Page 77 of Sinful Mates

“On three.” At the end of my countdown, Alaric and I hoisted the wrapped panes of glass from the truck bed, transporting them to the shelter’s porch.

Aaliyah set her box down by the door, opening it, clicking the door opener into place, holding it open for us to carry the packages inside. “Where do you want these?”

“By the windows,” I ordered, and we deposited them beside the first.

Yesterday, the three of us came to the shelter to tidy up the place and get it ready for repairs. I wanted her with me as much as possible leading up to Christmas, which might be my last with her. Threat of retaliation crawled under my skin for what Castor did. Public humiliation and forced incarceration of our enemies left us open to more attacks and to pay severely. Me with my freedom for murdering three police officers.

Castor assured us that our enemies had no way of tracing his moves, but I wasn’t so sure, and the pit of worry in my gut deepened.

Alaric came with the package, a two-for-one deal. He barely left Aaliyah’s side these last four days. Relief set in knowing that she always had him with her, scanning for threats, protecting her, ready to defend her if threatened. Duty of a born soldier and the avatar of the Sky god.

Worry gnawed at him that he might be locked away, convicted of drug possession and transportation. Mutual fears we shared, only for different charges. With his mental health only just recovering from past trauma, a move like that might destroy him. If he went to prison, his chances of deteriorating or self-harming skyrocketed.

Knives pierced deeper into my sides at the knowledge that my fucking actions were to blame. If I had of left those prick cops alive, we might not be in this precarious position.

Occupying his mind lessened his troubles and I was happy to share my time with Aaliyah with him for being an additional cause of anxiety.

However, the shelter seemed like the last place he should be. Something as small as a shard of glass from a broken window could trigger him into a PTSD snap and I was careful to avoid that.

At least this time we had Aaliyah here to stave off a break.

Guilt hacked at my chest knowing he wouldn’t be so lucky if sentenced to prison. Alaric would be all on his own and broken without his brothers for protection and comfort.

Alaric took a huge step in attending the repair job today. His recent growth surprised and impressed me. Facing his demons and triggers. Quitting drinking. Regular sessions with a therapist to confront his issues and tackle his PTSD. He made a lot of headway and I was proud to call him my brother and friend.

Charges for Alexander Heller’s murder still hung over Slade’s head and any day might be his last free one, too.

Castor looked like the lone choice to care for our mate… if the feds didn’t catch up with him for illegally moving dirty money around to pay our debts. Knowing the people he went up against, they’d get him for bogus charges for the havoc he created in the media and social media.

If one of us fell in battle, I wanted to make sure my mate and kid always had one of us to take care of her. A future that looked dimmer by the day. Castor helped me spread our money across illegal accounts for Aaliyah to access if we went down for any crimes.

There was no one more loyal than Alaric, and if he was the lucky bastard that escape the slammer, my heart was content with that. If it was one of the others, best of luck to them. Slade would kill for her. Castor fuck up someone behind the scenes. Me, I didn’t think I was as lucky. My fate seemed sealed already. Unless Castor’s trick somehow dissolved all of our charges.

Doubted it, though. Our freedom dangled on the edge of a cliff, and for what Castor did, we earned more powerful eyes on us. We had to be ready for our enemy to retreat, lick their wounds, and unleash more attacks. Best case scenario they left us the fuck alone. I prayed every spare minute I had that the gods chose the latter.

“Slacking off.” Alaric elbowed me in the ribs, and I grunted.

“Thinking about where I want to start first,” I lied.

Aaliyah sidled up behind me, pressing her front against my back. “Where do you want to start?”

My hellhound growled with pleasure at the rub of her breasts against me. “Let’s install the windows first. Then Alaric can weld the bars and we can install the protective mesh on the inside.”

A big job, but necessary repairs to the shelter to fix damage caused by the Wolves’ raid. Replacing broken windows, doors, and cupboards, patching over smashed plasterboard, and adhering steel bars over the windows to bar entry to intruders. I needed someone with Alaric’s handyman skills.

Aaliyah was desperate to get involved after being bored out of her brain at home with nothing but cleaning to occupy her time. My mate enjoyed being busy. The rush of the ER. Spreading her gift to everyone she came in contact with. Fuck, I loved that about her. Dylan’s mother stayed at home and wasted my money on drugs.

My phone beeped and I checked the message.Update from Castor on our secure channel. I told Alaric and Aaliyah, and they huddled beside me, watching the message sent by the VP.

A little FaceTime of Castor popped up, him smirking, giving us a personal update. “Hey, beautiful.” He blew Aaliyah a kiss, then licked the air for us. “Just wanted to give you an update,” he said, and proceeded with it.

“Fallout from the Wolves’ insurance film went viral on media and social media with over one billion views in two days. Paid sources within the force told me Bathurst Police shut down their station, and officers, including the superintendent, were suspended indefinitely until further notice. Prick learned not to fuck with us.”

My mind wandered to our informants. Assholes took our money and failed to give us the heads up. Slade swore black and blue that they weren’t getting another cent from us until they worked for their money.

Our enemies slunk into the shadows to lay low until the shitstorm played out and reappeared in a new job a year down the track. Always the fucking same. Powerful people like them always evaded repercussions. Thoth and Maat wouldn’t stand for it. Fucking cowards had to face the music some time.

According to Castor’s update, public pressure called for the arrest and incarceration of all named officials in the videos. Heads finally rolled. Major heads. High-ranking officers and officials within the force and state government.

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