Al’s alpha scent flares darkly in warning, and he stabs his finger toward my chest. “Hey, now. Maybe I’ve dabbled in haze, but never from an unwilling omega. That shit doesn’t fly with me either.” His lip curls in disgust before he shakes his head. “So, Zack’s collateral in the Tax Collector’s grudge against Red?”
I nod and tell him about the text messages. Got nothing to lose at this point.
“Fuck me sideways.” He grumbles some more under his breath, and then lies back, staring unseeing at the roof. “I don’t think you understand the real problem with the Tax Collector,” he says after a long pause. “He’s estimated to be worth a billion dollars in black-market money.” He turns his head and glares at me. “You got any idea the power that kind of moolah gives a person?”
Strangely enough, I do know. Not only have I represented some of the wealthiest business owners in the country, but I have personal experience.
Al makes a strangled noise and curls his hands into fists. “He’s got too much influence in the prison. Not sure when he got sentenced, but he only turned up this morning, looking fresh as spring daisies, all dolled up in a dress shirt and smiles.” He shakes his head and lowers his voice to a whisper. “A few broken ribs are nothing compared to what the Tax Collector can do in there. Zack’ll be dead before we blink.”
My heart sinks. I’ve given the legal system my blood, sweat, and tears. Poured out my soul, neglected my best friend and family, and abandoned my omega for this career. I always knew this profession had a dark side where money spoke more than law and I even used it to my advantage a few times.
But now everything I’ve done feels dirty and . . . twisted. More and more, I’m questioning exactly what I sacrificed my life for.
I run one hand roughly through my hair. “So the money’s the problem?” I mutter.
Al nods grimly.
I grunt. Really, the solution is simple. “And if I cut off the money supply?”
He cocks his head and scoffs quietly. “That’s a big ask, but if you freeze that cash faucet, I can isolate Ray enough to keep him away from your boy.”
Funny enough, I don’t mind the reference to Zack as my boy. Ever since he got arrested, I’ve felt oddly protective of him. Maybe because I saw how much his absence affected Red.
Maybe for some other reason.
Al rocks his hand, making the cuff links jingle. “Go ahead and try, I guess. But you need to do it loudly, so everybody and their brother knows his funding’s cut.”
I nod. I’m not an agent, but Hale and I are both pretty good at digging stuff up. And now I’ve got an entire OCB task force just itching for leads to follow. “Give me the names of anyone you saw piling on Zack. We’ll find that money.”
Another thought strikes me. The moment we catch a whiff of the dollars, I’ll file a restitution claim on behalf of Red. God knows most of those profits came from her haze. The street value for the amount of omega pheromone I’ve calculated will be in the hundreds of millions. It won’t take away from the pain she’s suffered, but it might sweeten her future.
“I can get you some names.” Al eyes me up and down. “I’ve already stuck my neck out for that psycho, but I’m not doing it again for nothing.” He nods toward the curtain. “Do we have a deal?”
I offer my hand without hesitation. Something tells me Zack won’t hold back next time, but if nothing else, we owe Al for breaking up the first fight. If we lost Zack and I was comforting a grieving omega right now, instead of protecting her dignity while she enjoys her lover’s knot, well . . . I can’t bear to imagine it.
Al grins. “All right, into the fray, men. Nothing quite like staking your life on a kindergartner trapped in a dominant’s body.” He rumbles at his own joke.
But oddly enough, that’s not how I see Zack. Clumsy speech, yes, but he’s more like a bamboo plant that’s lain dormant for years. Now he’s growing at superhuman speed, and it makes me wonder just how far he’ll go. I’m excited to see it.
“You know,” Alhedy says, “it wouldn’t hurt to buy a few more people to put on his protection detail, if you know what I mean.” He rubs his thumb and index finger together, indicating money. “Being a Wren and all, I’m sure you can do it.”
I stare him down.
He doesn’t flinch. Instead he shrugs. “That’s just how prison is, Callisto. I’m good, but I’m only one man. I’ll get one of my guys to come over from Darinian and we’ll do everything in cash.”
“Fine,” I grumble. “But you have to keep Zack safe.”
Alhedy nods.
In the following silence, the man in question raises his voice. “Ohm-ga, what Ray do to you?” The ominous tone in his voice makes my soul quiver.
I tense, straining to hear.
Red clears her throat. “We’ll talk about that another time, Zack. Not today.”
I heave a sigh of relief. None of us want to explain that to Zack because he’ll blow a fuse for sure. But who would blame him?
After our hospital visitation ends, I head over to the OCB office and slap Al’s list of attackers down on Leroy’s desk. “We assume Ray paid them to attack Zack,” I tell the assistant director. “If we find the money, we can trace it back to his source.”
