by Aiden Bates
It was a lot of work to pile onto a young woman who seemed to already be cracking under the strain of such a big wedding, and part of Cody felt bad about that. At the same time, it was a lesson that the girl clearly needed to learn.
Then he’d had a little dispute with Marlowe, one of his other caterers. Marlowe was a great chef, and he definitely knew what he was doing, but to say that he was touchy was an understatement. Marlow had found out, somehow, about the arrangement that Cody had made with Austin to suggest wine pairings for Sabrina’s dinners, and he was upset. “If she can’t do her own work, you shouldn’t be putting her on wet weddings.”
Cody pinched the bridge of his nose and wondered if today would ever end. “Look, Marlowe, she’s a great cook. And so are you. I don’t see what the fuss is about.”
“She’s not a great caterer if she can’t provide full service. That is what all the fuss is about. You should be hiring people who can do full service catering, like me.”
“Marlowe, your company can’t work every wedding my company books. It would be fine if you could, but that’s not possible. You work your own gigs.” Cody crossed his fingers here. He liked Marlowe’s food just fine, but he wasn’t a big fan of tiptoeing around Marlowe’s delicate ego.
“Then make your clients wait until I’m available. Don’t cobble together a Frankenstein’s monster of an event, for crying out loud. What are you even thinking? Is it true that you recommended New York wines for a wedding?”
“Austin Baines recommended New York wines for a wedding, they were fantastic, and you should head up to Otisco Wineries and give them a try for yourself. You’ll love them. Tell Brian that I sent you.” He glanced at the computer. “Listen, man, I’m glad you brought this up. I’m not going to stop working with Sabrina, but I’ll definitely keep an eye peeled for more weddings that would work well with you, okay?”
After all, any wedding he didn’t have to work in person was a win in his book. Maybe he could promote Kristi to associate wedding planner or something. He’d always meant to do that.
All of Wednesday went like that, and he’d finally trudged back to his Franklin Street condo wanting nothing more than a warm blanket and a beer.
Cody had just found a good blanket and opened up a beer when someone rang his door buzzer. He groaned out loud. The absolute last thing that he felt like dealing with was another human being. Whoever it was, though, probably knew he was home. They could probably see his lights on.
He staggered over to the wall and pressed the buzzer. “Who is it?”
“Mr. Howell? This is Larry Wilde, Austin Baines’ attorney. Would it be possible for me to come up just for a few moments?”
Cody stared at the buzzer for a full moment. Why would Austin’s lawyer be visiting him? “Come on up.” He pressed the buzzer and let the lawyer in.
Larry Wilde was a short man with thinning gray hair and a little bit of a spare tire around the middle. He offered Cody a hand to shake. “Thank you for agreeing to meet with me this late at night, Mr. Howell. I understand that it’s well past business hours, but I wanted to keep our meeting off the record.”
Cody smiled, even as his mind raced. Austin’s lawyer could have no good reason for wanting to meet with him of all people, off the record or no. “Well, if we’re meeting off the record I’m going to have to insist that you call me Cody. It’s been a long day, and I’m ready to hang up all of the Mr.’s and the fancy shoes.”
“Then I guess I’ll have to be Larry.” Larry set his briefcase down. “Although I’m not sure that the material I’ve brought for you is much lighter that what you’ve been going through.”
“Jealous chefs, a Bridezilla, and a DJ who couldn’t quite figure out that absolutely no one likes line dancing.” Cody headed toward the kitchen. “Bring it, lawyer man. You want a beer? I’d just opened one when you rolled up.”
Larry sat down in one of Cody’s leather chairs. “Don’t mind if I do. What do you know about alpha supremacy groups?”
Cody had just pulled a beer out of the fridge. He almost dropped it now, he was laughing so hard. “You’re joking, right? That’s seriously a thing?” He walked back over to the seating area.
“I wish I was. We spoke a little bit on Saturday about Mr. Lloyd’s visit, if you’ll recall. I had an eventful meeting with Austin this afternoon up at his shop, and he shared some fascinating family stories with me.” Larry accepted his beer with a little smile. “Thank you. Local brew? I’m impressed.”
“There’s some great beer coming out if this area. Why truck stuff in if you can buy local?” Cody shrugged and sat down. “So you saw Austin. How’s he doing? Did he hire those omegas he said he was going to?”
“He did. It looks like they’re working out well. They’ve gotten a house together, the two of them, not too far from the shop. I’ve been trying for years to get him to hire someone, and he’s been a benefactor of the Omega Shelter ever since the shop turned its first profit. I don’t know why he didn’t just put two and two together before.” Larry raised an eyebrow and looked over at Cody. “Unless he suddenly thinks he’ll have something to do with his newly freed time?”
Cody knew he was blushing. His face was hot enough to fry an egg. “Don’t look at me. We’ve got a business relationship. That’s all. I like him well enough—he’s a nice guy, he’s smart and he knows what he’s doing. But we don’t have any funny business going on or anything like that.”
“No?” Larry leaned forward a little bit. “Then why did Kirby Lloyd choose to come and visit you, out of all of Austin’s clients?” He leaned back again and toyed with the neck of his beer bottle. “I’m not bringing this up to piss you off, Cody. Anything but. Austin said some things that concerned me today, both for his safety and for yours. That’s what brought me over here.”
“My safety?” Cody met his eyes and swigged from his beer. “You’re joking, right?”
“Not at all.” Larry pulled his laptop out of his bag. “Austin mentioned that his twin brother, Adrian, had gotten involved with an alpha supremacist organization while he was away at prep school. I’d never heard of anything like that at all, so I looked it up.”
“That’s really a thing.” Cody shook his head and chuckled. “That’s like saying that Onondaga County should separate from the rest of New York State.”
“It doesn’t have to make sense to us.” Larry turned his laptop to face Cody. “What matters is that they believe it. And it looks like they do. This is one group that operates near where Adrian went to school. It’s probably his organization.”
Cody swallowed and looked at the web page. The background consisted of flames, nothing but flames, which seemed pretty consistent with the message on their “about us” page. Their message was simple. Alphas were the supreme evolution of the human race, and everything else was beneath them. They sought a return to a “golden age,” when everyone knew their place and when alphas reigned supreme and absolute.
Cody turned away from it. He couldn’t look at the vitriol, or the pictures. “My god, what on earth is wrong with these people?”
“I have no idea.” Larry shook his head. “I’ve got an old college roommate who’s a prosecutor down there and he says that they’ve had a few cases come through, but not a lot. The ones they do see are mostly violent crime—murder, aggravated assault, attempted murder. We get a couple of omegas who get away, but not many. You have to get them into witness protection, almost, and then you just have to hope for the best. The families are almost never cooperative, even the victims, because they wind up buying into it.”
“It’s sick.” Cody looked at his beer and wondered if he shouldn’t trade up for something stronger. “And you think Adrian and Kirby are involved with this bunch of lunatics?”
“Oh I know Adrian is. I saw his picture on that website. I haven’t seen Kirby’s picture anywhere. I don’t know if he’s just smarter than Adrian, or cleaner. Either way, I don’t think that Austin’s safe right now. I think there is a wa
y to keep him safe, but he doesn’t like it.”
“You want me to claim him.” Cody’s mouth sounded as dry as it actually was, and he took a pull off his beer to moisten it. “I don’t know if I can do that. I’m not… he’s not on board with that.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure. He’s pretty convinced you’re not, so I guess it amounts to the same thing, but that’s a different kettle of fish I guess. I shouldn’t tell you this, because it breaches some privacy rules. Austin is pretty convinced that his brother only showed up here to try to seize his money for himself.”
Cody sat back. “Son of a bitch. I’m going to ask you again, Larry. What the hell is wrong with these people? What’s wrong with this family, that they’re letting Adrian get away with this crap?”
“It sounds to me like Adrian has sold his family on this alpha supremacy crap.” Larry put his laptop away. “Adrian has threatened to have Austin committed and declared incompetent, which would let him control his assets and possibly hand custody over to Kirby.”
Cody was on his feet like a shot. “Over my dead body.”
The corners of Larry’s mouth twitched. “I thought you guys just had a business relationship.”
“So what?” Cody started pacing. “You know that Austin’s more competent than both of us put together. And the only way that I’ll let Kirby touch Austin is if I hear a clear, enthusiastic ‘yes’ from that omega. No other way. I’ll fight him to the death if I have to, but it’s not going to happen.”
Larry’s eyes twinkled. “Of course. Anyway. At Austin’s instructions, I’ve created a living trust that kicks in as soon as Austin is found incompetent. It’s a distant possibility, let’s be real. This is the twenty-first century, and families can’t have omegas committed for refusing an arranged mating anymore. But just to be on the safe side, I did draw up and file the documents. If anything happens to Austin, his assets will be managed by a team of trustees. If he should die, his estate will be divided between his heirs, none of whom are blood relatives it should be noted. And considering that he’s recently had to take out an order of protection against his brother, I don’t think Adrian would be able to fight that will in court.”
Cody breathed a sigh of relief. “Well, I bet that’s a load off Austin’s mind.”
“It seems to be.”
Cody took another gulp of beer. “Here’s what I don’t get, Larry. You came over here because you’re concerned for my safety, and I appreciate this. Why do I need to know about his living trust?”
Larry chortled. “Well, Cody, the living will includes very specific language about what should happen if Austin should be claimed. If any alpha should claim him, without written notice beforehand to add a codicil to the trust, then the living trust kicks in.”
Cody scratched his head. “Look, Larry, I appreciate the heads up, but I’m not going to claim Austin. He doesn’t want that. He doesn’t want it from me and he doesn’t want it from anyone else.”
“Okay.” Larry shrugged. “I just figured that as someone who has intervened in favor of Austin’s safety in the past, it might be the kind of thing you’d appreciate knowing. It should be a load off your mind, anyway. If any alphas should be making inquiries or nosing around where they shouldn’t, you know what to tell them.” Larry put his empty bottle down on a coaster. “Just keep your head about you, Cody. I don’t feel comfortable with those two running around Syracuse, you know?”
“Me neither. Thanks again, Larry.” Cody escorted his odd guest to the door, and locked up behind him.
What would they think of next? Alpha supremacist organizations? Everything that Larry had shown him had been beyond disgusting. He hadn’t wanted to see any more than what was on the screen, but it definitely explained a lot. It didn’t even contradict the money grab. Adrian would think that anything belonging to Austin was his by right, so he’d try anything in his power to get his hands on what he needed.
It was scary stuff. Terrifying. Cody just couldn’t understand for the life of him what any of it had to do with him.
He wanted to protect Austin from all of it. He wanted to save Austin from the filth that had been spread out on that screen, but that wasn’t his place. It sounded like Austin had things well in hand, anyway. All he could really do was to sit back and hope that the two Texan alphas got the hint and returned home.
Chapter Eight – Contents
Austin walked to the shop with his hands in his pockets and his eyes on the ominous gray skies. He hadn’t been in the Snow Belt long enough to have developed a sixth sense for snow, not like some of the older people around there had. A Texan boy like him probably wouldn’t ever develop that weird ability that would allow him to get the snow blower out just as the first flakes dropped from the clouds.
That was why he hired someone else to deal with it. Jamie’s brother plowed his driveway, shoveled his walk and stairs, and took care of the sidewalk and entrances to the shop too. Bernie had a lot of the same vices that Jamie had, but he always cleared Austin out eventually. As long as Austin didn’t have to do it, he was satisfied.
Bernie was going to have his work cut out for him though. At least that was what the meteorologists said.
But they had a few hours before the storm hit, and Austin knew his customers. Some people ran to the grocery store to buy all the usual French toast ingredients, because if they couldn’t make French toast during a snowstorm, rescuers would surely find them in a block of ice under the kitchen table weeks later. Austin’s customers, especially those with children, bought wine.
He found Jamie already behind the register and with a customer, while Dan and Jimmy were stocking shelves. He wasn’t sure what it said about him that all of them were there before he was. Of course, he would be there after they left, possibly for a day or two if the storm was as bad as people said it was going to be, so that was the flip side.
He greeted them all, opened up the other register, and started helping customers.
The hours passed quickly. Snow started to fall at about eleven. It didn’t look bad at first, and one customer who’d only been in Central New York for about a year suggested that the storm might pass them by. Austin snickered. “First thing I learned when I moved up here from Texas, ma’am, was that the storm never passes you by. It doesn’t look too bad yet, but it’s coming. I have no doubts about that.”
By noon, the few little flakes had become significant dots of fluff. Customers made their purchases and left as quickly as they could. Outside, cars inched along West Genesee Street as commuters tried to get back to their homes. Austin sent the other three home. “There’s no reason for you to fight your way back in the snow. Don’t worry; you’ll get paid for the full day. Jamie, if you could let Bernie know that I’ll be needing his help that would be great.”
The two omegas nodded and scurried out. Austin grabbed Dan before he could edge his way out the door. “You two got food in that apartment? I know you’ve only been there for a couple of days, I didn’t know if you’d been able to go grocery shopping yet.”
Dan’s cheeks colored up and he looked down. A pang of guilt stabbed into Austin’s gut, and he grabbed a couple of loaves off of the shelf before heading over to the cheese case. “Here. It isn’t much, we don’t stock a lot in the way of food, but at least you shouldn’t starve while you’re there. Take care of yourselves and call if you have any problems. Pete, your landlord, is a good guy and he’s a friend of mine. It’ll be taken care of.”
Dan flashed a rare grin and disappeared out the door after Jimmy. Jamie balked at heading out early, but Austin shook his head. “I am walking distance from my house, and I’m perfectly able to stay here for the night. I’ve done it before.”
“Yeah, but those two assholes weren’t here before.” Jamie scowled. “I don’t like that they’re here and able to hurt you.”
Austin didn’t like it either, but he had an advantage that Adrian and Kirby didn’t. “Adrian and Kirby have lived in Texas their whole lives, buddy. They’re
not going to leave their hotel tonight. They shut down the whole county for a trace of snow back there. They definitely can’t handle this, and what we’re going to get in a couple of hours? Forget about it. I’m safe as houses.”
Jamie groused but finally left because he didn’t have much choice. Austin settled in to take care of the few brave customers still willing to face the storm. All of them were locals, stopping in on their way home.
The storm got worse as time stretched on, and Austin knew that the chances that he’d get home tonight were slim to none. That was fine. It wasn’t the first time that he’d stayed there during a blizzard. It might not be comfortable, but he had bread, cheese, and wine. He’d make it just fine.
Forty minutes after his employees went home, Austin was getting ready to throw in the towel. He could probably make it home, if he tried. He wrote up a sign on printer paper that said “closed due to storm” and was about to tape it to the front door when that same door swung open and Cody Howell ran inside.
Cody’s face was bright red, and his long eyelashes had actual snowflakes stuck in them. Austin fought down the urge to kiss them and closed the door behind him instead. “Cody! What the hell? How are you even here? There’s a blizzard, in case you haven’t noticed!”
Cody shrugged out of his jacket. “I think the correct term is ‘lake effect event.’ That’s what the guy on the radio said, anyway.”
Austin stomped on the floor and pointed out the huge picture window. “If I can’t see a car parked at the meter, it counts as a blizzard. I don’t care what that weird Mainer weatherman told you.” He retreated behind the counter, hoping to get a little further from Cody’s campfire scent. “That’s the problem with weathermen. They want to use all of these technical terms, and no one understands them, so they do dumbass things like drive out to Skaneateles in a damn blizzard and risk getting themselves killed.” He tilted his head to the side. “Er, you’re okay, right? There’s nothing earth-shattering, that would make you risk your life that way?”