"Are you sure?"

"We've double and triple checked," Marcus said, his voice tired. "I'm sorry to ruin your paternity leave plans."

"Fuck. Okay," Teddy groaned, pressing the heels of his hands against his temples. "Can you forward what you have to the White Collar Crime Division? I'm hoping if it doesn't come from me we can still get the project done before they realize anyone knows."

"Sent it over this morning. When do you guys leave?"

Teddy glanced at his watch and debated whether it was better to be stuck in rush hour traffic or risk waiting. "As soon as we get off the phone. I told the builders I was taking Carlos to a specialist in Dallas because of complications with the pregnancy, so nobody should be suspicious."

"That's a good move," Marcus said, his voice muffled. He was chewing his lips again, and it did nothing to ease Teddy's nerves. "Just be careful, okay? I don't want you getting hurt over something like this."

"Embezzlement isn't usually a violent crime." Digging around in his desk drawer, he found the spare drafting pencils he ordered, tucking them into his pocket for Carlos.

"Let's keep it that way."

"Here's to hoping," Teddy said, ending the call and tossing the phone on his desk. Even after three months, he was still getting used to his new office, situated near the back of the house they finally settled on. His favorite thing was the view it had of the backyard.

Not that there was much to see now, but once the twins arrived, Carlos had all kinds of plans for it.

Speaking of...He grabbed the overnight bag from the corner of the room. It was time to go.

Carlos made it all the way to midterms before the doctors ordered him onto bed rest. His professors were being very accommodating, but the enforced relaxation had driven the active omega up the wall within days.

"Are you ready?" Teddy asked, smiling as Carlos struggled to zip his jacket around his enormous stomach. It had been an unseasonably cool spring, and the air was brisk.

"I'm ready to be doing anything other than staring at the ceiling," Carlos grumbled, giving up on the zipper and trading the jacket for an oversized hoodie.

Teddy shoved his nerves down until he could smile. "Let's go, then."

Carlos didn't smile back. He'd been furious when Teddy had finally told him what was going on, cursing in Spanish until he'd been out of breath. The overwhelming emotion hadn't been for his own safety, but indignation on the part of all the families who were losing out on housing, month after month, just because some asshole wanted to bleed the project dry.

"I still say we should have just turned the Lions loose on them," he muttered as he let Teddy help him out to the car.

"Next time," Teddy said, holding him close enough for dark hair to tangle with his lips, "I'll let you."

"There is not going to be a next time," Carlos snapped, rubbing his stomach and glaring.

"Yes, sir," Teddy teased, snapping a salute. "I'll add it to my contract, shall I? No embezzlement allowed."

Carlos rolled his eyes. "I think that's implied in all contracts, brujo. Given it's illegal and all."

Teddy laughed, turning to open the door of the luxury SUV he leased about the time Carlos had gotten too big for his sedan. Across the street, a house that was being renovated was crawling with workers despite the hour, and his movements faltered as he recognized several of the same guys from the site.

Waving at them, he pulled Carlos closer as if he was helping him into the car. "Fake a contraction," he said, panic rising in his throat.

ZxStaring at him blankly, Carlos frowned. "What?"

The work van across the street started up. "Fake a contraction," he hissed desperately. He stared at Carlos' beautiful eyes. He stopped wearing the contacts because of the hassle of getting them in around his growing belly, and the gold picked up the light of the setting sun until they glowed. "Now," he whispered, watching the van pull up to their driveway out of the corner of his eye.

Carlos gasped, his eyes dilating as he curled around his stomach. "Fuck," he gasped, his fingers digging into Teddy's arm until his hand tingled.

It was too late. Four of the guys Teddy recognized from the site, big men who carried the heavy loads, hopped out of the van along with an unpleasantly familiar face.

"Mr. Connelly," Bill said cheerfully, the gun in his hand aimed at Carlos. "My boys and I would like to have a word with you."

With Carlos still panting from pain, clutched tight against him, there was nothing he could do but agree. "Let me get him back inside. He's having a contraction," he said calmly, trying to maneuver himself between the omega and the gun.

"Unfortunately," Bill said, his smile widening, "he's going to have to come with us. Insurance requirements and all." It was such an innocuous statement, something he'd heard the man say a hundred times on the site. Hearing it now was like a punch to the gut.

Intellectually, he'd known Bill was stealing from the project, but until that moment, he hadn't realized what it meant. This man hadn't been hapless or incompetent. He hadn't been stealing to pay off debts or feed an addiction that had him in its grips. He'd done it willingly and knowingly, and he didn't care about who got hurt in the process.

Rage glowed in his chest, brighter than anything but the need to keep Carlos safe. "You're not going to get away with this," he said with certainty.

"Hijo de puta," Carlos muttered. "Would you just shut up and get in the fucking car?" Despite his steady voice, he was shaking as he pushed Teddy forward.

Bill laughed. "Smart man. Get in the fucking car, Mr. Connelly." He waved his gun lazily. "And pardon if I don't fall into the stereotype, but I won't be telling you how I definitely will be getting away with this."

The men, still masquerading as construction workers with their hard hats and tool belts, grabbed Carlos first, prying his hands free to load him into the van. Teddy opened his mouth to protest but snapped it shut at a sharp, angry look from those golden eyes.

"I swear to God, if you get me shot because you're too stupid to keep your mouth closed," the omega growled, "I'm going to throw you to the Lions." He climbed into the van under his own power, pushing away the too helpful hands that tried to wander to his ass. "Fuck you," he spat at them.

"Feisty," Bill declared, and the other men laughed. "You're a lucky man, Mr. Connelly."

Grinding his teeth, Teddy moved to climb into the van, only to be halted by the sun-warmed steel of a gun barrel in his chest.

Bill was still smiling, but at this distance, the darkness writhing behind his eyes was plain to see. "You ride up front with me," he said. "Don't worry," he added when Teddy didn't move. "My boys will take real good care of him."

Inside the van, Carlos snorted. "I'm pregnant and hungry. You do not want to mess with me," he said, his eyes never leaving Teddy's. "Just hurry this shit up, brujo."

It took everything he had to drag his feet around to the front of the construction van and leave his omega behind. His jaw was clenched so tight he was pretty sure he cracked a tooth, and if he hadn't already, he definitely would by the time this was over. As he was climbing into the cab, he caught sight of a familiar, overweight figure standing on the corner smoking a cigarette. The doors slammed shut, and when he looked again, there was no one there.

The whole drive, he stared out the window and Bill smiled. In the back, Carlos was cursing up a storm, and anxiety prickled across Teddy's skin. They were barely at 33 weeks, but the outbursts were too perfectly timed to be fake.

It didn't take them long to get to their destination. The site was deserted this late on a Friday, the empty buildings towering lifelessly overhead. he two security guards that were supposed to be on duty at all times were nowhere to be seen, and he wondered if they were Bill's or just another obstacle for him to get rid of.

"Here we are," Bill announced unnecessarily. "Let me give you a tour of what we've been up to." He climbed out of te van, the men in the back already lifting Carlos out.

Teddy's fists clenched at the sight of their hands on him, but the omega was clearly in no position to move himself. Pale and drawn, there was sweat on his forehead despite the dropping spring temperatures. He clutched onto Teddy as soon as he was close enough, his hands clammy.

"I hope you have another miracle in you, brujo," he muttered against Teddy's shoulder right before curling around his stomach with a hoarse shout.

Bill was watching them, gun still raised, and if Teddy hadn't been sure the man was a psychopath, it was abundantly clear when he just chuckled. "Isn't the miracle of life something, boys? Get them in the building before someone hears him."

The building was #11, one of two central buildings full of wheelchair accessible units he added when the city raised the budget for the fourth time. It hadn't been painted yet, the walls all bare sheetrock and spackle lines.

"Just think, Mr. Connelly," Bill said as they walked into what would eventually be the oversized lobby. "You'll get to spend your last moments on this earth in your favorite building." He patted the scaffolding propped against the interior wall and laughed when it wobbled, something rolling around with a heavy thump.

"Tell me," Carlos groaned, rubbing his belly and trying to catch his breath, "that is not the fucking scaffolding."

"You've heard of it, then?" Bill asked, his smile widening with delight.

"Only every fucking day. 'The scaffolding is unstable.' 'The scaffolding is still there.' 'The fucking scaffolding is fucking unsafe, but nobody fucking listens to me.'" Carlos leaned heavily against the nearest bare wall and cursed. "I'm so sick of that fucking scaffolding."

The men, arrayed around the room now, chuckled and rolled their eyes.

"You have no idea," Bill said.

"It is unstable," Teddy muttered, grunting slightly when Carlos elbowed him in the ribs.

"Would you shut the fuck up about the scaffolding?" He hissed through his teeth, his eyes sliding shut as he clutched at his stomach.

Now that Teddy was looking for it, he could see the skin underneath the flowing maternity shirt twisting and bunching as the contraction spread. "Fuck." He steadied Carlos as the omega swayed, helping lower himself to the ground.

"Yeah," Carlos gasped. "Kinda what I was thinking. If you're gonna do something, brujo, I suggest doing it soon."

"Not going to feed me to the Lions?" he asked, gently smoothing dark hair back off his lover's sweaty forehead.

"Don't think I can last that long. This shit hurts."

"I love you," Teddy whispered against his hair, curling around him. "I don't know what you think I can do here." He watched Bill cross over to the doorway, looking at his watch. The light outside was fading, shadows creeping through the development. There were landscaping lights that were supposed to keep the area safe without keeping the residents awake, but the timer hadn't been set up yet. On this side of the courtyard, situated to get the morning light, it was already hard to see the building across the way.

Despite that, he could have sworn he saw something move.

Carlos sobbed against his chest as another wave of pain swamped him, his nails digging into Teddy's arm until he could feel the sting of broken skin.

"Breathe, baby," he whispered, his eyes straining to catch another glimpse. There were definitely things moving out there. More of Bill's men? None of them seemed concerned. "Breathe."

"Fucking easy for you to say," Carlos growled, lolling in Teddy's arms as the contraction left him wrung out.

"So feisty," Bill said, chuckling as Carlos flipped him off. "Take your time, gentlemen. You've got a little bit of it left." He stepped outside, pulling a phone out of his pocket.

Teddy still had his phone, but he didn't have any doubt that trying to use it would just cause them both trouble. He kept his hands on Carlos, in full view of Bill's henchmen.

"What are you waiting for?" he asked, but none of them bothered to answer.

"All right, boys," Bill said, as he wandered back in, tucking his phone away. "We're in business. Go make sure everything is ready, you two." He gestured at two of the taller men, and they gave each other a high five as they headed out the door.

The shadows shifted, and Teddy held his breath, but no one else seemed to notice.

"Teddy," Carlos whispered. His sweaty face was pressed against Teddy's neck, his lips a gentle tickle as he spoke. "Teddy."

"Yeah, sweetheart? I'm here." He had to swallow down the panic that gripped him as he gazed down at the omega. It was hard to tell in the fading light, but he looked paler than when they'd arrived here, his vibrant skin washed out to an ashy tan. Two spots of color burned in his cheeks, and his eyes were unfocused. "Look at me, Carlos."

"Something's wrong," he whispered.

Teddy's heart clenched, speeding up until it pounded in his ears, adrenaline prickling across his skin. "Everything is going to be fine."

"Liar," Carlos said, groaning a little as he shifted in Teddy's arms. "You're a terrible liar."

"Yeah," he said, his throat closing up. "Yeah, I am."

"Love that about you." His head drooped, rolling bonelessly. "Love you."

Something in Teddy's gut snapped, and he clutched the omega tight enough to bruise, as if that would keep him tethered to this world. "I love you," he said, pressing a kiss against slack lips. "I love you so much, and I promise you everything is going to be fine."

"Pick good names for them," Carlos said, his voice fading.

"I am not letting you name our daughter María Theresa Sofía Esperanza Connelly-Ramírez just because you're being dramatic," he said, his voice breaking. "She cannot have more names than Junior."

"Perfectly good name," Carlos muttered, his eyes fluttering. The familiar argument seemed to give him strength, and he lifted his head enough to glare.

Teddy laughed, kissing him with lips that were slick with tears he didn't remember shedding. "Too long," he whispered. "We'll argue about it later, okay? Just rest for now."

Carlos rolled his eyes but settled and closed his eyes.

Across the room, Bill was still watching them, but he'd begun glancing at his watch every few seconds. Teddy started to smile, something a little like hope stirring in his stomach.

"Go check on them," Bill finally said, his voice tight. "Those idiots better not be having a smoke break on my dime again." The guy he pointed at rolled his eyes and left.

Now there were just two of them, Bill and the broadest of the henchmen.

Bill started pacing across the floor, the low light making the room feel larger as the shadows merged together. It was difficult to make out details, but Teddy could tell he was getting more erratic.

"Watch out for the scaffolding," Teddy snapped as something shifted in the dark. His eyes were burning, pain stabbing into his temples as he tried to see more than vague shapes. Blind as he was, the unstable scaffold loomed like a specter over him until it weighed oppressively against his skin.

"Would you shut the fuck up about the scaffold," Bill snapped, his affable mask falling away. "I'm going to shove this scaffolding up your fucking ass." He reached up and thumped it twice with his fist, the sound echoing through the space.

It pounded against Teddy's ears, louder than his heartbeat, and in a sudden flash, he could see what was about to happen clear as day. He threw himself across Carlos' body as the first support snapped, a sharp counterpoint to the droning slide of a six-gallon bucket of spackle as it hovered on the edge of the collapsing shelf.

Bill never even saw it coming, too focused on the men Teddy was sure weren't coming back. The crash rattled through the foundation, shaking them all like an earthquake and filling his ears with so many noises that he couldn't make heads or tails of them.

When it was quiet again, he could hear someone giggling.

"Shut up, you idiot. I was looking forward to fucking that asshole up," Chuy said just before a light flared to life, blinding after so long without. "Nobody messes with the Lions."

Teddy laughed, both of the gang members giving him dirty looks as the honking noise echoed. The floor was a mess, paint and shattered tile everywhere. He couldn't even tell which pile Bill was under, and he didn't care.

"Carlos, the Lions are here," he whispered, holding him close. "Carlos?"

"...brujo..." Carlos' eyes rolled back in his head, and he slid limply to the floor.

Panicked, Teddy felt for his pulse and his heart sank when he found it weak and irregular. "Call an ambulance," he shouted at Victor, but Chuy was already on his phone, his face pale as he stared at the other omega's unmoving form.

"Come on," Victor said, squatting down next to Teddy. "If we move him out to the street, they'll be able to get him to the hospital faster." He pressed his hands to Teddy's, comforting and steady. "He'll be okay. My papá works as an ER nurse. I'll tell him you're coming."

"Thank you," Teddy gasped, clutching Carlos to his chest as they lifted him gently off the concrete. "Thank you."