Page 85 of Wild Omega

I squeeze his shoulder gently, trying to contain the fury exploding through me. “I need a name, Ricky.” The sad look he gives me breaks my bruised heart right open.

Why? He’ll say I wanted it, and it will be my word against his. It’ll get messy.

Something in his words rattles its way deep into my core. Why does my beautiful, free-spirited Rickon sound so much like the domestic violence victims I’ve defended? I swallow hard.

“How long were you guys together?”

He shrugs.Approx ten months.

I fall back against the couch, stunned. All the times we met up, he never mentioned he had a boyfriend, let alone an abusive one. How many other bruises did I miss? Now I think about it, my memories of our outings feel fuzzy. What did we talk about each time we met? Me, his work. Stuff that made me laugh. Superficial things.

I’ve failed more badly than I can put into words.

I groan. “Nobody asks to have their neck squeezed to smithereens, Ricky. No one.” I drag my hand across my face, trying to contain the emotion that must be steaming through my skin. My scent certainly is.

“A name, Ricky,” I growl out. “This can’t go unpunished. Do you think I’d take this to court and let the bastard get away with a ‘he wanted it’? Fuck me!”

Ricky shrinks in on himself.

I press my point. “The OCB said a large male was seen leaving the building. Does his name start with A? B?”

He shakes his head, and I grip his knee. I can see he’s struggling, but I’m not letting this go. “C? D?” I switch tactics. “The sooner you tell me, the sooner I can go find out what happened to Red. I’m a fool, Rickon, and you warned me I shouldn’t dismiss her.” A bitter laugh escapes me, and I look down at my glowing skin, massaging the back of my hand with my thumb. “Well, as always you were a hundred and twenty percent correct.”

I look down at my hands, my skin glowing from spilled oil. “I smell like Red because I broke a sample of illicit haze at the office. It’s from the cases I’m prosecuting on the omegas from the smuggling center. You know what that means, right?”

His eyelids flutter and he moans—a broken, soggy sound that hurts my ears.

I shake my head, heart aching. “She needs us, but I’m not leaving until I have the name of your attacker, so I know you won’t be hurt again. I can’t help her when I’m worried sick about you as well.”

He shudders, but I hold his gaze until he relents. Rickon always gives way to me. Maybe I need to figure out the reason for that, fast.

Ozzie squawks and flaps his wings, knocking the bell. “Hello! Fuck off.”

“Thanks, Ozzie,” I say with a wry smile. “You’re as charming as ever.”

“Fuck off, Hudson! No! Don’t!”

I jerk, swiveling to stare at the parrot. “Hudson?”

The green bird bobs his head twice as if answering, and then starts preening his green wing feathers. Today might be the first time I thought the little monster was a good bird.

I hum under my breath. “Well, fine. I can work with that.” The city has security cameras in the vicinity so the OCB agents will look through plates or security footage from the street.

Rickon releases a heavy sigh, and then winces. His pen moves, and I latch my gaze onto the slow, uncertain movements.

Hudson Vatters.

How many times did Rickon scream at him for the parrot to learn this sicko’s name? I think too hard about it, I feel like I’ll explode. “Well done.” I lean over and kiss my friend’s hair, not sure how else to express my gratitude. “Now, here’s what’s going to happen. I’m going to pack you an overnight bag, and you’re going to go in the ambulance to get a full checkup.”

He flinches and tries to refuse, but I cut him off. “That’s the only way I’ll be satisfied you’re safe and taken care of while I look for Red, so I won’t hear any arguments on the subject. We can’t know if you have more damage inside your throat, so get a checkup and leave the rest to me. I won’t let you down. Not this time.”

He stares up at me, jaw making slight movements that are soon mirrored by his pen.She needs us, Callisto.

I nod. “Yeah, I know that now. I’m sorry I was an idiot. I don’t know if she’ll forgive me, but I can at least make sure she’s safe. That goes for both of you.”

He nods, eyes swimming with tears. “She protectedme.” His voice rasps so bad I can barely make out his words, but his tone’s full of bitterness. “Fought him off like a bodyguard.”

“Don’t talk, Ricky,” I beg, rubbing his shoulder. He could do permanent damage. “And you might not like it, but I’m glad as fuck she did. You’re both safe, and that’s most important. Now, where’s your bag?”

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