Page 25

Chapter Seventeen

Teal

T eal could hardly believe he’d be arguing in front of High Court next week. All the months of preparation would come down to the testimony of a few key witnesses.

But he was ready. Dayson Bannon was ready. And Teal believed the people of the state were ready too. This would be a good change.

Selfishly, he looked forward to having his days back. And his nights with Ronan. He crossed his fingers for at least one more breeding heat. Perhaps a little beta brother for Zayne and the twins. He’d love any gender, of course. He just wanted another piece of him and Ronan.

Teal knew he gambled with fate by not taking suppressants before the Bannon case went to High Court.

All signs pointed to his heat arriving soon.

But after speaking with the doctor, he felt he’d made the right decision.

He had to live his life. And if worse came to worst, he wasn’t the only lawyer at his firm who could argue the case.

Everyone at Schulman, Carson & Associates knew they were part of something important.

The tribunal would dominate headlines and set precedents that would affect state policies for decades to come.

Even Mikel had been less of a dick last week, preparing evidence packets for Teal and only grumbling a few times about being an omega’s “errand boy.”

Yesterday, Mr. Schulman ordered Teal to take a long weekend.

His bosses wanted him fresh for High Court and there was nothing more he could do from his desk.

Everything was ready. Documents filed and witnesses prepared.

Security for Dayson and Teal, outlines for press releases, and contingencies for any surprises the state might throw at them.

It felt odd being home during the day on a Friday. Niall had taken Zayne to drop the boys off at school and run errands, leaving Teal with the house to himself. He turned on the TV for background noise, making sure to stay away from the news.

The unit next door was also quiet. He’d seen Dale and Abe leave a few days ago. They’d hitched a small trailer to their SUV, so Teal figured they’d gone on a longer trip. He assumed Sorcha was home, although Teal hadn’t seen him since the barbeque six days ago.

Restless, Teal opened the fridge. He glanced at the contents without truly looking before shutting it again.

He wondered if he should check on Sorcha.

Niall wouldn’t be back for a few hours, and Ronan had left early for the job site.

Perhaps he could ask Sorcha to go to a movie.

He couldn’t remember the last time he’d done something as mundane as go to a movie.

Teal frowned. No. He couldn’t go out anywhere. Every person within a hundred-mile radius was buzzing about High Court. As much as it pained him to admit it, it wasn’t safe for him to go out without Ronan or other security.

He decided to ask Sorcha to hang out at the duplex. Teal would love to see any new projects Sorcha was working on. A morning with the vibrant young omega would certainly help ease Teal’s nerves.

Teal went outside and walked the ten steps to the neighboring unit and rang the doorbell. When Sorcha didn’t answer, he knocked. Still nothing.

Hmm. Why wasn’t he answering? Teal was sure Sorcha hadn’t gone with his uncles. And Sorcha had no reason to avoid him. They’d parted on great terms after the barbeque, with Sorcha agreeing to come to dinner soon. Teal just hadn’t had a chance to make good on that invite since he’d been so busy.

Maybe Sorcha had walked somewhere? Or was sleeping in? Both were fair assumptions, but Teal’s mind rejected them.

A knot of dread formed in Teal’s stomach.

He thought about how quiet the unit next door had been over the past few days.

Not a bump against the wall or a curtain fluttering in the window to signal Sorcha’s presence.

It hadn’t occurred to him to worry, but as he continued knocking with no reply, his head swam with the suspicion something was wrong.

Teal walked down the porch steps and put an ear to Dale and Abe’s garage door. Nothing. He returned to his own unit and walked through to the backyard. The other omega wasn’t outside.

His instincts screamed at him.

Something was definitely wrong.

Teal pulled out his phone to call Sorcha, grateful they’d exchanged numbers Saturday. He cursed as he tripped over the boys’ kid-sized patio chairs.

That’s when his eye caught on something strange.

Gazing up at the back of Dale and Abe’s house, he noticed an entire window on the second floor covered with plywood. From the outside. What the fuck?

Why had the betas boarded up a window? They hadn’t mentioned a maintenance issue to Ronan or Teal. Was that Sorcha’s room? He lifted the phone in his hand and pulled up Sorcha’s number. The call connected but went to voice mail.

Teal’s heart sped up. He tried again. Still no answer.

After running through the house, Teal found himself back on the other unit’s porch. Banging on the door, he shouted, “Sorcha! Are you in there!? Sorcha!”

Silence.

Teal ran his hand roughly through his hair, pacing back and forth.

After a moment of indecision, he raced back into his unit and ran to the drawer where they kept the spare keys to the rental side of the building.

The duplex was an investment they’d made as newlyweds immediately out of college.

In all their years of owning it, neither he nor Ronan had ever barged into their tenants’ home uninvited.

Until now.

Turning the key in the lock of Dale and Abe’s door, Teal called out, “Sorcha?”

Teal ventured carefully inside and saw that the house appeared untouched, the living room perfectly put together.

No indents in the couch cushions or mugs on the coffee table to show a recent occupant.

He peeked into the kitchen. No dishes in the sink or lingering smells of cooked food.

Maybe Sorcha had left with his uncles, and they’d boarded up the window for some legitimate reason.

Except that easy explanation didn’t sit right. His gut churned with apprehension.

But what should he do? He’d already invaded the unit.

As Teal reached for his cell to try Sorcha again, every hair on his forearm went rigid. Pricked to awareness by a sound so faint, he almost missed it.

A moan.

Low and anguished.

Drifting down from the second floor.

Teal took the stairs two at a time, grateful he wore sweats and a T-shirt instead of a constricting suit.

Outside one of the bedrooms, he halted. Even without hearing another cry, he felt Sorcha’s tortured energy. He knew the other omega was behind that door.

Teal blinked, sucking in a ragged breath. At first, his mind would not process what he saw. The evil he’d discovered.

Fastened to the door and doorframe were two metal latches. Connected by deadbolts.

Thick, brand-new, shiny deadbolts.

Dale and Abe had locked Sorcha in his room.

“ Uuuuuuuuuuuunnnnnngh .”

“Sorcha?” Teal called out. Another barely audible whine was his reply. He knocked frantically. “Sorcha, please let me know you can hear me!”

For moments, Teal heard only weak wheezing breaths. Finally, he received a near-indiscernible, “Teal?”

Thank stars ! The omega bond he shared with his young neighbor flared, even without direct touch. Teal was almost certain he knew what was going on. But he needed Ronan to know for sure.

“I’m here, my darling. I’m going to help you.”

Another whimper carried through the stale air. Teal tried to get Sorcha to talk to him, but the other man was in too much distress. Teal willed him to maintain his faculties until Ronan arrived. He wanted the little omega to make decisions for himself.

Teal wiggled the locks, testing their strength. He’d need tools to either break them or smash the door down.

From inside, Sorcha sobbed pitifully.

With a shaky hand, Teal drew out his phone.

Ronan answered on the second ring, construction noises in the background. “Hey, beautiful. Fancy hearing from you in the middle of the morning.”

Teal wasted no time.

“Ronan! You need to come home right away! It’s an emergency.”

“Emergency?” Ronan’s tone shifted immediately. “What’s wrong? Are the boys okay?”

Teal pinched his nose, trembling as Sorcha released another agonized wail. “Sorry. Yes. The boys are fine.”

“Okay. Then what’s the emergency? And what’s that groaning in the background?”

As if in answer, another sickening, tortured sound escaped from behind the door.

“Ronan, you need to come home now. It’s Sorcha.”

Teal registered his husband’s sharp intake of breath. Then shuffling sounds and muffled voices as Ronan shouted to someone that he needed to leave.

By Ronan’s short breaths, Teal knew he was gathering his things and rushing to his car as they spoke. “Talk to me, baby. What’s wrong with the little one?”

“He’s locked in his room like a prison. He’s hurting, bad. Can’t answer me. His uncles must have done it.” Teal tugged on the bottom of his shirt as the alpha swore on the other end of the line. “We can deal with those assholes later, but right now, Sorcha needs us, Ronan. He needs…you.”

Teal knew Ronan understood his implication. Everything was about to change.

“I’m on my way.”

***

Teal wrestled with whether he should go look for an axe or a crowbar or something potentially useful but ultimately decided to stay near Sorcha.

He pled with the young man to speak to him. But the other omega was too far gone to answer coherently. He could only moan, and Teal fought down a wave of nausea when he thought about the pain Sorcha was enduring.

But Teal kept trying. He talked to Sorcha through the wood.

In between offering reassurance that help was on the way, Teal babbled nonsense about Ronan and the boys, about his job and High Court.

Anything to remind the man on the other side of the door that he was there.

Teal hoped that, even in his haze, Sorcha took some comfort in knowing he wasn’t alone.