all the information you sent to me. There are a few blanks that I’m hoping Harper can fill in before I get stuck into things.”
Harper chewed and swallowed a piece of bacon, glancing from William to Brendan. “What information?”
Brendan gave William a sharp look. “You didn’t tell him?”
“I planned to before you got here, but then I burnt the toast and almost set a dishcloth on fire.”
“We’re still working on his finesse in the kitchen,” Harper added as a fond aside. “But never mind that. Tell me what, exactly?”
The two alphas shared a look before William admitted, “I’ve hired Brendan.”
Harper waited but nothing more followed. “Okay, sure. Who doesn’t need a private investigator in their life now and then? That’s perfectly normal.”
That was enough to prompt more of an explanation from William.
“I’ve been worried since Dante and my father turned up. And after that whole debacle with the clinic, I don’t trust them. If they’re prepared to do all that after years of no contact with me, I’m afraid of how far they might go.”
“But we haven’t heard anything from them since you kicked them out of your office.”
“Harper.” William’s tone was very gentle. “Do you really think it’s a coincidence that you got kicked out of your apartment yesterday after living there for years without a problem?”
“But Colin’s uncle…”
“Zac called Colin yesterday to chew him out and got the full story out of him. Seems like someone contacted his uncle and made some claims about you and your behavior in the apartment.”
Harper’s stomach churned uneasily, and there wasn’t even any coffee within smelling distance.
“What kind of claims?”
“That you were bringing strange alphas there at all times of the day and night, that they’d seen money change hands, seen drugs around and—”
Harper held up a hand, his stomach in a tight knot. “I get the picture. They were trying to make it sound like I was…” No wonder Colin’s uncle reacted the way he did.
“It can’t be a coincidence that this has happened now. I want to put a stop to it before anything else happens. That’s why Brendan is here.”
“But what can you do?” Harper asked. “It’s not like they’ve done anything truly terrible. They just told a few lies about me.”
“Unless William’s misled me on the details, they’ve done more than that.” Brendan pulled out a tablet and turned it on. “The most serious allegations surround the clinic. It’s clear that someone accessed your information there and passed it on to Samuel or Dante. And that someone seems very likely to have been William’s cousin. That’s where we’ll start. The hospital will have to release the information and do their own investigation. We can use that to add to our case for an order of protection for you.”
“Wait, what? Is that really necessary?”
“Better safe than sorry,” William said quietly. “We’re probably overreacting, but I’d prefer that to taking risks we don’t need to.”
“I’ve written a short list of other measures to be taken in the meantime,” Brendan added, showing it to Harper. “New phones and phone numbers, for one. Deactivating any social media. Warning certain people—close friends, employers, colleagues—so that they know to be vigilant. But all those are just precautions. People like William’s father, they’re cowards. They back down when someone bigger and bolder stands up to them.”
“You mean like the police?”
“I mean like a lawyer friend of mine who’s going to send them the scariest, most intimidating letter you’ve ever read.”
“Oh.”
Brendan grinned at him.
“He’s good at what he does, trust me.”
“I believe you. You think that’ll be enough?”
“I think that’ll send Samuel and Dante scurrying home with their tails between their legs.”
“Good. And good riddance.”
Chapter Thirty
Harper was a little antsy after Brendan left, pacing the floors and looking out the windows. William did his best to reassure him.
“There’s nothing to worry about.”
“Of course. You hired a private investigator because you don’t believe there’s anything to worry about.”
“I hired him because that’s the kind of person I am—I don’t take chances with the people I care about. I trust him to do what’s needed in these circumstances so we don’t have to worry about it.”
The omega sighed and rubbed his hands up and down his arms. “It’s not as easy as all that.”
“I know.”
William reached for his hands and drew the omega to stand in front of him. “We have the whole weekend ahead of us, time together to heal, to grow closer. There’s been a lot pushing us apart these past few weeks. But we got