by Aiden Bates
Something inside of Ray surged when Doug said the words your omega. "I want this to work," he said. "I'm willing to give it time. But we'll have to spend a lot of time together, doing things that aren't related to the case. Are you okay with that?"
"Oh darn. Time spent with my handsome, big, strong alpha." Doug laughed and snapped his fingers. "How will I ever pass the time?"
Ray couldn't quite believe that Doug was taking things as calmly as he seemed to be, but he was willing to accept it at face value for now. "What do you say that we wash up, and we go head out to Framingham?" he suggested. "You can bring some of your things out there, just in case. Not moving, but if you decide to stay the night out there sometimes you'll have things of your own."
"As long as some of your things migrate into my closet." Doug smiled and drained his coffee.
They walked into the shower. Ray was almost hesitant to make any moves. After all, the last time he'd made a move on Doug he'd claimed him. Doug seemed to be even less shy about asking for what he wanted than he had before the claim, and his scent was even stronger now. This time, Ray let Doug finish sucking him off, and then he returned the favor. Doug's tankless hot water heater kept them both warm for as long as they might want to be in the shower, and Ray found himself sending up a silent prayer of gratitude to the inventors as they scrubbed each other clean afterward.
After their shower, they packed up a few of Doug's clothes to have on hand for Framingham. It felt surreal, to be packing up his omega's clothes because he had an omega now. Doug was his omega now, forever, but they still had to iron out what that meant for them. Most other couples knew already, but then again Ray wasn't most other alphas. And there were no other omegas like Doug, so he guessed that their pairing would be unusual too.
They unpacked things in Framingham, and then Ray gave Doug the grand tour. For a moment, he wondered if Doug would look down on him. His house was no marble-sheathed luxury condo just steps from an upscale wine store and ten different cafes. It was just a plain old house, built in the 1920s like every other house on his street. It wasn't anything special or particularly beautiful.
Doug seemed to like it well enough, though. He familiarized himself with the different rooms, shying away from the gun safe, and rested his head on Ray's chest. "It smells like you," he told Ray. Then he pulled back, his cheeks scarlet.
"Hey." Ray wrapped his arms around his omega. "There's nothing to be ashamed of here, okay? We're allowed to enjoy each other. We're allowed to care for one another and we're allowed to love each other." He lifted Doug's chin, gently bringing his eyes on line with his own. "We're mates. It's okay. We're a couple."
Doug blushed again, but it was a different kind of blush. "Eventually that won't affect me the same way, but for now…"
Ray laughed with delight. "Same. Believe me." He offered his omega his arm. "Can I bring you to dinner?"
They went to dinner out on Route 9, and then Ray brought his omega home with a few of his own things. When Doug invited him to stay the night again, he accepted.
It shouldn't be this way, and he knew it. He shouldn't have to be invited by his omega, his claimed omega, to stay the night. They were a mated pair. They should live together. They shouldn't live apart, damn it.
They shouldn't live apart, but they did. They fooled around and made a mess of clean sheets before they fell asleep in one another's arms, instead of taking time off to celebrate their new pairing and deepen their bond like normal pairs did. Ray didn't know about Doug, but he certainly wasn't going to brag about accidentally claiming a defense attorney at work.
He wasn't ashamed of Doug, of course. He was only ashamed of himself. The thought of having so far lost control of himself that he'd claimed someone by accident galled him. How could he have done something so foolish? His parents had feared that kind of loss of control ever since he'd tested as an alpha. Now their fears had been proven right.
Was there a way to make this right?
He had to work harder to control himself. He would do it, too. He would meditate harder, and he would improve his focus. He would find his balance, and he would maintain it. And, most importantly, he would bring this case to a speedy conclusion. The fact that his father in law was still their most likely suspect for a serial killer was not going to improve his relationship with his mate.
For tonight, though, he could hold his omega through the night, and keep him safe.
Chapter Five
Doug tried not to make a face at the number of protestors outside the courthouse. Did none of these people understand how the court system worked? He knew that he was being uncharitable, of course. Some of these people had lost a relative or loved one to the Lakeville Killer. No one could deny that the crimes were horrific, and targeted women specifically. Doug certainly wasn't trying to deny it. He just wanted the right person to pay.
If the wrong man had been convicted of these crimes, it made sense to not keep that wrong man locked up and destroy his life, didn't it?
Some people didn't care about justice. They just wanted to lash out. They were angry and hurting, whether about this crime or about another crime. They wanted someone to suffer the way that they were suffering. Some of them truly didn't understand that sometimes evidence got missed, and sometimes cops and prosecutors could get things wrong.
Some of them just hated the people who got accused of crimes. Accusation, after all, was proof of guilt for many people.
He ignored them all and kept his back straight, his head high. His alpha couldn't be here to keep him safe from the shouting people. He couldn't admit that they were even together, lest it create the appearance of a conflict of interest. That was okay. Doug didn't need it. Doug could feel Ray's claim on him. The scar throbbed underneath his suit and tie, a physical reminder of who he belonged to. These people couldn't touch him.
He kept his back straight and walked right into the courthouse. His father was under guard at the defense table, not that Larry was about to get up and do anything. He was telling jokes to his guards. Knowing Larry, they were old library jokes. Only Larry could make the Dewey Decimal System funny.
Doug went over to the prosecution table to say hello to Chris. Chris grimaced when he saw him. "What's it been, two weeks? You came up with two more vics to cross off?"
Doug held out his hands. "What can I say? I'm awesome."
"I sure do wish we had you on our side, man. If nothing else, we could be that much more certain that we didn't screw things up. Bad news, though. The judge is Hang’em Murphy." Chris shuddered.
Doug bit back a curse. "Seriously? That's not good."
"No. It's not. I mean it's great for me, but it doesn't count as a win because he hates defense attorneys on principle." Chris wrinkled his nose. "I want to win because of my skill and because the defendant is guilty, not because the judge has 'where there's smoke there's fire' tattooed on his ass."
Doug blew out a long, slow breath, trying to keep his anxiety in check. "Well, we'll have to keep our hopes up."
Chris shook his hand. "Good luck, bro."
"Thanks, man."
Doug went to go greet his father, who hugged him. There was a tiny part of Doug that rebelled at that, but it was the part of him that was still twelve. Not in court, Dad. Not in front of all my friends, Dad. Larry had ignored his protests then, to his secret delight, and he ignored the gravitas of the courtroom now to the delight of journalists. "Dougie, you look good," Larry said. "I think you should get out in the sun a little more, though. That pale skin, someone's going to think you've been inside." He laughed at his own joke.
Doug rolled his eyes, but he grinned. "Do you have any idea how much of my time I spend in prisons?" He shook his head. "I've got jailhouse tattoos now. No joke. Look, Dad, I just want to manage your expectations. The judge is not impartial. He hates anyone who's ever been accused of a crime. Don't expect sympathy, and don't expect a lot of concessions."
"Sweetie, I'm just glad you're trying something at all. You
're a good boy." He patted Doug's hand.
Doug scanned the crowd for Ray. He found him in the middle of the observers, and gave him a little nod. Ray winked back and grinned, and Doug breathed out a sigh of relief.
Judge Murphy entered the court. He was a cantankerous old man, with cheekbones so sharp a man could shave on them, and piercing blue eyes that could probably cut steel. "You may be seated," he said, taking his own seat. "Before we begin, I have to say, I'm familiar with Attorney Morrison's record. It's very impressive, or it would be if it were spent on something other than getting crooks and killers out of jail."
Every eye in the place turned to stare at Doug. Doug kept his back straight and his face calm.
"Whatever rhetorical tomfoolery you may have gotten away with in other courtrooms, Morrison, it won't fly here. I believe in law and order, and in public safety. Am I understood?" He pointed his gavel at Doug.
Doug gave a sunny smile to the judge and to the cameras he knew were rolling. "Then we shouldn't have a problem, your Honor. We all want the same thing here."
"Harrumph." Murphy brought his gavel down. "We're here to listen to motions regarding a new trial in the case of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts vs. Lawrence Morrison. It looks here as though the prosecution is supporting this bid for a new trial?" He adjusted the position of his glasses. "What the hell is this nonsense? Are you looking for double time, Maggio? Because you're salaried. It doesn't work that way."
A little titter of laughter went around the court.
Chris rose. "Your Honor, I realize that this is a deeply unusual situation. That said, defense counsel has found no less than ten different Lakeville Killer victims who could not have been killed by Morrison, and that's without benefit of forensic investigation. There may be others; the state police are assisting with that investigation."
"Would those be the same state police that swore up and down that Morrison did kill those poor women a year ago?" Murphy scowled.
Chris shrugged his shoulders, weakly. "Your Honor, sometimes new evidence comes to light."
Murphy made a show of flipping through the trial documents. Doug tried not to show how much he hated this judge. Murphy would have read the paperwork long before today, after all. "Yes, new evidence indeed. Explain to me, Mr. Morrison—that's Morrison Junior, since you finally stirred yourself to your father's defense—why this evidence just came to light now."
Doug had been baited by far better than this bitter old man. "It's simple, your Honor. I knew where he was on all ten occasions. During the first trial, no one asked me for his whereabouts."
"Morrison Senior didn't know where he was, but you did? Isn't that convenient?" Murphy's lip curled.
Doug turned to one of the prison guards standing near his father. "Janine, what did you have for breakfast three weeks ago?"
"I have no idea," Janine told him, drawing her eyebrows together.
Doug turned to a reporter in the audience. "Sir, where were you on the night of August 23?"
"Um, maybe walking my dog?"
"Your Honor, I remembered those dates because they were dates of significance to me." Doug held his hands out, wide and innocent. He was reaching, of course. He had no idea why his father hadn't said anything. He had to try, though. "For my father, these were simply important milestones for me, but they were only important because they were 'Dougie things.' He wasn't going to remember a burst appendix, or a debate championship, or a swim meet, because they all blend together. He's not going to remember those dates, either, because he was a passive observer on those dates. The only way that he would remember those dates would have been if he had been an active participant—such as in a murder." Doug clasped his hands behind his back. "You'll notice that he did not murder anyone on those dates.
Murphy scowled. His lower lip stuck out so far he almost looked like he was pouting. "Not those dates, no."
"If I was able to find ten victims who had to have been killed by someone else, after he was already convicted by a jury, how many more will I find as I gain access to more investigators and more resources?" Doug met Murphy's eyes. "That list is proof that there is a very active serial killer, with a serious problem with women, out on the loose. All I want is to make sure that justice is served. A new trial for my father, and removing those convictions from the record, will allow those cases to go forward and be thoroughly investigated, as they deserve. It will allow those families to receive justice and it will hopefully protect more women from a vicious killer."
Murphy sucked in his cheeks. He looked like a dried apple. "Fine," he snarled. "You're right. Your father gets his new trial. But!" He flourished his gavel like a sword. "Your father stays at Shirley while this case is investigated. I'm not convinced, as you seem to be, that Morrison Senior is entirely innocent in this. Don't think I'm too stupid to recognize that no one else has been killed since he was arrested." He banged his gavel and rose. "This court is adjourned." He swept out of the courtroom in a huff.
Doug turned to his father, fighting tears. He'd counted on getting his father out of jail, but he'd lost. His father, though, was looking at him like he'd hung the moon. "Son, I am so proud of you," Larry told him, and threw his arms around him. "I truly am. That's more than I'd ever hoped to get."
"Dad, I'd hoped I could get you out on bail!" Doug clung to his father while the bailiffs watched.
"It's okay, son. Me and Joe, we're getting along good. You come visit, though." Larry winked at him, and touched his face. Then he turned to the bailiffs and let them lead him away.
Chris walked over and shook his hand. "Dude, you are some kind of legal god."
"I lost!" Doug laughed and hung his head. "I lost. My dad's going back into that hole."
"Yeah. He's going back. But seriously, Doug, I was eighty percent sure that Murphy was just going to just say, 'No new trial, screw off!" And that would be it. So from that perspective, that was a huge win. I'm telling everyone back at the office. No one's going to be willing to face you in court, buddy. Everyone's going to try to plea out."
Doug laughed again, but it felt hollow. If his dad was still in jail, they still had to get him out before he could truly feel like he'd gotten a win.
After court, Doug had to be in court for another case, this time out in Framingham. This one was a case of an omega being prosecuted for fighting back against persistent domestic abuse, not by his alpha but by his alpha's mother. By the time he'd finished with that one, it was quitting time. He used his key to let himself into his alpha's house, and he went to the bedroom and undressed before climbing into bed.
Ray came home about an hour later. He stopped when he walked in the door; he would have picked up Doug's scent. Doug heard his feet cross the hardwood floors a little faster, and then rushing up the stairs two at a time. He appeared in the doorway seconds later. "Omega?"
"Here, Alpha." Doug called out from the bed.
Ray divested himself of his clothes and joined Doug under the covers. "Long day, huh?"
Doug didn't say anything. He didn't have the energy. He just pressed up against Alpha's flesh. He wasn't even looking for sex, although he'd take it. He just wanted touch, and comfort.
"You were amazing today in court," Ray murmured into Doug's ear, stroking his hair. "I've never seen you in court before. I thought you were just—I mean you made your point without making your father seem incompetent. You did it without tearing Maggio down. And I noticed you did it without tearing down the cops, too. Thanks for that."
Doug nuzzled into Ray's neck. "I didn't say anything that wasn't true." He sighed. "I don't think badly of you guys. Especially you. They're just okay. I love you."
Ray's breath caught in his throat. "Do you really?"
Doug met his eyes. "Of course I do. You're my Alpha. I don't necessarily understand why I love you, but I love you. Being around you made me feel good, made me feel better, even before you claimed me." He knew that Alpha still felt some guilt over the claim. Doug still felt weird about it too, bu
t he couldn't let that hurt them. "I do love you. And I'm happy to be your omega, whatever that winds up meaning for us." He rested his head on Ray's arm. "I just want to be yours."
Ray held him close for a while. When they finally did make love, it was a slow, tender kind of lovemaking that left him breathless and gasping for more. They dozed off for a while and then woke up for another round; dinner was forgotten. All they wanted was each other.
Doug had no idea when he'd decided it would be okay to be so open, and so weak, with someone he barely knew. He didn't care, either. He hadn't been wrong when he told Ray that he loved him, and that he'd felt good around him even before the claim. Did it mean anything? Probably not, in the greater scheme of things. Doug wasn't a big believer in soulmates or destiny.