Page 61 of Accidentally Forever

Ah, so he’s been fed information and he’s already made his conclusion. Most of the officers I’ve worked with are pretty impartial but for someone to want to drag us out at three in the morning, it must have been important.

The officer’s face twists, like he’s annoyed he hasn’t gotten a reaction. “Nothing to say, huh?” His smirk is smug, but there’s no real fire behind it. “You think sitting there looking untouchable makes you innocent?”

I tilt my head, letting the silence stretch a little longer before finally responding. “I think sitting here makes me patient,” I say evenly. “Which is more than I can say for you.”

His jaw tightens, and for a moment, I wonder if he’s about to take a swing. But then he pulls back with a sharp exhale, muttering under his breath as he straightens up. “You’re not getting out of this. Not this time. You and your little art empire are about to come crashing down. We’re gonna keep you locked up until we sort this mess out, and trust me, it’s not looking good for you.”

He starts rapid-firing questions at us regarding how we found the fake prints, who we got them from, who we’re working with, how many we have in our collection. Each question we don’t answer, he becomes a little more frustrated but even if I didn’t feel like fucking with the guy, I can’t give him what he wants. We haven’t dealt in anything fake.

Fifteen minutes of this nonsense and Banks steps into the room, glaring at the officer who’s been berating us. He lets out a heavy sigh, a storm brewing in his dark eyes, and I already know whoever dragged us in here is about to regret it. He immediately holds a hand up to the officer to keep him from continuing. “Yeah, no, you don’t get to question my clients anymore.” He gestures toward the door. “Bye.”

The officer scowls. “You don’t run things here, lawyer.”

Banks turns his head slowly, eyes narrowing. “Neither do you when you pull bullshit stunts like this. You mentioned they were under arrest, they get legal counsel.” He leans in slightly, lowering his voice. “I left my very pregnant Omega at home for this nonsense. So unless you want me filing so many complaints your superiors won’t have space to shove them, I suggest you get the fuck out of my face.”

The officer clenches his jaw, muttering something under his breath, but he stomps out, slamming the door behind him. Lance lets out a low whistle. “Damn. That was kinda hot.”

Banks sighs, finally turning to us as he drops into the chair across the table. “Already mated. But you owe me for this,” he grumbles, running a hand down his face. “I left my Omega and my Beta alone at home to deal with this bullshit.”

I smirk, stretching my legs out. “She’s gonna kick your ass.”

He scoffs, sitting back. “That’s what my Beta is for. Hopefully, he’ll keep her happy until I get home.”

Lance chuckles. “You hope.”

Banks flips him off before clasping his hands together and leaning forward, all business now. “Alright, let’s get to it. The officers absolutely overstepped their power dragging you out at this hour. It’s intimidation, a tactic to get you flustered, see if you slip. But other than a few accusations, they have no solid evidence.”

Hawk tilts his head. “You’re sure?”

Lance crosses his arms, the tension in his posture matching Hawk’s. “Where did the tips even come from? Who called it in?”

Banks lets out a dry chuckle, one that lacks any humor. “Xavier,” he says, flipping through his notes. “Or at least, the phone number registered to him.”

Hawk stills, his hands flexing at his sides. “That little weasel—”

Banks holds up a hand, cutting him off. “He’s caught up in something way over his head,” he says, voice even. “That much is clear. But that doesn’t mean we’re in the clear. In fact, I’d say this is going to get worse before it gets better.”

Lance rubs a hand over his face. “And you’re sure there’s no real evidence yet?”

Banks nods. “Yet. But Xavier has done an excellent job fabricating it. He’s spun this whole thing so that the likely deduction is that the Ashford pack is knee-deep in this mess. He’s lined things up just enough that when they do find something, they’ll be looking at you three first.”

Hawk lets out another low growl, pacing again. “Fucking fantastic.”

Banks drags a hand through his hair, shoulders rising with a sigh. “And it gets worse.”

Lance lets out a humorless laugh. “Of course it does.”

Banks levels us with a serious look. “Because of all the connections—your names being tied to this case—it’s only a matter of time before people start looking into your pack. And the moment it gets out that Violet and Sofie are officially part of the Ashford pack, they might get dragged into this investigation too.”

I’ve spent my life building an empire, securing every angle, eliminating every weak spot to make sure nothing could ever touch the people under my roof. And yet, here we are. On the brink of disaster. And now my women—our women—are in the line of fire.

“No,” Hawk snaps, shaking his head. “That’s not happening.”

“Absolutely fucking not,” Lance agrees. “We need to make sure they’re protected. That this doesn’t even touch them.”

Banks nods. “Good. Because the moment they get caught up in this, it complicates everything tenfold. Laying low is the best course of action but I know that won’t last long. You four get antsy when you have nothing to do. I suggest getting ahead of the story, control the narrative before it spins out of control.”

That gives me several ideas, none of which Banks will like.

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