Chapter Nine
Grayson
Grayson clenched his jaw so hard, he felt his neck muscles straining. Lochlan had agreed to let Grayson take him home but had made him change his clothes and refused to let Grayson drive saying any car as fancy as Grayson's was would only stir up suspicion. When the taxi finally pulled up to Lochlan's crumbling apartment complex, Grayson considered telling the taxi driver to continue driving as he kidnapped Lochlan and took him to a better place. The only thing stopping him was the knowledge that Lochlan had a son somewhere inside the dilapidated building.
"Thank you for the ride. I'm positive we weren't followed."
"What does this alpha look like?" Grayson asked.
"It wasn't him after me tonight. He's rich enough to higher an army of private investigators, and he's much taller than the man I saw earlier."
"Then, why do you think he had anything to do with the alpha?"
Lochlan pushed open his door sluggishly, clearly exhausted. "Because that's how Bryan operates. He has other people do his dirty work, so when the finger of blame comes swinging around, he can deny."
Grayson reached across Lochlan's lap and pulled the door shut.
"What are you doing?"
Pulling a couple of bills from his wallet, Grayson handed them to the driver. He took the bills and then raised the privacy screen between the front and back seats. A low thumping pounded from the front seat, indicating the driver had turned on some rather loud music.
"I can't let you in there," Grayson said quietly, his hand still on the door. It felt so much like the day he left Coran. Coran had told Grayson that he felt like he was coming down with something, but that he'd be fine. Grayson had believed him.
"It's not your choice." Lochlan's voice trembled.
Taking a deep breath, Grayson attempted to look around his alpha urges, the ones that told him this wasn't a safe place for this omega to be. If he held Lochlan against his will, the omega would never forgive him.
He tried a different tactic. "It would make me happy if you came with me." Weren't omegas supposed to always want to make their alpha's happy?
To Grayson's credit, there was a moment of wavering uncertainty in Lochlan's face before he pressed his lips into a firm line. "I can't."
With a harsh sigh, Grayson leaned forward, nearly resting his forehead against Lochlan's. "How do you expect me to let you go? You've given me all the evidence yourself. I had to change my clothes and we had to take this taxi to keep your neighbors from getting suspicious. There is a man following you on the orders of an alpha who seems to want you back no matter how much you tell me it is over with him. Put yourself in my place, Lochlan. Could you let me walk into possible danger?"
Lochlan nibbled at his lip. Grayson wished he wouldn't, the action only brought attention to how kissable those lips were, how pliant and alive Lochlan became in his arms. "I don't know if I could or would, but I know I need you to. I have to get home. They're worried about me."
The air whooshed out of Grayson's lungs. "They?"
Lochlan stiffened, pushing Grayson away as he pulled back. "N-no. I mean—"
It took seconds for Grayson to get out of the taxi, sprint around to Lochlan's side and pull him out. He tugged the omega behind him to the door. "What is the code?" Grayson barked.
Lochlan stammered. "Grayson, I don't know what you think right now but—"
"The code."
Lochlan told him, and he pushed the buttons before swinging the lobby door open.
"What floor?"
There was only silence as Lochlan had suddenly found something fascinating on the ground to stare at. Grayson knew he was acting unreasonable, but he was also on the verge of exploding. Lochlan was still lying to him. At this point, Grayson fully expected to find a happy little family inside of Lochlan's apartment complete with son and alpha father.
There probably wasn't even anyone following him. Grayson didn't know why Lochlan continued to lie to him, but Grayson was determined to catch him in this one. He thought they'd reached an understanding back at his building and now all of what happened, everything that was said, it looked more and more like it was an act.
Kissing Lochlan had been amazing but was also the first time Grayson had kissed someone other than Coran and had it mean something. It was scary and troubling. And if Grayson could discover Lochlan in a lie, he thought maybe then he could fire him and block him from his mind with a clear conscious. He could get back to his normal life. Except, that life didn't seem so appealing right at that moment. "I can find your apartment on my own, but I don't think you will like methods."
"Don't do this."
Everything from Lochlan's tone to the way he held his body made Grayson want to give in. But he needed to know how far this deception went. He didn't think Lochlan was mated since no mate would be able to send his omega into the arms of another, but he could be married to an alpha as sneaky and enterprising as Lochlan was. Grayson needed to know what damage had already been done to his company. "What. Floor."
"Fine!" Lochlan growled, stomping up the steps.
He didn't know what to make of Lochlan's sudden change in mood. Grayson shook his head. In moments, Lochlan's thoughts and feelings would cease to matter as soon as he saw with his own eyes that this was all a con.
They walked up several flights of stairs, and by the fourth one, Lochlan was breathing hard, barely holding on to the box of pastries that had somehow made it through this whole ordeal. Grayson ripped them from his hands so he wouldn't drop them. "Is it much farther?"
"Why? Do you…need a…break?" Lochlan bit out between gasps. This was a lot of work for him, and Grayson wanted nothing more than to carry him and ease his struggling. But that was the problem, wasn't it? Something about Lochlan made Grayson want to make his life easy.
No wonder he'd been such pushover.
They stopped at the second door in. This one was cleaner than the others in the hallway but had the same peeling wallpaper and yellow discoloration towards the top where water had obviously leaked through. Lochlan knocked on the door in a rhythmic pattern.
"Did you forget your keys?"
Before Lochlan could answer, there was a small, female voice on the other side of the door. "Password?"
What the hell?
Lochlan turned to him, an intensity in his expression. "You meant your promise, back at work, right? When you see how idiotic you've been, you'll remember your promise, right?"
Grayson figured he had to be talking about when Grayson promised not to tell anyone about his son. "Yes," he replied curtly because Grayson wasn't interested in blabbing about Lochlan's son and why would that matter anyway since the alpha was clearly inside as well?
"Password?" the girl's voice said, this time it trembled.
"Community," Lochlan replied.
There was a squeak, and a series of bangs from inside before the door eased open slowly.
Lochlan stepped forward, opening the door wide. "Look for yourself," he spat, and Grayson couldn't help but think he had made a terrible mistake by forcing his way up here.
Or, Lochlan was just a great actor and was playing the part to the very end. With that in mind, Grayson stomped in, passing a tiny but clean kitchen and into a living room where a small boy sat on the couch next to a girl who looked entirely too young to be so pregnant. Next to them on the other side of the couch was another omega that Grayson thought he recognized. Then he did remember, the omega from the train tracks. "What is this? A half-way house?" Grayson asked, turning to Lochlan who looked to be doing his best for his family to seem like Grayson hadn't just barged is way into his home.
"Kind of. This is my son, Pax," Lochlan said, as he did, Pax leaped off the couch and into his arms.
Grayson noticed Lochlan's wince when catching the small boy but doubted the boy had any idea.
"This is Lucy," Lochlan said, carrying his son closer to the female omega.
She stood, her head bowed, her hands clasped in front of her body.
Grayson recognized the pose from countless other battered omegas he'd researched or witnessed in his lifetime. Tradition stated an omega was to be humble and docile, to greet each alpha respectfully with eyes down. It was bullshit. "It is nice to meet you, Lucy," Grayson said, reaching his hand out. Lucy stared at it. "Please lift your face and know you can always keep it held high around me."
It was as if Grayson had told her to turn into an octopus and do the waltz. Grayson might have laughed if her expression wasn't just proof of how she'd been abused by alphas during her years.
"And you've met Zain," Lochlan said, except something had changed in his tone. He didn't seem angry anymore. He didn't sound happy either, but more contemplative.
"I didn't get to catch your name. Nice to meet you as well, Zain. Looks like you have healed nicely."
"Thank you, sir," Zain replied quietly.
"It's just Grayson," Grayson replied. "And I am afraid I have done a very foolish thing in barging in here. I am very sorry."
While there was a glimmer of I told you so in Lochlan's eyes, there was also appreciation. Grayson hadn't said what he had for Lochlan's appreciation though. It was apparent that no alpha lived in the apartment and that the they Lochlan had referred to had been the people that depended on him. "I should really get going," Grayson said, wondering what he could do to make this up to Lochlan as he backtracked to the door.
"You don't have to," Lucy squeaked. "The rest of us ate, but I made dinner for Lochlan, and there is plenty extra. It is late, so not many places are open if you haven't eaten."
He hadn't eaten, being first consumed by catching up at work and then consumed by a sleeping omega. It was likely closer to the next morning at this point, and he would leave here to go home and lay on his bed until he was able to go back to work.
He was hungry, but, Grayson wasn't about to intrude on Lochlan's life any longer without his permission. He looked to the omega who seemed so much taller when he was here in his apartment as if he had to hunch in the outside world, but here, he could stand proud.
"You might as well get dinner. You gave me doughnuts after all."
To that, Pax cried out, "Doughnuts!"
Lucy rushed into the kitchen pulling down dishes and setting the table. "We were waiting for Lochlan to come home which is why we were all awake at this hour. Well, Pax was sleeping."
"I was not!" Pax said, eying a raspberry filled pastry.
Grayson noticed the bags next to the couch then and spun around to Lochlan. "The man following you? What was your plan? For them to run?"
"If they needed to, for their safety," Lochlan replied unapologetically.
Panic clawed at Grayson's insides. What happened the next time when Grayson wasn't there? When Lochlan decided it was best for them all to run? "Where would you go?"
Lochlan frowned. "Let's eat."
Grayson swallowed his tsunami of follow-up questions. Lochlan disappeared to lay Pax down while Lucy dished them up bowls of stew. The food smelled amazing. Grayson tried to think back to the last time he'd had a home-cooked meal and couldn't remember. He told Lucy as much, which only made her blush profusely and then excuse herself.
Zain remained on the couch until the two of them were alone. He got up when Lucy walked out and stood next to the table. Grayson tried to see him as he was, a bruised omega with a hard life behind him but he still had this sense of distrust when it came to the man. "I can cook," Zain said, his voice soft.
"That's a great skill," Grayson replied.
"I could show you sometime."
While Grayson's instinct was to tell the omega he had no interest and that he didn't appreciate him sniffing at him moments after arriving with the omega that had taken him in, he held his tongue.
"You should get to sleep," Lochlan said, coming from the hallway, his words just sharp enough to let Zain know it wasn't a suggestion. His eyes narrowed on how closely Zain stood, the hand he'd draped across the back of Grayson's chair.
Grayson bit the inside of his cheeks to keep from smiling. Lochlan was jealous. He liked that too much.
"You're in my bedroom," Zain replied.
The apartment was so tiny, the dining room and living room shared the same space. They could eat in the kitchen, but it wouldn't be that much farther from where Zain would be trying to sleep.
"He isn't wrong. Usually, when I get in I just eat in my bedroom or wait," Lochlan said apologetically.
Grayson ignored the implication that his omega arrived home late often. With as far away this part of town was from work, Grayson imagined it wouldn't take long for Lochlan's commute to push into the evening hours. "Grab the bowls," Grayson said, snagging a couple of chairs. Lochlan followed him into the hallway where they say next to the door and with their bowls in their laps. At this time of night, the hallway was quiet. "This is good."
Lochlan nodded. "Lucy is a great cook. Good thing too, Pax was getting sick of fast food."
"How long have you lived with Lucy?"
"Around two months. I found her crying in a subway car. She looked so much like Pax, and honestly, not much older. I thought she was lost until I saw she was pregnant."
"She still looks young."
"The legal age to marry an omega is whenever the alpha says, right?" Lochlan replied bitterly.
Grayson knew he didn't mean the words to be an attack on him. He wasn't entirely correct either. There were rules regarding when alphas could take their mates or when they could marry an omega, but the rules were lenient for a reason. It was generally believed that an alpha would have his omega's best interests at heart.
That hadn't been the case with Lucy or Zain. And, as much as he hated to think about it, it obviously hadn't been the case with Lochlan either. As much as Grayson wanted to defend his gender, he couldn't, so he listened instead.
"She was in rough shape when I found her. I wasn't sure if she would be able to keep the baby, but she did, and now she's learning."
"She looked happy," Grayson said before taking another bite.
"She looks not terrified. It's a start." Lochlan sounded so tired that Grayson wanted to take the bowl from him and feed the omega so he wouldn't even have to lift his arms.
He didn't think such a gesture would be appreciated. There had to be a way to share some of the weight.
"Thank you, inside, for handling Zain so delicately," Lochlan continued. "I'm not sure what his history is yet since he hasn't opened up. I've witnessed some problematic things, but, his behavior isn't all that uncommon." He laughed once bitterly. "You got to see the spectrum of omega personalities tonight—The meek servant all the way to the overtly sexual. I don't condemn Zain for using the tools he learned to survive."
Grayson had never thought of it that way. The most important omega in his life up until this point had never used his sexuality as a tool, but then, Coran hadn't had to ask for much when Grayson was around. He'd made it his job to anticipate Coran's needs. "I don't need your thanks, but I will ask for your forgiveness. I should have trusted you earlier. It's just, something has seemed so different about you, and it would have been so easy for me to discover you were involved in some con."
"Different? How?"
Grayson set his bowl down. "I don't care this easily. But I do care, about you. Too much."
"What are you talking about? You literally built a business from the ground up with the mission of making omegas' lives easier."
"That isn't caring, that's redemption. Coran, all the ways I wasn't there for him when I should have been, he's a name on my list. Like you."
"Why am I on your list?" There was a moment of silence and then. "Oh. Because of five years ago." Lochlan reached down for Grayson's dish and stacked it inside his. "Well, you can see I turned out fine. Better than fine. Things get exciting now and again, but I am sure I lost that tail earlier, and I'll be more careful leaving and going to work from now on. You can cross me off your list," Lochlan said as he got to his feet. "You don't have to care for me anymore."
Grayson stood, smoothly grabbing the dishes from Lochlan and setting them on a chair before sliding his palm over the side of Lochlan's face. "That isn't why I care for you," he murmured, his face swaying closer and closer to Lochlan's. "The reason for that is still a mystery. I know my mate died when Coran died. I've never been interested in a physical relationship without the prospect of knotting, of connecting with my partner, until you."
Pain flashed through Lochlan's expression before he swiftly blinked it away. "You want a physical relationship with me?"
Grayson buried his face against Lochlan's neck. "Fuck, I want to do so much more than that. I want to tie you up and keep you naked, waiting and willing for whenever I want you. Which would be always."
Thankfully, Lochlan trembled with desire instead of pushing him away in disgust. "That doesn't sound completely horrible," Lochlan admitted.
Grayson erased the fraction of space between their lips. He held Lochlan in place with a hand on his cheek and the other pressing into the small of his back. Lochlan's moan sounded loud in the quiet hallway, but Grayson couldn't find the will to stop. Instead, he pushed Lochlan back against the hallway wall, using his leverage to press against him. Lochlan's mouth opened, and Grayson invaded the space, conquering his omega's mouth with his tongue while lapping up the tiny noises Lochlan made.
Somewhere down the hallway, a baby began to cry, and the change in Lochlan was instant. He pushed at Grayson's chest, not enough to physically move him but to indicate this passionate moment was over. Grayson bit back his growl and released Lochlan. "I'm going to leave now. Be outside your apartment tomorrow morning at eight, I'll have my driver take you to work."
"Grayson, you don't have—"
"I know that I don't control you and that you don't owe me anything, but please, allow me this. You'll be able to sleep longer if you don't have to take public transport and I absolutely demand that you spend that extra time dreaming of me."
Lochlan smiled. "Fine."