Ch 15: Arrangement

Han's hand slipped over mine. It always gave me a jolt whenever I felt that foreign warmth slide over my near numb limb. He would draw soothing circles over my palm, look at me with a crease in his brow and ask me if I felt anything. Omegas were drawn to physical affection or so went the preconceived notion. So it was a little less strange to me that he was so open to physical touch after the fiftieth time it happened. In this case at least, Hans seemed especially bothered by the unusual numbness I felt in my left arm, the same one that had taken the bullet for Mikail and Ross.  He would gently slide his fingers over my hand while we talked and ask me if I felt the heat of his palm. Sometimes I would tell him no just to keep his hand there a few precious seconds longer. I was getting better but that's besides the point. Having his hand over mine was the only comforting thing in the world at the moment.

"Your friends James, Elise, and uh..."

"Declan?"

"Erm, yes, they tried to call last night," Hans continued. His voice was always soft and strangely composed like he was talking to a dinner guest at all times. It was a bit funny if not a little sad. Apparently, from what little he'd told me over the few days I'd been trapped at the hospital, his father didn't allow his precious omega son much time to socialize. Hans had even been home-schooled.

"Elise demanded you call as soon as you were awake or she'd...um..."

"Cut off my dick?" I finished for him brightly. I chuckled at the red that suddenly overtook his face. And he wondered why I called him a kid.

There was a not uncomfortable silence that followed. Through the window filtered in a bright and sunny August day that gave a little bit more life to the usually sterile greens and whites of the hospital room. I felt a dip of disappointment as Hans pulled his hand back but closed my eyes and listened to the comforting, slow tune he started humming. The past few days seemed to drag on whenever it got this quiet; each aching hour spent alone and under the slight influence of something. With Hans however, I was content to let the time pass as we settled into our own heads. It was almost as perfect as it could get in a hospital room.

"Have you agreed with the arrangement? Um, Ross was asking..."

I opened my eyes and groaned. Perfection never seemed to last long. You'd think I would know this by now. Slowly sitting up, I crossed my arms and raised a brow.

"You wanna know what that asshole asked me? If I wanted to stay at his fancy condo or Joe's condo. They're not even giving me a choice! Fuck that. I refuse to interact with that bastard or my exes any more then I have too."

A long, uncomfortable pause followed. Hans was as baffled as I was when he had learned that both my exes were in a relationship with Ross Edwards of all people. Over the past few days, Joe had called me up multiple times asking me where I wanted to stay. Hans was living with Ross. I could live with him or Ross. What he probably didn't expect was for me to call him an arrogant asshole and then promptly hang up. After his fiftieth call, I actually spoke with him but ended by letting him know that the one thing I would not be doing was moving in with either of "you asshole alphas". There was a feeling of triumph when he hung up with an irritated growl touching his usually calm and pristine voice.

"But what about the Blue Dragons? What about Seraz?" Hans began worriedly. I sighed as I asked for his phone. It was my only means of communication with Elise, James, and Declan.

"They were after you and now you're safe. Dominic isn't into that killing shit. Yeah, he sends his men out to harass small businesses for money of whatever so I don't think he really cares."

"His men shot up a hotel!" Hans said in a voice slightly above his quiet whisper which made me think that it was his version of yelling. I shrugged.

"It was non-lethal. A few were injured but no one died, remember?"

"Conrad-"

"I. Am. Not. Moving. In. With. Them. Capeesh?" I slumped down, suddenly feeling to exhausted to argue. I could feel the ache in my left arm and a headache brewing as Hans nervously shifted in his seat. It was funny that the aches had me somehow knowing that he was ready to tell me something. Something I would rather not hear.

"I-erm-I'm sorr-sorry Conrad but I...I don't think you have a choice."

That had be blinking for a few seconds trying to process those words. I looked up at him. There was another drawn out silence where Hans was keen to look down at his lap like it was the most fascinating thing in the world.

"Come again?" I said with a bit of sarcasm. Hans sighed and finally looked at me with a weary frown.

"Ross told me that if I couldn't convince you......to tell you that he would use his ventures, lawyers, whatever, to shut down Tulach's Pub."

Another, this time even more unbearable silence. There was a distinct, incessant ringing noise that seemed to be growing in my ear. My eyes were on the ceiling.

"How the hell does he know that  I work there?"

"He has the resources to figure that kind of stuff out," Hans spoke quietly and with a gentle voice that was maybe supposed to make this all easier but it hardly did.

I closed my eyes. Ross. Smart bastard. Smarter than he himself even knew. He probably thought that the risk of losing my job permanently would be the factor that drove me to accept their offer but that was hardly close to the truth. I could have just as easily take on some meager paying, low wage job if it meant not having to deal with them. No, what haunted me was the image of a distraught Declan looking on as the business that him and his father worked so hard to build was destroyed, demolished, or transformed into something else by someone else. And the community would be just as hit. Tulach's pub was more than just a pub for after work drunks to spend the evening. It was a place of community events, parties, grill nights, talking over sports, having first dates. If it shut down...

"Does...does he really mean it?" I hated that my voice was trembling.

Hans shifted in his seat. I felt the warmth of his palm slide into mine.

"I...I'm sorry. I just wouldn't test this. But, if you want, we can go talk to them tomorrow in person after you're released."

I nodded, the ache in my head having grown to a constant and unforgiving pounding. I spent the rest of the day texting and talking to Elise, Declan, and James. I tried to keep the conversations light and positive but the thought of Tulach still hung to the back of my mind like some chronic disease. They didn't have to know. I'd sort this all out tomorrow.

-8-

"Welp," I muttered as I stared up at the mansion of a house in front of me. It was a conglomeration of rectangles that shot above even the houses surrounding it, made of some white marble looking material mixed in with a beautiful grayish wood that I thought would feel magnificent to carve something out of. The windows were large and spacious on the front and probably gave a breathtaking view of Central Park. As we were lead through the gates and up the expansive driveway, I couldn't help but to notice the pool and the beautiful gardens out of the corner of my eye. My attention was brought back by Hans as were were lead to the front doors by the security guard.

"See-see...this is Ross's main home. You could live here. It's not really a prison, y'know?"

"His main home?" I scowled, trying my best not to verbally attack the omega's implication  that I should be grateful that I was being forced into this because they were rich assholes. Rather, I decided to  attack the fact that the alpha was extravagant enough to have multiple homes. The faces of people I had grown up with in Tulach Hills  who often had no stable home to stay at or had lost their homes came to mind. Nevermind the hundreds of homeless men and women I witnessed trudging through the streets of New York everyday. That this asshole  had multiple homes?

Hans seemed to catch on to my increasingly souring mood. He gave a nervous laugh and began looking around the front garden as if he'd find some solace in the trimmed rose bushes. I had the sudden impulse to apologize. It wasn't his fault. He'd grown up in a world where you grateful for these things. He'd dealt with controlling alphas on the daily.

"Hans I-" I was abruptly cut off as the doors opened. With the usual haste, the guard rushed us and through a small archway. We were just as suddenly greeted by the pristine and spacious whiteness of the living room with accents of dark oak would on the doors, floor, and tables. I was right in that the windows gave the kind of view of Central Park that made you stand in front of it all day in a deep trance. Beautiful greens filtered in and seemed to give the polished room a certain natural ambience. I  tried not to roll my eyes at my own, unusually poetic thoughts. I'm sure Elise was doing it for me miles away.

Essentially, the house was beautiful and welcoming. The three men in it were not. I glanced around stiffly. Misha-no, no, no, he's not Misha to you-stood rather awkwardly against an archway  that seemed to lead down a long hallway. Joe was sitting rather contentedly on the arm of a sofa, looking very smug and punchable. Ross stood off to his side with one hand holding a wine glass and another casually rubbing Joe's shoulder. Something in my stomach tightened. I shot my eyes away and forced myself not to think about it. You'd think I'd be over it after so many painful years.

Ignoring Joe, everything else in the room was touched by some incessantly sombre town. Hans stood to my left in a nervous and fidgety state while the rest of us were like stone statues, grim expressions and all.

For a while, no one talked. I made it a point not to look at Misha who seemed to be trying to do the same but occasionally I'd feel the lingering sensation when his eyes turned to me and then I'd look and suddenly be staring into  those beautiful green eyes before both of us would hastily look away again. It  might have gone on for hours but Ross finally spoke.

"Hans and Joe have let me know you're not too receptive to the idea of staying with us."

"I thought you'd probably picked up on that buddy, y'know, after the fiftieth time I hung up. I guess so since you've resorted to threatening me. I believe this could be considered kidnapping, blackmail, coercion, or all three."

The sudden, pindrop silence followed like a vacuum had sucked all the sound out of the room. Misha stood upright and with a look of apprehension like he was bracing for the worst. Hans called my name softly and tightly almost in a reprimanding tone. Joe narrowed his eyes and the condescending smirk vanished. It was their reactions that made me realize that I had insulted a rich and powerful alpha who still clung to some remnant of old pack rules that definitely did not include a delta insulting an alpha (or calling him "buddy" sarcastically) and not getting his throat strangled.

I tried not to show how nervous I was but ended up rubbing a hand over the bandaged wound on my shoulder. I swore at that moment that a certain pair of pine green eyes were looking at the wound this very moment but I hardly paid attention as my eyes traveled tentatively over to Ross. I was taken off guard by almost friendly looking smile.

"How cute," his smirk widened. "I've yet to meet a delta like you. I distinctly remember you calling me a prejudiced asshole during our first meeting."

Joe balked at that. Misha looked stunned. My face was flaming red. I crossed my arms.

"S-So?" I cringed internally knowing my voice had cracked just enough to be noticeable.

Ross just kept on with that irritating smile. "Pepper spraying mobsters, throwing yourself in front of a bullet, refusing our generous offer, and now insulting an alpha in his own home. Quite frankly, I'm surprised you're not dead."

"He did what? Pepper sprayed mobsters? Are you a moron?"Joe was basically growling at this point as he stood up and glared at me. I glared right back.

"I saved Hans. They were trying to kidnap him," I said bluntly and with a hint of pride.

"Let's not forget the bullet. You could have been killed." This time, the voice came from the back. Quiet but not with any of the insecurity Hans spoke with. The familiar Russian lilt. It was Misha. I always seemed to be a bit more forgiving on his end, maybe because Joe made it all too easy to want to bash in the shit-eating grin he'd give you. This time, however, it didn't stop me from throwing a glare his way. It softened a bit when I looked into his eyes. There wasn't any tangible emotion but the way his eyebrows scrunched up and the way a thoughtful frown tugged at his lips had me glancing the other way. Sure. Like he actually cared.

"I'm not staying with you. You can't just force me to. That's...I dunno, I'm pretty sure it's illegal. I'll be fine anyways. They're after Hans only."

Joe scoffed.

"You don't think they'll come after you, sweetheart?" Sweetheart was said with a bitter and condescending tone as he looked me up and down. "You're a delta but you were at the hotel and with Hans. You're associated with us now. Don't want it? Probably shouldn't have played hero and pepper sprayed some mobsters."

I grit my teeth and stood my ground as Joe drew closer. "First off, don't call me that asshole. Second off, was I supposed to let Hans get kidnapped? Is that your genius insight?"

"So I'm the asshole because I think it's idiotic that you-"

"You've always been an asshole for the record-"

"That's not what you thought screaming my name in be-"

"Shut up! God! This is what I'm talking about-"

"Enough!" The booming voice belonged to Ross. It was deeper and firmer than anything I had heard before and a weird and sudden urge to stand still and keep quiet gripped me. It was only then that I noticed I was standing less than a few feet away from Joe, his form towering over me and topped with an angry expression. The only thing holding him back from doing god knows what was the firm hand Misha had clamped over Joe's shoulder. He leaned in to whisper softly into Joe's ear, quietly enough that I couldn't hear him. It was surreal, watching my two exes so simply intimate with each other. I was furious that it hurt.

Ross finally moved over, a firm hand on Joe's chest that pushed him back a little. Ross then turned to me and smiled again. There was some strange glint in his eye as he motioned over to a seat. I crossed my arms and raised a brow. He sighed, understanding the implication.

"I  have a proposition for you that is a little less...forceful. While I would prefer you move in with us until this whole Seraz business is over, I understand your apprehension. So, an arrangement then."

Part of me wanted to laugh. He was talking as if we were in the beginnings of an important business negotiation. I guess it made sense since he was inheriting an important business  venture seminal to  his family. He was Mr. CEO all of a sudden.

"Go on," I muttered with a bit of irony.

"You check in with us frequently. Three calls a day. And a physical visit Saturdays. We'll pick you up. Relay the situation."

Joe began to protest but Ross shot him a look. He turned back to me and raised a brow of his own as if to say "well?"

I considered it. It was definitely a better counter-offer to having to essentially move in with three men I had no desire to live with. My only other option was letting Declan's shop close down. That wasn't an option.

"What's the catch here?" I asked dryly. Joe scoffed but didn't say anything. Ross's eyebrows shot up like he was genuinely surprised by my skepticism. Then he went back to his incessant smiling.

"A business mind I see," he chuckled. "It's quite simple. If you are specifically targeted again, you will move in with us. I'll make sure to invoke pack law and make good on shutting down your friend's pub if you don't make it easy."

"How generous," I muttered. Ross laughed. I could tell that Joe was content with the agreement seeing how there was a distinct lack of reaction on his end. Misha was the quiet stone statue that he had been since the beginning of the meeting. I once again noticed the nervous energy that was emanating from Hans who'd moved to stand right next to me. He gave me an anxious look, begging me to accept.

"So. Do we have an arrangement?"

I looked to Hans once again, making it a noticeable fact that I was not going to look at Misha or Joe. I looked back to Ross. I sighed. Ah, what the hell?  Like I had a  choice.

"Alright. We have an arrangement."

-8-

Updates Every Sunday

Maybe Twice a Week with more votes!

Vote, Comment, Follow!