Page 113 of Your Wild Omega

Shock grips my chest with icy hands, stealing my breath. “The House of Bitches?”

He lets out a strangled laugh. “Why is that name so well-suited? But yeah. I saw the room. One of the OCB agents who found you took me through.”

He saw it? The padded table with those brown restraints, darkened from years of sweat? I jump to my feet, scratching at my crawling skin. “Why? Why would you go there?” A dry sob balloons in my throat, and I can’t swallow it down. Fuck! The putrid odor of refuse and stale sweat clogs my nose, even though it’s only a memory.

“Shit. I’m sorry, Red. Maybe you should wake Ricky after all.”

The mere mention of my alpha calms me a little and I sink down onto the couch again. “Nah.” Let Rickon sleep. His body was covered in love marks, like Zack couldn’t get enough of him, but I can’t tell Callisto that. Besides, I don’t want Ricky to see me so vulnerable and broken. It would stress him out more.

“Why did I go?” Callisto sighs. “Because I’m your lawyer and I wanted more evidence.”

So it was for the damned case. A soft growl escapes me. “Some days I wish I could just shoot that bastard and be done with it,” I mutter, pressing my palms into my eyes.

“You and me both,” he says darkly.

“Fuck. I should’ve kicked him harder and broken his skull. Then we wouldn’t have to deal with this shit.” I slump down on the couch, balancing the phone between my ear and the armrest. “When I heard what Hudson said in court, it just reminded me of everything. I don’t think I can face Ray. At all. I couldn’t bear to sit in front of him while he smiles at me and says I liked it rough.”

Like, it might kill me.

“I know, Red.” He groans, genuine pain in his tone. “You don’t have to do that. I’ll do my best so you don’t have to do anything.”

Even though he can’t see me, I nod in appreciation. Callisto cares, he truly does. I squirm into a position where I can reach my glass better. I need to polish this off before heading back to bed, although I don’t feel sleepy yet. A few sips thaw the ice in my veins.

“Can you do that?” I ask.

Callisto hesitates. “I’m going to do my absolute best, Red. I promise.”

He’s good at his job, for sure. The lawyers outside the courthouse said Callisto had the Midas touch and the way he stepped forward to protect Rickon in his hour of need was like a modern-day knight in shining armor. He really will pull out all the stops to help us. Unlike me, he’s not making things up as he goes along in life. Callisto has a goal, and he knows how to get to his destination.

But even someone as ignorant as I am knows you need evidence from the victim to make charges stick. And I haven’t given him that evidence.

But, like Leanne said, I’m doing the best I can. I snort softly to myself, not even annoyed her voice has added itself to the actors in my head.

We sit in silence, but it’s nice knowing someone’s on the other end of the line. “What are you doing?” I murmur, wanting to hear his voice again.

“Drinking some horseshit concoction my favorite client recommended.”

I choke on a laugh. “Don’t drink it if it’s so nasty.”

“Nah, I’m fussing on purpose. I just wanted to make you laugh.”

I press a cool knuckle to my smile. “Well, it worked.” A yawn splits my mouth open, and I groan through it.

“Good,” Callisto says, pleased with himself. “And I’m glad you called me. And, hey, next time, call me when you need a ride as well. If I’m not in court, I’ll come. And if I’m not available, I’ll set you up with a driving service.” He grunts. “In fact, tell Rickon to install the app, and I’ll get you an account code. He knows which one. Don’t accept rides from strangers like that Bradley guy again.” His click of disapproval sounds loud in the quiet room. “You never know what kind of problems that could cause.”

I drop my head onto my forearms. “Why are you being so nice?” I didn’t mean to say it out loud, but it pops out.

He makes a noise in the back of his throat that strikes me as a disagreement. “I can’t blame you for doubting my sincerity, since I didn’t exactly show you my best side,” he replies. “But you are family now, Red, so please accept it. Money’s not an issue for my family, and if we can make your life easier, I want to do it. Think of it as society paying you back for all the bullshit you’ve endured.” He goes quiet for a moment, his glass clinking rhythmically. “But only if you want it. If you feel pressured, you don’t need to accept anything from me.”

“Thanks, Callisto,” I whisper.

The truth is, I’m still finding my feet as a capable citizen. I could protest that I earn money now and can pay for driving services, but kindness has been in short supply in my life. And Idonated a lot to Rose’s fund for the feral alphas to make sure no one else gets denied a second chance.

Callisto’s concern feels sweeter than anything we’ve shared before.

“You’re right about Bradley. He’s tried so hard to flirt with me. Did you know he propositioned Rickon once, before I met him?” I take another drink from my glass.

“Seriously? What an opportunistic shithead.”

---