“We might take you up on that. Ours is great, but kind of new and not super forceful. I’m over being harassed,” she admitted. “Here.” She pulled out a piece of paper and jotted down her info before handing it over. Borrowing the pen, I did the same.
“Thanks. I’ll send over the lawyer’s details once I get them from Graham,” I said. “And now I better get out of this dress.”
“You look stunning,” she said, her mood easily picking back up. “We’re here to find a dress for this charity event in a few weeks.”
“That’s what this is for,” I admitted. “Over in Mason Hills.”
“My dad helps run the youth charity they’re donating to,” she explained. “Kid Konnection. It provides tutoring services and vocational skill opportunities for kids who struggle with conventional classes.”
“That’s amazing. We’ll keep an eye out for his auctions,” I promised before saying my goodbyes. While I changed into my normal clothes, with Maria’s help, of course, because pregnant women didn’t rate high on flexibility, I thought over what we’d learned. Would this give the lawyers what they needed? It would be so easy to sit back now and let the video speak for itself, but a sinking feeling in my stomach argued that the confession would make it air-tight, and I couldn’t lose my backbone now.
“Maria, wait,” I said before she could leave. “That girl out there? I know Graham is covering my dress, but I want to pay for hers myself.”
She smiled. “We can do that. I’ll send you an invoice.”
“Thank you. And I mean alterations, the works,” I said firmly.
“Of course,” she said. “It’s nice to see some sweet omegas in here. We get a lot of… privileged clientele who forget manners on their best days and are downright nasty on their worst. This is nice to see. Thanks for making this old lady’s day.”
“Thanks for helping me. The dress is phenomenal,” I said in answer before she walked out.
The guys didn’t talk much when I rejoined them, but the moment we were closed in the car, Wells was done waiting.
“Well?”
Graham let out a long breath. “It’s really solid evidence. You can clearly see that it was us. However, it has no audio from that distance. We still need that confession, but this… This will give us a huge advantage. He’ll have no way to deny that it was his order. He pointed, then they shot. Plus, I can see their faces. I’ll have the lawyers dig into their bank accounts to see if he paid them off.”
“That’s great news then,” Beckham said. “We already planned on getting that confession, so we can move forward.”
“I’ll get it,” I said evenly. “The man’s ego won’t let him stay away. He’ll come over, probably with some twisted story about how it’s thanks to his benevolence that I’m alive. That, or to take another shot at convincing me to come with him.”
“This is going to be a snowball effect. The moment it’s in the news, it’s practically guaranteed that others will come out,” Miles said. “Men don’t suddenly become mean and vindictive. He had that inside him all along, and I don’t doubt it’s reared its ugly head with more than one woman.”
“Oh, Vivian assured me she’s taken care of all the omegas he’s done this to,” I said with a bitter laugh. “That means there were likely dozens. She’s just as guilty as he is… She’s an accomplice.”
“She is, and we’ll be including that in our report,” Ellis said.
I couldn’t help gaping at him. “What?”
“Why wouldn’t we?” he asked. “She’s guilty, and I won’t let her hurt others. Because if it isn’t him, it’ll be someone else. Maybe a little jail time will help teach her something about right and wrong. I guarantee she was the one who called Omega Services to see when you were coming in.”
“Damn,” I breathed out, impressed he’d throw his mom under the bus like this. But he was right; she needed to face the consequences of her actions. Even if she dodged charges for her role in the attack, she had bribed families and covered up multiple sexual assaults, so something would likely stick. “I have a feeling she’s going to make tonight hell.”
I guess I must have looked overly worried because Graham stepped up and ran a soothing hand over my arm.
“You won’t be alone for even a second,” he promised me. “Anita’s pack will be there, so if you have to go to the restroom, they’ll go with you. We have all bases covered.”
“Good,” I sighed, relieved at that. “Because I pee a lot these days. Not to mention, she confronted me in a bathroom when this all started. I wouldn’t put it past her to try that same tactic, especially once she realizes we’re there together. I don’t think she’ll be able to resist the idea of cornering me while I’m alone, and she’ll know we can’t sneak you guys into the restroom.”
“She’s an asshole who needs the reckoning that’s coming her way,” Miles said, making us all laugh. “And I need ice cream.”
I groaned at the mention of my current craving. “We agree.”
“You’re going to sound crazy when he’s born and you keep saying ‘we,’” Tallon said, but the grin on his face told me he didn’t mind in the slightest.
“We’ll just have to knock her up again,” Beckham said. It was a joke—at least I thought so—but no one laughed. Oh fuck no. They are not seriously considering that.
“Don’t you fucking dare! I’m not saying never, but I want a solid two years of sushi, lunch meat, wine, and having my body to myself.”
“Deal,” Wells said, and I knew damn well the man was making a mental note, down to the fucking date.
“Plus, it’ll be nice to have him walking and in the toddler stage first,” Ellis said. “I can’t imagine two babies who don’t sleep. We’ve got enough people in our pack, so sleep won’t be an issue, but that might not be pretty.”
“The books said Briar will likely sleep lightly and hear him no matter what, so you’re not wrong,” Beckham chimed in. “And a sleep-deprived omega can be a scary omega, for sure.”
“I love that you guys know more about the baby and pregnancy than I do now,” I said. “I love you guys.” For a brief moment, it was silent, and I started to panic. But then I felt Graham’s hand rest on my thigh, and I met his eyes, finding my love returned there.