Page 38

The news article Finn shares with them appears in the Clearwater Morning Herald . The smallest tidbit of news is at the end of the crime section. It only made the news, really, because of his father’s connection to several national charities. And of course, the money laundering.

Embezzlement, money laundering and tax evasion?

That doesn’t surprise Jay at all. His father has always felt antipathy for the law and lawmakers; he always used any loophole to take advantage of those whom he felt were too stupid to play the game without rules.

It contributed to Jay’s overwhelming inclination to fit within society’s parameters and he became a stickler for what he perceived as honor, despite his father’s disdain for it.

Learning his parents had stepped into the bigger playing field of serious illegal activities shouldn’t be a shock at all, but…it still is. It’s part of what has him sitting, holding a piece of bacon (very crisp, thank you) two inches in front of his face.

A small, warm hand pushes it toward his lips, and it startles him out of his stupor.

“Jamie. You’re supposed to put it in your mouth.” Nix smiles gently at him from his normal meal-time place in Jay’s lap.

“That’s what he said,” Luca murmurs from Gideon’s lap, and fist-bumps Rowan next to him.

“You should know,” Grayson mutters back.

It would normally be funny.

That’s usually how it goes, with his family around the table as they laugh and eat and rib each other.

Right now, though, they’re all trying to keep it normal, but are totally “phoning it in.” The tension is too high for their regular hijinks, and that makes his anger settle into a slow burn.

It’s one more way his parents are still influencing a life that he’d long thought was separated.

Jay lets Nix put the bacon in his mouth, and then a forkful of cold egg. “No more, Nix. Thank you. You eat it.”

“You have to eat, Jamie,” Nix wheedles, as he’s still sensitive to issues around food and the idea that anyone might be even slightly peckish is unsettling to him. It’s another thing Jay can lay at his parents’ feet.

“I know, it’s just…this makes me sick.”

Gideon huffs and rolls his eyes.

“Gid,” Jay sighs. It’s not like his mate to be passive-aggressive, and it doesn’t sit well with him at all. “Spit it out.”

In response, he pushes back his chair and hands Luca off to Finn, so that he can lean over the table and get up in Jay’s face. “You said you were done with them. I asked you before I did anything. And now you’re…pissed at me for telling them off?”

Pissed? He’s not mad at Gideon, and he says so. Emphatically.

“Why would I be mad at you? I’m pissed at my Dad, for betraying the trust of several charitable organizations, defrauding the government, and now he’s laundering money.” On top of all the other shit his parents have done. “That’s probably not all, either, knowing them. I’m processing.”

His mate’s eyes squeeze shut for a minute, and the scent of a thunderstorm turns into the sweet relief of rain. “Oh.”

It never ceases to surprise Jay when Gideon so visibly cares what he thinks. Jay knows he does, but Gideon lives unapologetically out loud while harboring self-worth doubts. It’s shocking to have that where everyone can see.

“Yeah, oh. But I want to hear why you’re so relieved. That’s got to be interesting.”

A small evil smirk flashes across Gideon’s face before he picks up the knife he’d used to eat his breakfast and sits back down. “Well, in that case. I made a call to the Department of Investigative and Forensic Services in October.”

Now it’s Jay’s turn to say oh when he realizes Gideon had been instrumental in his parents finally getting what they deserve.

Karma, thy name is Gideon Carnell.

“Why all of a sudden, then?”

“Well, for one, your father is a lying, cheating scumbag who made you think our mate died in a car crash that kept him from us for a decade. They got less than they deserved,” Gideon says with a head tilt. He seems genuinely curious about Jay’s question. It’s fucking cute.

“Yes. True. But how did you know ?” It’s the million-dollar question and the one they all want to know but are afraid to ask.

“Ah. Well.” Gideon hesitates, rubbing the back of his neck. “Fuck. I…have files on everybody.”

It takes a moment before utter chaos breaks out, the cacophony of noise making Nix flinch. He sends a burst of energy along the bond, and Jay isn’t the only one who reacts as another flinch ripples through their connection.

Finn grabs his head. “You’re okay.” It’s not an answer to a question anyone else can hear but him, but Nix nods on his lap.

“Quiet, everyone. Fuck. Gideon, maybe you should tell us what you mean. Exactly, and with no prevarication,” Finn says with a clenched jaw.

“You have files on our families? Why?” Leo asks.

“For this exact reason. Look, my job is to protect you. We’ve been over and over this all week. What do you think I’ve been doing since October?” It’s punctuated by his hand slamming on the table.

It triggers a feedback loop of tension as Nix flinches again, both from the noise and how agitated Gideon’s bond must be.

“Please. Calm down,” Rowan says through gritted teeth. “You are ramping up the vibe in here and my wolf is about to freak the fuck out.”

Jay has a fleeting image of Rowan snatching Nix up and throwing him over his shoulder and fleeing over the back fence like King Kong. He’s proud of his mate, though, for speaking first and acting second.

Grayson, on the other hand, is vibrating in his seat next to Jay, exuding a veritable heat wave of energy .

“Gray?”

“I’m good. I’m good,” he says breathlessly, eyes closed and hands clenched.

Gideon takes a deep breath and lets it out. Then another and another. They all sit quietly until he’s done and his tone is once again even-keeled.

“I’m sorry. I’ve got no excuse.”

“So tell us, Gideon,” Grayson pleads when he has himself under control.

“When you found me, and I knew you were going to accept me,” Gideon begins.

“You mean you were going to accept us , right?” Leo asks, rubbing a soothing hand up and down Rowan’s back.

“No. I meant what I said. I knew I was weird, had unique tastes, and my family was shit. It was always going to be a crap shoot about whether you would accept me.”

Jay hates the self-doubt in his voice. Hates the self-recriminations, no matter that it’s not new. It’s still terrible to hear.

“Love…”

“No, I know what you’re going to say, Jay. Just leave it. For this minute. Please?”

Jay nods, even if Luca looks mad at the very idea.

“Okay. Where was I? Oh yeah. I’m a poor choice for a mate.”

Jay thinks he and Nix might be the only ones who feel it, but there’s a burst of hot air, and then Grayson is slamming his fist on the table. Everyone jumps when the silverware clanks and the glassware shivers.

“I’ve heard enough, Gideon, and I don’t want to hear it again. You are loved beyond reason and valued as a member of this pack. Don’t talk shit about yourself again in front of me.”

He points a long, elegant finger at Gideon’s shocked expression.

“I am fucking serious,” he growls.

The enigma is stunning in his rare show of anger, and Jay’s earlier thought that he looks like a warrior isn’t far off even sitting at the table.

No one says anything for a minute, the exotic basil-vanilla swirling around them in a thick wave.

Nix has his mouth open a bit, huffing in mouthfuls like he wants more.

His fingers are digging into Jay’s thighs, the tiny pinpricks of his claws kneading in and out like a cat.

Jay regretfully pulls them out before he’s ruined another pair of pants.

Pushing his hair off his forehead, Gideon swallows the words he was going to say and carefully chooses others.

“Fine. I used my connections to find out who your families, co-workers, and friends were. Find out who could hurt you. Just in case.”

“Just in case? In case of what? What did you find?” Leo asks.

Gideon sighs.

“Aside from Luca’s dad? A friend of Gray’s who was stealing his art, a nurse at the hospital who had a gambling problem, and Jaybird’s parents. Nothing to worry about.”

“Stealing my art?” Grayson exclaims, surprise replacing his simmering anger.

“Well, not anymore,” Gideon says with a shrug.

“Who?”

“That poser, Sven. You know the guy who kept wanting you to bring him to the den?”

Grayson squints at the memory. “Yeah, he was a toad. Hard-press flirting. What did you do?”

Gideon laughs, turning to start what is obviously a story, but Leo interrupts.

“While this will no doubt be hilarious, maybe you could get on to the nothing to worry about part? You said you didn’t know about my mom being a super spy.”

“Ha. No. Lauren is good. Although to be fair, she is next level, so I can’t be blamed for the info not making my file. Right?”

“Gideon, I think you are missing the point. Are you still doing it?” Nix asks.

“Kitten…”

“That’s a yes, then? The staff at Phoenix? My dad’s law firm?” Leo asks.

The only sound in the room is Gideon audibly gritting his teeth.

“What about the Long Road Home team?” Rowan asks, before shoveling the last of his breakfast into his mouth. Ice-cold, no doubt .

“Nothing my guy caught.” Gideon shakes his head with regret.

“Tell me about my parents.” Jay interrupts what is sure to be a snowball of his mates’ line of inquiry.

“Your dad is an asshole. I knew that much, even from those brief phone conversations or video calls—three, four times now. You’d shared enough, and that kind of asshole-ry doesn’t limit itself to abusing their kid or belittling your mate.”

Luca flinches in Finn’s arms, and Jay is flooded with old regret. James Rhodes Senior was as ignorant and rude as he was unkind.