Everyone always thinks Stefan is some hardened criminal with the tattoos and the dark look on his face. Really he's just hiding a tortured past. He can generally be a sweetheart when he's not being an ass.
Stefan sighs and takes a large swig of my coffee before sitting down at the table. "Because I didn't. Ashton, my employer's Omega son, he's been having a hard time."
Kade leans forward, his expression sharpening into a mixture of amusement and intrigue. "Is that code for your employer is abusing the Omega?"
"No." Stefan sets the coffee cup down harder than necessary. "He's pimping him out. Ashton doesn't even look like an Omega, so he's constantly getting beaten down by whoever his date is. He's resilient, but it's getting worse."
My stomach churns at the image planted in my head. I've heard stories about Omegas being used that way, but hearing it from Stefan makes it real. "What happened last night?"
Stefan's expression darkens further, the muscles in his jaw pulling tight. "I found one of them manhandling Ashton and stepped in. I stayed in his room for the night to make sure no one else tried anything."
I grin despite the heaviness of the conversation. "Stayed in the room, huh?"
"It's not like that." My stepbrother glares at me, essentially shutting down the conversation. "Look, I came here because you had questions about Harmony House. Can we focus?"
Kade nods, all business now. "What do you got? Because I found a bunch of bullshit online. Legal protections and government oversight and nothing useful about actually getting someone out."
"Because you need an invite to even get in there." Stefan pulls the coffee cup back toward himself, wrapping both hands around it. "And then you need a check."
"Great." I lean against the counter, crossing my arms over my chest. The movement pulls at the bruises on my ribs. "How do we get an invite?"
Stefan laughs, but there's no humor in it. "Eager, are we? Jesus Christ, you saw her for what, five minutes?"
"When you know, you know." I meet his eyes, refusing to back down. "I know you came here with good news, or you wouldn't have shown up."
Stefan studies me for a long moment, then nods slowly. "Be careful, okay? This shit reeks bad, but I talked to Ashton's father. Said that I might know someone looking for an Omega, someone who's trained and all that bullshit. I had to wash my tongue after that conversation, but he said he'd put your name in."
"He put my name in?" I push off the counter, confused. "He'll know we're related if you gave him my name."
Stefan shakes his head. "No, I put Kade's name in. They'll be expecting you, not Dustin."
Kade's expression doesn't change, but I can feel his interest sharpening through the bond. "How much am I writing this check for?"
"Twenty-five grand."
"What?" Shock coats the word as I stare at my stepbrother. Twenty-five thousand dollars for a human being. The amount makes me sick. What happened to the Omega Centers that improved their quality of life forfree?
Stefan doesn't flinch. "They're buying silence and upkeep for Harmony. No one else is going to fund it and you'll never say anything after paying for an Omega. It's a win-win for them. And if you somehow try to get a hero complex afterward, they've got you on whatever they tried to get you on during the visit. You'll be in their system. They'll have leverage."
I grimace and look over at Kade, wondering if this is worth all the trouble. Even if I want Solana, even if I can still taste her on my lips and smell her scent mixed with mine, maybe this is too much. Too dangerous. Too complicated.
"That's fine." Kade's voice cuts through my doubts. "Anything else we need to know?"
Stefan leans back in his chair, studying Kade with something that might be respect. "Keep your hands to yourself while you're there. Say as little as possible. No doubt they'll try and pry into your background and shit, but keep it above ground. Talk about the ranch, the horses, anything legitimate."
"Easy enough." Kade nods. "Anything else?"
"Don't get caught." Stefan's expression turns serious, all traces of his usual sarcasm gone. "These people are connected. Government contracts, legal protections, money flowing from places that don't ask questions. If they think you're trying to cause problems, they'll bury you."
"Shit." I straighten up, realization hitting me. "You didn't really get an invite from your employer, did you?" Stefan’s employer is as shady as everyone thinks he is, aside from pimping out his own son, apparently. He’s got his hand in every pot, dealing every kind of currency and drug under the sun. Whatever brings money in, Stefan’s employer—Charles Driscoll—is most likely part of it.
Stefan leans back and pulls a small white card with elegant script on it. An official Harmony House invitation. "My employer is really bad at keeping things locked down. If you get in and out without any issues, the most he'll do is get thanked for the referral, and he's forgetful as fuck. He’ll just nod and keep going. But if they do any kind of checking on the details, if something goes wrong, I can't help you."
The weight of what he's risking settles over me. "How much is this going to fuck you up?"
Stefan shrugs, but I can see the tension in his shoulders. "I called in from the house, so unless Charles starts checking facts, we're golden. Again, just be careful, okay? I kind of like being able to come over here for a bit of peace."
I move around the table and pull my stepbrother into a hug. He stiffens for a second, then relaxes into it. "Thank you."
