Page 46 of All That We Keep
Maceo and I both voice our agreement with Luther's plan. None of us want strangers tramping through our home, leaving their scents and energy in spaces where our pack should feel most secure. The house will need to be thoroughly cleaned and de-scented before Luca and the babies can return but for now, so long as the nest and the nursery are safe, we can figure everything else out.
Luther's phone buzzes again, more insistently this time. He glances at the caller ID and his expression shifts to somethingmore businesslike. "That's Damien," he says, moving toward the door. "I want to know what else he's discovered about Ward's network and whether there are other people we need to be concerned about. My contact at the FBI said he’s en route so hopefully he’ll swipe up Ward faster than the crack police in this city will."
We share a soft chuckle before I glance over at the rest of our pack, ready to start the forever I had started dreaming of back before I even met Blake.It’s finally here, I tell myself. Maceo throws an arm around my shoulder and drags me into his side before pressing a kiss to my forehead. Fuck, I can’t wait.
27
Luther
Catching a corrupt police officer is a different ballgame entirely from dealing with a freelance predator like Hudson. Ward has connections, resources, and the protection of his badge or at least he did. But I have an idea to draw him out, something that plays on his arrogance and sense of ownership over Luca. And with the public looking for him, hemightjust bite. I used the last hour and a half to work through the awful plan, cleaning up the kitchen and spraying the entire first level with descenter to prepare it for our pack’s arrival.
But now that I’m back at the hospital, my nerves are shot. My phone rings as I'm walking back in through the double doors, and I answer immediately when I see it's my FBI contact. He’s never officially given me his name, just a card with Agent Thane on it if I ever needed to use it after a rather dire investigation I got wrapped up in before I met Grayson.
"The trafficking case has been officially transferred to federal jurisdiction," he tells me without beating around the bush. "We're a few minutes out and will be meeting with the chief this morning."
I check the time, laughing that it’s just past 8 am. My biological clock is all kinds of fucked up and I’m still in the suit from last night. I blow out a heavy sigh of relief as I drag my free hand through my hair. "Thank you. I can't tell you how much this means to my family."
"Don't thank me yet," he warns. "We've got a long way to go before we can shut down this entire network. But what you've given us is a solid starting point." Agent Thane hangs up without saying goodbye, although there isn’t really a need for one.
The conversation gives me the first real hope I've had in months that this nightmare might actually end. With federal resources and jurisdiction, Ward's local connections won't be enough to protect him.
I find my pack in Luca's hospital room, everyone gathered around the bed where he's holding James while Blake cradles Samuel against his chest. The sight of my family - whole, safe, and complete – draws a smile across my face. "Ready to go home?" I ask, moving to help gather their things.
Blake looks up at me with exhaustion and joy warring in his expression. "More than ready. These little ones need to see their nursery."
I start packing up the hospital bags and baby supplies provided by some of the nurses, my movements on autopilot but my mind elsewhere. The plan forming in my head is risky, but it might be the only way to get Ward to incriminate himself definitively. When we reach the parking lot, I don't get in the car with them.
"Why are we not all going home together?" Luca asks, confusion and concern clear in his voice.
I lean against the car door, meeting each of their gazes in turn. "I have a bad feeling about what's going on. We all went to that party, and they tried to split us up. I think there's a very real chance Ward will still try to isolate us."
"What do you mean?" Grayson asks.
"I talked with Damien," I explain. "They haven't been able to connect much of what Ward has been doing to him, even though they pulled five battered Omegas out of there and linked them to Hearthstone. None of the rescued Omegas are talking - they're all too scared and traumatized to say anything. I know it’s early but I can’t let Ward get out of the city and if I pretend that I’m open to giving him what he wants…"
I heard what Ward said about Luca, about how he likes Omegas damaged. I know that he can’t just grab an Omega because he still believes that Luca is broken. He still believes that Luca is his. If I pretend to offer Ward a deal, now that he’s desperate, now that his name is out in the open, he might just reach for it.
"I don't think it's best that we all travel together," I continue. "I don't want to put the family we've just started in unnecessary danger. I’m going to draw him out and then I'm going to give him enough rope to hang himself.” It’s a horrid metaphor but one that’s needed. Ward will do anything to get Luca for his happy ending and I’m banking on that for this to work.
We say our goodbyes with lots of kisses and whispered reassurances, Blake climbing into the backseat with Luca, both of them securing the babies in their car seats. Maceo takes the front passenger seat but turns to look at me through the window. "I don't like this," he says bluntly.
"If I don't call within ninety minutes, assume the worst," I tell him, only half-joking.
I watch them drive away, my protective instincts screaming at me to follow and keep them close. But sometimes protectingmy family means putting myself at risk to eliminate threats before they can strike. I call another car and head toward Keller Industries, sending Ward just one, simple text.
Let’s talk.
I don't have to wait long after getting into the building. Ward's arrogance won't let him pass up an opportunity to gloat, especially if he thinks he has the upper hand. He arrives within twenty minutes, strutting into the place like he owns it. The confidence in his posture tells me he still believes he's untouchable.
"Luther," he greets me with a cold smile, half of his face not moving from the damage I inflicted at the station. How they let the fucker go is beyond me. "I was wondering when we'd have this conversation."
"Ward," I reply evenly, my hand resting casually on the recording device in my pocket. Everything in me tells me to kill him right now but that would land me in jail, halting the investigation into Ward's activities. It wouldn't serve a purpose and I'd no longer be able to protect my family from any further threats.
He doesn't waste time with pleasantries. "Luca is mine. I paid for him fair and square, and all of this drama you've caused doesn't change that fundamental fact. He’s a broken Omega that you can’t fix and shouldn’t have to. Just hand him over."
The casual way he talks about owning another human being makes my blood boil, but I keep my expression neutral. "You dumb piece of shit. You'd really just admit to everything?"
Ward laughs, completely unbothered by my accusation. "Sure, they’ve got my name out there but don’t have jack shit. Elliot Ward isn’t even my real name, you bastard. You've already lost your company and everything else. Who's going to listen to the desperate claims of a failed businessman?"
