Page 17 of All That We Keep
I run a hand through my hair, feeling the tension that's been building since we learned about Hudson disappearing after bail. "I don't trust anyone right now, and I don't know what Kai wants from us." My jaw tightens as I think about the possibilities. "I don't know if he's pulling some kind of fast one or if there's actually something useful he needs to share."
Kai could be genuinely trying to help, or he could be part of whatever network helped Hudson get out on bail. Withoutmore information, every interaction feels potentially dangerous. Grayson's expression grows concerned. "How is Blake handling all of this? The designation change, Hudson being free, everything? Is he okay? The bond softened a bit while we were gone."
"He's confused about what's happening to his body, and while he's strong, he wants to lean on us more than he's admitting." I meet Grayson's eyes knowing that he’s going to be exactly what those two upstairs need right now. "We just need to be there for him through whatever comes next."
As we head out the door, Maceo falls into step beside me. "You seem nervous, and that makes me nervous."
I glance at him, appreciating his directness. "I'm not nervous, I'm on edge because nothing is ever easy with our pack. Hudson is out there somewhere, clearly either trying to take Luca back or send some kind of message. Either way, he's threatening the safety of my family. Add onto it this meeting with Kai, issues at work, and then Ward’s random alerts over the last few weeks…” I slip into the front seat of the car and peel out of the driveway the moment Maceo gets into the passenger seat. “I'm beginning to think that Ward doesn't have the pull he thinks he does. If Hudson can get out on bail this easily, then either Ward was wrong about the strength of the case, or whoever is backing Hudson has more resources than we thought."
The drive to Jenny's Café is short, just across the main road from Grayson's family property. The location is public enough to feel safe but private enough for a sensitive conversation. I park where I can see both the entrance and our exit routes, remembering the few times Grayson and I would sneak out of his parents house to come here for a late-night snack.
It’s been sold a few times but retains the same raggedy interior with the falling-apart leather seats and stench of stale coffee. If I wasn’t coming here for a meeting, I’d focus on the nostalgiaof it all. I scan the small establishment, finding Kai in the back corner, exactly where I would choose if I wanted privacy. He looks tired and tense, nothing like the dismissive Alpha who brushed off our concerns about Hearthstone weeks ago. Something has definitely changed.
One of the waitresses watches our entrance with interest but I merely nod in her direction before sliding into the booth across from Kai, Maceo then sitting beside me.
"Start talking." I don't bother with introductions.
Kai swallows nervously, taking a shaky sip from the water glass in front of him before leaning forward and spilling information we could have used weeks ago. "Each pack on that donor list found their Omega shortly after making a donation to Hearthstone. They didn't donate for long periods, maybe two to three months at most, but the amounts were always substantial. We're talking tens of thousands, sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars toward the foundation."
I lean forward as well, clasping my hands on the small café table. "What about the fact that the donor list has been completely removed from public records?"
Kai shakes his head. "I don't know anything about that specifically, but we were contacted recently about something related." He runs a hand through his hair, pulling at the edges before continuing. "Someone let us know that the NDA contracts we all signed were legally binding regardless of what happens to Hearthstone in the future."
Maceo and I exchange glances. NDAs for charity donations are suspicious enough, but enforcing them after an organization shuts down suggests serious legal preparation.
"I inquired a little bit more after that contact, and it seems like Hearthstone is closing down operations. Quietly." He lets out a small grunt, his jaw working over time as his eyes flash with irritation. He takes another sip of his water before glancingaround the café and then meets my eyes. "Apparently, all the Omegas have found packs now, most of them anyway. There's some kind of celebration or gala happening in the next few nights. Invite only."
Kai slips an elegant invitation out of his jacket pocket and slides it across the table to me. The paper is expensive, the kind of heavy cardstock that speaks to serious money behind the event.
"There are four passes that would have been allocated for my pack, but we're not planning to attend. Maybe you can find something useful there."
I study the invitation, noting the lack of specific details aside from a location and the Vizant last name. "Why are you bringing this to us now?"
"Because it all seems a little fishy, and I never actually signed an NDA." Kai's expression darkens. "Our Omega came to us more as a favor from someone we knew. We signed plenty of paperwork during the process, but I triple-checked after that phone call, and there was never an NDA in our packet. Granted, we never wanted to publicize how we found our Omega anyway, but now I'm wondering if something is seriously wrong with the whole operation." Kai continues.
"I don't understand what changed your mind about all this," Maceo speaks for the first time since we sat down.
Kai pulls out a folded piece of paper from his other pocket. "This is the original donor list with their corresponding Omegas. The most recent placements, anyway." He unfolds it on the table between us. "There's apparently a database of available Omegas that donors could choose from, and there were almost twenty Omegas listed when your Omega was being held there."
My jaw tightens at that memory, but I force myself to focus on the information.
"After Hudson was arrested, I did some digging through my contacts in the charity world." Kai points to names on the list. "Somehow, in the span of just a few weeks, Hearthstone managed to place fifteen of those twenty Omegas with new packs."
"That's impossible,” I push out. “If it were that easy, there would never be Omegas without a family.”
"I thought so too, but here's the thing - they're all good families. Established packs with solid reputations." Kai's frustration is evident in his voice. "I know several of them personally. Whatever charity or organization decided to help Hearthstone is systematically clearing out its inventory."
"Why the fuck didn't you bring this information to the police?" I demand.
A ragged sigh comes from the Alpha as he presses back against the booth. "I did! But nothing ever happened when I brought it up to them. It was always that they’d get back to me or that they’d look into it. In the last week, they said that I could either come in and make a formal statement or they could send someone out to the house to investigate.”
Maceo folds his arms across his chest, trying to control his anger. "So, somehow, in the span of less than three months, Hearthstone has miraculously found packs for every Omega in that placeandis now throwing a charitable gala? There’s no fucking way. I don’t even think they’ve ever thrown a gala.”
Kai nods. "Exactly. And the gala is supposedly celebrating the 'successful placement' of all their Omegas with loving families." Kai's air quotes make his skepticism clear. "But I'm betting that celebration is really about covering up what happened to the ones who weren't placed legitimately."
I stare at the invitation, my mind racing through the possibilities. This could be our chance to get real informationabout Hearthstone's operations, but it could also be walking directly into a trap.
"Who else will be at this event?" I ask.
