By midweek, Tarek Bloom was in some kind of mood. Not only had he discovered which constable had determined missing omega Reilly Adamson was a runaway, he’d also spent a very painful hour speaking to a beta man named Aleks Painter.

Constable Fox Heely had been arrested and tried a year-and-a-half ago for his part in shuttling orphaned omegas to Fynn Lawry’s halfway house, as well as his part in the kidnapping of Jax Jenks. A quick look into the main records room showed Heely as the constable on record for the Adamson case. After a week of “investigating,” he’d filed the case away as a runaway, despite no tangible evidence in his favor. Reilly was well-loved by his beta parents and neighbors, he had no recorded outbursts against authority, and he’d yet to have his first heat.

Tarek tried interviewing Heely, but he had no incentive for the disgraced constable to cooperate, so Heely had nothing to say about Reilly. Tarek also suspected pages were missing from the original file but again, no proof and Heely wasn’t talking. The Adamsons still lived in Sansbury, mourned the disappearance of their only child four years ago, and had nothing to add to the original case, beyond more details of Hamilton’s attempt to buy their omega teenager. Same half-a-million credit offer, same no-contact demand.

The Adamsons said no; Reilly went missing; a corrupt constable deemed him a runaway.

The entire thing made Tarek alternately seethe with anger over a young life either ended or destroyed by greedy, rich, depraved men, and pray Reilly got away to live a safe life somewhere. Maybe even the mysterious sanctuary town beyond province borders where alphas, omegas, and betas lived free of gender constraints.

Tarek had never seen the town, but Braun had, and he believed his mate.

His second lead, this one from the Dales’ in-home surveillance video, had led Tarek to an apartment on River Row this morning, to a broken-down beta man named Aleks Painter. Aleks had invited Tarek in for coffee and simple shortbread cookies while they chatted, showing very little emotion at all.

“Sure, I remember Jonis and Rye Dale,” Aleks said as he poured their coffee into cracked mugs. “Neighbors for years. Bonded over having omega boys. Jonis worried the most about making sure their boy found a good mate. My son Ellis was…two years older than their Brogan? Yes, two sounds right. Brogan was only fifteen, no more than sixteen when my Ellis died.”

Training kept Tarek from reacting too strongly to that. Despite putting a request into the records room for Aleks Painter, no file existed on the man beyond a simple marriage certificate and death certificate for his late spouse. The former filed twenty-four years ago, the latter four years ago. Nothing in his file suggested Aleks and his husband had adopted, much less lost a child roughly two years before Brogan’s own parents died.

Apparently, Aleks had suffered a lot of loss in his life, so Tarek had to tread carefully.

“I’m so sorry for your loss,” Tarek said. “How did Ellis die?”

A bit of grief made it through the haunted look in Aleks’s eyes. “Hit and run. Struck by a speeding car that blew a red light. Ellis, he hung on for a few days but couldn’t stay. My husband never recovered from the loss. I swear the man died of a broken heart.”

“I can’t imagine such a loss, Mr. Painter.”

“I appreciate the company, Constable, but why are you here asking about Ellis?”

“Your name came up during an investigation, and I wanted to ask you about any interactions you might have had with a man named Senior Freya Hamilton.”

Aleks frowned. “Haven’t heard that name in years. Few months before the hit and run, someone representing Hamilton asked about Ellis. If he was close to his first heat, would we entertain a high-credit offer to give up our rights to the boy. We both told the man to go to hell, we’d never sell our only child.”

“Did the representative use the words ‘buy’ or ‘sell’ specifically?”

“Well…no, but the implication was clear enough.”

“Do you happen to remember the representative’s name?”

Aleks was quiet for several long moments. “I’d have to think hard on that. It was so long ago, and I haven’t thought of the man in years.”

“Who else did you tell about the man’s offer?”

“Commiserated with some neighbors about it. The Dales for sure. They were angry for us, couldn’t believe the audacity of some men.”

Tarek was beyond disbelieving what some men were capable of. And the fact that Hamilton had attempted out outright purchase another omega—especially one with a connection to Brogan’s family—concerned him. How many others had Hamilton attempted to procure? Had he? And what became of them? Francis would have been seventeen then, too young to mate with Ellis, even if Ellis’s parents had agreed to the match. While sixteen was the age of majority, eighteen was the minimum age for legal mating, even if the omega went into heat before that age.

He had several officers looking deeper into Hamilton’s financials, and now he had a new direction in which to point them.

“Do you recall the names of any neighbors besides the Dales?” Tarek asked. “I’d really like to speak with them.”

“I can probably come up with some. Used to live over in Littleton before I lost everyone I loved.”

Tarek’s heart hurt for the man’s deeply buried pain. To be married for nearly a quarter-century, raise a child together, and then lose them both? Tarek would be destroyed if he ever lost Braun and Rei. “I’d appreciate any names or other details you can give me.”

Aleks looked up from his lap. “You’re going after this Senior Hamilton?”

“Yes, I am. He’s been accused of some pretty heinous crimes, and it’s my job to make sure our prosecutor has enough evidence to put the man away for a long, long time.”

“Good. You do that. Be back.” Aleks wandered to a rickety dining table, where he sat with a pad of paper and pencil. The pencil scratched over paper for a while, punctuated by periods of silence as Aleks wandered into his painful past.

Tarek studied the man’s small apartment, noting nothing of any real personal value. No photos, no trinkets. Just plain furniture and a playing TV with the sound off. In some ways, Aleks reminded Tarek of Henri Farrington, a beta man whose only son Hershel was kidnapped and murdered by a trafficking ring more than two years ago. He’d had a similar air of depression and exhaustion worrying about his son’s fate. Tarek had visited the man a few times since, mostly to check on his well-being.

He’d have to add Aleks Painter to his wellness check list. No one should feel like they were completely alone in the world.

Eventually, Aleks returned with a list of names. “This is the best I could do.”

“This is great, thank you. I was wondering if you’d be willing to sit with a sketch artist. If we can get a decent rendering of Hamilton’s associate, we might be able to identify him.”

“Sure, I can do that. Probably won’t be a good sketch, though. Our meeting lasted maybe fifteen minutes.”

“Whatever you remember will be helpful. You can sit on it for a day or two before you come in. Maybe some details will come to light if you have time to think.”

“That sounds fair.”

“Just one more question, and then I’ll leave you be. Do you know a family with the last name Adamson?”

Aleks squinted. “Doesn’t sound familiar, no.”

“All right, thank you so much for your time.” Tarek handed him a card. “If you think of anything relevant, please call me at this number anytime.”

“Thank you, Constable.”

“And again, I’m so sorry for your losses.”

“My thanks.”

Tarek left, uneasy about the entire interaction, and not because of Aleks. The man was grieving terrible losses. No, he was uneasy because big chunks of Aleks’s life were missing from the main records room. A hit-and-run that killed Ellis Painter should have been attached to Aleks’s file, but it wasn’t. He called the records room for a search of Ellis’s name.

He hadn’t anticipated unraveling another conspiracy so many years after the fact, but Tarek would pull at strings until he found what he needed—until he found all the evidence available to use against Senior Hamilton.

His next appointment today was a second interview with the Adamsons down at division. Tarek hated pulling the grieving couple into this again, but he simply didn’t buy their son Reilly’s status as a runaway, especially knowing Heely had been the investigator on the case. He needed their statements about Hamilton and Heely on the record, and he spent about an hour with them in an interview room, going back over what they told him earlier in the week.

Reilly’s disappearance occurred six months after Ellis’s death, and Hamilton’s name was all over each young man’s tragic end. Reilly’s parents weren’t as washed out and empty as Aleks Painter had been, and they seemed determined to help in any way possible. Even if the eventual answer was that Reilly was dead, at least they’d finally know for sure.

Because of the timing of it all—and because neither Dent nor Udall had confessed to exactly how long they’d had the fight ring before setting up their…supply deal with Lawry—Tarek had also sent Reilly’s photo down to the morgue to match against young Jack Does, but that hadn’t netted him anything. His next step, which he was not looking forward to, was showing Reilly’s photo to Jax, Liam, Brogan and Jaysan individually, to see if they recognized him as an omega they’d fought.

Very unlikely, because Tarek was leaning toward the theory that Brogan only ended up in the fight ring out of spite on Hamilton’s behalf, but he wasn’t going to dismiss the lead before exploring it. He did, however, save those interviews for the next day. Tarek went home to cuddle his mate and son, and to once again marvel at having them both in his life.

He spent the next morning running down omegas with Patrolman Corinth as his witness to any identification. Liam was home with Layne, and he quite expectedly didn’t recognize Reilly Adamson. Liam had been a prisoner for about five months and was rescued before being forced to fight the other omegas. He hadn’t even known why he was being held until Higgs told him.

Morris had taken the week off to help around the house while Jaysan healed, and he wasn’t happy about Tarek landing on their doorstep with questions. The fight ring was a sore subject for them all, and Tarek was both apologetic and brief. Jaysan studied the photo while Morgyn nursed, and when his eyes began to sparkle with tears, Morris growled loudly on his way to the bed to comfort his mate.

“Did you know him?” Morris asked.

“No, I don’t recognize him,” Jaysan replied. “I just…feel a kinship with him, if that makes sense? I don’t know what happened to him but if he disappeared, it can’t be good. I’ve never met him, but I already hate whoever hurt him.”

“That’s because you have a beautiful, generous heart.”

“Thank you for your time,” Tarek said. “And I apologize for your distress.”

Jaysan gave him a watery smile. “Nail the fucker to the wall, okay?”

“I’ll do my best.”

Jax wasn’t home when Tarek rang the bell, and he wasn’t terribly surprised to find him at Brogan’s place. Mikel was there, too, and he was part of the pile of playing children, which Tarek found…sweet. And sweet was not a word he ever imagined associating with Mikel after his actions last spring. But Mikel was Brogan’s bondmate, so Tarek tried to keep an open mind about the young, haunted alpha.

Mikel watched from a distance, but didn’t posture or growl over Tarek’s intrusion. Brogan looked at the photo first. “I’m sorry, he doesn’t look familiar,” Brogan said.

“It’s okay,” Tarek replied. “This was all a long-shot, but I had to take it.”

“Of course.” He handed the photo over to Jax.

Jax gazed at it for a long time, holding the picture close, then at a distance, squinting and angling his head. “I’m not sure. He seems familiar.”

“Could you have fought him early on?” Tarek asked.

“It’s possible. I don’t know the name, but his face…maybe. It was so long ago. I’ve tried to forget.”

“I completely understand, Jax. Memories, especially traumatic ones, can be tricky things.” It wasn’t the yes Tarek had been hoping for, but it was enough for him to continue digging into Reilly’s disappearance as a possible kidnapping. “I appreciate your time. Both of you.”

Brogan walked Tarek to the door. “Off the record, can I ask where you got Reilly’s name?”

Tarek chewed on his bottom lip. He hadn’t told Brogan about the camcorder yet, or his conversation with Casey Tetch, and he wasn’t quite ready to do so. “I can’t disclose that source at this time, I’m sorry,” Tarek said.

“Okay, I get it. Good luck.”

“Thanks. Take care.”

On the front stoop, Tarek called Karter and gave him an update. Then he listened as Karter filled him in on what he’d found, and, both determined to unravel this entire, sordid production, they discussed which thread to pull next.

Brogan stared at the front door for a beat, until Jax’s snapping fingers snared his attention.

“What do you think that was about?”

“Another missing omega,” Brogan said with a frustrated sigh. “Goddess, it truly makes me wonder how long rich, entitled men were buying or kidnapping omegas before the fight ring was organized. It’s sickening to think about.”

“It is sickening,” Mikel said. He untangled himself from the kids and walked over to hug Brogan tight. Brogan inhaled the earthy, comforting scent of his mate, as well as a touch of anger. “I wish I could do more to help.”

“This helps.” Jax appeared by their sides, so Brogan hugged his friend, too, because Jax’s own mate wasn’t there. “Do you really think you could have fought Reilly?”

Jax shrugged. “It’s possible. I wish I could remember more clearly. I was still grieving my first mate’s death when I was kidnapped.” Mikel did know signal language beyond a few basics, so Brogan translated what his friend said.

Brogan often forgot that out of their group, only Jax had been pregnant—unknowingly but still—when he was sent to Lawry. Jax had carried, protected, and given birth to his first mate’s son, and as Karson grew, Brogan saw bits of someone not Jax in the boy.

“I didn’t realize you had a mate before Karter,” Mikel said. “Then again, I’m still very new to your group. I’m sorry for your loss.”

“Thank you. We are getting to know each other now.”

“You’ve got time to learn everyone’s tangled history,” Brogan added. “We’re a pretty interesting bunch.”

“I can tell.” Mikel kissed his temple. “Can I do anything for you guys? Seeing another possible victim must have been upsetting.”

“I’m okay.”

“I’m fine, too, but I think I will give Karson and hug and kiss.”

Brogan didn’t blame Jax for needing that comfort—holding the boy he’d protected while hurting other omegas—and he fetched Peyton for a hug, too. Peyton wasn’t having it, though, so the hug was brief. But it was enough.

Mikel came up behind him and wrapped his arms around Brogan’s waist. Rested his chin on Brogan’s shoulders, and they watched Peyton play. “Do you think whatever Bloom discovered about Reilly is connected to the video of your parents interviewing suitors?” Mikel asked in a near-whisper.

“No idea, but I hope so. It’s the best evidence we have that shows Hamilton tried to outright purchase a human being. Me. And he’d done it to others, I know it. It’s up to Tarek and the other constables to prove it. I’m just tired, you know? Tired of all the evil in the world.”

“I know, love. So am I.”

Jax snapped his fingers. “Me too.”

“Ugh, I don’t want to sit around the house today stewing on this,” Brogan said. “Let’s take the kids to Harry’s House.”

Harry’s House was an indoor playplace for kids under the age of twelve that charged a reasonable fee. They had various rooms with playground equipment, slides, a bouncy house, and even a room for kids under three to play safely without worrying about a big kid slamming into them. It was a great entertainment option in winter when it was too cold to play outside in the parks, but they didn’t go frequently because of their collective fame.

Being stared at sucked, but being approached with questions was even worse. Brogan would chance it today, though. They needed a good distraction.

“That sounds like a great idea,” Mikel said.

Jax signaled his agreement. “Let’s call the others and make a day of it.”

“Okay,” Brogan replied, his excitement over the idea increasing the more he thought about it. An afternoon with his best friends and their kids. Jaysan might not want to venture out, but someone could swing by and pick up Aeron. “I’ll make some calls.”

An hour later, their pack of omegas, babies, and Mikel descended on the under-three room at Harry’s House. A dozen other parents and kids were there, and while a few side-eyed Mikel—alphas rarely came along, especially during the work week—no one said anything rude. Kell, Braun, and Dex had their respective kids, and Brogan had indeed swung by to pick up Aeron. He loved watching all their kids rough-and-tumble with each other. Well, except for Rei who, at sixteen months, was still a bit unsteady on his feet, so he sort of did his own thing.

As soon as Branson, Peyton, and Aeron discovered the ball pit, they were off, with Gaven not far behind. Kell settled at one of the parent tables with a heavy sigh. Heading into his seventh month of pregnancy, he’d popped out since Brogan had last seen him—which hadn’t been all that long ago. Dex brought Kell a ginger ale from the concessions booth, and their group of adults gathered around to chat.

Mikel, for his part, hung back and observed.

“Did you guys know Tarek is investigating the disappearance of an omega that predates the fight ring?” Liam asked, the question directed at Braun, Kell and Dex.

“You’re kidding?” Kell said with a horrified grimace. “Goddess, no.”

Brogan confirmed, but no one really knew details.

“The name Adamson sounds familiar,” Dex said. “Probably because I filed the closed case at some point that year. Damn.”

“You don’t remember anything about it?” Liam asked.

“Not really, no. Makes me wonder how Tarek connected Reilly to your group, though.”

“Same. I want to call Isa, but I know he won’t share details of an ongoing investigation, especially one not directly tied to me.” He gave Brogan a shrewd look. “I’m surprised Tarek didn’t tell you more.”

“I asked,” Brogan said. “But he said he couldn’t give me any details yet, which means he probably will at some point. This is all connected to Hamilton somehow, it has to be.”

“Considering all the other rich alphas that the constabulary has taken down since discovering the ring, I’m amazed Hamilton has remained untouched for so long.”

“Conspiracies take years to develop and manage,” Dex replied. “Stands to reason they can take years to untangle, too, and for all the key players to be found. Those types of things don’t happen quickly.”

“True.” Brogan focused on the beta man in their group, concerned by dark circles under his eyes he hadn’t noticed before. “How’s Serge doing? Didn’t you mention last week he was having headaches?”

“Yeah, some pretty bad ones. His doctor said it was stress and to take some sick time, but you know Serge.”

“Wait, Serge is sick?” Kell asked. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

Dex squeezed Kell’s wrist. “Because we didn’t want to put any extra stress on you. He’s fine, he just needs to learn how to relax. Between work and helping with Gaven, he tries to be everyone’s hero. Maybe I should kidnap him for a weekend vacation.”

“I’ll happily watch Gaven if you do,” Braun said. “Everyone needs Uncle Serge happy and healthy when Kell’s baby arrives.”

Happy and healthy.

Brogan’s heart squeezed with grief he’d managed to forget about for a little while, and he tracked the distinctive sound of Peyton’s laughter to the ball pit. A warm hand rested lightly on the back of his neck, and Brogan knew without looking it was Mikel. Brogan knew his touch, his scent, and how attuned he already was to Brogan’s moods. It had been a little over two weeks since getting the news, and the grief was as fresh today as it had been in Dr. Wells’s office.

He didn’t want to bring his friends’ collective mood down, so Brogan said nothing and tried to enjoy his afternoon.

Mikel did his best to stay present for Brogan the rest of their time at Harry’s House. He’d never been here before, and he loved the idea of the place. A safe, indoor space where kids could run around and be kids, and he liked the obvious, closed-circuit security cameras all over the place, as well as staff on the floor monitoring the play.

No one wanted a kid to go missing for any reason.

Peyton’s utter joy at the things to do in the under-three room amused Mikel all over the place. The boy didn’t seem to know what to get into next, and he was only goaded on by the other kids, especially Branson. And their little pack welcomed in other kids wanting to join them in the pint-sized bouncy house or the ball pit.

No one else seemed to have noticed Brogan’s mood slip, but Mikel did and he’d reacted instinctively. He loved how Brogan had relaxed under his touch, even if a bit of grief remained in his eyes. So he watched over his bondmate while the other omegins—and Dex—chatted and joked. Braun produced a deck of cards after Liam bought a box of hard candies for betting, and they began playing poker with Dex and Jax, while Kell and Brogan watched.

Mikel’s attention shifted between Brogan, the poker game, and the various kids. They were all safe enough, but his alpha instincts to protect kept him vigilant in this strange environment, preventing him from relaxing and enjoying time with other people. People who were slowly starting to accept Mikel as part of the group. Maybe the acceptance had begun because of their affection for Brogan, but Mikel hoped one day they’d all look at him and consider him a friend for himself and not simply his connection to Brogan.

Something small and soft ran into Mikel’s leg, and he looked down to see a little boy with long, black hair staring up at him. Maybe two years old, he took a step back, tripped over his little ankles, and fell over onto his butt.

“Oops, little man.” Mikel squatted. “You okay?”

“Sorry,” the child said. “Didn’t see you.”

“It’s okay, no harm done.” He helped the boy stand up. “How’s your tush? No ouchie?”

“No.”

“Dillon, come here,” a harsh voice said somewhere to Mikel’s left. A young omegin who was heavily pregnant stood a few feet away, and his expression was somewhere between hostility and fear. It confused Mikel, because he wasn’t upset or threatening the kid.

“It was a little accident,” Mikel said as he stood. “No harm, no foul.”

The omegin took a step closer, and the whole incident seemed to have every adult in the room watching. “I saw you in the papers. You stay away from my kid.” Despite his belly, the man scooped up Dillon and stormed away.

Face flaming with shame, Mikel stood there like a fool, unsure what to say or do. This was the first time a complete stranger had been so rude to him over his epic screw-up with Jaysan. Mikel was not a violent man, not like his sire, but some people would always see him that way.

“Hey.” Brogan was there, in his personal space, both hands on Mikel’s shoulders. “Are you okay?”

“No. I shouldn’t have come with you.”

“Yes, you should have. You belong with me and Peyton, and there will always be rude, judgmental assholes in any space.” Brogan spoke those final few words as loudly as his damaged voice allowed. “Don’t let them get to you, please?”

“All that was completely uncalled for,” Dex said. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

Except Mikel had. He’d allowed his life to spiral out of control, he’d lost himself, and he’d stabbed a man. Now he had to live with the consequences, which seemed to include public shaming and fear from random strangers. In some ways, as an unmated alpha, he was used to the fear, particularly from unmated omegas. But for someone clearly mated to react so badly to Mikel being within two feet of his kid?

All he’d done was help the boy stand.

Despite their kind words, Mikel excused himself to the restroom and locked himself in a stall. He simply needed to calm the fuck down before he ended up having a panic attack from what had been, in the grand scheme of things, a relatively mild encounter. Still, he’d been embarrassed in front of his bondmate, and somehow that hurt more than the omegin’s words themselves.

“Mikel?”

He’d expected Brogan to follow, so Mikel was surprised by Dex’s voice in the small, two-stall room. “I’m fine,” Mikel replied.

“Bullshit. And no, Brogan didn’t send me, I volunteered.”

“Why?”

“Because I like you. You remind me of a friend I had once upon a time.”

The wistful sadness in Dex’s voice coaxed Mikel out of the stall. “A friend you had?”

Dex crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, as if having a friendly chat in a public toilet was an everyday occurrence. “Had. He, Tarek and I all met at the Academy, and we were friends for a few years after. Monte was kind of high-strung but he mostly had a good heart. He also had another friend who fueled his alphahole tendencies, and we had a huge falling out over that. He didn’t respect me or my relationship with Serge, because we were betas. Friendship aside, Monte saw us as both inferior to him.”

Mikel gaped at Dex. “And I remind you of that ass-clown?”

“Not those things specifically, no. I see Monte in the quiet moments you have with Brogan. You clearly dote on him, just like Monte doted on his mate, and it’s genuine affection. I just…I want to extend my friendship, because I don’t want to see you believe the worst things about yourself and fall into…any behavior that hurts your relationship with Brogan. You made a mistake, but you’re working hard to fix it. You deserve a second chance at happiness with your bondmate.”

“Thank you.” Mikel was beyond stunned at Dex’s generous words and offer of friendship. “Friends are rare in my experience. Growing up, I was isolated because of my sire and his violence, and I’m simply not used to others being kind for no reason. Meeting Brogan and his extended friends and family has been life-changing for me.”

“I can’t imagine what you’ve gone through. I don’t speak to my birth family any longer, but I’ve found so many amazing relationships through Tarek and Braun. So just know if you need anything, you can call me. Anytime.”

Mikel’s eyes stung. “Thank you. I think this is only our second conversation, but your husband is a very lucky man.”

“He is.” Dex winked. “But I’m lucky too, because Serge is the best. I hope you and Brogan get the happy ending you want. Truly.”

Unable to say thank you again, Mikel shook Dex’s hand. Hard. Grateful for the man’s support and friendship. Hopeful he could return it in kind. And so very glad he’d walked into Perks when he had—because without that simple, impulsive decision, Mikel might never had met his bondmate, or this amazing, generous group of people he had the privilege to call his friends.