“On paper…but that doesn’t count if you never received it. Look, your uncle isa prick who sees you as free labor. That’s just fucking wrong.”
Shrugging, Owen said, “He promised to pay me for real once I paid off my debt to him.”
Indrik snorted. “You don’t owe him anything. Your parents left a shitload of money in a trust fund to reimburse him for raising you.”
“I know…but he said it ran out when I was ten because everything cost more than what my parents thought.”
Sighing, Indrik didn’t reply. It was a discussion they’d had many times, but it boiled down to the fact that Owen could not accept that his uncle had lied to him. Someday, when he had the money and time, he would get the proof that would finally show his friend what a true asshole his uncle was. In the meantime, all he could do was get Owen to a place where his uncle couldn’t find him.
As it was, it was a stroke of luck his uncle hadn’t seemed to care where Owen was going or when he’d return. Dropping the matter, he said, “It’s time we put this little cub to bed.”
“Are you gonna put him in the crib in your room?” asked Owen, lightly petting the soft fur between the cub’s ears.
“Yeah,” Indrik murmured. “He can’t sleep with the others until he shifts.”
Nodding, Owen rose and then reached down to scoop up the cub carefully, cuddling him close to his chest as he headed out of the room.
Indrik remained on the floor for a moment, watching his friend leave with the cub before he unfolded his body and stood. Whether or not Owen believed him, his friend was a natural with the kids…something he’d soon realize. Picking up the toys and tossing them in baskets scattered around the room,Indrik thought back to the recent text from Cody asking when he’d be arriving, but that depended on when his latest charge would shift. He’d figure out what to say to his future employer tomorrow, but now his body demanded sleep. Turning out the lights, he headed upstairs to his bedroom.
~/~/~/~/~
Dylon stood before Jackson’s study door and took a deep breath before he rapped his knuckles against it. After hearing Jackson give permission, he entered and stopped short when he saw Tristan and Heath staring at him. “Oh…sorry, I didn’t realize you were busy.”
“Not a problem,” Jackson said. “Have a seat.”
“Yeah…we were just leaving,” Tristan said, rising. Then, shifting his attention back to Jackson, he continued, “I’ll text you when we get home…and then you can let me know when to expect them so we can show them around the Alpha house.”
“Will do,” Jackson said. “And thanks a lot. I really appreciate your help.”
“My pleasure,” Tristan said, smiling. Then, turning to Dylon, he added, “Nice to see you again…say hello to Cody for me, will ya?”
“Sure,” Dylon murmured, sitting down in one of the recently vacated chairs. He waited until he was alone with Jackson before handing over the document in his hand. “I made a few changes after seeing Theo’s floor plan of the Ghost Bear Alpha’s house.”
Jackson scanned the document quickly, then went back and read it more slowly. As usual, the plan was flawless. Setting down on his desk, he asked, “When do you leave?”
“It’ll be dark in about an hour, so that will give me time to brief everyone on their roles,” Dylon said.
“How long will you be gone?”
“Two or three hours,” Dylon replied. “It’ll depend on what condition Theo’s parents are in, but with Colton there, it shouldn’t be too long.”
Nodding, Jackson picked up the plan and read it through once again. He was cautious about sending his pack members into situations that had so many unknowns, but had always been opposed to forced labor—if, indeed, Ollie’s assessment of the situation was correct. Not that he doubted him, but the fact remained that Ollie hadn’t spoken to Theo’s parents; he’d just assumed they wanted to be rescued. And from Jackson’s experience, he knew that assumptions—even logical ones—could go south very quickly. Sighing, he dropped the paper down on his desk, then looked at Dylon. “Just make sure Sawyer cloaks Theo’s parents before you do anything else. It’s the only way to keep any noise they make hidden from the Alpha and his enforcers.”
“Absolutely,” Dylon said. “Once Ollie leads us to the basement window where he saw them, Sawyer will cloak them so no one will see or hear them.”
“Good,” Jackson said. “There’s one other thing…Remy is gonna take Smokey, Theo, and Norm to Tristan’s Silver Point Pack, so you’ll have to wait until he gets back before you leave. Will that be a problem?”
Shaking his head, Dylon said, “Not at all…it’ll give me time to help Cody put the twins to bed.”
Grinning, Jackson asked, “Which one’s yours to handle? Jake or Jessica?”
Snorting, Dylon asked, “Who do you think?”
“Jessica, of course. What’s the problem?”
“My little Alpha princess believes she shouldn’t have to go to bed at the same time as Jake.”
“Why…because she’s older?”