Page 6

Chapter

Six

T hiago followed the trail of another omega he’d been sent to find by Graham, all the info coming in at the ass crack of dawn. The guy was a real bear—ha-ha—before he had his coffee and honeybuns, and he was really unhappy about Thiago getting laid, he thought.

Not because Graham had designs on his person. No, the guy was holding out for another bear, maybe. Or maybe a porcupine…

A little prick.

God, he cracked himself up.

But the trail led him to a coffee shop that apparently had a lost omega discount in the way of leftover pastry from the day before being given out for free.

Oh, how fucking charming was that? Seriously.

Thiago ordered himself a hazelnut latte with two extra shots of espresso along with a huge piece of lemon pound cake.

Then he went to sit. The place was one of those coffee shops that worked hard to prove itself a part of the community—a wall of books, another one with board games. There was even a little spot for children. He could see this being the center of a bustling community.

He had to admit he was curious too. He wanted to see what kind of omegas came in, if they happened to need help. If they happened to be one of the omegas he was hoping to connect with here in Denver.

Thiago found a book to pretend to read, looking up every time the doorbell dingled.

But most everyone seemed to be your average everyday customer—a mom with her baby, a businessman getting coffees for the office, a teenager grabbing a coffee that she hoped made her seem cool and grown up.

These were normal people, living their lives, some staying to chat, some not. No one paid him any attention.

He’d finished his cake and was considering getting another latte with the doorbell rang again and someone came striding in.

Someone lean and redheaded, hair down this morning, loose and tousled, as if he’d just been fucked. Dark glasses on, dressed in T-shirt and leathers.

Quin made his mouth dry.

“Hey, honey, I need my regular. Anybody in the back that I need to talk to?”

“One churro latte with extra shots and a bear claw coming up. And no. No, there was somebody here early this morning. I gave him some day-old croissants and they hurried off. I think that they’re feeding babies.”

“Dammit. I hate to hear that. I’ll be back at closing, see if he comes back. No one should be worried about their cubs eating. No one.”

Thiago liked Quin more every single second. It was glorious.

He stood, silently as only one of his kind could, and moved to slide one arm around Quin’s waist.

“Hey, you come here often?” He purred the words, and he could smell the immediate and instinctive response to him.

“You’re lucky I didn’t cut you.”

He chuffed softly. You wouldn’t.

Quin tossed his hair, and it smelled so good that his entire body clenched. I can’t believe I didn’t see you.

You knew I was safe.

“Yes, but I’m glad I didn’t go all ninja on you.”

“Me too, baby boy. I need another latte, please.”

Quin chuckled softly. “Put it on my tab.”

“Oooh, in that case, I’ll have a bear claw too.” He winked, and Quin rolled his eyes.

“You’re pushy.”

“I am.” Thiago wouldn’t apologize for it. “I have a table. Come on.” He took Quin to his little spot.

“What are you doing here?” Quin asked.

“Tracking another missing. You ever seen this kid?” He showed Quin the picture on his phone.

Quin pulled his glasses up and popped him on the top of his head, looking closely. “Yeah. She doesn’t look like that anymore.”

“She?”

Quin nodded. “Yep, her name is Teresa. She has a very nice husband. Panda bear, believe it or not.”

Huh. “No shit?”

“I shit you not. She comes into the club maybe once a month. It’s a little rough for her, but I see her husband all the time. He likes to come in, drink a couple of beers, kick somebody’s ass at pool, win some money, and leave.”

“He a biker?” Thiago was a little gobsmacked.

“No. No, he’s a helicopter mechanic. He works at the Air Force Base.”

“How did he end up at a dive bar?”

Quin arched one red eyebrow. “We have an excellent reputation.”

“You’re a biker bar.”

“With an excellent reputation.” Quin grinned at him. “There were a bunch of military guys that popped in one day for a beer. I think it was a dare. Honestly, I try not to allow too much trouble, and he happened to see Teresa. I’d hired her to wait tables. He fell in love at first sight. And that was that.”

“Has every single lost omega managed to find your bar?” he asked.

Quin stared at him. “Honestly, how am I supposed to quantify that? How would I know if every single lost omega in Denver came to my bar? Is there a statistic that says ‘here are how many lost omegas there are in Denver’?”

Thiago was in love. “I do like you; you’re smart.”

“Pretty too.”

He nodded. “Yeah, and great in bed.”

“So I’m like a win, win, win, win situation.”

He propped his chin on one hand. “Seriously. How did you get into the bar scene?”

“I’m not academic like my brothers. I needed something to do.”

That didn’t work for him at all. He knew how smart Quin was. Maybe Quin wasn’t good at following the rules—that he would buy, but not an academic? Not capable?

That he wasn’t going for. Not one bit.

“Why are you not academic?”

“I mean, I read.” He got a blinding, fake smile. “Look, I wake up most days and choose violence. That doesn’t go well with sitting in a class somewhere or attending class every day.”

“Mmmm. So hot.”

“Stop. You’ll give me a big head,” Quin deadpanned.

“And this is bad?”

“No.” Now the grin was real.

He texted Graham real quick to let him know to close the case. “Can you give Teresa the memo to get a hold of her folks? Or at least give me permission to tell them she’s alive and safe?”

“I can text her, sure.”

“Thanks. Now, what else can I do to help?” Thiago asked, not ready to let Quin go for today.

“Help with what?”

“The kid you’re looking for.”

“Hang out with me today? Come back with me to watch the back door because they don’t know you? If we can get them to trust that we can get them someplace safe…” Quin’s eyes flashed wolfy for a moment.

“I can do that, baby boy. I surely can.”

“Thanks. I hate it when little ones might be involved. Even more than usual.”

“Well, this is what I do. So whatever will we do until it’s time?” He waggled his eyebrows.

“Oh, I can think of a lot of things. But first, we get to watch each other eat bear claws.”

He hooted. “My business partner will be so pleased. In fact, let me take a picture to send him. Grizzly.”

Quin laughed along with him, boot touching his under the table.

Oh, yeah. His day was really looking up.

Quin waited inside the coffee shop with a whole box of leftover pastry and a gallon of milk.

He’d left Thiago out in the alley, and it was great, because he could hear the guy in his head, so there was no shouting and there were no phones needed.

He wasn’t trying to ambush anyone or anything. He just wanted the two omegas he knew were involved in this to have a safe place. If they had kids…

Well, leftover pastry was no way to have healthy ones for long.

Neither was living rough in a shithole or in the park…

Instead of the usual set of safe houses, he had a lady that took in kids like this so they could stay with their children. Got them jobs and set them up pretty.

So he and Thiago just needed to hem them in until the talking was done and they calmed down enough to be helped.

Two kids with a toddler coming to you , Thiago said, clear as a bell in his head.

Cool. I’m on it. Excellent. He faded into the shadows as the door opened in back, and one of the omegas slid in.

“Daisy? Are you okay? Can I take the trash out for you?”

“Come on in, Derry. I’ve got stuff for you,” Daisy called from where she was cleaning the equipment. She wanted these kids safe too.

The kid crept in, his mate and the toddler behind him. Thiago slipped in and closed the door silently, that jaguar stealth kicking in.

“Quin!” Derry jumped half a foot. “What are you?—”

“Derry. Kiddo. Here. Pastry.” He held out the box. “And I bought milk. Can we talk?”

“Milk?” That was the wee one.

Quin nodded. “You know it, sweetheart. I got milk. Would you like a glass?”

Derry shook his head and took the box of pastries, frowning at him. He put himself between the little one and Quin. “What do you want? Why are you here? Daisy’s closed. I’m just here to work. I don’t want any trouble.”

Poor sweet kid.

Derry’s mate stood there, drawn and skeletal, huge dark circles under her eyes, her pale hair in mats. “In trouble? We’re already in trouble, Derry.”

Derry shot her a panicked look. “Patty, hush.”

Goddamn it. Mate, don’t let them get away. “We’re not here to hurt you. I don’t want anything. I know about a place where you can get some help, that’s all.”

The little coyote shifter shook his head. “We don’t have any money, and my girl’s not for sale either. None of us are.”

“Of course you’re not.” Quin rolled his eyes. “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m talking about a safe house. Somewhere where you all can stay together. Sleep in a clean bed, get a shower that’s hot. Real food for a growing baby. It’s just a place to go until you can get back on your feet.”

Derry shook his head, but it was Patty who nodded, her eyes flashing gold. “We can’t stay out there with Lindsey, Derry. We just can’t . That man’s gonna pick us up.”

Quin frowned. “What man?”

She shrugged, shrinking down even smaller. “There’s just a…it’s a man. He’s some kind of a bear. Big shock of white hair, big guy. Real insistent. He was following us. I think he wants Lindsey. You know, for…” She drew the little girl close. “You know.”

Quin growled. He couldn’t help it. “Derry. Patty. Let me help you.”

Daisy spoke up. “Hey, I’ve known Quin for years. He’s not here to hurt you. This is one of the things he and his brothers do. They help, okay? I can give you a job here at the coffee shop. All right, Derry, we can put you on the payroll, and that lets Patty and Lindsey heal and rest. Eat something that’s not sugar.”

The little one was still staring at the milk.

“Daisy, can I pour her a glass of milk from your stash so I don’t have to open this gallon?” Quin asked.

“Absolutely. No problem.”

“You want to come with me? I’m just going right here. Your momma can still see you.” He wasn’t doing a thing that would make these guys run. Coyotes were always getting picked on and knocked down, and these two were down to their last straw.

Thiago came out of the shadows at the back door, hands up. “Hey, folks. I’m Quin’s mate, so I’m just going to have a glass of milk too. I love milk, huh?”

The coyotes stared nervously, but little Lindsey went to Thiago as soon as he sat down and crawled into his lap. She patted his cheeks. “Kitty.”

Quin bit back a smile. Clearly kids liked Thiago.

“Hey, poppet. You’re Lindsey. How old are you?”

“T’ree.” She held up her fingers.

“Oh wow, you’re a big girl.”

She nodded. “I big!”

Thiago winked at him. “We are good here, Quin, if you want to make sure that Patty and Derry get a bite to eat.”

“Good deal.” He went back to the kids. “Right. I can take you to a house. There’s a woman who lives there, and her job is to help out. You could have a bedroom with a little bed for Lindsey. Three squares a day. Hot water in the shower. Daisy says Derry can work here. Patty, you can help Maria with things like washing sheets, dusting, cooking, whatever it is you want to do, but you guys have got to get off the streets.”

Quin didn’t want to be pushy so—oh, who the hell was he kidding? Quin really just wanted these kids to do what they were told. It was the right thing to do, but he was trying really hard to pretend like he wasn’t pushing.

Derry shook his head, but it was Patty who nodded. “Yes. Yes. Derry, if you don’t want to come, you don’t have to, but I’m tired. If you don’t care if I’m tired, then Lindsey deserves a chance. Lindsey and I will come.”

“Come on, man. Don’t let your pride screw this up for you,” he muttered under his breath.

To his utter relief, Derry nodded and sighed, his shoulders dropped. “All right. Thank you, Quin. Thank you for the offer. We could use a break. This would give us a chance to figure our stuff out.”

“Good deal.” He met Thiago’s gaze from across the coffee shop. Thank God.

Right? Thiago’s eyes flashed . This little girl needs food. Real food. Like vegetables and milk and meat.

Yeah, and I don’t like this idea of there being some rando out there hunting on the streets. Makes me damn uncomfortable.

Ditto. We need to find out who.

And we will. But first? We get these kids some good food and a place to stay, Quin said.

Thiago chuckled, winking at him. And I’m still liking you more and more all the time.