Ch 11: Hans

"Damn it! Sanded it down too far..." I chucked the piece of wood that was supposed to look like it had a face but instead looked like an old man in the middle of a demonic possession having been run over by a car. It fell with a thump into the bin of sawdust and wood shavings causing a great cloud to puff out. Elise poked her head out from her little office and gave me a withering glare. She was coughing in a rather obscene manner. I smirked.

"Declan called, asshole. Get a god damn phone and move that bin or I'm forcing you to go back working in your shitty apartment."

I shrugged, tugging my bag up and throwing supplies in there. "What'd he say?" My voice came out a little low, small, and hesitant like it had been doing for a while now. It was raspy, if anything, from lack of use.

"He was wondering if you could cover a shift." I rubbed my eyes as she said that. God dammit. Third time this week. I nodded to myself, though. The pay was good and Declan was a friend. He needed to get better at firing certain workers was all.

I reflected on everything as I drove Elise's car over.

Working for Declan. The bastard wouldn't let me live down my earlier comments for weeks. But there was something calming being around a place so familiar. One my dad took me to when my mom thought we were going to a baseball game. Working on my wooden carvings and furniture in the mechanic shop with Elise only a room over for me to annoy. Sitting on my porch with James. It didn't erase certain memories though. Not even after a year. I sucked in a breath.

It was an early August morning. A gentle breeze was blowing. I could have walked the peaceful half hour from the mechanic shop to the pub but that meant an even longer stretch of time with thoughts I didn't want. Thoughts of them. Oh him. I flinched and sucked in another breath. Tears. God dammit, tears again. I bet he didn't even realize the effect he'd had on me. Or he didn't care. He was probably laughing.

What a stupid, naive, idiotic delta...

"Stoop-stop-stop it! Help-!" I jumped up from my daze and nearly slammed the breaks. The streets were quiet as they usually were this early in the morning in Tulach. While pulling over to the side of the road before a small intersection, I glanced around. There had been someone yelling. I knew I'd heard something. But nobody was around. All the small shops were still closed. Someone was walking up the street in the distance but I knew it hadn't been them. Then I heard it.

A small muffled noise while rolling down my window. I slowly got out of the car, taking my pepper spray with me. There it was again, in the small crevice of an alleyway between the deli and the pizza place. I creeped slowly and glanced around the corner. Shit.

There were two tall, beta men and a skinny alpha man cornering an omega male. The omega, wide-eyed and trembling, made some desperate whimpering noises under the hand of the beta male that was clamped tightly over his mouth, as the three leered down at him. I noticed another thing. The three looked like street thugs. I wasn't surprised when I caught sight of the blue dragon tattoos on their wrists. What did surprise me was that Dominic had supposedly sent his own men to harass an omega. That couldn't be right. Dominic wasn't one for something like that, especially not as an alpha who had instincts to be protective or gentle with omegas. He had no problem kicking out James, his own mate, because James was a delta. Joe had left me without a glance back.  But for an alpha to hurt an omega. Unusual and sickening unless it was a sex crime or the alpha was deranged.

The thought made my stomach lurch as I watched the scrawny alpha get even closer to the poor omega. He pulled out a pocket knife.

"Now, darling, you've been quite a hassle for us. But we'll take care of you now, sweetheart, so why don't you come quietly, hm? Tony is excited to see you."

I clenched my fists around the bottle of pepper spray. What the fuck? Freddy Krueger-tire track face-the same bastard who had come to give James the note almost a year ago. The same guy running Dominic's Tulach branch of the gang. I'd seen him at the pub a few times, usually with a rambunctious but harmless crowd of betas. He'd occasionally flirt with an annoyed Declan. The fact that he'd send someone to kidnap an innocent person had my blood boiling. Fucking alphas. Why did they think they could just do whatever they wanted? Step over whomever they wanted?

I watched as they started to pull the small man. He struggled and kicked but the alpha glared at the two betas when they tightened their hold on him.

"Watch it! Boss wants the pretty face so don't leave no fucking marks."

Without a phone, the police weren't an option. Alright, so I had to be fast. Without thinking much, I waited for the alpha to turn around before blindly spraying into the small alleyway. Probably not the best idea considering the omega was still with them.

"Gah, wa-what the fuck?!"

I got him right in the eyes. He was screaming in agony, furiously rubbing his eyes and coughing like his guts were ready to fall out. The betas, confused, and coughing a little as well, loosened their hold on the omega. The omega ran. Smart man, I thought, as he shot out of the alleyway with the betas after him. I stuck my foot out. A beta tripped. I made sure to spray him right before running after the other one who was too caught up in going for the omega.

"The car! Get in the car, man!" I was screaming. The beta running after the omega stopped. He turned, noticing me for the first time. He looked around. The streets were empty but they wouldn't be for very long as businesses began to open up. Besides, we were out in the open now. The beta cursed. He glared at me but I made sure he noticed the pepper spray and prayed to god he wouldn't take the risk to pull out a gun.

"Don't think you're in the clear, you little shit. We'll be coming for you too." With that he strolled passed and ran to the alleyway to gather up the other two, who I could still hear in their fits of coughing. It wasn't till I glanced around in a daze that I noticed an old couple walking down the street across from us. Part of me wanted to run over and kiss them, and praise the lord for bringing the two into existence but I also had a shaken up omega in my car.

It wasn't until I sat down behind the wheel that the beating of my heart and my trembling hands became apparent to me.

-8-

"...."

"...."

"...So, uh, how ya feeling?"

Alright, that was a stupid question. The omega looked shaken up to say the least. I spent the last silent five minutes in the car glancing over at him. He was...beautiful. It was strange to say. I didn't often look at omegas other then as just other people walking down the street. His sandy blonde hair was long in the front and thrown a little over the side of his face covering only a smidge of an eye. His eyes were a foggy gray-blue. They looked worn and world-wary. Not that uncommon for an omega that didn't come from a rich family, although I hardly recognized the face as being from Tulach.

The silence dragged on. I turned to him again with a light smile.

"What's your name?" Finally, a not-stupid question. Of course, the omega hadn't seemed keen on regarding my existence for the past five minutes.

"....Hans." I jumped when he spoke, not expecting an answer. His voice came out small and soft if a bit raspy. He was looking out the window when I glanced back his way.

"Alright," I hummed. "Names Conrad. Uh, there's a police station nearby-"

"No. I'm not filing a report."

I stopped the car. His voice was still barely above a whisper but I knew I had heard him right. Even when I stared at him for a solid minute with a raised eyebrow, I didn't get an answer.

"Look, I know it was probably a rough experience but-" I began slowly.

"That's not my reason," he shot out.

"What? Then what-"

"It isn't any of your business. Drop me off at Tulach's pub please."

I narrowed my eyes. For a man who'd nearly been kidnapped by a group of thugs, he sure as hell didn't show it.

"What? No 'thank you kind stranger for putting yourself in-between me and a group of deadly thugs'? You're just going to be ok with some asshats running on the streets and probably kidnapping others?"

Hans sucked in a breath before looking over at me. "Thank you. I was grateful. But you don't know anything about me. Please just trust me that it would be a very bad idea if I were to file a police report. They won't be kidnapping anyone else. Take my word for it."

He gave me an exhausted glance. I slumped on the steering wheel.

"You're not going to cry are you? Omega tears aren't gonna work on me."

He stared at me for a bit before replying. His voice had gotten softer, smaller. I could barely hear him when he spoke but the words soon became clear. "I thought a delta would understand what it feels like to be belittled. But I guess even to you we're just emotionally manipulative, scheming sirens."

This time the silence that followed was louder than any words that would've been spoken. It rung annoyingly in my ears. I closed my eyes and leaned back before looking over at Hans once more.

"Alright, off to Tulach's pub we go."

-8-

The drive to Tulach's was slow and uneasy to say the least. I spent a good amount of time looking over at the omega and realized why I found him so infatuating. There was an air of intelligence. That wasn't to say omegas were brain-dead bimbos, although my experiences with them were about as good as my experiences with alphas. Hans had a world-wary wisdom about him. Like he'd seen too much. And yet, here the kid was, continuing to hold his head up. It was a ridiculous thought, considering, like he said, I knew nothing about him. He could be a self-centered, arrogant diva for all I know.

Pulling up to the pub, we both hopped out. Hans gave me a confused look. With a light chuckle I let him know that I worked here. He didn't seem amused but that hardly stopped me from grinning.

"You're late," Was the first thing I heard as I walked in. "What fucking century is this, Hammurabi? Get a god-damned phone." Ah, Declan. Pleasant as always. I watched Hans stalk over to a booth in the corner by the piano before turning to Declan.

"Kid got jumped by Tony's men. I helped him escape but, uh, let him rest here for a bit, yeah?" Declan's eyes were practically bulging out of his head even before I finished the sentence. I stepped behind the counter and threw on an apron as Declan followed me.

"Tony fucking what? That asshole sent men to kidnap an omega? What the fuck? How'd you stop them? Are they after you now? Did you get the police? Fuck, Tony was heckling businesses for some money but fuck, now they're kidnapping people? If I see that tire-track face again, I swear to fucking god-"

"Keep it down. No, the kid, Hans or whatever, says it'd be worse if we told the police. He says they won't be kidnapping anyone else."

We were in the backroom by now, standing in front of the lockers as I tried to find my cap for the grill.

"There's rumors of bought cops in Tulach's department. Hell, reports all over Brooklyn about it," Declan continued. "But how does he know it won't-"

"Declan, look," I stopped him as we neared the counter again. "Hans wants this on the down-low apparently. Just keep it that way. Probably best not to go off on Tony about it."

We'd finally slowed down. Another employee, Greta, was taking orders from the few customers that were trickling in this early in the morning. I glanced over at Hans. He was hunched over and looking worriedly at an old phone. I turned to find Declan staring at him as well. He sighed and nodded at me.

"You're right. Watch on him though. Tony doesn't come in Mondays but I don't think the kid knows this is a hot spot for those bastards."

I nodded as Declan headed for the backroom.

That was basically what it was like the whole day and into the evening. Hans remained glued to his corner of the pub, occasionally checking his phone and other times looking to the doors like he was expecting someone. Tony didn't come in but my eyes would shoot over every time the doors opened. Every now and then, Hans and I would make eye contact. I'd grin and he'd give me a disapproving frown. It wore away as the day went on. He must have known I was looking out for him.

By the time it hit 10 pm and the bar was closing down, Hans still hadn't left. Declan had shot me a few confused stares throughout the day but it wasn't until Hans went out to leave that Declan came up to me.

"We should follow him." I could only nod in agreement. Something was up and Hans seemed not to have too much of a grasp of the surrounding area. Seraz's men were everywhere.

We trailed him out, a few feet behind as a few other employees closed up the pub. Nothing happened for almost a mile. Hans seemed like he was desperately trying to call someone. It explained why he hadn't sensed anyone walking behind him.

Declan seemed like he was fine and good to leave about another mile trailing after the omega. Then, a cry sounded just as we had turned around.

"Let go!" Yup. That was Hans. Jumping behind an alleyway for cover, we peeked around to find a larger man grasping the omega by the elbow. He seemed like he could be any other creep preying on omegas but even in the darkness of the night, I could pick out a dim hint of the blue dragon tattoo running up the length of his arm.

"Let him go you fuck, or my friend back there won't hesitate to call the cops!" That was Declan. In the split second that I had tried to work out a plan, Declan had apparently taken the bottle of pepper spray I had and pointed it right at the man. He was also pointing right at me with his other hand as he threatened the man again with the cops and witnesses.

Part of me was ready to get shot and make peace with whatever cruel god had decided to put the suicidal thought into Declan's head. Then the man threw down Hans.  He grunted, before sending a glare our way and stalking off.

"Declan, you're a fucking moron."

"He definitely thought I was holding a gun."

"He looked more annoyed than anything. Seriously, was it your plan to get us killed?"

"Hey, why don't you ask the omega who doesn't want to file a police report?"

We both looked towards Hans. He'd gotten himself up during our little debate and gave us a shaky look. I looked him up and down and couldn't help but be drawn into the wide-eyed look. There was a strange sense to go up to him and tell him that he was safe.

"You two were following me?" His voice was just as shaky as his look suggested. I suddenly held out my hand. The gesture was met by strange looks from both Declan and Hans.

"Look, you're obviously not familiar with this area. It's filled with those Blue Dragon men. You got a place to stay?"

Hans stared for what felt like centuries. He was about to say something. It sounded like it could have been a "yes". Then he hesitated.

"No." It was such a small and defeated sound. It was a familiar feeling to me.

"Stay with me then. Until you do have a place."

Declan shot me a questioning look while Hans stared ahead. The omega sighed.

"That's...very kind of you. But Dominic's men might come after you too."

I shrugged. "Fuck Dominic. Declan and I knew him as a kid. He was a friend. He can come at us all he wants but I'm not leaving you abandoned on the streets, kid."

Hans raised an eyebrow. "Kid? I'm twenty-four."

I grinned. "That a yes or a no?"

Hans sighed. He let out a huffy "fine" and we started heading back to the pub. I could see the crease in Declan's forehead. He probably wanted to say something about the possibility of Dominic's men coming after me but he wouldn't around Hans. I tried as well to keep the thought at bay. As I watched Hans make himself comfortable in the passenger seat, I kept one thought at the forefront of my mind.

I wasn't going to leave him to the streets.

-8-

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