Of course, there’s such a split in reporting styles in our industry. There’s the ultra-conservative, information overloaded style, the more informed, unbiased version, bringing an actual news story to the community, then there’s the over the top, completely sensationalised version. All work because it keeps what I’m doing relevant.
“Welcome back to Nova Drive Time, I’m Fifi, your host tonight. Now let’s jump straight into it and over to our special guest, Lennon Vale, who is out, loud, and proud as an omega. And she’s keeping it loud, taking the government to court here and internationally. Drama, with a capital D there, folks.”
For our first blitz, Gabe sets up the computer in the dining room of Noah’s apartment. Making it so I can see the host in her studio, but she can’t see me. The sound is crystal clear and there’s no lag, meaning we’re going live. “Thanks for having me on tonight, Fifi.”
Fifi talks with her hands and walks around her studio. She’s not the first radio interview I’ve done nor the first doing this story, so our interview is brief but it goes off without a hitch. The only difference is she invites callers in.
And my clients prove to be my greatest supporters. Fifi’s switchboard lights up as famous actors, sports stars, social influencers and even a celebrity chef all call through and vehemently throw their support behind me. Each of them insists they have no issue at all with me withholding the information I was an omega, and they, in their own way, drive the story back to the government once again letting omegas down. Jesus, my emotions were spiking all over the place at their unscripted words and their considered, intelligent calls for action.
For every radio station I do during the next four hours, I have more and more of my clients rallying behind me.
I guess my clients’ acceptance was one of my key stresses going into this. But in fairness, in how I’ve managed my clients, I’ve never focused on their designation, only how incredible each of them is in their chosen fields. Hearing them supporting me is a confirmation on personal and professional levels, and by the time the last host signs off, I let out one of those ridiculous squeals and run around taking a couple of laps around the kitchen where Noah and Gabe are cooking together and drinking beer.
But it’s in my happy relief, my silly sprint around Noah’s apartment, when my grief suddenly appears and kicks my ass. Really hard too. From out of nowhere, it’s like I can’t get any air in my throat, everything closes up. Sadly, it’s not the first time I’ve had a panic attack, but the waves of grief are new.
Leaning my head against a window overlooking the skyline, I try to regulate the sudden noise and crash inside me. I steady my breathing, inhaling for five and exhaling for five, and repeating, repeating, repeating the process until the sudden clash of grief and fear is gone, replaced by a more manageable heaviness in my chest. Losing Ares isn’t going to be something that disappears overnight, and I don’t want to get over him either, which is a weird sentiment, but I really fucking loved him.
Wiping my tears away, I turn around and go in search of them. Except of course the four of them are standing in the same room as me, watching and waiting.
“You’re so strong, dove,” Lincoln says softly, but he doesn’t come closer. And neither do any of the others.
They also don’t look at me like I’m certifiably crazy or weak. And they don’t get patronising, or dismissive of my emotions, they just wait for me.
“It caught up with me is all. Ares would have been chasing me around the room, being a dick with me,” I say, the weight of grief shifting the more I share with them.
Gabe taps his heart, nearly making me tear up again. “He was a big part of you, Len. It’s okay to be sad, you need it to heal. But you know he’d be fucking wagging his fat ass right now, so proud of you.”
Each word he speaks has me nodding and agreeing with him. “Yeah, I know. I think that’s why it hit hard.”
“I promise you, Lennon, I’ll slaughter the cunt that killed him,” Valak snaps before walking over and hooking his arm around my shoulder for a one-armed hug.
“You really going to do that for me, Val?” I look up at him.
“Do you seriously need me to answer?” he asks, staring at me with his usual half evil intensity. And that goddamn tiny smile he wears that he knows I melt for.
He steers me into the kitchen, where a pile of food has been set up on the island bench. Everyone pulls up a bar stool, there’s music playing in the background, the balcony doors are open, it’s easy and relaxed. Like life with a pack should be.
“Hey, speaking of the group responsible for the attack at your place, Len, I was thinking. You know how Detective Wendy is corrupt as fuck, and by the looks of things, so is her department, but what if they’re the group also moonlighting as black ops? It kind of matches with the government hiding shit in plain sight.”
“It would make sense,” his brother replies.
“It does make sense, Val.” Gabe hops up and grabs his laptop. “Tony was ex-police”. His face is a mask of concentration as his fingers fly over the keyboard.
Lincoln looks a little stunned as he stands next to Gabe watching him. “The government wouldn’t be stupid enough to just drop a group of ex-police and current serving officers in a group to be handled by Detective Wendy, would they? That would be high-level corruption.”
“Which is what we’re already dealing with,” Noah says, rubbing his temples as he too starts focusing more on what Gabe suggested. “They’re using people they already have access to. Like the hospital. Francine from Pack Miller is someone else we should investigate; she might not be involved, but I suspect she’s turning a blind eye on certain activities. We need to get someone else to look at the possible connections. Jesus, there must be dozens if not hundreds of people hiding in departments like that.”
“I’m sending out an update to the Alliance. They’ll start a systematic review of each major branch, health, finance, corrective services, housing, administration. We just need to find the connection.”
“Money,” I offer simply.
And they all look at me.
“These people involved don’t appear to have morals, so the only other motivator is money. I’d go through and look at packs who were either struggling or had something recently happen. It might have been something as simple as a sickness in their pack, or maybe there were complaints made against them for police brutality, something that gave the people in the government an easy way in. I mean, Tony is the perfect example, his pack recently had a baby…”
Gabe jumps in. “A baby through IVF, after they’ve been trying for years.”
“And that is expensive,” I say. “It’s going to be a huge task to go through people and packs to see who’s coming into a nice steady stream of money, and it’s not going to hit the alpha’s account, or the pack account, it will appear in one of the other members’ accounts.”
