Page 45 of Knot All Is Lost: Part 2

She paled as my Alpha nature kicked into high gear. “I… I don’t understand. We were told last night to send the bus this afternoon. Did something change?”

“Who communicated that to you?” I demanded.

“The Head Caretaker,” she said.

I tried to take a deep breath so I didn’t scare the woman, but my anger was reaching new heights and I wasn’t sure I wanted to control it. “Get him. Now.” I bit out.

Her head bobbed up and down before she scurried off. Turning, I faced Rick. “We need to find that bus and stop it from crossing the border. Call Savo and get his ass on that right now. I will not let our people be sent into that world to be used as baby makers for a pointless war.”

Rick pulled out his phone and dialed as I paced.

“You know what, fuck this,” I snapped and stormed over to the door the woman exited.

Tossing it open, I entered the inner portion of the Care Center. It looked like a hotel with a lobby, and a grand piano in the corner played softly, even though there was no one there to listen to it. A set of stairs led to the second floor where I assumed the rooms were, but I wanted to see the main part before ensuring there were no Omegas left in the place.

Pushing through a set of double doors, I found myself in a dining hall with a buffet line set up. A woman was cleaning up, so I assumed they fed them before shipping them off to a starved country. The place looked clean and well looked after, nothing to tell me the women were being treated poorly.

“What do you mean they are doing a search of the building? No one is supposed to be hereever,” a man grumbled as he and the other woman I sent after him entered the dining hall.

I stood tall and crossed my arms, waiting for them to realize I was here with reinforcements.

“You shouldn’t have told him about sending off the Omegas. That information is strictly to be shared with Official Yoram and no one else,” he carried on, then halted when he spotted me, and panic filled his eyes.

Slowly, I approached him holding his gaze. “Don’t stop, I would very much like to know why it is that only Official Yoram is privy to this information. I believe that all the Officials should know about this as well as our people, wouldn’t you say? How do you think they will take it when they find out what you’ve been up to?”

“Official Stone,” he exclaimed, then whipped his head to look at the woman. “You didn’t say it was another Official, you idiot!”

He lifted his hand like he was going to strike the woman, but I grabbed his wrist and yanked him away from her. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“She’s killed us, she’s killed us all!” he shrieked.

The woman looked terrified as she backed away from the raving man. Two of Rick’s men came and grabbed him from me, holding him as another cuffed him. “Don’t you say another word, Kim, they have no proof.”

“Get him the hell out of here,” I ordered, then turned to Kim. “Don’t listen to him, I’m not looking to kill anyone, I just need some answers.”

Holding my hands out at my sides I tried to show I wasn’t going to harm her. “Please, will you sit with me and help me understand a few things? Somewhere along the way, communications have been crossed and no one is sure of how things are working right now. This is why I’m here, to ensure that the best is being done for our people.” Kim gave a jerky nod and walked over, pulled a seat out, and sat. “Rick, I would like for your men to sweep the building, check every nook and cranny of this place. I think it also might be best to keep all the staff together so we can speak to them.”

“Yes sir,” Rick agreed, and issued instructions.

I pulled out a chair across from Kim and leaned back, crossing my legs, trying to help convey that this wasn’t anything serious. The more relaxed I could make her feel, the more she would tell me. “Now, how long have you been working here in the Care Center?”

“Three years at this location, I came over when they closed down the one in Cresswater,” she answered. “Sir, have I done something wrong?”

Letting out a sigh, I shook my head. “I’m not sure, Kim, but the more honest you are with me the better things will be. Something tells me that you did something at the request of your boss without him telling you the whole story. If that’s the case, then it wouldn’t be fair to hold you responsible now, would it?”

She shook her head and set the clipboard down. “Where would you like me to start?”

“Tell me the basic process, a young lady comes to you at sixteen, then what?” I coaxed.

Nervously, she licked her lips and took a deep breath. “When we get new intakes, they are looked over by our medical team and if they are in good health they are sent to the general population. If not, they are kept in the medical wing until they recover. Most of those are children from rural or outer city limits that don’t have the help they need. We give them a day or two to settle in and get used to the routine of the Center.” She paused and looked at me questioningly. “Is this the information you’re looking for?”

“Yes, you’re doing great,” I assured her.

“While many come into their designation, the only ones we get right away are the poorer kids. I truly think it's because their families view it as a better chance for their child. They get three meals a day, a warm bed, and an education until they are twenty-one. Well, that was the case until the past two years. Now, they stay here until they are eighteen and then get sent to Asturg or Shearia once a quarter,” Kim explained. “The only time we keep an Omega here is when Yoram picks them out personally. Then they are sent to another Care Center.”

“I’m sorry, I’m going to pause you there,” I interjected, leaning forward as I signaled Rick. “What was that about a second Care Center the ones picked by Yoram went?”

“He comes once a month and meets with all the Omegas, checking on their education and wellbeing. Then if he feels they will be a good fit for a pack he’s been chatting with, he’ll move them to a Care Center further in the city. Actually, it’s close to the old Neenan Pharmaceuticals building,” Kim said, looking at us both questioningly. “Why do I get the feeling you know nothing about anything I’ve said.”

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