talk his way in there with a little effort, but it was a bad plan given Christian was already in there. The alpha would recognize him instantly, and Brendan didn’t have any pull with the owner. Thankfully, he didn’t need to go inside. And he might not have pull with the owner, but he did have a contact working there.
He parked around the corner and pulled out his phone.
“Hello?”
“Vince, hey. It’s Brendan.”
“Bren. My favorite dark horse. You don’t call, you don’t write…”
“Yeah, it’s been a while. You up for making some extra cash tonight?”
“Hell, yeah. What do you need?”
“Guy who just walked in. Alpha, suave, arrogant…”
Vince lowered his voice. “Night? Sure. He’s been here a time or two.”
“Who’s he meeting? You got ears on them?”
He could hear Vince’s grin. “You know I do. But it’ll cost you.”
“I’ll pay you double the usual for it.”
Vince whistled. “Your client must be highly motivated.”
“Nah. This one’s personal.”
There was a brief silence.
“John Kloak,” Vince said softly.
Brendan sucked in a breath.
“You know him?”
“Yeah.” The missing piece to his puzzle.
John Kloak wasn’t a businessman or a criminal, to Brendan’s knowledge. He was a city official who oversaw building permits. And suddenly it all clicked into place. Brendan did some quick mental calculations.
“How many times have they met this month?”
“Three,” Vince said, and Brendan all but punched the air.
“Great.”
“Before you get too happy…” Vince started.
“I’ve got enough to work with if you’re not comfortable passing me more.”
“I didn’t say that. But the boss’ll want my head on a platter if we don’t play this carefully.”
“Careful is my middle name,” he promised. “Thanks, Vince.”
He was almost there but had more legwork to do the next day to put the final nail in Christian’s coffin. To that end, he made some calls as he drove home, putting everything in place to finally take the bastard down.
It was just after eleven when he arrived. William was in the living room, reading on his phone.
“Riley went to bed about an hour ago, and Harper took Lilah home.”
“Thanks, William. I really appreciate you doing this.”
“Sure. But for his sake and yours, I hope you wrap this up soon.”
“That’s the plan.”
He walked William out, and then headed upstairs, undressing in the bathroom before slipping into their bedroom. Riley was curled up on his side, facing Brendan’s side of the bed, his arms wrapped around a pillow. Brendan climbed in next to him, and Riley opened his eyes.
“You’re home.”
“I’m home.”
“Is it done?”
“Almost. No more late nights, though. How’s that sound?”
Riley smiled sleepily at him. “Sounds good. You’re the best hot water bottle I’ve ever had.”
He snuggled closer, and Brendan wrapped his arms around him. “Sleep, Riley. I’m right here.”
It was another week before the house of cards started to fall, and Brendan greeted Riley with breakfast in bed one morning.
“Hi, sleepyhead.”
“Ugh.” Riley sat up, rubbing at his eyes. “How are you so chipper this early?”
“Well, it might have something to do with this.”
He held out a tablet with the city’s main newspaper opened on it.
Riley took it from him, peering at the screen in confusion. “What…?”
The photographer had the perfect angle, capturing both Christian’s furious face and the handcuffs clamped on his wrists as the two police officers escorted him out.
“I don’t understand,” Riley said faintly, scrolling down to read the article.
“He’s been arrested for conspiring to bribe city officials for building permits. And that is just the tip of the iceberg.”
Riley looked amazed, his shock turning to a slow grin.
“Never, ever again,” he said, echoing the promise Brendan made to him.
“Never again,” Brendan vowed. “He’s up to his neck in more than fraud. The kind of stuff that won’t come out in the wash. By the time they let him out, he’ll be a senile old man.”
Riley was quiet for a long moment. He set the tablet aside and turned to Brendan, reaching for his hand.
“You did all this for me?”
“I promised I’d keep you safe. That is not a promise I’m willing to renege on, no matter what it takes.”
The omega’s smile was brilliant, and he leaned into Brendan, hugging the alpha tightly.
“Thank you.”
Brendan caught his chin and pressed a kiss to his lips. “I’m glad it’s over. You and I have a life to live.”
Riley’s hand pressed against his bump, cradling the little lives inside. “Yeah, we really do.”
Chapter Thirty-Five
The thing Riley missed most during his pregnancy was the chance to go undercover with Brendan on his cases. The alpha had flat-out refused to let Riley take part in anything but