Chapter 19

"You have to stop showing up randomly," Jak groused. He was walking across campus with Reaux in tow.

The detective had cornered him in the coffee shop outside the library. Knowing what he wanted, he turned around and went to buy another coffee for him.

Reaux smiled, keeping pace with the college senior. "You haven't told anyone who I am, have you?"

Jak cast him a wary look. "Tay knows. That's it."

The older man nodded and then sipped his coffee. If Jak didn't want anyone to know, he wouldn't say anything. Though he was part of it, it wasn't his story to tell.

He followed Jak to the far side of the campus and up to a building's second floor balcony. Damian and Tay were head to head working on an assignment, a portfolio it seemed like.

Jak cleared his throat to gain their attention. They looked up simultaneously. Tay waved at Reaux while Damian's face closed off. He was expecting bad news and Reaux didn't blame him. The last several times he'd been here all he had was bad news.

"Damian, here's your creme brulee. And here's your nasty ass bean water." Jak passed out the coffee he'd bought, making a face at Tay.

Tay smirked then made a point to sip his drink slowly and happily. Jak scowled at him which garnered a laugh from Damian.

"What brings you here, Reaux?" Tay asked. He leaned back with one arm around Damian's waist. The Omega paid him no attention as he flipped through what was in his lap.

"I needed to pick your brains off the record," the detective said. The two younger Alpha's shared a look he didn't miss. "See! You two know something. What is it?"

"My dad's hosting a party," Damian said. Jak and Tay looked at him with exasperated looks. "He's inviting Evers."

Reaux stared at them for a long moment. Tay dropped his head and licked his lips. Jak didn't say anything. So it was true. David Marquette was about to play his hand, and these two idiots were planning something.

He looked Jak straight in the face. It was the only way he was going to get any answers. "Tell me everything you know."

It was diarrhea of the mouth. Tay told him everything, some he knew and so he didn't. These boys had done a lot of research without him knowing. From what he'd heard, they hadn't broken any laws. Yet.

"Why didn't you tell me Tay claimed Damian?" he asked.

Jak looked at him with an incredulous look. He looked at the other two before looking back at the detective. "We tell you all of this, and that's the only thing you're concerned about?"

"If Damian's a claimed Omega, he loses his value. Evers won't be able to get the highest price for him like he would if he was an Alpha slut," the detective said.

An Alpha slut was an Omega who slept with Alphas without being claimed. An Omega was only claimed after an Alpha ejaculated inside them and their mark changed colors. Damian's value was double that of another Omega because he was David Marquette's only child. It was triple because he was unclaimed.

Damian had been everyone's fantasy. A rare male Omega, he was unclaimed and rich. He would fetch anyone a hefty price.

"Reaux?" The Omega drew their attention. He swallowed hard. "That night, Evan almost came. If he had been on the inside, what would they have done?"

Reaux looked at him. "My guess is he would have pimped you out. If he didn't do it, Evers would have. He could set your price for anything."

The detective cast the Omega a very long look. He stared down at his hands, eyes bright with an unknown emotion. Tay looked at him with concern in his gray depths. Surprisingly he didn't say or do anything. He waited for a specific reaction before he consoled his distraught lover.

Tay had changed over the last several week.s he used to be closed off, not really letting anyone close to him. He spent all of his time with Damian and Jak. anyone who looked at him knew his feelings for the Omega.

Now, he was open. Every move he made was less strained, and he was very open with his expressions. Now that he'd claimed Damian, he was more confident than ever. Damian was his main priority, and nothing he did or felt went unnoticed.

A claimed Omega was the responsibility of the Alpha. He couldn't be unclaimed once it happened so the Alpha had to make sure his claimed mate was taken care of. Heats were a trying time and the most vulnerable time for an Omega. The Alpha was to protect them through that even if they didn't satiate it.

Traffickers sold Omegas to the highest bidder. Many were pimped out instead, still to the highest offer. Those that were unclaimed had specific rules that had to be abided by at all times. But for the claimed ones, all bets were off. The buyers could do whatever they wanted.

Because unclaimed Omegas were regulated so heavily, only the claimed ones were used as sluts. They could take as many clients and as many… loads as possible without the risk of being claimed. Usually their Alphas were paid handsomely.

"I know you two," Reaux said. "Everything you two touch starts to fall apart. Now, if I allow you to help with this case, you can't screw it up. It's not just your lives that hang in the balance." He looked at Damian pointedly.

"We don't plan on it. I trust Jak to remain discreet," Tay replied.

"I'm working on getting a layout of Evers' house. I can make a detailed plan once I have that," Jak said.

Reaux crinkled his nose and forehead. "Why are you studying engineering? You'd make one hell of a detective."

The younger man made a face. "Then I'd have to see your ass every day."

The detective's mouth quirked in a smile but remained quiet. Jak's ears turned red and he looked away.

"Reaux, do you want to come?" Damian asked. He broke the tension between the two. "I can tell my dad to give you an invitation. If you want to be present, I think he'd feel better."

"He would or you?" Tay asked.

"Both." He looked at Tay with a completely serious face. "If it hadn't been for Reaux, we wouldn't know anything. And because he's been so forthcoming with all the information, I'd rather be around him instead of the other one."

Jak snorted. "Tiffany is an acquired taste. You get used to her after a while."

Tay pierced him with a knowing smile. Jak turned away from him, face flaming in embarrassment. He shouldn't have told Tay, but he'd needed a friend. Tay hadn't judged, just listened to what he'd needed to say.

Reaux looked between the three of them. They'd been friends for ten years that they could remember. Tay had been their de facto leader, quiet but resilient. He took care of them, and they loved him for it.

Damian returned to his project. Tay and Reaux discussed some extra details before the detective had to return to work. Jak offered to walk him out, and the other two stayed to finish work.

Reaux followed Jak across the campus again, noticing this time he refused to look at him. He hadn't meant to embarrass him. Jak was a very outspoken person and people were drawn to him. But he also had a softer side where he got embarrassed easily. Only those close to him knew it.

When they were far enough away from prying eyes, Reaux pulled him to a stop. Jak refused to look at him. His entire body was stiff and his ears were sunburnt red. He was beyond embarrassed. He was humiliated.

The detective forced him to look at him with gentle fingers to the face. But the Alpha dropped his eyes. Not before he noticed how sad they were.

Sighing, Reaux stepped forward into the student's personal space. He pulled his face up and kissed him gently. Jak didn't respond immediately. When he did, it was with a satisfied sigh. His hands came up to hold Reaux's arms, almost as if he didn't want him to leave.

"You don't have to tell me what I'm doing is insane," Jak muttered. He pulled away, but his hands didn't drop. "I already know."

"You're helping a friend. I never think that's insane. I do, however, think breaking and entering is illegal," Reaux replied. He dropped his hands and crossed his arms.

"It won't be illegal." The detective frowned at him. "I haven't told Tay, but I made contact with Conrad's secretary. She works in-house and rarely leaves."

"You think she's in on it?"

Jak shook his head. "No, I think she's a victim. She looked scared, but she couldn't speak about it."

Reaux nodded. "So your instincts told you to figure it out by helping her."

"If anyone knows where the ledger is, she does. If we take him down, she'll be fine."

The detective knew he was hiding something. He fidgeted a little too much. And he was more agitated than he should be.

"Jak?" he gently prompted.

The younger man's eyes were bright with worry and desperation. "She's an Omega, Reaux, and I think he pimps her out. She had several bruises, old and new, and a fresh black eye." He had a far off look in his eye. "It made me think of Damian and how he looked after that night, and I couldn't leave it alone."

The older man sighed and reached up to rub his shoulders. "You're not wrong to trust in your instincts, but you should have told me. I have more pull than you do. I could have protected her."

"If I'd have done that, this entire case would have fallen apart. Evers would have gone into hiding, and Damian wouldn't get justice. Neither would she."

Reaux couldn't fault him. Damian's ordeal had made Jak stop a lot of what he'd been doing. Partying, sleeping around, and spending copious amounts of money had all but dried up. He spent most of his time at home trying to figure out his friend's case. Now this woman had pulled at his heartstrings so he had someone else to protect.

The detective took the young Alpha by the face again and waited for him to look up. His eyes were troubled and he looked like he was ready to cry. Reaux rarely saw him cry, even after that night. But here he was, feeling compassionate about a woman he barely knew because she was also a victim.

"Jak, we'll do whatever we can. However, you have to follow whatever rules I put in place." He rubbed his cheeks soothingly. "I will not bury you."

Jak sniffled as he nodded. "All right. I'll do what you say."

Reaux wiped at the tears that brimmed on his eyes then dropped his hands. "I have to go back to work. I'll see you at home."

The student watched the other man walk away. His emotions were conflicted, but he knew he had to help. First it was Damian, and now potentially a woman. It didn't sit right on his conscience.

He stood still for a minute before turning and going back to his friends. He hoped he could pull himself together before he completely lost it altogether.