accounting had always been Cooper’s passion. He loved how every figure had a certain place in the scheme of things, and when accounted for, could contribute to a picture of how well a business was doing – good or bad, the figures didn’t lie if they were inputted correctly. Cooper hadn’t realized he’d been working for a good two hours, before Beth came sauntering in.
“I didn’t expect to see you here today.” Beth said with a smile. “But I bought you coffee just in case.”
“You are the sweetest person in my life.” Cooper saved the file he was working on and took the cup gratefully. His stomach rumbled, reminding him he hadn’t eaten either, but that could wait. Coffee was far more important.
“So, how did your weekend go?” Beth plopped into the nearest chair with her customary flounce. “Did tall, dark and sexy stay sober enough to do the business?”
“It was an interesting weekend,” Cooper said. For one wild moment he thought of pouring out his whole sorry story to his best friend, but as Beth didn’t have a clue about his furry side, he had to keep his mouth shut. “Fagin’s drinking is understandable up to a certain point. If the man didn’t have a few flaws you’d think I was making him up.”
“I know he’s real enough, I met him Friday, remember?” Beth glared over the top of her coffee mug. “Please don’t tell me he’s one of those ‘fuck and run’ bozos.”
Cooper laughed. If only his friend knew the truth. “No, I’m sure Fagin plans on sticking around for a while. Let’s just say he doesn’t hold his liquor as well as he thought he did.”
“Oh no,” Beth’s eyes widened. “He hit on someone else, didn’t he? Or worse, he threw up on your shoes. He did. I bet he got butt ugly drunk and threw up everywhere. You can tell me. He did, didn’t he?”
“Nothing quite so dire. My shoes were quite safe.” Cooper took a sip of his coffee. It was perfect. The need to confide was hitting him strong but there was so much he just couldn’t say. “I just…I’m not sure he’s used to being seen out as a gay man among his friends. He pretty much left me alone while we were out and that was boring.”
And thank you fates for the fact she can’t smell a lie.
“Kick him to the curb,” Beth said decisively. “I don’t care how big his dick is or what he does with it. If he can’t be bothered to pay attention to you in public, then he’s not worth it. Mind you, I have to say I’m surprised. He didn’t seem to have a problem with letting me know he was interested in you when we met.”
“Yeah, well the crowd he was with last night weren’t the type we’d find in the regular bars you and I go to. I’m sure we’ll adjust. It takes time to settle into a relationship.”
“Wow, you’re using the relationship word already? You guys are moving fast.”
Beth had no idea how fast he and Fagin were moving. If she knew he and Fagin already talked about him giving up his apartment and living with his mate. But that was something else he’d keep from Beth for now. He didn’t need to hear a lecture on how relationships take time and how he needed to be sure before he did anything rash. “Enough about me,” he said, more than willing to change the subject. “Did you manage to get home from your night out with your heels intact?”
Listening to Beth gossip about her weekend gave Cooper the first sense of normalcy he’d had since meeting his mate. He knew he and Fagin would have to have a proper sit down and serious conversation about what happened over the weekend and in particular, the night before. However, the scared omega inside of him was content to put that off a few hours more. If he was going to face an alpha, he needed a lot more coffee.
/~/~/~/~/
It was just after two in the afternoon when Cooper let himself into Fagin’s house. “Hey, honey, I’m home,” he called out as he put his briefcase by the front door. He barely had time to kick off his shoes and Fagin was there, pushing him up against the door, rubbing his nose up Cooper’s neck and across his cheeks.
“I missed you,” Fagin grumbled. “I didn’t like waking up and finding your side of the bed cold.”
“I got a lot done on your accounts this morning,” Cooper tilted his head, exposing more of his neck. “You needed your sleep.”
“I sleep better when you’re in the bed,” Fagin argued, his teeth nipping at Cooper’s ear.
Every part of Cooper’s body responded to his mate’s nearness. His cock ached, there was slick leaking from his ass and all he wanted to do was submit. But then the memory of Fagin falling all over that girl at the bar flashed through his mind. Reaching up, Cooper cupped Fagin’s cheeks. “I hope that coffee pot you promised me is working, because you and I have got to talk. Now.”
His inner omega child quaked at the heat in Fagin’s eyes, but adult Cooper held firm, even when the lunch he’d shared with Beth threatened to reappear. For a long moment, all they did was stare at each other, the scent of their arousal filling the air around them. It was driving Cooper to distraction, but he refused to back down. If he did, he didn’t have a shit show of surviving their relationship with his personality intact. It took some time, but finally, Fagin stepped back although he didn’t let go of Cooper’s hand. “Buster’s gone to check on the bar renovations. He’ll be gone a couple of hours. We can talk in the kitchen.”
/~/~/~/~/
Fagin knew what was coming. Even taking the drugs into account, his behavior the night before just wasn’t acceptable for any wolf shifter who’d met his mate, much less claimed one. When he’d woken up alone, he’d immediately thought the worst. Cooper’s note; I’ll be working in the office this morning, see you this afternoon, did nothing to quell his anxiety. His first instinct was to us
e their mind link to make sure Cooper was actually at the office and that he genuinely planned on coming back. But by the time he’d had a shower and woken up a bit more, Fagin decided to play it cool. If Cooper wanted some time to himself, Fagin could deal. He was the alpha of the relationship.
That line of thinking lasted for as long as it took Fagin to make a mug of coffee. His next plan was more direct – storm into Cooper’s office and sling the man over his shoulder to bring him home. It was Buster who caught his expression and reminded him he had a lot to apologize for and it wouldn’t pay to add to the list. So, Fagin waited…and waited; every second crawling like an hour. By the time he heard the front door open Fagin was ready to get to his knees and beg for forgiveness. Or better yet, blind Cooper with so much lust, the man couldn’t think straight, let alone talk.
Hear him out, he reminded himself as he poured two large mugs of coffee and set them on the kitchen table. Our precious mate deserves that much. Sitting across from his mate, Fagin clasped his hands in front of him on the table. “Before you say anything, you should know I’m truly sorry for what happened last night. I take full responsibility.”
Cooper quirked a brow. “You weren’t the one who hit me over the head and left me for dead in a smelly basement.”
“No, but….”
“Do you intend to give me another run down of your version of events for last night from hell, or can I say what I’ve got to say first?”
“Sorry.” Fagin picked up his cup to give him something to do with his hands.
Sighing, Cooper shook his head. “I don’t think you know what you’re sorry for,” he said quietly. “I get that there were certain elements of last night’s debacle that neither one of us could’ve foreseen, but do you have any idea how much you hurt me by leaving me alone in a bar I wouldn’t be caught dead in while you were at the counter, fondling a woman and acting like a good ol’ straight boy? If you didn’t want your friends to know we were together, why didn’t you just leave me at home?”