Ch 20: Gone Awry

It had been a week since the kiss. The week had been fruitfully spent avoiding Joe (or anyone except Hans and Elise for that matter). I worked on a few carvings some of which I begrudgingly made out of some wood Ross had bought me used specifically for carving. It must have been his way around my "no cash donations" policy but I made it very clear he could only get so far before I'd stop accepting his "gifts" altogether. It's like he wanted me to know he had money to throw around. Hans disagreed with this assertion, calling my view unnecessarily cynical but Hans, for an omega who had dealt with some awful alphas, seemed too forgiving. He wasn't as naive as I occasionally thought he was but he had a tendency to see the best in others, a tendency that was anathema to my general philosophy when dealing with alphas.

Besides the carvings and Hans, I had Elise to look forward to. She would be out of the hospital very soon. None of the burns were severe but she had broken an arm trying to frantically escape the flames. I visited her every other day, usually under the watchful eye of Misha. I'd gotten used to his silent presence in the background and I suppose we had reached some sort of unspoken but amicable agreement with his serving me recipes at dinner he would often mention he had wanted me to try.

I wasn't sure what his game was. He was obviously happy with Ross and Joe and even Hans. He had made it very clear once before that we meant nothing. I was a  cover-up story to find out more about Seraz.

Guilt perhaps? Pity? Those seemed like more reasonable options then him actually caring.

"You're a born and true cynic. Just like your mother taught you," Elise joked when I went to visit her that particular Saturday. I laughed and thought fondly of my mother. We were eerily alike in demeanor and thought. The world was just one big shit show but at least we had our family and friends.

I took the time to ask her about the plans for the mechanic shop. Her dad was already planning out some repairs.

"We got insurance. Besides, we needed the renovation. We could finally get you a nice little studio attached for carving and stuff."

I nodded. The idea of selling my art wasn't too appealing. I still stubbornly hung to my philosophy.

A few were words were exchanged  before my visiting hours were finally up. We said our goodbyes, and I went to find Misha in the waiting room, reading a book and looking relaxed. I took the quick few seconds before he saw me to observe him.

Misha had been driving me to and from the hospital for the entire week. He hadn't once complained or turned me down and seemed content with waiting and giving us our privacy. The book was some history book on the Balkans, an interest I remembered Misha had been fond of. How much had he pretended? I assumed most of the things I knew about him were false and intricately constructed for a cover identity. The cooking, the enjoyment for history, and even the usually calm and quiet demeanor hadn't changed. Still, I didn't get any hopes up that that meant anything.

"Ready to go?" Misha looked up as I stalked over. Misha nodded. As he stood up, there was a commotion behind us at the reception desk.

"...Sick for a week! We've called and we've called....!"

I glanced over as Misha started to put on his black corduroy jacket. It was a woman, pink in the face and with her hair falling out of her bun. A sickly pale child was at her side, clutching her floral skirt tightly as he looked around.

I was ready to tune it out until I caught the next few words. "The alpha got priority on the waiting list! My child could be dying!" She was shrieking at this point, loud enough for the rest of the waiting room to hear. A chubby, middle-aged beta woman glanced over with disapproval. A few young delta men and a gamma nurse looked on with sympathy. The tired receptionist sighed.

"I'm sorry deary. There's nothing much we can do about it." The lovely old receptionist did look sorry.

"Can't you talk with the administration director? Something, please! We were supposed to get a check-up for the same thing but they keep putting the alphas and omegas in front!" Tears were trailing down the woman's face. Her boy was whimpering. I realized they were deltas. I felt nauseous. It only occured to me then that Misha was watching the altercation. He walked passed me and right up to the reception desk. I didn't know what I expected. I certainly didn't expect Misha to pull out what looked to be a business card. At this points, the voices were hushed up but I was surprised to find the woman beaming by the end. The receptionist was smiling too.

I didn't say anything as Misha nodded at me and indicated to the parking lot.

The trek to the car was a cold and freezing mistake but that was near winter conditions unfortunately. As we drove through the dreary day, away from the hospital, I spent the ride doing what I did every other time we had come and left. I stared out the window, watching the buildings and cars pass by.

"I'm always amazed by how much you cared." I jumped up as the words broke into the familiar silence.  I had tentatively started taking shotgun with him but that didn't mean we talked much. Or at all. Even if I was curious about the events that had transpired today. My gaze flitted to him. I decided to humor the beta when he didn't say anything else.

"Um..what do you mean?"

He waited for a turn before continuing. "About your friends. You always seemed to care so much. I know you were threatened by Ross closing down the pub because of Declan. And what you did for Hans..."

There was a pause when he finally looked over and gave me a smile. It was disarming. It was old Misha. Misha before this whole mess. I shook my head. Law of equal and opposite reactions I guess. The more I dropped my walls, even for a few seconds, the more they would shoot up to make up for my blunder. I turned away.

"That's not the sentiment you gave off last time we spoke." I bit back. Admittedly, it was tame for me, but Misha looked....if I didn't know any better I'd say he looked hurt.

There was the usual awkward silence ramped up to eleven. The tension was none to pleasant. He took a right at the Argyle Elderly Home that I noted everytime we passed by. I noticed it because, apparently, Joe's grandmother was here. Misha had pointed it out off-hand as we passed it by the first time. The building was high-end and bougie as a 19th century industrialist eating caviar for sunday brunch. It didn't track that there were also frequent sightings of Blue Dragon members around here. It was something I had heard over dinner being exchanged between Ross and Joe.

My thoughts drifted to this anomaly when Misha finally spoke up.

"I've always gotten the sense you've never liked...who you are." Misha said it quietly. I turned to him and scoffed.

"I'm fine with who I am. It's society that can't seem to accept us. Didn't you hear the delta woman crying back there because she couldn't get an appointment for her sick son? That shit is what we deal with on a daily basis. Not like you would understand."

"I know. But you seem to punish yourself as much as society does. You can trust us."

"Real rich coming from you of all people. By the way, how is Ross's dick doing?"

The silence that followed was punishing. Oppressive. I shut my tired eyes and leaned against the window, trying as best I could to get as far as possible. Why did I feel like the bad guy? I had been the one left behind. And yet, here I was, trying to work up the courage and humility to take back my words. Part of me felt childish. The other part felt a bit cathartic. I sighed.

We were only five minutes away from the mansion when I decided to ask, mostly to break the horrific silence, "What did you give that delta lady anyways?"

To my surprise, he replied right away and his voice had a bit of a cheery tone. "A business card from Lilian Gallahan. She's an omega, Ross's friend. She's also a lawyer who runs a firm based on combating discrimination related to sub-genders."

I remembered Lilian from the ball. Elise would really have loved to meet her.

-8-

Hans was tying Ross's tie when I walked in to the spacious living room. They didn't notice me at first and Misha was still back in the car. They were close. Hans looked a bit flustered, blushing and keeping his head down while he fixed up the tie. Ross was smiling down at him. It was a weirdly intimate scene that I felt wrong for stumbling upon. I was a fly on the wall to this private moment.

"Ready yet?" We all jumped as Joe's booming voice yelled out followed by his presence coming down the large marble steps. He was dressed in a fitted gray suit and dark blue tie. I was starting to notice a trend. Hans was also dressed up. I smiled when our eyes met. He was wearing a white blazer and dress shirt underneath. It almost gave off a 1920's vibe.

Misha joined us, and I was surprised to find him in a dark green suit, nearly black, that complimented his eyes. They were talking amongst themselves as I gazed around.

"Uuuh, did I miss something?"

Ross shot me a smile as he fixed up his suit jacket. "You hadn't heard about the Darling charity run?"

Ah. The charity run. I had picked up on it over dinner. Joe's loving family was hosting a charity run with invites to bankers, investors, CEOs and all other kinds of members of the upper echelon of society courtesy of his brother, Benjamin. It was an annual event for the family and it'd be the first time they'd have it in New York City.

Part of me loathed to go. Then I realized. They hadn't invited me. Being all dressed up right now as they were, I realized the situation was clear. I was not going. I should be ecstatic, right? I hated these events and only Lilian and Hans could make it bearable.

All I could think about, however, was that this event would be attended by Joe's family. Some things never change. New York was starting to feel a lot like Portland.

"You think it soothes their conscience to have a charity run for the millions of homeless deltas that won't be drinking the expensive wine?" I'd dropped down on the large wrap-around sofa and propped my feet on the beautiful mahogany coffee table. Misha and Joe had left the room by this point. Hans was fidgeting with a bow tie that Ross had insisted on tying on for him. They both looked over at me.

Hans gave me a nervous smile, catching onto my half-joking tone. Ross was scowling. Not scowling. His jaw would become a little more set, like it had a tick and his mouth a bit more firm and slightly turned down at the edges. He looked like a teacher trying to keep their patience with a disruptive student. But he only sighed and went back to tying on the bow for Hans. I shared a sympathetic look with the omega.

The house felt...empty when they left. Emptier than usual. It was made for more than five people and now there was just myself. I tired to sit in my bedroom which was starting to feel familiar in the mess I'd left behind. Only now, there was a distinct ticking noise in the silence that was starting to irk me. Their bedroom was just down the hall (as Ross pointed out the first day when he insisted I ask them for anything I had concerns about) and Hans had a room across from mine. It made the loneliness that usually overcame me a little bearable. Even if I hated to admit it.

When I could no longer stand the ringing quiet, I decided to trudge downstairs with my supply bag. While turning on the large flat screen to fill the house with some noise, I dumped everything out. My bag of plaster, the carving wood Ross had gotten for me (even when I insisted he not), the mallets, chisels and finally, my sketchbook. I flipped through the channels as I my other hand flipped through the pages. I glanced at the clock. It was 9 something pm. The charity event would be beginning soon. No doubt, the would be all over the local news. Didn't the elites of Manhattan worry about anything else? Where were the stories on gentrification?

Despite some internal arguing, I eventually did switch to the channel showing the run. I was just curious. Maybe bored. Yeah, that's right. Nothing good was on TV. Might as well watch this.

As I began sketching a chinese dragon that I hoped to carve out, my ears were half open to the host going on about the Darling's and their magnanimous generosity. I gagged. Pictures of past charity runs were shown, and I had half the mind to turn off the damn TV when Benjamin's shit-eating grin appeared alongside Joe and the rest of the Darling family.

It was all the reminder I needed that the kiss didn't mean anything. Joe would never admit to his family that he once cared about someone like me. If he ever cared at all.

The joy that usually came with making a new design was absent. With a grumble, I reached for the remote, ready to switch to the shitty British cooking channel. Then I caught sight of Hans and Ross. The event was being shown live and the hosts were gushing like 80s school girls over a celebrity magazine.

"And while we're talking about the Darlings, it seems Joe and Ross, those elusive bachelors, have found themselves a beautiful prince!"

I frowned as a clip of Hans and Ross played, showing the tow getting out of the limo they'd taken. Hans looked nervous and panicked beneath his tight smile but Ross quickly offered an arm to the omega. They walked to the hotel being filmed like they were walking down the red carpet. The comparison was apt. They looked like royalty. A handsome alpha and a beautiful omega. I ignored the weird feeling in my gut.

Joe and Misha followed, although Misha looked more like a security guard than their lover. I frowned. Everything was off about it. Misha trailed behind them and stayed close to security detail. Was he still undercover? And what was the deal with bringing Hans? Wasn't the point to stay low?  Hans was all over live television! I jumped when the phone rang.

My ringtone echoed throughout the house, bouncing off the high ceiling and the archways. It was eerie. I turned down the volume of the TV as I glanced down at the caller.

"James!" I greeted, feeling better than I had in the past few hours. Finally. Someone I liked. Someone I could talk to.

There was a pause. Then, "Conrad, this is bad. Is, um, is Joe there?"

I blinked. His voice seeped in with worry and panic even if he was trying to hide it behind the calm tone of an attorney.

"No, Joe isn't here. Why? What's wrong?"

"Dominic's men are planning a bomb attack on an elderly home tonight. Apparently to draw out Joe and Ross. Argyle Elderly Home?"

My blood was freezing up before I had even truly processed the words. Argyle? That's where Joe's grandmother was.

"How do you know?" I was already throwing on a jacket and fumbling with the laces of my boots. Did I have a destination in mind? No. It was more actions of comfort than anything else.

"I've been visiting Dominic. He insisted. I thought maybe he'd considered changing. I picked up a bit from listening in on Tony and some of Dominic's other men."

My voice was shaking, slightly from rage and slightly from fear when I said, "Are you insane? Are you safe? Jesus, James, why did you think going back to him would be a good idea?"

I flinched a little when his voice came out hurt. I, of all people, should know what it was like having your heart dragged through the mud.

"I...I thought he'd be better when he talked to me. Then the whole thing with you and Hans happened...."

I sighed. If only Dominic knew the shit he out James through. If I ever saw that bastard alone in person, it was hard to say how successful I'd be at holding myself back from pummeling him. Sure, I'd get my ass handed to me, but he needed at  least one good punch in the eye.

"Look, I'll check it out, ok?" I ran down the winding maze of hallways until I reached the garage. The garage was less a garage and more like another house on it's own, at least it seemed that way to me considering it was bigger than my apartment. Glancing around, I caught sight of the car Misha used to drive me around. He'd thrown me the keys, letting me know that if I needed  anything,  I could use the car. I'd made it clear I wouldn't but desperate times called for desperate measures.

"Wait, what? What are you thinking? You're not-by yourself? Conrad!"

"No," I lied. My hands fumbled with the keys. "Don't worry. I'm just driving to get Joe and Ross. They're at some charity event."

James made a sound of relief while I backed out of the long driveway. There was a pause over the phone as I managed to get myself onto the street. I hadn't driven a car in a while and everything felt a bit unwieldy with my anxiety jumping into the mix.

"Alright. I'm sorry, again. Just be careful." James said. I reassured him and then hung up.

What was my plan? The feeling of despair and dread clogged up my stomach. Thinking straight was a challenge. An elderly home? That was god damn low.

I knew my options were limited. I couldn't just ask Ross and Joe to walk out of a high-profile event. They couldn't just leave. And what was the proof? Some hearsay from two deltas? There was a sour taste in my mouth because I knew my very existence was a PR nightmare for them. Especially Joe. That short window of time when I thought he loved me also proved something else; family was important to him. And his family was not the tolerant type. Image mattered in his world. Maybe I should let him suffer, call up Benjamin and let him know his brother was once in an intimate relationship with a lowly delta but I didn't have the bones in my body. I couldn't do something so cruel. I knew what it felt like to handle cruelty.

In the end, I punched in Argyle Elderly Homes on Google Maps. I would investigate. See what was up. Call the cops if I saw anything suspicious. Sure, any of the cops were probably in on it, but the department would have to send a dispatch on a 911 call, right? Right. I just had to make sure nothing happened tonight. I'd tell Ross and Joe when they got back. I even left a short message for Misha, giving him a quick run-down of the situation.

When I finally arrived and pulled up to the parking lot, the building seemed quiet, almost deserted. The only touches of life were the soft yellow glow of the lights and four other cars parked in the sparse lot. Everything seemed normal. Right. James had only heard tidbits of a conversation. It didn't mean I had to worry about anything, right? Still, I was hesitant to leave right away.

I took a few tense steps to the front doors. I glanced inside. Nothing. The lights were off and there were cameras anyways. With some apprehension, I walked around back. A quick glance at my phone showed that it was nearing 11 pm. I had half the mind to sit in my car and wait for any suspicious activity. With a glance down the backside of the building, I made a turn and bumped into something. It heavy, hard, and very much alive. With a glance up, I had little time to process Tony's scarred face and crooked smirk.

"Well, well, well. Here I was thinkin' we'd of had to blow up these sweet old people but looks like we got a much easier way of gettin' those bastards' attention. Much less dirty."

I didn't have much time to let the words settle in. I felt an arm around my waist, pinning my arms down and another around my mouth, clamping down tight.

"Mmph!" I tried to kick and lunge, flailing and struggling with every breath. It was all useless. The hand lifted for a moment but clamped right over my mouth before I could get out a hint of a sound. There was a cloth, wet and smelling of rubbing alcohol that covered my mouth and noise.

Tony, the bastard, only chuckled and moved a little close to us. His thumb and index finger slipped under my chin as the man behind me kept me secured. I was losing oxygen and black spots dotted my vision.

"I'm thinkin' your friend James told ya, eh? Don't worry, we'll take care of him. For now, have a nice little rest..."

His words drifted away as did the rest of the world before everything faded to black.

-8-

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