Chapter Twenty-Seven
Tristan managed to keep out of Darren’s way for the next two days. The alpha seemed to be constantly trailing another guard and was never left to guard them at night or during meals. Tristan was relieved, unsure how a confrontation between the two of them would go. At the same time, knowing Michael wasn’t there, he knew Darren might be their best chance of finding a new lead. With a week left before his rescue, he figured it might be worth a try.
Josh slipped into the seat next to his during dinner.
“So, it looks like I was mistaken.”
“Huh?” Tristan turned his attention away from his lackluster pasta bake and focused on the redhead.
“I know it hurts my reputation as the all-seeing, all-knowing one here, but I believe it’s important to admit when you’re wrong. Seems like there was a Michael here.”
Oh.
“He’s dead then?”
“That’s the bit I can’t work out. If he was dead, his name should be on the stairs with the rest. But if he’s not dead, he should be here.”
“Maybe he escaped?” Tristan asked, thinking of his own flight to freedom.
“No one’s ever escaped this place. That people would remember.”
“How do you know there even was a Michael?”
“Paul says Glen mentioned him before. Glen’s a veteran of this place, been here almost the longest.”
“Can I talk to him?” He hadn’t met Glen yet.
Josh made a face. “He’s upstairs. Either about to deliver or just after delivering. You’ll have to wait until he’s back.”
There was a hesitation in Josh’s voice.
“What is it?”
“That was his… fifth, I think. We get real sick after the birth, worse each time. That’s what kills us, not the pregnancies.”
“You don’t think he’ll be back?”
“Like I said, most don’t live past four. I don’t rate his chances this time around.”
“How do I get up there?”
Josh shook his head. “You don’t, unless you’re heavily pregnant. Guards control the access. They don’t exactly allow visitors.”
But maybe one guard would make an exception, if Tristan dropped the right name.
He moved from actively avoiding Darren to seeking the alpha out. But catching him alone seemed an almost impossible task. His interest in Darren wasn’t lost on Simon.
“If you’re thinking seducing a guard will get you anywhere but a stint in solitary, think again,” the omega said over breakfast.
Tristan chewed and swallowed a mouthful of oatmeal. “What?”
“I’ve seen you watching him, the one with the scars. He’s pretty new, they’ve only just put him on solo rotation on our floor.”
He blinked. Solo? That meant Darren was alone.
“Where?”
“What?”
“Where is he guarding?”
Simon just shook his head. “Let it go, Tris. It’ll never happen.”
“I’m not trying He moved from actively avoiding Darren to seeking the alpha out. But catching him alone seemed an almost impossible task. His interest in Darren wasn’t lost on Simon.
“If you’re thinking seducing a guard will get you anywhere but a stint in solitary, think again,” the omega said over breakfast.
Tristan chewed and swallowed a mouthful of oatmeal. “What?”
“I’ve seen you watching him, the one with the scars. He’s pretty new, they’ve only just put him on solo rotation on our floor.”
He blinked. Solo? That meant Darren was alone.
“Where?”
“What?”
“Where is he guarding?”
Simon just shook his head. “Let it go, Tris. It’ll never happen.”
“I’m not trying to seduce him,” he muttered, leaning closer. “I know him. He was at the other house.”
The omega gave him a skeptical look but sighed. “He’s over in the corridor outside Josh’s dormitory. But if I were you, I’d steer clear.”
“Thanks, Simon.”
After breakfast, he stuck with omegas from Josh’s room and slipped unnoticed past the guards watching them. He got a few odd looks from those around him but no one outed him. Hanging toward the back of the group, he let the others pull ahead and into the dormitory while he slipped around the corner, finding himself face-to-face with Darren.
The alpha looked left and right before grabbing hold of him with one hand, unlocking a door, and pushing him through a doorway. It was a storeroom, and he nearly tripped over a mop.
“How are you here?” Darren demanded.
“That’s not important. I need to get upstairs.”
“The nursery? You’re not allowed.”
“I know. Which is why I need your help.”
“Why would I help you? I’d be risking my job. Hell, my life.”
“If you want to know where Michael is, you’ll help get me up there.”
Darren pushed him against the wall. “What do you know about Michael? Where is he?”
“I don’t know. But if you get me upstairs, I’ll find out.” He glanced toward the door. “You’d better decide because any minute now we’ll be caught.”
The alpha growled and released him. “Tomorrow afternoon, just after lunch. The back stairs.”
He opened the door and stuck his head out before ushering Tristan out. “Get back to your dormitory.”
Tristan hurried away, not looking back.
Simon raised an eyebrow at him when he slipped into their room.
“What are you up to?” he asked. “You’re going to wind up in trouble, and it’s only your first week.”
“I’m not up to anything,” he said.
He couldn’t confide in anyone there. It was too risky. Not to mention the very important fact that in a week’s time, he was escaping and leaving them all behind. Griffin had explained it all to him twice. How the packs that ran this house were two of the biggest and that they’d hunt Briar Wood to extinction if they interfered. Losing one or two omegas, they’d probably overlook. But any more and there wouldn’t be anywhere Griffin and his people could hide that would keep them safe.to seduce him,” he muttered, leaning closer. “I know him. He was at the other house.”
The omega gave him a skeptical look but sighed. “He’s over in the corridor outside Josh’s dormitory. But if I were you, I’d steer clear.”
“Thanks, Simon.”
After breakfast, he stuck with omegas from Josh’s room and slipped unnoticed past the guards watching them. He got a few odd looks from those around him but no one outed him. Hanging toward the back of the group, he let the others pull ahead and into the dormitory while he slipped around the corner, finding himself face-to-face with Darren.
The alpha looked left and right before grabbing hold of him with one hand, unlocking a door, and pushing him through a doorway. It was a storeroom, and he nearly tripped over a mop.
“How are you here?” Darren demanded.
“That’s not important. I need to get upstairs.”
“The nursery? You’re not allowed.”
“I know. Which is why I need your help.”
“Why would I help you? I’d be risking my job. Hell, my life.”
“If you want to know where Michael is, you’ll help get me up there.”
Darren pushed him against the wall. “What do you know about Michael? Where is he?”
“I don’t know. But if you get me upstairs, I’ll find out.” He glanced toward the door. “You’d better decide because any minute now we’ll be caught.”
The alpha growled and released him. “Tomorrow afternoon, just after lunch. The back stairs.”
He opened the door and stuck his head out before ushering Tristan out. “Get back to your dormitory.”
Tristan hurried away, not looking back.
Simon raised an eyebrow at him when he slipped into their room. “What are you up to?” he asked. “You’re going to wind up in trouble, and it’s only your first week.”
“I’m not up to anything,” he said. He couldn’t confide in anyone there. It was too risky. Not to mention the very important fact that in a week’s time, he was escaping and leaving them all behind. Griffin had explained it all to him twice. How the packs that ran this house were two of the biggest and that they’d hunt Briar Wood to extinction if they interfered. Losing one or two omegas, they’d probably overlook. But any more and there wouldn’t be anywhere Griffin and his people could hide that would keep them safe.
It wasn’t easy to escape the dormitory unnoticed the next day but one of the omegas had bad morning sickness, throwing his lunch up all over the floor, and the guards kicked everyone out while it was cleaned up. Tristan managed to get to the staircase without anyone challenging him. As promised, Darren was waiting.
“Go on up. The guard is Tim, tell him I sent you. You’ll only have a few minutes. Go.”
Tristan hurried up the stairs, pausing at the top when he saw the guard.
“Darren sent me,” he mumbled. “I need to see Glen.”
The guard looked him up and down, and he worried he’d made a mistake. Maybe he wasn’t Tim.
“This way.”
He followed the guard along the corridor until he paused, pushing a door open.
“Through here. Five minutes.”
There were four beds in the room but only two were occupied.
“Glen?” he asked the first omega who was heavily pregnant, both hands covering his stretched stomach.
The omega shook his head, nodding to the other bed. “Over there.”
The other omega was lying flat on the bed, asleep.
Tristan perched next to him.
“Glen?” he called softly.
The omega woke slowly, mumbling something under his breath.
“Huh? Who’s that?”
“I’m Tristan. Josh said you’ve been here a long time.”
Glen’s eyes were glassy, his cheeks flushed. “Sometimes it feels like I’ve been here forever.”
He struggled to sit up, and Tristan helped him.
“I’m looking for Michael,” he said. “Do you know where he is.”
Glen’s forehead creased in consternation. “Michael? I haven’t heard that name in a long time. He was up here. We shared a room. My third pregnancy. His first. He was scared.”
“What happened to him?”
Conscious that time was ticking away, he fully expected to hear that Michael was dead.
“He’s gone.”
Tristan felt like he could cry. “When did he die?”
But Glen was shaking his head. “Not dead. Sold.”
“Another breeder house? Do you know which one?”
Glen leaned closer, staring at him curiously. “Why do you want to know?”
“His brother is looking for him. Please, if you know anything…”
“It was the strangest thing. It’s never happened before or since.”
“What hadn’t? Him being sold?”
“No,” Glen said, waving a hand at him. “They sell us on all the time. Different houses have different needs. It was who bought him that was odd. Not a breeder house. The clients. There were rumors flying around for weeks after.”
“I don’t understand.”
“The clients he was a surrogate for. They bought him. It was an alpha and beta couple. I don’t know… maybe they wanted more kids? They were rich, celebrities or something. The staff here treated them like gods.”
“Do you know their names? Which pack?”
Glen frowned, rubbing a hand across his eyes. “It was a long time ago.”
“Please, Glen. Try to remember.”
“Um, the beta had some strange name, like Claude or something.”
“And their pack?”
Glen just shook his head. “They were involved in gambling, that’s all I can remember.”
The door opened, the alpha guard beckoning him.
“I have to go. You hang in there, okay?”
But Glen had already fallen back onto the bed, unconscious.
Tristan squeezed his hand before hurrying to the door. Tim hustled him back to the stairs, and he ran down, almost colliding with Darren at the bottom.
He fully intended to lie to the alpha, knowing it was the only way to keep Michael safe.
“What did you learn?” Darren demanded. “Where is he?”
“Dead,” Tristan said simply. “I’m sorry.”
He went to push past but the alpha grabbed him by the shoulders.
“You’re lying.”
“No, I’m not. He’s gone.”
“He’s not here, that I know. Where is he?”
“He’s de-”
Darren’s hands tightened, and he pushed Tristan against the wall. “Don’t lie. Tell me.”
He tried to get away again, but the alpha held him in place.
“Please,” Darren said, his tone turning from angry to pleading.
His next words shocked Tristan, so much so that he stopped struggling.
“I need to find him. He’s my brother.”