Page 65 of Their Knotty Pack (Starbrook City Omegaverse #3)

Hunter

I 'm in the middle of the best sleep of my life, Bethany curled up against my side when my damn work phone goes off. "Song," I answer, trying to keep quiet but there's no hiding the tiredness in my voice.

"Detective Song, it's Maverick." The gruff voice on the other line has me sitting up. "I think…I think we found out who your mole is."

"You what?" I ask, jumping out of bed and booking it downstairs to my makeshift office. "Please explain."

The clock on the wall says five in the morning.

"I've been staked out all night, and about thirty minutes ago a uniformed officer approached their door, an omega in cuffs with him.

The presence of a police officer threw me off, and I thought maybe it was an errant sister or cousin, being brought home after a night of drinking.

" He huffs a breath, and I'm itching to just tell him to get on with it, but I understand the importance of getting every detail right.

"So…when he walked into the house with her, I was more than a little confused. I looked up the name on the beta's name plate—turns out he's the nephew of that Sergeant that told you to not waste resources on Pack Hansen."

Shit. Shi t, shit, shit .

Swallowing roughly, I close my eyes. "What was the name of the officer?"

I have a feeling I already know. Brody was in tune enough to catch it, but not me.

"H. Carlson."

Fuck.

"Do you have a plan here, detective?" Maverick asks, sounding hesitant. "This sounds like it goes pretty far up."

"We don't know that." I shake my head. "I…

can you send me pictures? I'll compile evidence and bring it to a judge.

Judge Beatrice Caldwell. We need to make a move before they do anything with the omega.

We can't just storm in there, not with the possibility of Sergeant Wilks being in on everything.

Not when they can fabricate arrest records or say that she requested to be brought there. "

"I'll keep an eye on the place, and if they try to move her, or if someone else comes for her, I'll follow and let you know."

"Copy." My heart beats so rapidly I'm surprised it isn't exploding. "Maverick?"

"Yeah, boss?"

"You're armed, right?"

"To the teeth."

I nod, my heart settling a little. "Good."

We hang up, and when I finally lift my head, I see Bethany standing in my doorway, eyes wide.

I wince. I can't believe I didn't realize she was standing right there. "How much of that did you hear?" I ask, running a hand through my hair.

"All of it," she whispers, her fingers toying with the hem of her sleep shirt.

"Come here, bluebell." I push my chair out a little, and she climbs into my lap, her nose running up my neck to breathe me in.

"What are you going to do?" she asks quietly, her fingers tracing circles around my bare chest.

"I—" My words cut off as the pictures from Maverick come through, and Bethany stiffens in my lap. "Yeah, he was at the crime scene when your office was smashed."

"No," she chokes out a whisper, using two fingers to zoom in on the profile of the omega. "That's…that's Gina Sterling."

Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse.

"The one Brody told me was turned away from the police station.

" I state, my tone dead. I want to punch something.

Hit a wall. Throw everything off my desk and rage at the sky.

We knew. She knew this was coming. When I called her personally two weeks ago, apologizing for the officers who turned her away, she was so angry she refused my help.

Told me she didn't want a protection detail. I should have reached out again.

"Hunter," Bethany says carefully, in that tone that tells me she's been thinking about something. "I have a plan, and I want you to listen to it, not as my alpha, but as a detective."

"Didn't you just ask me to do the opposite of that before we called Wren's pack?" I grimace. "You have to pick one, bluebell."

She ignores me, turning to face me. "Gina is my…

well, not my friend, but I know her. She's been through enough, she doesn't deserve this.

She needs to get out as soon as possible.

They've been trying to talk to me. Let me give them what they want.

I can wear a wire, pretend I want in on their sick little game, and have them give me all these details. "

I shake my head. "They won't believe you, Bethany. You have no reason to help them."

"I'll make one up," she says fiercely, "I'll tell them that I can use my job at Brody's firm to get them omega's information, and make a bunch of false promises. They're so full of themselves, they'll have no problem believing that I want them back."

She has a point. But the thought of her being anywhere near those guys…

Bethany must see it on my face, because she has an answer for that too. "I'll meet them at The Alpha Lounge. I'll wear a wire, you can plant people that you trust to be in the dining area around me so that if anyone makes any moves…well, they won't. You guys will stop them."

I hate that she's making sense. I hate that I'm thinking about it.

"It's probably your best shot," Miles says from the doorway as Brody, Damien, and Kieran come into view behind him.

I'm really not observant when I'm half asleep.

"As much as we all hate it," Brody adds, walking over to the desk and sitting in the chair opposite of us, "Bethany…well, she's the only one they might talk to, and you need a flat-out confession from them at this point."

"Do you guys feel the same way?" I ask Damien and Kieran.

"Doesn't really matter does it?" Kieran shrugs.

"Does it drive me up the wall that the woman I love will be within grabbing distance of her ex-pack of assholes that are involved in a trafficking ring?

Fuck yes it does. But…if we take precautions, and everything is under our control… then she isn't in any real danger."

Kieran doesn't seem to realize what he's just said, but Bethany sure did. Her mouth gapes open slightly. "Did you just call me…the woman you love?"

His cheeks flush. "Did I? I don't know if I—"

"You did." Miles grins.

"Heard it." Brody raises his hand.

"Me too," Damien snickers.

Kieran's gaze shoots to me, like he's daring me to agree with them. My answering smirk does the work for me, and he starts to babble as Bethany gets out of my lap and starts walking over to him. "I didn't mean it like—if you're not ready…you don't have to say anything right now—"

"Kieran." Her voice stops him mid-rant, and he looks at her quizzically. "Shut up."

Then she wraps her arms around his neck and stands on her tip-toes, and he still has to bend down to meet her kiss.

"I love you too," she murmurs, kissing him once again.

"But…you're right." She turns to face us, and Kieran's arms come around her waist from behind.

"I won't be in any real danger. Not if we plan it right. "

I clear my throat. "We can't…we can't trust anyone in my department right now. We're going to have to call in Titus for backup."

"So we're doing this?" Bethany asks, determination lacing her tone.

"Wait to call them until after I get the warrant signed," I warn her, "and I want to be in the room when you do. Also…let's see if either Noah or Ethan have alternatives to the traditional wire…they might want to check you."

"Got it." She nods, her mouth set in a tight line.

"The rest of you…try to get some more sleep. I'm going to have to compile all this evidence for the judge and convince her to sign a warrant without the Sergeant finding out about it."

Judge Caldwell looks at me from over her glasses, after reading over the file of evidence I've compiled. "You realize this is…unconventional. Don't you, detective?"

"I understand," I nod, my hands clasped behind my back, "but I don't feel that I can go to anyone else with this while still staying on the right side of the law. I don't know if Sergeant Wilks is compromised, I don't know how far up this goes, Your Honor."

She's quiet for a moment, before pointing to the photo that Maverick had snapped of Carlson and Gina. "How do we know this isn't j ust a drunk and disorderly being dropped off with a family member or friend?"

"Because Carlson wasn't on duty last night, Your Honor. Also, she told my omega that she had met with Pack Hansen, just like the others—"

"Your omega?" She blinks at me. "How does she know the maybe-victim?"

"She works at Omega First Law Firm with Brody Benson, our pack member. Gina is being represented by them because her pack is suing her. She met with Pack Hansen first, and she…well she hated them, your honor. There's no way she would have willingly gone to them."

Judge Caldwell sighs before rubbing her eyes. "If I sign this, and nothing comes of it…that's it. Do you understand? I can't issue anymore warrants without more evidence"

Then she signs her name on the line, handing it over with a long suffering sigh. "Don't make me regret this, Song."