Page 42 of Knot All Is Lost: Part 2

Chapter 19

AsIatemysandwich, Marius finished the story just in time for the same man who yelled at Savo last night to show up. After introductions, I realized Rick was Savo’s boss and had been looking out for him since he came to Oscad.

“I know you wanted a computer to look into things, and I had information to share with you all, so I figured I’d deliver it myself. What I have to share would be far too great a risk to share in any other fashion,” Rick explained, taking a seat in one of the armchairs.

Savo sat right in front of the couch where I was, while Marius chose to take up position behind me. “Whatever you need to say, you can say to all of us. Cambrie has been brought up to speed, and since it’s her family, she should be kept in the loop,” Marius announced.

Rick nodded and turned to me with a smile. “It’s nice to meet you properly this time around.”

“It’s nice to meet you too,” I greeted with a nod.

“Let’s get down to business, shall we?” Rick said. “First off, I would like to confirm that Cambrie is one hundred percent Yoram’s daughter, and her mother was the late Omega, Isabelle Neenan. We had a DNA test done just to be sure we covered all our bases on this, since that will be the first thing they’ll fight. Secondly, Cambrie was smuggled out of that very house by Laura’s sister, Aria, the night before the funeral.”

In a matter of seconds, Rick had blown up everything I knew about my life without a shadow of a doubt. The man who claimed to be my father, who beat me for ten years of my life, had no ties to me whatsoever. Instead, one of the most evil men in our country was my father. I was not sure which was worse.

“What does that mean for me now?” I asked.

“Nothing,” Rick answered instantly. “You are now a bonded Omega. Any ties you had to your family have been severed, and now your Alphas are responsible for you.”

Relief about that flooded through me, and I had the sense it wasn’t just me feeling it either.

“That’s the easy part. The rest is a little murky and hard to prove, since most people involved are dead,” Rick warned. “It would appear that Yoram was using the drug created by Isabelle’s parents on all the females in his pack, to help encourage the chances of an Omega child. Isabelle was the only one to carry a child to term, but the drugs killed her in the process. It’s my belief that’s why Aria got sick and passed and why Laura is in the state she is now.”

My heart twisted at the idea of these women having to suffer for the whims of a man who didn’t care about them at all.

“Is there any way to prove that was done?” Rafael inquired.

Rick ran a hand through his hair before gesturing to me. “It’s clear in her genetic makeup. There are markers of the drug. He wasn’t using the original formula to help increase the chances, but the one that would alter DNA to ensure they would be born an Omega. There are two men who were part of the team that researched the incident with the EQ, that have data on their findings. In the information it shows a matching pattern or something science-ie that I didn’t get, if I’m being honest. When we showed them a copy of Cambrie’s results, they confirmed that was the formula that had been used.”

“That’s it,” Spencer blurted, shooting to his feet. “That’s the piece we were missing.” Through our bond I felt him practically vibrating with excitement and fear. “Yoram needed it to be Cambrie so he could send her off to Shearia to prove that the drug still works, and bring it back. He got all the rights to the intellectual and physical property for that project. It might be outlawed here in Oscad, but why not branch out into another country?”

“I agree with you Spencer, and we are looking into that, among other things Arthur alluded to.” Rick paused and cleared his throat like he was nervous about this next part. “Marius, we need you to sign an executive order allowing me to take a team to one of the biggest Care Centers, to take a physical count of how many Omegas are there.”

Rage flashed through me from Marius, making both Spencer and I turn to look at him. His face was unreadable but his eyes betrayed just how furious he was. “Are you telling me he’s been selling off Omegas to other countries?”

“That is what’s been suggested, but with the laws we have in place, there is no way for me to confirm that. The staff in those places are appointed and they train their own people to work there. Once they are inducted into the Care Center, they don’t leave. They claim it’s for national security,” Rick explained. “If I have a signed order, they can’t deny me access.”

Marius gave a curt nod. “You’ll have your order. I’ll even do you one better. I’m going to come with you. They won’t be able to say anything if an actual Official witnesses the discrepancy. I also checked out all the records from the past thirty years to the current day on how many Omegas we should have in our Care Centers. If it’s true that Yoram has been selling or bartering our country's Omegas, he will suffer the consequences and be denied a trial.”

Rick sighed, his shoulders slumping as he hung his head. “I should be put on trial for all that I’ve let him get away with. I was far too concerned about my own family that I didn’t fight for everyone else that might be going through the same thing.”

“If that were the case, half our country would be on trial. All we can do is hold the man who instigated all of this responsible and learn from what happened. The current government isn’t working, there aren’t enough checks and balances. If one man can take over so easily, with no one standing up against him, what does that tell us?” Marius asked, but I got the feeling he wasn’t really expecting an answer. “Is there anything else we need to know?”

“Not really, we know that Isabelle’s parents were poisoned, and Arthur confirmed it was a tea he made. The same goes for Alton, so the bastard can’t fight that charge either. What they couldn’t tell us, is how far the conspiracy goes. They were trapped in that house since the funeral and Aria escaping with Cambrie. Yoram knows he will face death with or without his admission of guilt so I doubt he will tell us who else he’s working with,” Rick grumbled.

“One thing at a time,” Rafael encouraged. “Once they see we’ve taken Yoram out of power and reveal what he’s been doing, they’ll understand they don’t have him to hide behind. Knowing Marius and Alton, the two of them will comb through every file in the damn Capitol Building to discover what else he might have been doing under their noses.”

I reached out to Marius and placed my hand over his as it rested on the couch, drawing his attention. “When can we go home?”

He smiled and used his other hand to cup my cheek. “Soon, Princess, I promise we will go home soon. If we do the checks of the Care Center tomorrow, then we will have everything we need to put an end to Yoram’s control. The second that happens, I will feel better about you being back out in the world. We lost you once and that was a harsh lesson I don’t plan on repeating.”

“Okay, I’ll be patient,” I replied, leaning into his touch. “Can we have a movie night? Rick can join us too if he wants, right?”

Marius chuckled. “I think Rick wants to get back home to his own pack. Maybe one of these days we’ll invite them to the house and have a cookout or something?”

I whipped around to look at Rick. “Would your pack be willing to do something like that? It would be really nice to meet another family like ours.”

“Sasha would be thrilled to spend time with another Omega, and what makes Sasha happy makes us all happy,” Rick answered with a chuckle. “Marius, I'll send word to Savo through the encrypted computer what the plan is for tomorrow. Until then, have a good night and enjoy your movie.” Rick waved and left us all with lots to think about.

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