“Torin, don’t play dumb. You know what I mean. When can I go by my last name? As much as I hate that it’s tied to my father, it’s still mine. Besides, Ashbourne is your pack name.”
“You know you can’t—”
“Until you know I’m safe. I got it.” Spinning back around in my chair I gaze back at my screen, eager to see what this favor is.
Stone: The bastard is done. I need you to send a message to a friend, letting him know this address.
Me: And you can’t message your friend? Are your fingers broken?
Yeah it comes off a little bitchy, but I’m pissed. I’m ready to be River McCormick again.
Stone: He’s a cop. A detective. I don’t want it traced back to me. Also tell him to bring Officer North, we have some precious cargo that needs to be checked and taken to safety.
Another fucking cop. Not one, but two. One of which I do know about. North for all regards seems to be a good man.
Me: Fine. But you owe me. You’re the only cop I’ve trusted and I think it’s because you’re a former cop.
Emphasis on the former part. Not many of the current ones are honest. That I’ve seen, anyway.
Stone: Thank you! Just let me know how I can help you and I’m there. Here’s his information, Detective Rourke.
Me: Sending the address.
I quickly pull up a new message thread.
Me: Detective Rourke. We have a mutual friend. One whose name I don’t want in a message for safety's sake.
I continue to type out the message as well as the need to bring Officer North with him. Making sure he knows this isn’t a joke.
“Okay then time for therapy,” Torin sing-songs and I turn off my computer and stand up, trudging across the room, grabbing my wallet and keys from the table. It’s not like I need to lock the door. No one in their right mind is going to be able to make it onto this compound and live.
We head down the stairs, straight to his jet black Hummer. Even the rims are black. Torin opens the passenger door and helps me inside before rushing around to the driver side.
“How about some food after? We can pick it up and bring it home. Even get some for the guys to have just in case they finish early,” Torin suggests, as he starts the truck.
“I think that would earn you lots of knots if you do.” I can’t help but giggle. The way his alphas love him is refreshing. It’s what I’d want if I was looking for it. But that’s not in the cards for me. Especially if they saw the Arcane bond mark that still mars my skin. Even my attempts to cut it out were unsuccessful. So now it sits as a permanent reminder of what I endured. What I survived. Besides, being alone isn’t so bad. Maybe I’ll get a cat or two.
“How’s school? The new semester started last week, right?” he asks, quickly changing the subject.
“Yeah. It’s okay. My English teacher hit me with a shock though. He teaches both online and in person classes. So he’s decided to match us up with partners. One online paired with one in person.”
Torin cocks his head to the side and looks at me, waiting for the pun in the joke, but there isn’t one.
“Like online or do you have to meet?”
I shrug my shoulders. “Not sure. He hasn’t given us all the information.” My pulse quickens at the thought. Other than my therapist, I haven’t talked to anyone other than my brother, Torin and their packs. I take my heat blockers and suppressant religiously and always wear the omega scent damping underwear when I go out. Even at school, I’m registered as a beta.
If I have to meet my partner in person, I don’t know what I’m going to do.
“River, you’ve been on your suppressants for two years,” Torin starts and I know where he’s going. I’ve been dreading this day since I’ve started taking them.
“I know,” I mumble, shifting my head to look out the window.
“We need to know when you are looking to go off the meds so we can decide how your heat is going to be handled.” Torin pauses, and I don’t say anything. The doctor explained that every couple years I would need to have a heat for health reasons. Especially if I decided I wanted to have a pack.
“I don’t know. I have school. Maybe we can do it next month,” I answer, more to placate him than to commit to it.
“I can look into that new place called Heatwave. They even have in-home services. You can have your heat here or at a safehouse where we can protect you, then we can kick them out afterward.”
