Page 25 of A Promise of Forever
I glance out the window to see down below, realizing that the cage is shrouded in darkness on purpose. They all knew I was bringing Sterling and I’m not sure how he would have reacted seeing Dorian in the condition he probably is in.
"He might have something to do with the drugs we've been having problems keeping out of the ring," Lorcan adds, running his tongue along his top teeth. He leans back against the window, peering down at the ring and then looks at me. "We thought you might want to have some fun going a round or two with him yourself. Get some answers about who's bringing contraband into your establishment."
The drug issue has been ongoing for months, despite my explicit instructions that I want my operation completely clean of anything that could bring federal attention. Fighters who want to use performance enhancers on their own time is one thing, but bringing that shit into my club creates a liability I'm not willing to accept.
"And this couldn't fucking wait until tomorrow?" I ask, though I already know the answer. They wanted me here, wanted my authority and reputation backing whatever punishment we're about to dish out to Dorian.
Caelan snorts, amusement flitting through his features. "It could have, but that fucking Beta just had to tell you about it andit was easy enough without a billion staff wandering through the halls." His expression shifts to something more serious. "Seems like you've figured out the Omega stuff, though. Dad used to send all the staff home early when things got intense. What, you don't remember?"
I only vaguely remember nights when the house seemed almost scarce, completely silent while my fathers stayed at the cottage. “He sent them home because of Dad?”
My brother nods, a genuine smile slipping onto his face. “Yeah, he saw that there was more than the business and everything else just kind of clicked. It’s not something I could really explain to you and the staff really likes the family so they weren’t going to say anything.” He just shrugs, but that doesn’t make me feel any better about it. “Look, it’s fine. Just beef up security a little bit so Sterling feels safer. Now, back to the issue at hand. We would have been fine handling Dorian ourselves, but apparently he's got a price on his head that isn't ours. If he doesn't show up to whoever put that bounty out, it could be our asses on the line. So, we need you to see if you can get information from him about who else he's tangled with."
And there it is. My interrogation skills aren’t really legal and they definitely border on insanity but if it gets us information, it’s worth it. Unfortunately, in this kind of business, time truly is of the essence and waiting until the fights tonight or even later this week might have been too late.
"It's a good fucking thing Sterling told me not to kill anyone," I muse, a dark smile spreading across my face. "Because otherwise there would be a mess to power wash off the fucking floor by morning."
The comment triggers another round of laughter, the tension breaking as everyone recognizes the truth in my words. Without Sterling's influence tempering my worst impulses, Dorian would already be dead and we'd be dealing with the fallout. Not thatwe couldn’t but it’s probably for the best keeping a target off my back when trying to protect Sterling.
"He's going to regret the day he ever came up to my table at middle school lunch and asked to be friends," I continue, refusing to put any sentiment behind those words. Our relationship became all business when his sorry ass came crawling up to me for a position. And now, his greed will be his downfall. "Who do we have on cleaners tonight?" I ask, shifting back into business mode.
"The Gibbs crew," Lorcan answers immediately. "Probably one of the better ones."
"Perfect. They're going to need to scrub extra clean after I'm done with Dorian. I don’t want any evidence he was here." I turn to Thea, who's been watching the entire exchange with her usual careful attention. "Make sure Sterling gets to the cottage safely, but don't go inside. Not unless he's screaming for help. Not one goddamn person goes in there except for him and me."
The Beta bows her head slightly, already moving toward the small room at the back. "Just like your parents. I like that you're keeping it special for him."
"Fuck off," I shoot back at her, but I can feel warmth spreading through my chest at the comparison. If I can build even a fraction of what my parents had with Sterling, I'll consider myself lucky. I turn to Bryn and Lorcan, refocusing on the immediate problem. "Anything else I need to know about Dorian before I go down there?"
Lorcan huffs out a sigh as he pushes off the window to his full height. "His fighters would make a pretty penny if you're willing to pick them up. They'll be here tonight, probably looking for someone to contract with now that Dorian's defaulted. They're all more than willing to sign on if you're going to actually pay them, which is more than Dorian did apparently."
"Yeah, I'm good with that," I confirm. "Just make sure to vet them properly. I don't want anyone with connections to whatever mess Dorian's gotten himself into. Lorcan, I'm guessing you're staying with me for this?"
Lorcan nods his agreement, the anticipation for a little more violence clear in his expression. He enjoys this part of the job, the application of controlled violence in service of maintaining order. It's why we work well together.
"What am I, chopped liver?" Caelan protests with mock offense, the Alpha playfully slapping a hand over his heart.
“Brother, I know very well the look on a Valla's face when he needs to reconnect with his pack. Bryn is either going to fuck you and Astra here on my couch or drag you both home, and I'd rather not buy new furniture. Go home, brother. I'll talk to you later."
The observation triggers more laughter as Bryn's expression confirms my assessment. I just watch as they gather their things to leave, I find myself looking toward the small room one last time. Every instinct I possess wants to go over there and say goodnight properly, to reassure him one more time that he's safe and that I'll be home soon. But doing so will only freak him out more and make him ask questions I'm not ready to answer about why I can't seem to let him out of my sight.
He'll be fine with Thea. She'll get him home safely, and I'll explain everything in the morning when we're both calmer and I'm not covered in someone else's blood.
I linger for another moment, grumbling about Sterling’s reaction to a random Beta taking him home and stalk over to the small room, reaching it just as Thea does. She just shakes her head, swallowing down her laughter as she lets me step through first. Sterling sits forward in the chair that I left him, his head tilted to the side as he catches a glimpse of Thea. “What’s going on?”
“Thea is going to take you home, alright? She’s one of the Betas who works with me. Is that okay?” Had this been anyone else, I wouldn’t have given them the choice but Sterling’s comfort is important to me.
Sterling blinks a few times and leans farther to the right, Thea stepping around me to show herself. He stares at her for several seconds before offering me a small smile. “You’re coming back, right?” I nod, Sterling pushing to his feet. “Okay, I’ll go home with Thea.” His voice is smaller than it usually is, Sterling leaning into my touch as he passes me. I can only watch him disappear down the back steps before steeling my expression and turning toward the others.
My brother opens his mouth to say something, most likely a smartass comment but I throw him a glare that shuts him up. It already feels wrong sending Sterling home without me by his side. I don’t need to dwell on it.
I follow Lorcan down to the main floor, the sounds of the building changing as we descend from the quiet luxury of the viewing boxes to the raw concrete and chain-link of the holding areas. This is the part of my business that most people never see, the enforcement and punishment that keeps everything else running smoothly.
Lorcan switches on one of the floodlights, Dorian standing inside. He looks beat to hell already, blood dripping from a cut on his forehead, his body leaning heavily against the bars for support. The moment he sees me, genuine terror floods his expression. His eyes go wide and he starts screaming about how he can pay, how he just needs a little more time, his voice cracking with desperation.
I stalk toward the cage, but in my mind, I'm not just seeing Dorian. I'm imagining him as every Alpha who ever hurt Sterling, every person who made my Omega believe he was worthless and disposable. The rage that's been simmering sinceI found Sterling cowering under my desk three days ago finally finds an acceptable target.
Lorcan doesn’t miss a beat, unlocking the cage just as I get to the bars. I rip open the door and step inside, letting it swing shut behind me, finally able to do something about the rage I’ve been hiding from Sterling. This is the version I didn’t want him to see. Not yet. Maybe not ever.
