Page 31 of Bitter Heat
Monte gasped. “Why would you want to do that, honey, when better medical care is available in the city? Everyone knows that delivery is a fragile time for an omega, and especially for one with your…” he gestured at Kerry’s chest. “Well,deformity, for lack of a better word. We should take no chances.”
“There’s a new doctor boarding at Pat—” He caught himself. He never understood why they loathed it when he referred to Zeke as his pater, but they did. So, he smiled, faked a small burp, then continued, “A new doctor is staying at my uncle’s house.”
“And?”
“Well,” Kerry gathered all his best lying skills, developed by necessity after contracting with Wilbet. “Uh, this new doctor is a beta, which is unusual, I know.” He shrugged in a “what can be done?” sort of way. “But it’s happening more and more these days.”
“Betas don’t always know their place,” Lukas agreed.
Oh wolf-god, that was the wrong takeaway. Kerry hurried on deeper into his lies, “In this case, perhaps it’s for the best. He’s a very well-respected, city-trained physician with actual, real-life experience dealing with omegas with my particular structural issues.”
“How unusual,” Monte murmured, a skeptical expression marring his features.
With a deep breath, Kerry lied as if his fate depended on it. And, in a way, it did. “Yes. It’s quite a stroke of luck, truly. He’s delivered two babies alive and well from omegas who have my same deformity.”
“Indeed?” Lukas stroked his chin thoughtfully, considering this as a beta waiter came around to begin clearing dishes.
“What’s he doing in the mountains if he’s this good?” Monte demanded as soon as the waiter had gone.
“He’s a religious sort,” Kerry said, wrinkling his nose as if to acknowledge how distasteful that was. “Holy Church of Wolf devotee. You know the sort. Prays morning, noon, and night, and believes he owes ten percent of his life to charitable works. He’s chosen Hud’s Basin as his focus for the next year.”
Lukas tutted gently, and Monte stared at Kerry as if trying to find the lie but unable to pin anything he’d said as false.
“We’ll pay him, of course,” Lukas said with a grimace of offended dignity. “Our grandson won’t be part of his charity.”
“Of course,” Kerry said, careful to use a tone that implied there had never been any question otherwise.
Lukas made a soft noise of assent and then said, “Perhaps wolf-god has chosen to forgive this family and give us some luck after all. This is a great coincidence.”
Monte bit back a response, turning to his now watery sweetened tea and taking a sip to keep his silence. Kerry assumed he wanted to protest the family’s need for forgiveness. On Wilbet’s guilt, Monte and his alpha differed in opinion.
Still, Kerry was shocked that his in-laws seemed to buy into his story, given how unusual his chest was in terms of malformations. He’d never met another like himself.
“I can give you referrals for this doctor,” Kerry went on, hoping that this next bit went as smoothly as his last. “His last name is Heelies.” He waited for the name to sink in. It was a risk. This could go either way. If they decided they needed to check on Janus’s credentials in person, they’d scent his alpha state immediately. Not to mention the lies would reveal his lack of credentials and experience. Kerry braced himself. “Yes, Dr. Janus Heelies? I believe you know his family. I remember meeting a man with that last name at a few of your parties in the city.”
Monte and Lukas exchanged loaded glances, and Monte cleared his throat anxiously. “Heelies, you say?”
“Yes.”
“We’ve been trying to win back their respect, and their business, for the last two years,” Lukas said under his breath.
“I’m sure Dr. Heelies could put in a good word with his uncle,” Kerry said brightly. “As my doctor, he’ll want to help me in any way he can. You know how betas can be. So eager to help.”
“Ass-kissers, you mean,” Monte said with a laugh.
“Your words, but yes,” Kerry said with a tight smile. His tongue felt dry with the lies. He took up his water glass, took a long swallow, and put it down with a slightly shaking hand. He hoped his in-laws didn’t notice. “And everyone knows how important it is to keep omegas happy during pregnancy and labor. If he thinks it will please me or make things easier, he won’t hesitate.”
Lies, lies, lies. He was walking such a thin line between getting what he needed out of this and going too fucking far. He could feel the tug of gravity warning him that he was about to step off that line.
Monte leaned forward eagerly. “Has this Dr. Heelies spoken to you at all about his family’s prior business connections to us?” He chewed his lower lip for a moment, trembling a little as he leaned in even closer. “Or, oh dear, has he said anything to you about…the situation?”
Kerry knew that “the situation” was Monte’s code for Wilbet’s imprisonment and the reason for it. At least he didn’t have to lie for this part. “No, Dr. Heelies hasn’t. He doesn’t seem to be aware ofthe situationfor now. I get the impression that he wasn’t part of the gossip circles during that time.” The only way that lie was going to stick would be if Monte wanted to believe it, hopeful that some decent part of society was still unaware of what his son had done. “I believe Dr. Heelies was very sick during that time with the flu. He told my uncle something to that effect, anyway.”
“Oh, yes, that was a dark year,” Lukas said, his lips turning down. “So many flu deaths and then, of course, well…” He looked toward Monte, sighed, and gritted out, “the situation.” Lukas put his hand on Kerry’s shoulder reassuringly. “It’s best not to think about it too much. There’s a bright future ahead for all of us. Especially now with new hope on the way.”
Kerry swallowed hard again. “Anyway, I’d like to keep Dr. Heelies in the dark about Wilbet.”
Both of his in-laws at the table jolted, their son’s name landing like a bomb in the middle of their plates. But Kerry wouldn’t shy away from it in front of them today, no matter how much he tried not to think of Wilbet privately. His false bravado on the Wilbet front was one of his few bargaining chips with his in-laws.
