At some point while Hudson explains that his dad has been helping Omegas since before he was born, I can’t resist moving to Dream’s side and pulling her against my body. The satisfaction I feel when she doesn’t resist is addictive, almost as much as the way she feels next to me. I get a little distracted by the sliver of bare skin at her midriff until Hudson explains how he ended up owing my dad so much money.
“So it was a setup? Bet on some fights, lose, refuse to pay, then win a poker game he wanted you to throw?” Thor confirms.
“Yep. The rest my father handled directly with Scott while I rotted in a dark, empty room. We knew we were targeting him so we could get more info on the shit he’s running. Assumed he’d have me run drugs, or whatever else.” Hudson snorts, shaking his head.
“Wow. That’s a lot of effort just to end up as Beau’s babysitter.”
“Obviously we didn’t know I would end up his son’s glorified babysitter. I assumed he would have me do something else. We were prepared for about fifty different possibilities, but even I can admit this was unexpected. Whatever his intentions are, it’s clear he’s a fucking monster.”
“He’s been acting differently for the last four months, and it’s getting hard for me to guess what he’s thinking,” I murmur.
“What changed four months ago?” Hudson asks.
“Hayes Pack raided the Whitehill facility and freed me. He lost his biggest leverage against his son. Beau was different back when I met him,” Apollo answers, but he never takes his eyes off the computer.
We all go silent, because Apollo is opening up. I’ve been wanting to talk to him since Haze, but there hasn’t been a good time. Fuck, it’s hard to look at him. The boy I used to know. The first person other than my mom that ever stood up for me. That promised he’d help me get free from my father.
My best friend and first crush, all in one.
I drop my gaze to the floor before I do something insane, like leap over the coffee table so I can climb his lap and beg him to be my friend again.
Dream squeezes my hand like she can read my mind, her scent soothing my nerves once again.
DREAM
I don’t dare say a thing, because Apollo is opening up in a way I never expected.
“Back then Beau resisted. Tried to fight back, tried to refuse. Sometimes he failed, but I taught him how to survive out of his father’s reach, how to fight like a street kid.” He smirks, and Beau tenses beside me. “I showed him when to hide and when toshow his teeth,” Apollo explains in a flat tone, detaching himself from the memories. “Street kids grow up fast, and we know shit no one else ever has to learn.”
“You grew up on the streets here in this city?” Hudson frowns at Apollo. “How long were you in Whitehill? I mean, shit, you can’t be older than me…”
“I’m twenty-three. I spent seven years on the streets, before I met Beau, when I was seventeen.” There’s a hint of emotion when the Alpha glances at the Omega holding onto me for dear life. “You gave him hell, but he wouldn’t back off. I wanted to stop him.”
“We were young. You helped more than you’ll ever know. I’m the reason you—” Beau snaps his jaw shut, swallowing hard. Apollo shakes his head.
“I was young and stupid. You were young and scared. I thought I knew how to protect myself from Alphas like him. I didn’t know Scott was fucking evil. Not like the kind of fucked up I was used to on the streets, but soul-deep, pure fucking evil. I wasn’t prepared for it. I got cocky, thinking I could dig up dirt on him. He caught me red-handed in his fucking mansion.”
“Oh, god…” I whisper, unable to keep it inside. He glances left, meeting my eyes. Was that the night he learned about the kill switch? He got caught, and then Scott…
He was just trying to save his friend. I know how that feels. Felix… At least Beau survived this story. Mom and Felix never made it out. Dad buried Felix in the same cemetery as Mom so I would stop screaming about him being alone.
I kept trying to break into the morgue so I could hold his hand. The memories tighten my chest, a rock in my throat that I can’t dislodge.
I got my revenge, but Apollo and Beau haven’t. I’m going to fix that.
“He overpowered me like I was a cockroach under his boot and jabbed me with a needle so fast I never saw it coming. His dominance is weak. He’s short and unintimidating, and his fucking Alpha bark is weaker than a toddler's. He’s so…mediocre,” Apollo scoffs, before letting out a humorless laugh. “I always thought if he came after me, it would be easy enough to beat his ass, and I hadn’t even presented as an Alpha yet, but…” he trails off.
“But his money buys the power that he lacks physically. He uses it to surround himself with people that are just like him and will do anything he says as long as they get paid. They’re all just as fucking evil as my father.” Beau finishes for Apollo, and they share a look. A current of energy passes between them, and Beau trembles.
“He’s weak, pathetic, disgusting, and somehow, completely fucking untouchable.” Apollo growls, shaking just as badly as Beau.
“He’s not untouchable. He’s five feet tall. I’m pretty sure he’s shorter than Dream. He has no idea that I’m not in his pocket. Next time we’re alone with him, I'll snap his neck.” Hudson vows, but Apollo and I jerk forward, eyes wide as Thor barks a sharp ‘no.’
“We would have to kill him and his security; he’s never truly alone.” Beau shakes his head, not picking up on the reason the rest of us freaked out. Hudson noticed, though.
“So we kill his security,” he shrugs, glancing from Apollo to Thor, then to me, eyes narrowed. I shake my head subtly, hoping like fuck he doesn’t push.
Beau doesn’t need to freak the hell out about a bomb going off in his head if his dad dies. I’ll explain it to Hudson later.
