“Can he be arrested for arranging the stabbing last night?” Zinn asked.
“Probably not. The police won’t prioritize it since Xan recovered quickly. We turned over the camera footage, and Xan told them that the guy used Bergam’s name, but who knows what they’ll do with it.”
“So far all the attacks have been at the club,” Assa said. “Do you think we’re in danger here?”
Valentin’s jaw ticked. “I’m not sure about anything. But when Bergam got locked up, I wasn’t living with you and Wes. No one knew about Ryde. It won’t be long before he finds out I have people I care about.”
“I can talk to Teal,” Calder said. “He has a lot of contacts. Maybe he can find out about Bergam’s parole or if he’s being monitored.”
“That’s helpful,” Valentin said. “Bergam’s a little weasel who doesn’t operate by any sort of code, so I wouldn’t put it past him to hurt family members.”
Decoy strolled into the room, per usual whenever Zinn was around, and jumped into the omega’s lap. Zinn scratched between his ears. “We should take precautions, make sure we’re never alone,” he said. “We already share our locations, so that’s good.”
“Are we okay at school? And the pizzeria?” Ked asked, waving a finger between himself and Jordie.
“I think Zinn’s right that you shouldn’t be alone, but it’s probably more urgent that we speak with Ryde’s school and make sure they keep an eye on him,” Valentin said.
Assa hiccupped.
Valentin knelt in front of him and clasped his hands. “I promise we’re gonna keep him safe.” He kissed the light smattering of dark-red hair on Assa’s knuckles. “That’s why we’re talking.”
“I’m worried about Ryde too,” Zinn said. “But at least the school is basically a fortress. They know me, but I still had to get buzzed in through two different doors and flash my ID when I picked Ryde up for a dentist appointment.”
“Fair point,” Wes said. “And we can use our family scheduling app to make sure there are always two of us at Ryde’s baseball practices.”
“Ked and I can help with that,” Jordie said, patting Lachie on the back as the baby slept on his shoulder.
“I think the person we really need to worry about is Valentin,” Zinn said, running his hand over the cat’s tail. “Since everything has happened at The Cracked Heart so far, we should assume that’s Bergam’s target.”
“Xan’s hiring extra security, and I’ll make sure never to be on my own.”
“What about walking from your car to the club?” Calder asked.
“I’ll text Xan when I get there. He’ll make sure I’m escorted.”
“Alright, so we’re doing what we can to keep ourselves safe, but what’s the long-term plan here?” Wes asked, pacing behind the couch. “This guy’s been out of jail two minutes and I’m already sick of him. I don’t want to spend the rest of our lives looking over our shoulders.”
Valentin stood and gathered Wes in his arms. He kissed him tenderly on the forehead. “We just need to wait him out. Bergam’s an idiot. It’s only a matter of time before he gets locked up again, or pisses someone off enough that they take him out of commission.”
Wes leaned into his embrace. “Ugh. Why does that feel so unsatisfying? I want todosomething.”
“We are doing something. Protecting ourselves, being cautious. I’m not willing to risk you—any of you—to go after Bergam.”
Wes sighed. “I know you’re right. It just sucks.”
“Definitely sucks,” Jordie said.
At that, Lachie let out a long, wet fart.
Ked hooted with laughter. “You tell ’em, baby bro.”
Soon, they were all chuckling, the tension effectively cut. Nothing like a four-month-old needing a diaper change to put things in perspective.
Calder eased the baby from Jordie’s arms. “I’ll talk to Teal,” he said. “With luck, Bergam’s got strict parole and won’t be out for long.”
***
The Rosens stayed for dinner. After their conversation about Bergam, it was reassuring to be together. As one big family.
