Jax woke to streaming morning sunlight and no clear sense that a surge was nearby, so he stretched and existed in the peaceful moment for a few minutes. Until he became aware of the empty bed and scent of bacon frying. He sat up, the ample layers of bedding bunched up around his waist. Karter was in the kitchen area cooking what was likely a late breakfast.

He watched his alpha for a few moments, as he moved around the small space in only sweatpants, the toned muscles in his back and shoulders moving and bunching as he cooked. Completely at ease in the strange kitchen and doing an omega’s duty. Jax had always cooked for Eroch. During heats, Eroch ordered delivery because the man simply didn’t know how to cook. Karter cooking for him was such a novelty that he couldn’t look away.

Until Karter turned and spotted him awake. “Morning.”

Jax signaled, “Good morning.”

“I hope you’re hungry, because I have a pile of bacon and eggs for us.”

“Yes, thank you.”

He popped into the bathroom to piss, then joined his alpha at the small kitchen table. The food was plentiful, and while it didn’t have the same amazing taste he expected, thanks to his heat, Jax still cleaned his plate. He needed the fuel, and he’d eat anything his mate gave him. He also expected at least a morning kiss, but Karter was keeping an intentional distance, and by the time they’d both eaten and cleaned up, Jax was getting frustrated.

“Did I do something wrong?”

“What? Of course not.” Karter looked wounded. “Why would you think you did something wrong?”

“Because you haven’t touched me once since I woke up.”

“I didn’t think you wanted me to.”

Jax frowned. They were both standing, facing each other, so he took Karter’s hand and squeezed tight once before writing. “You’re my mate. Why would I refuse your touch?”

Karter shrugged, his big body somehow trying to shrink in on itself. “You didn’t want my knot earlier.” The dejection in his voice hurt Jax’s heart, and he hated that his alpha was upset. He pulled Karter into a firm hug, trying to voice his affection without words.

“I don’t understand,” Karter whispered. “I know you don’t need a knot with every surge, but I thought…I’d hoped…help me understand.”

Jax wasn’t sure he understood, either, so he held his alpha while he pondered Karter’s pain. And his own personal needs with this heat, and suddenly it made sense. He hated releasing Karter, but he needed his hands.

“I could choose. With Eroch, he came with each surge, whether I asked for him or not. And then I was a prisoner and couldn’t make choices. Last night I made the choice for myself, Karter. I chose to endure the surge alone. I didn’t mean to hurt you, or for you to feel rejected. That wasn’t my intention, I promise.”

Karter read the note more than once, and understanding began to smooth the lines around his eyes. “Oh. That makes sense. Ugh, I’m so sorry I made it all about me.”

“It’s okay. We’re still getting to know each other. I still have so much to process from this past year, and it will take time. Heat came too soon, and I’m following my instincts as best I can to get through it.”

“I know, and I’m trying to do my best by you, love. You’re right, we are still getting to know each other, so whatever you need, tell me.” Karter smiled shyly. “Knot or no knot, I’m here for you.”

“Thank you.” Jax studied his mate, who was still so young and earnest and eager to please his omega. He was fucking adorable. “I’d like you to knot me during the next surge. I want to feel close to you and give you pleasure.”

The way Karter’s entire body lit up made the decision worthwhile, even if Jax wasn’t one-hundred perfect sure he wanted it. But they had some time before the next surge, and Jax needed to please his mate. His alpha.

And he did please his mate, about an hour later when the new surge hit. They rolled around in bed together, kissing and biting and rubbing. Karter spent an agonizing amount of time licking Jax’s entrance, urging two orgasms out of Jax, before finally putting on a condom and sliding home. They rutted together, both of them chasing the same thing—Karter’s release and pleasure. And when he finally swelled inside of Jax, they curled up close and basked in their physical connection while it lasted.

Jax kissed his mate’s hands and held them over his heart, happy to be in this place of warmth and safety. The bubble wouldn’t last, of course, but Jax cherished it while he had it.

* * *

Tarek could not see the surface of his desk for all the files on top, and he gaped at it for several moments before moving. The warrant on Bellair Financial had been served over the weekend, and these were the records he’d asked for, delivered right to his desk.

He also had the official coroner’s report on the dead omega, which he’d already been informed about over the phone yesterday afternoon. The poor omega had hemorrhaged out after giving birth. He also had an enlarged heart, and his blood had remnants of the same steroids they’d found in Jax’s blood work. Unlike Jax, though, this omega’s blood also showed high levels of lead, which suggested he was exposed to it, or had somehow ingested it during his captivity.

Tarek had already sent a request out for all abandoned properties that were known to have used lead paint, or where lead was used in production. Should have that list by lunch. For now, he had stacks of Bellair paperwork to sort through.

Mad Dog Productions had created an account through Jo Ferral three weeks after Udall’s credit card went dark. Udall’s name wasn’t on the account, though; it had been opened by an alpha named Esom Dent. Dent’s own personal credit card went dark one week later. Optimistic he’d just found the second alpha involved in the ring, he put a patrolmen on tracking down every bit of personal information he could find on Dent, including his ID photo.

The last thing Tarek wanted to do was interrupt Jax’s heat, but this was important enough to warrant a phone call later.

Mad Dog received payments roughly every three weeks, varying amounts, and the two made by Iverson matched the pattern. Could be the fight schedule. All through banks, no direct names attached to the payments, which meant more research and more warrants, but this was the big break he needed. It was as close to proof as he’d gotten that this ring existed, and a lot of big money was involved.

He wanted to squeeze Iverson right away, see if he could get something out of him, but he didn’t want to tip him off about Jax. He’d played that game already with Lawry and it hadn’t netted him anything concrete. No, he needed to protect Jax for as long as possible.

Higgs surprised him by stepping into the office; he didn’t come downstairs all that often, unless he needed backup on a case. “You look like you’ve got your work cut out for you,” Higgs said, eyeballing the stack of files.

“I got exactly what I asked for,” Tarek replied. “Ferral has a lot of accounts, and I doubt Mad Dog is his only shady one.”

“But it’s the one you’re most interested in.”

“Absolutely. There is no longer any doubt in my mind that Mad Dog is behind the Fight Club. Locating these bastards is going to be the biggest problem, but I’ve got a new lead from the coroner that someone’s running down for me.”

“Sounds like you have things well in hand, then.”

“Yes, sir, I just have to play it very carefully. With Ferral in custody, the other players could get spooked. They could tamper with or destroy evidence if they think their identities are in danger of being revealed.”

“Then make every move count. And if you think you’re getting overwhelmed, bring on a partner. Heely’s a good investigator, he’d be an asset.”

“I’ll consider it, sir.” Tarek wasn’t ready to partner up on this. Not yet.

“Then good luck.” Higgs wandered out.

Tarek tried not to assign any particular motive to the visit. This could be a potentially huge case to break, and it made sense his supervisor was keeping abreast of the investigation.

The file on Dent arrived faster than he expected. Unmated, moved from another province four years ago. No direct tie to Udall, but he also banked with Bellair before his card use ended. No apparent personal connection to Ferral, but that meant nothing. People met under all sorts of circumstances.

He called Jenks, unsurprised to get his voice mail, so he left a message about Jax possibly doing a photo ID on the second captor. Then he finished sorting through the Bellair reports, until he was convinced he had the “buyers” in the Fight Club nailed down. He filled out the paperwork he needed, then sent a patrolman to the courts building for more warrants. He was keeping the clerk busy today, for sure.

The morning got away from him somehow, but when he looked up from reading more reports, Ronin was standing by his desk with a takeout pizza box and two sodas. “Braun sent me,” he said before Tarek could ask. “He had a feeling you’d work through lunch.”

“He knows me too well.” Tarek pulled the tab on the soda and gulped some down, surprised at how thirsty he was. “Thank you.”

“Not a problem. This all Jax’s case?”

“Yup.” He gratefully accepted a slice of garlic and mushroom pizza. “It’s getting intense. Iverson is the tip of the iceberg this time.”

“I can imagine. What is it about power and wealth that turn people into the worst kinds of human beings?”

“I wish I knew, man.”

Ronin took a slice of pizza for himself. “Any news on whether Jax is going to need me?”

“No, the beta couple hasn’t called me back with a decision. I’ll follow up tomorrow, if I haven’t heard from them.”

“Sometimes it’s hard to choose between compassion and your personal sense of justice.”

“I’m a constable, believe me, I know that all too well.” Tarek reached for a second slice, ravenous now that his hunger had awoken. “So who’s place are they at today?”

Ronin snickered. “Yours. Sometimes I think I should just rent a camper for your driveway, so those two can be close together at all times.”

Tarek grinned around his food. He loved seeing Braun and Kell spending so much time together now that they’d been reunited. They were in each other’s back pockets all the time, either at Tarek’s cottage or Ronin’s apartment. He’d floated this idea once before, but maybe it was worth revisiting. “We should just go all-in and buy a house for all four of us to live in.”

“Five, don’t forget Branson.” Ronin’s eyebrows winged up. “Maybe six?”

“Maybe. Braun’s showing symptoms, but he’s so nervous about taking the test to know for sure.” Tarek was ninety-seven percent sure Braun was pregnant. His scent had subtly changed, and he was tired and nauseated recently, but his omega was a stubborn little firecracker. He’d put off the home test as long as he could before Tarek insisted.

“I don’t blame Braun for being worried,” Ronin said. “Kell told me how badly Branson’s delivery went. And that their omegin had similar birth problems.”

“We’ll take every possible precaution.” Tarek couldn’t help a flash of pride at the idea of having impregnated Braun their first and only time knotting without a condom. Ronin and Kell were due to mate during his next heat in roughly two months. The mental image of both Etting brothers pregnant at the same time blew Tarek’s mind a little bit.

“Let’s look at connected homes, then,” Tarek said. “Instead of you and Kell looking for just yourselves, let’s find something for our entire family.”

“Really? You’d sell the cottage?”

“It’s a house. I’d sell it in a heartbeat if it makes Braun happy. We can search for two places side by side, or across the street. Whatever. I think it would be a wonderful surprise for our omegas.”

Ronin grinned. “I agree. I’ll call my realtor and inform him of the change.”

“Excellent.” Now that the idea was in his head, Tarek loved it. Braun would be thrilled to live closer to his brother, maybe even share the same building. For three years, Braun had worried about Kell from a distance, nearly lost him to childbirth, and then nearly lost him again to the courts. Seeing the pair reunited on the steps of the court building after Kell was set free by Judge Mendes was one of Tarek’s favorite memories.

He’d do anything to make his omega happy.

The lead-contaminated property list arrived just as Ronin left with the last few slices of pizza. The list was pretty long, considering how old Sansbury Province was, and how many abandoned homes and factories there were nowadays. So many people were leaving for better opportunities elsewhere. And with so many residents on government support subsidies, there wasn’t a lot left over to invest in businesses or growth.

But that wasn’t Tarek’s concern right now. He cross-matched the list of property foreclosures against Bellair records, but found no direct connection, so that didn’t narrow anything down. Time to do some driving.

And given he was going to go poking around abandoned buildings where any number of vagrants or Flax addicts could live, Tarek took Higgs’s advice and called Heely for backup. They were friendly, and they’d infrequently gone out for beers after a shift in the past. Heely was a good constable—even if Tarek still held the tiniest of grudges against Heely for being the one to deliver a recently-orphaned Braun into Fynn Lawry’s evil hands.

The first two old homes were in the Narrows, and they showed no signs of having been occupied in the last year or so. They were parking in front of the third location when Tarek’s phone rang.

“Bloom.”

“It’s Karter Jenks.” The younger alpha sounded perturbed, and Tarek wasn’t surprised. No one liked it when work interrupted a heat. Tarek had learned that lesson the hard way with Braun. “You think you have the other captor?”

“Yes, I do,” Tarek replied. “I know this is inconvenient, but the sooner I can get a positive ID from Jax, the sooner we’ll get a BOLO out there on this guy.”

Jenks grumbled. “I know.”

“Look, I know all the possessive feelings you’ve got going on right now, pal, believe me. We can do the ID through the door, I don’t even have to come inside wherever you guys are.” All Tarek knew was that Karson was with Serge and Dex, and that Jenks had spirited his omega away to parts unknown. “You’re still in Sansbury, right?”

“Yes, on the outskirts. I don’t like it, but Jax wants to do this. We just got through a surge, so your best bet is to come over now.” Jenks gave him an address.

“All right, I’ll be there soon.”

“You should head over,” Heely said once he’d hung up. “I’ll call in for someone to back me up here, and I’ll check out a few more places before sundown.”

Tarek hated turning over his investigation, but he needed this ID. He could trust Heely to check a few more places today, and then Tarek would take over again tomorrow. “All right, but let’s search this place while we wait for your backup. I’ve got a few hours to get to Jenks, and I know the place he’s at. Won’t take forty minutes to get there from here.”

“All right, Bloom. Sounds like a plan.”

* * *

Karter hated the fact that another alpha was going to be near his omega during heat. Hated. It. But this was Jax’s choice, and he’d respect that choice, even while actively hating it. After his call to Tarek, he made sure Jax had a thorough shower and was fully dressed, and they were eating supper when a car engine disturbed the peaceful silence.

They stood as one, and he appreciated that Jax remained behind him. Tarek surprised him by calling his phone. “I’m outside,” he said.

“I heard you.” Karter prickled with unease and anger, knowing Tarek could smell his omega’s heat and pheromones, and if the man got an erection, Karter would lose it. He didn’t care about biology. Jax was his.

He approached the large pane of glass in the cabin’s front door. Tarek pressed a photograph against it from an arm’s length away.

“Ask Jax if this is one of the men who had him.”

Karter repeated the question, then stepped to one side. Jax leaned forward. His eyes went wide, and he backpedaled, nodding fiercely as he retreated from the door.

“That’s a yes,” Tarek said. “And it’s exactly what I needed. I have his official statement with me. Have him add this identification and sign it, and then I’m out of here.”

“Okay.” He opened the door far enough to take the paperwork, then carried to where Jax had retreated by the bed. Jax’s fingers shook as he made his statement, and Karter raged at Tarek for bringing this pain to his omega. Logically, it wasn’t Tarek’s fault, but he was the easiest target right now.

Minutes later, Tarek’s car was driving away, and some of Karter’s anger faded. He needed to be calm for Jax, who was in his own kind of pain after seeing that photograph. Karter returned to the bed and gathered Jax up in his arms. Jax’s beard scratched against his neck as Jax buried his face and trembled.

“He can’t hurt you anymore,” Karter whispered. “Never again. I’ve got you, Jax, you’re here with me. Safe.”

Jax shook harder, probably from the heightened emotions surrounding heat. Karter yanked the coverlet up and wrapped it around them, creating a cocoon of warmth and safety, while Jax worked through it. Karter soothed him with soft words and shushing sounds, glad Jax wasn’t crying. Tears would have been too much, and Karter would probably have started breaking furniture to release his rage.

“What can I do?”

Jax held him tighter, so they sat like that for a while, until Jax relaxed and stopped trembling all over. A terrible thought occurred to Karter, and he hated voicing it, but he had to know. “Love, the alphas who kept you…did they ever force you?”

Jax lifted his head, cheeks red but eyes clear, and he frowned. Then cast about for the scrap paper on the bedside table. “I told you they forced me to fight.”

“Not that.” Karter swallowed down rising bile. “Did they ever rape you?”

He shook his head no and blinked twice to emphasize. “No, they often said pregnant omegas disgusted them, but the credits they got from the fights was worth being around us. They only touched me to take me from my room to wherever I was fighting. I became terrified to see them, because it meant pain. I haven’t lost that instinct yet.”

“It’s something we can work on. You don’t have to be afraid of them forever.” Karter kissed Jax’s damp forehead. “I’ll keep you safe.”

“Safe from the monsters in my head?”

“Safe from anyone and anything who tries to hurt you. Always, mate of mine.”

They still had roughly twenty-four hours left in Jax’s heat. Twenty-four more hours to spend basking in each other and pretending the real world wasn’t out there. No enemies, no abductors, and no monsters. Twenty-four hours to show his omega exactly how much he was treasured and adored.

“How do you feel about a massage?”

Jax perked up. With a tender smile, he pulled off his thermal shirt and gave it a careless toss to the floor. Karter got a bottle of massage oil from the bathroom, and then went about making his omega as boneless and happy as humanly possible.