Page 87 of Toy No More

“You looked like you might need it,” Agent Colton says. He seems to have warmed up to me a bit. Maybe Evans talked to him. She has been strangely kind to me, and I wonder if it’s some sort of alpha instinct. If a primal part of her makes her want to protect me as an omega or something.

She steps in as I hand the signed paper to her supervisor over the table. “Worse people have gotten away with worse things. Unfortunately,” Agent Evans remarks.

I don’t know if that calms me, but she’s right.

“Now,” the man sitting across from me says, putting his hands together after briefly studying my signature, “what’s essential is that you don’t make waves. From now on, we need you to focus on the task, as we’ve outlined. Zane is well aware of the recent heightened police and federal activity. Thankfully, he wasn’t as smart as his father and neglected to keep paying some of the bribed officials and police. Many have already broken and came to us.”

Hearing that gives me some sense of righteous satisfaction. Everything Jasper is building around himself might collapse, and it will mostly be his fault. But I’ll have to be careful. More than ever before.

I nod and hope they can see the determination on my face.

I’m going to need to lock in on this. No backing out now. And that starts by admitting to myself that my heart is getting way too close to Apollo. I must tread carefully. For everyone’s sake—his, mine, my family’s, and this entire operation’s.

Jasper led Apollo to see me with the body to pull us apart. He’s clearly much more jealous than he lets on. No matter what Apollo believes or what he tells him. A jealous alpha is dangerous. It’s too much of a risk for me to keep pushing him.

“I will do everything I can to help you make this right,” I say with steel assurance. Agent Evans looks at me with raised brows, surprised at the sudden change of attitude most likely, and so does the special agent. With a faint smile and a seriously determined gaze, he reaches out his hand for a handshake.

“Very well. We’ll hold you to it, Mr. Saber.”

?

Jasper watches me from across his table, narrowing those distrustful blue eyes while I close the door to his office behind me. “You wanted to talk?” he asks, not at all hiding the cautious undertones to his words. It feels like I’ve willfully walked into a wolf’s den, but it is essential that I do this.

There’s no choice, no matter how afraid I am of his hidden teeth or hungry gaze. No matter how fresh the wounds he caused me are. This is something that needs to be done.

“Yes, boss,” I say, steadying my voice.

He cocks a brow, surprise mixing with suspicion on his face. “What is it?”

Come on. You prepared for this. You need to do it.

“I wanted to clear the air between us,” I start, keeping my chin down to show respect; submissiveness even. “And apologize. For…messing around with Apollo. And in turn disrespecting you as his alpha.” The last few words hardly leave my lips, but I push them out. Hopefully with enough conviction.

Jasper studies me intently, as if he’s trying to find out what kind of game I’m playing.

“I don’t care what you two do together. He’s free to do whatever he wants. I told you both,” he mutters. As he leans his head to the side, resting it against his hand, he tries to appear unbothered, but I know the truth. It’s almost amusing how he thinks he can convince me he doesn’t care with how much smoldering possessiveness and jealousy I’ve already got from him since I started getting close to Apollo.

“I know, but…it was a mistake. What you said was true, even if I don’t like to admit it. I’m not an alpha. I’m an omega, and the two of us shouldn’t have…” Even as I try to imagine this isn’t really me saying it but someone else, it’s hard to say those words. Apollo’s smile stands out in my mind, and it’s as if I’m betraying him. “I was stupid to get distracted with it and to…overstep.”

Jasper’s eyes are locked on me while he listens intently. I see the faint smirk tugging at the corner of his lip. I know the delight he must feel at finally getting his way.

Just a little further. Stroke his ego to completion and do it convincingly.

I lower my gaze for a moment, anxiously shifting on my feet. “I respect you as my boss and as alpha…and I don’t want to risk my position here for some pleasure and excitement. Apollo isn’t mine and never could be. I understand that now. I won’t get distracted by any of it anymore. I can promise you that.”

There it goes, spilling out of him—a chuckle. Giddy, almost.

He straightens his back in the chair and leans forward, resting his elbows against the edge of the table. With his hands locking together and a pleased expression aimed at me, he nods. “Mhm… Well, can’t say I expected you to straighten out like this, but I suppose you learned your lesson in the warehouse, hm?”

A wild rush of memories and sensations from that night passes through me, leaving a faint tingling in my fingers and that sickly feeling at the bottom of my stomach. What matters is that he seems to buy it. And he won’t be able to do that to anyone ever again once I ensure he goes to prison and stays there for the rest of his life.

“Good.Good.” He claps his hands together with a satisfied sigh. “You wouldn’t mind if I showed Apollo a recording of this, would you? Just to make sure we’re all on the same page. He gets a little…confused about his feelings sometimes. They overcome him from time to time, and he needs a lesson to get back in line.”

I blink, darting my eyes to where his finger so flippantly points.

The fire alarm on the ceiling…or what Ithoughtwas a fire alarm. Frowning slightly before I take hold of my facial muscles and stop them from showing a reaction, I glance back at Jasper and again to the inconspicuous black dome-like object.

“N-no. I don’t care, boss,” I mutter, shaking my head.

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